In the last issue we offered a complete scenario description and a game replay covering the southern part of the batttefield from the scenario. The game replay was written in the form of a letter from the officer in command to the troops in the southern area. In this issue, we have the write-up by the scenario designer, who ran the game, and offers a report of the action on the northern haff of the battle.
This article reviews a late 1944 scenario that was played at the 1994 NOVAG convention held in Falls Church, VA. It was an action-packed scenario, enjoyed by all the participants.
The scenario was designed to duplicate one of the stiff fights Patton's Third Army had as it approached the Siegfried Line in November, 1944. The Germans were trying to stop the American advance by making use of the series of small French villages that dot the area in eastern France. Weather conditions were clear and cold--yielding good ground conditions and facilitating use of American airpower.
The American force was a reinforced company team from the 4th Armored Division, one of the very best US divisions to fight in the European Theater. Task Force Brown was built around a company of Shermans, an armored infantry company (less one platoon), plus supporting elements such as engineers, recon troops, tank destroyers, off-board artillery support, and P- 47 fighter bombers. The American mission was to seize two villages and the nearby ridge, thus opening the way for a breakthrough by other elements of the 4th Armored Division.
The German force exemplified the hodgepodge of units available for the defense of the German border in late 1944. The 25th Panzergrenadier Division was an above-par organization by late 1944 German standards. It was, however, badly understrength by the time of this scenario. Since it is assumed that the Germans realized this was a critical sector, the badly understrength panzergrenadier battalion, which is the centerpiece of the German force, has been reinforced by Flak units and a two-vehicle detachment of Tiger I tanks. The German mission was to hold the two villages and prevent an American breakthrough.
When the game began, the Germans had secretly deployed their forces to defend the two villages. A roughly equal force was in each village, with the southern sector somewhat stronger due to the presence of the Pumas of the recon force positioned in the farm near the southwestern edge of the map. Held in reserve behind the ridge were the Tigers, the two assault guns, and the few mobile panzergrenadiers.
The Americans divided their force into roughly two equal teams. The northern force included two platoons of Shermans, a platoon of armored infantry and the recon elements, plus a squad of engineers. The southern force had a platoon each of Shermans and armored infantry, plus the tank destroyers and most of the heavy weapons platoon. The forward air controller accompanied the northern team. Initially, the off-board 105mm battery was in direct support of the northern team. The geography of the map dictated that there would be virtually two independent battles for the two villages.
As the game opened, the Americans rapidly advanced toward the two villages. Luckily for them, their first turn die roll resulted in the two P-47 Thunderbolts arriving on the second turn of the game-they were going to need them.
As the American northern force pushed into the first group of buildings, the lead tanks came under long-range fire from the two Tigers that pulled into view on the ridge. While the Tigers could, and did, destroy Shermans at that range, the American vehicles (particularly since they had short barreled 75s) were powerless to harm the Tigers. Fortunately, for the Americans, the P-47s were on hand to attack, which they did-knocking off the track of one of the Tigers with a 500 lb bomb. Nevertheless, two American tanks were on fire as a result of a couple of turns of shooting by the Tigers. Meanwhile, the armored infantry and light tanks of the northern force were sweeping among the buildings of the town.
Camouflaged panzergrenadiers called in 120mm mortar rounds and opened fire with automatic weapons as the American infantry dismounted from halftracks. The lead American M-3 was knocked out as it crashed through a farm fence. Heavy covering fire from supporting US vehicles forced the advanced German troops to fall back after suffering several casualties.
As the now-dismounted American infantry and engineers began fanning out among the buildings in the western edge of the town, they fought several close-quarters actions against panzergrenadiers in the buildings, and others dug into foxholes between the houses. Casualties began to mount on both sides. The US light tanks began to sweep around the northern flank of the village, only to be engaged by a dug-in PAK 40 on the eastern edge of the town. The lead M-5 was knocked out-but the following vehicles, with a Sherman advancing down the main road, finished off the German gun.
By this point, roughly seven turns into the game, the Germans were running low on 120mm mortar ammunition. This was a major problem, since the 120s had inflicted the majority of the casualties on the American infantry. With the loss of mortar support, combined with the fragmenting of the defense in the town, things were not looking good for the Germans in the northern village. One infantry squad was cut off in the woods on the north edge of the map, another squad was falling back to the southern part of the town, and only remnants of two other squads remained in isolated buildings with American vehicles swarming among them. As the game ended about turn 10, it was apparent that the Germans had lost the northern village.
On the other hand, things were not looking good for the 4th Armored Division at the southern town.
Task Force Brown: The Approach to Germany A Battalions in Crisis Scenario
Back to Table of Contents -- Combat Simulation Vol 1 No. 4
Back to Combat Simulation List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Magazine List
© Copyright 1995 by Mike Vogell and Phoenix Military Simulations.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com