Breaching the West Wall Spearhead Division #1 |
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(Defender) Germany | vs | United States (Attacker) |
Formations Involved | ||
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Germany | 9th Panzer Division | |
United States | 26th Infantry Regiment | |
United States | 3rd "Spearhead" Armored Division |
Total | |
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Side 1 | 4 |
Draw | 0 |
Side 2 | 5 |
Overall Rating, 9 votes |
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4.56
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Scenario Rank: 10 of 913 |
Parent Game | Spearhead Division |
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Historicity | Historical |
Date | 1944-09-13 |
Start Time | 13:00 |
Turn Count | 18 |
Visibility | Day |
Counters | 64 |
Net Morale | 0 |
Net Initiative | 1 |
Maps | 2: 22, 24 |
Layout Dimensions | 86 x 28 cm 34 x 11 in |
Play Bounty | 155 |
AAR Bounty | 165 |
Total Plays | 9 |
Total AARs | 2 |
Battle Types |
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Inflict Enemy Casualties |
Urban Assault |
Entrenchment Control |
Conditions |
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Anti-infantry Wire |
Entrenchments |
Minefields |
Off-board Artillery |
Reinforcements |
Smoke |
Scenario Requirements & Playability | |
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Elsenborn Ridge | Maps + Counters |
Spearhead Division | Base Game |
Introduction |
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Though undermanned, the West Wall (also called the Siegfried Line) presented a significant obstacle to the advancing Allies. To make matters worse there were signs that the German Army was recovering from the summer's disasters and making a concentrated effort to fully man the West Wall before the Allies could rectify their supply problems and mount a proper attack. So on September 13th, despite a worrying low gasoline reserve, the Americans went forward. |
Conclusion |
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Task Force Doan's first attack had been beaten back until the afternoon, when the Americans discovered a dirt road that had been filled in by locals because the dragon's teeth had been too difficult for them to traverse with their wagons. The tanks quickly exploited this opportunity but the infantry was unable to follow due to heavy small-arms fire. Another nest of pillboxes was soon discovered and the cover there allowed German infantry to work close to the Americans and destroy four of the tanks. The Americans endured more bad luck when the 394th Sturmgeschütz Brigade chanced upon them while seeking to engage Task Force Lovelady. The assault guns quickly destroyed six more tanks, leaving the task force with only half of its original twenty. A call went out for assistance and soon two more platoons of Third Division tanks and a battalion from the First Infantry Division were on their way to help. In heavy fighting the Americans were able to push through the strongpoint and reach Nuetheim. |
AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle |
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2 Errata Items | |
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The reduced direct fire value of the Heer HMG became 5-5 starting with Fall of France. (plloyd1010
on 2015 Jul 31)
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The movement allowance on the counters in Airborne is misprinted. It should be "3." (rerathbun
on 2012 Jan 30)
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It's a (hard) Stug Life | ||||||||||||
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This is an interesting scenario as the timing of the reinforcements can determine the outcome. The Americans attack with the Sherman company rolling up and blasting the forward entrenchments. the Landschutzen couldn't stand up and simply fled. Then the tanks met up with the 1st Bn 26th Infantry which came in before the rest of TF Doan. Together the two formations rolled up the hill SW of Nutheim and easily dispatched the Germans there and then moved on to Nutheim and assaulted it on the west flank as the Germans had wire and mines covering the south of town. The Stugs were late coming in so the Shermans had time to soften up the defense and allow the infantry to gain a foothold. The Stugs finally showed up and had furious but brief battle with e 75mm Shermans. Both sides lost half their AFVs in that fight but the M10 Platoon and M4/76 platoon moved up and killed off the Stugs. Then it was reduction time and the Americans ground down the Germans taking all but two hexes of Nutheim. it ended in an American Major victory, 39 to 13. I think if the Stugs showed up early, they might have defeated the 75mm Shermans and fight would have been closer. Note I played this with the option armor value of 4 for the Shermans. |
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0 Comments |
Spearhead Blunted | ||||||||||||
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Meta-gamed Observation: the dice were just terrible for the US. Set up: ENT & Mine B22 0704 and 0604 respectively; HMG (red) + Gren (red). Roadblock at the bend by the fields. ENT at B22 0104 to interfere with eventual 1ID board entry (Gren(r)). On B24, hexes 0502; 1102; 0806. The 1102 hex was two hexes in front of the small hamlet on the hill and held a LT+HMG+Gren. This and the hamlet were the key blocking force vs. 1ID. Some mines and wire and dug-in troops held the road/slope area of B 24. A couple of red units and the 2x81mm were in Nutheim (which could just reach the board edge to protect the ENT in 1102. Reinforcement entries: Heer StugIII's arrive Turn 5; US both sets arrive on Turn 7. Early turns involved US armor on-board attacking the x2 ENT on B22. The US M10 rolled over the (played as "hidden" minefield, but rolled a '1' so no effect. US DF rolls both '7'. tl;dr the Landesschutzen held out until turn 5. German reinforcements arrived on Turn 5 and promptly established overlook positions on the B24 slope. US armor mostly hides in fields. Turn 7 US reinforcements (both sets) finally arrive. US tanks assault the ENT in 0104 to establish an assault hex so that off board 1ID can enter, but are themselves destroyed by StugIII fire. My Heer-hat decides to be aggressive and moves a StugIII + Gren + LT up to spot the US armor in the fields before US reinforcements can arrive (and maybe park that Gren in the otherwise empty ENT). This, of course, invites US AT fire and the other Stug's reply. After a few turns of this combat, the Germans lose that attacking Stug whilst the Gren flees back north; the US loses 5-6 steps of armor. The US Big Red One just has a terrible time. The US major and one company get an early morale failure from the Heer's OBA and/or mortars. This disrupts the early softening up of the ENT hex. Another company (INF) tries to infiltrate along the board edge towards the hilltop hamlet, but likewise are morale defeated. Meanwhile, the HMGs finally get into place. Turn 11, US rolls a logistics shortfall (optional rule) during FoW. This, just as the 3AD's armored infantry and the Jumbo + M4/76 arrive to scare off the Stug (after some exchange of fire). The German OBA and mortars continue to inflict morale failures on various 1ID units. Turn 13, US now ready for two major attacks: a 1ID assault finally on the ENT in 1102 and the Dug-in (Wire hex) in mid-board on the hill line using the Jumbo and the 3AD armored infantry. In the latter, the lone (regular army) Gren + CPT get initiative and roll a '12' against an adjacent hex; the X result and demoralizations wreck a good part of that attack. In the former, the US finally reduced and demoralized the Gren. So for the assault we have: Heer: 9-1-1 LT + HMG (GO) + Gren(r,d). So first fire on the 13 col. US: 9-1-1 CPT + 9-1-1 LT + HMG (GO) + ENG (GO) + INF (GO). German first fire on the 13 col (leader col +1) => M2. I proceeded to roll down the US line: 10; 10; 9; 8; 9. So both leaders demoralized, which now prevents assistance to the personnel units (8/6) which are demoralized; disrupted; demoralized respectively. Given this carnage; the US in the midst of an ammunition shortfall (making any further "softening up" all the less effective) and that only five turns remained (and US units would have needed four turns just to get to Nutheim), I called it a day ... the US withdrew back to lick its wounds and resupply. The Germans offered pleasing sacrifice to the pagan god of the dice. PS I do not have any notes of the US OBA having any material effect. No X results and the Germans either made or recovered from any morale failures. |
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