Morning and Afternoon The Allies are now strongly entrenched in and around the city of Trenton, New Jersey, in preparation for stopping Panzer-Lehr-Division and units of the 13th SS Panzer Division "Nord Amerika". The Allies have placed their armour and infantry in the streets and alleys of the city in order to try to draw the Germans into another costly street battle, as they did in the battle for New York City. They have also amassed large numbers of self-propelled and towed artillery behind the town in hopes of pinning down and destroying the German armour. The following units comprise the garrison at Trenton: 5th Tank Regiment (U.S.)--4 Fireflyss 10 m4k4s 2 M4 (105MM)s 1 M36B1 20th Guards Tank Company (U.S.S.R.)-l T34/76, 2 T34/85, 3 JS III 6th Royal Tank Regiment (G.B.)--6 Centurion II, 4 Churchill VII, 1 Black Prince 276th Scout Platoon (G.B. & U.S.)-1 MS, 1 Daimler Mk. II, 1 Humber 17th Self-Propellied Artillery Company (US)-14 M40 12th Field Medical Unit (Canadian)-- 1 Ford 3 ton ambulance, 1 Jeep 75th Tank Recovery Unit (G.B.)-1 Scammell Tank Transporter, 1 Jeep Garrison Command (U.S.)--1 Dodge weapons carrier, 1 Dodge truck, 3 4eeps, 2 Indian motorcycles Unified Artillery Command (U.S.)- 1 Dodge weapons carrier, 2 Jeeps, 2 Indian motorcycles 3rd Compary, 10th Infantry Regt. (Canadian)- 1 M3, 4 Rams, 1 D.U.K.W. 32nd Medium/Heavy Artillery (Australian)- 3 25pdr, 2 105m., 1 6pdr, 2 155mm "Long Toms", 1 8" howitzer, 2 120mm AA guns, 11 tow vehicles Re-ammuitioning Unit-2 Jeeps & trailers The Germans have decided to mate the battle-seasoned troops of the Panzer-LehrDivision with the untried but magnificently equipped units of the 13th SS Panzer Division "Nord Amerika" in hopes of at last breaking out of the iron ring that the Allies seem to have forged from Connecticut to New Jersey. German Panzer commanders are frustrated with street fighting and want to run wild to the dazzling industrial prizes of the North-East United States. The Wehrmacht is anxious to restore fluidity to the land war, starting with Trenton's destruction. The Axis forces are lined up as follows: Panzer-Lehr-Division 1st Heavy Tank Platoon "Panzer-Lahr" (2 Tiger II, 1 Tiger I) 3rd Medium Tank GomparW "Panzer-Lehr" (10 Panther G) 4th Medium Tank Company "Panzer-Jehr" (6 PzKpfw IV H) 7th SP Tank-Hunting Company "Panzer-Lehr" (2 Grille, 2 Sturmgeshutz III, 1 JgdPz IV) 13th Sturm Platoon "Panzer-Lehr" (2 Sturm Panzer TV., 1 Panzer III with 150mm I.G.) 30th Strassenpanzer Zug (1 Sdyfz 234/4, 1 SdKfz 233, SdKfz 234/1) 15th Nebelwerfer Artillerie Detachment (1 SdKfz II towing 150M Nebelwurfer, 2 sWS with 150mm Nebelwerfer) 5th Panzergrenadier Company "Panzer-Lehr" (1 SdKfz 250/9, 4 SdKfz II) 9th Panzer Jager (1 128mm, 1 88mmp 3 105mms, 1 PaK 38, 1 PaK 40 plus towing vehicles) Tank Recovery Unit (1 BergeRanther) 10th FlaKPanzer Unit (1 Klugelblitz, 1 Ostwind) Divisional Headquarters , Panzer-Lehr-Division (1 radio Opal "Blits", 1 VW Schwimmwagen, 2 Type 82 Kubelwagen, 1 Opal fuel wagon, 2 BMW R75 motorcycles) Artellarie Headquarters, Panzer-Lehr-Division (1 radio Opel Blitz, 1 VW Schwimmwagen, 1 Type 82 UbAlwagen, 1 BMW R75 motorcycle) Re-ammunitioning Unit(2 sWS, 1 Horch) (Units of) 13th SS Panzer Division "Nord Amerika" 1st Heavy Tank Detachment (2 Tiger II) 1st Medium Tank Company (10 Panther G) 7th JgdPz. Platoon (2 Nashorn, 2 Hetzer) 10th Nebelwerfer Artillerie Detachment (6 sWS with 150mm Nebelwerfer) 3rd Panzergrenadier Platoon (1 Sdfz 251/9, 3 Sdfz 25:L/1) 5th Support Artilleris Platoon (2-75m L.I.G.s 1 FlaK 38, 1 120mm Mortar plus towing vehicles) 18th Strassenpanzer Zug (6 SdKfz 234/2) Tank Recovery Detachment (1 Bergepanser Tiger I) 7th Pioneer Platoon (1 Horch truck with mobile bridge) The attack on Trenton begins at dawn, when the defenders of the unbowed city awake to see the horizon alive with the crawling shapes of German tanks, selfpropelled guns, and infantry carriers. The spell-binding effect of this mass of armoured strength soon loses its power on the Allies troops as the first ranging shots of the artillery explode ahead of the leading Axis reconnaisance vehicles and Allied tankers pull their charges into pre-designated hiding places to present the minimum of targets to the enemy. Far ahead of the slower armoured vehicles, the German light reconnaisance motorcycles and Volkswagens probe the Allied front to try and draw enemy fire in order to call down their counter-battery fire. Suddenly the leading Axis vehicles are enveloped in a haze of exploding earth as the 155mm guns of the American M40's get their range. As the haze clears it is replaced with the fire and smoke of about half the German artillery scout force's destroyed vehicles. Needless to say, the Germans are stunned again by the violence of the Allied artillery, but they still press on. Even though they come closer and closer to Trenton with every passing minute, the reconnaisance vehicles can find no targets for their vengeful cannon. And as they advance their numbers dwindle, smashed by an enemy who evidently knows their purpose. Steadily the Panzers advance; the Panzer-Lehr tanks on the left, the SS tanks on the right. The Allied tanks wait impatiently in their places of concealment, anxiously hoping for their action orders. As they close in on Trenton, the Axis tanks "button-up", ready for the first encourter with their Allied counterparts. The leading Panthers of Panzer-Lehr espy a target - a Firefly which is not quite hidden in its lair. Ten deadly 75mm muzzles traverse and lock onto the first victim. The deafening crash of the Panther guns intermingles with the squeak and rattle of tank tracks, and the far-off Firefly bursts into flame. The Panthers accelerate, confident that the destruction of one of their number will at last bring out the Allied tanks. Instead a screaming artillery salvo blossoms in their midst. The swearing survivors damn their artillery -- where was the counter-battery fire? For the Allies this battle had so far been "a piece of cake," consisting merely of picking off the Axis vehicles as they came into range. The explosion of the unfortunate Firefly shakes their composure, and increases the tension in the turrets of the Allied vehicles. In the race for the city limits, the SS units are in the lead, closing to the right flank of the defences. At last the Allied armour receives its orders and the tanks and armoured cars pour out into the streets of Trenton. The Axis tanks suddenly find a proliferation of targets, and firing is intense and inaccurate on both sides. The Panzer-Lehr tanks find a surfaced road leading into town, and this aide them greatly in escaping the Allied artillery, which will lose its advantage once the enemy is in the town proper. Even though losses have been heaviest on the Axis side, as the tanks come to gripe the Allies find themselves losing tanks quickly to German gunfire. The American engineer troops wire a bridge leading into the town -- just in case. The main action centred on the right flank, where the tanks of the 13th SS Panzer Division are making considerable progress against British and American armour, although with the usual heavy losses. Finally the Panzer-Lehr Tigers and Panthers roar into the city against stiff but quickly weakening resistance as the Allied forces pull back across their river barrier. The Germans are fighting hard to cross the river before nightfall, but the opposite bank is solid with Allied tank muzzles. Finally the Germans decide they have had enough for one afternoon, and at 5 p.m. the order for a "strategic retrogration" is given on both flanks, and the disheartened Nazi forces steal off into the falling night. They are sure to return. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 120 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1971 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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