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[Plain Ian]

[b]Turn 79 Allied - North [/b]



Rough map of the north. 

I've forgotten to show V Corps Divisions on map so I'll take it down and add these in tomorrow.  (Added)

US forces look impressive according to the raw stats shown above. What the stats don't show is Morale and Fatigue. Thats what wins the game I guess. Plus of course getting all that material to bear on the right places..........

If anyone has any tips or guidance then I'm still open for advice. I might be able to make pretty maps but that doesn't mean I'm good at this game......

[Plain Ian]

Turn 79 Allied Samree - Magaret


Overview of build up of forces in the Bastogne area. 82nd and 53rd Division are currently under XVIII Corps control. 2nd Armoured is under XXX Corps and 101st is VIII Corps just to the south.
I will reorganise command at the midnight turn.

This area has always lacked armour so sending 2nd armoured here makes sense. Ideally I would have liked to use 2nd Armoured to hit his VGD units but he's keeping them well protected in woods. So the 2nd will have to face the Fuhrer Begleit and 2nd SS.

The 53rd and 2nd are at full strength although the 2nd has lost a few tanks during its long road move here. 

The 101st is in good condition apart from the 501st Rgt which has a few Bn's just off map to the south battling 2nd SS.

The 82nd is in reasonable condition although it is a bit strung out. 

4 pretty good Divisions plus some Corps artillery. The 53rd Division is probably the worst unit as most of its units are C rated except for 71st Bde which has B rated Bn's. 

If I can't do some damage here then I think I will have to find an easier game to play.

Edit: I've updated map to show last known positions of enemy. In fact Cesar has at least 3 Divisions in this area if you count the Fuhrer Begleit Bde as a division....which I do. The 25th PGD was active in the area north of Bertogne. Mainly infantry. Its armour was further south at Winfield-Hollange but who knows where it is now? 

So the contest is probably going to be pretty even. The 26th VGD, 25th PGD and 2nd SS are all B rated units. (I think FBB has an A rated PzIV unit? It was a Gross Deutschland tank unit?) With control of the roads I think he can gather quite a powerful armour force from 2nd SS/FBB/25th PGD along the Flamierge - Bastogne axis. 

So i've retracted my statement. <g>

[Plain Ian]

Turn 79 Allied - Night - south of Bastogne VIII Corps



Its a busy map. Most of VIII Corps is on it apart from the 101st which is just off map to the north. 

4th Armoured is in reasonable condition although 37th Tank Bn and 53rd Arm Inf Bn are yellow fatigue. The 52nd Arm Inf Bn is down to 57% and the 10th Arm Inf Bn is the best unit with 75% strength.

The 26th Division on paper looks to be good as well apart from its tank Bn (735th) and 2-104th which is Max fatigue. However this is a D quality unit and not really suited for offense....or defense really when matched against elite units.

The 80th Diviison is a better C rated unit but has been battered a bit in the last 2 days. The 3-318th has been destroyed and the 1-317th gutted. Its artillery is is still intact but its attached armour units are severally depleted.

The 4th, 28th and 9th Armoured have been fighting since the 16th. Actually the 28th and 9th Armoured were withdrawn and were only re-committed because I had nothing else to use.
CCA and CCR of 9th filled gaps when required in particular its armour. CCB of 9th was pulled south but never used as its taken a long time to recove. Most of its units were Broken or Max fatigued. Its 27th Arm Inf is the strongest infantry unit but is still at Fatigue 109.
The 4th Infantry has fought well and its 12th Rgt is still in reasonable shape.

I'll have to rethink what I am doing in this area. I seem to be defending every where when I suppose I should be just concentrating on the main axis of attac which is the main roads i suppose.

[Plain Ian]

Turn 79 Allied - Night - south XII Corps



Last map. 5th Division on the west bank apart from the rearguard of 4 Bn's. The 2-10th has high fatigue but the other infantry units are not too bad. I've got the armour and artillery out so I'm happy I guess.

Decision time again about how to play the game down here in the south. 10th Armoured will probably move off west as soon as they are not needed. I can't see me surprising Cesar so I don't think bridging the Alzette is an option. I might try at Boevabge I suppose?

I see the 10th is missing the 609th TD? I think this was destroyed during the retreat? 

[Plain Ian]

Turn 80 German Night 10pm - Results



Allied losses in men not as bad as I feared they would be. Most of the losses were in the south at Mersch against the 5th Division rearguard as I expected, although there were a few surprises. Despite the night 2nd SS is active at magerotte and at Pratz the 212nd VGD continued their pressure. (2 assaults) . 
11 tanks all M4's were lost this turn due to a variety of causes. At least 3 to tanks fire and 2 to assaults. The rest due to artillery/werfer fire. However allied replacements this turn were pretty good. 12 M4's 9 Tank Destroyers and 7 Armoured Cars. Allied replacement level is 2% and Axis 1%. However I think the high level of replacements is actually a reflection of the level of allied tank losses and not the better replacement %. The lower the number of tanks in a unit the greater its chance of getting a replacement.........



Total losses above.

[Plain Ian]

Turn 80 German Night 10pm - Hoess Venn - Chession



I've gone for smaller font on the units so hopefully they are still readable. 


In the Hoess Venn the 2-38th was selected and hit with artillery and disrupted.

(3) Both of the 277th units are still disrupted. His Sturm morsers are digging. These are Tigers so heavily armoured and artillery proof....although I did kill a Panther with artillery last turn?

(2) Shows the armour he withdrew to recover a few turns ago.

The 3-26th and 3-16th were targeted further south. The 3-26th did succeed in digging in to TRENCH though. The 12th VGD is still at IMPROVED but with 3 digging in I doubt I can stop them.

At Francochamps he selected my front line infantry units and the 3-60th and 2-26th will have to withdraw. 

At Stoumont his Panthers at last moved to defend his Engineers. They moved and killed a 9th RTR M4 with one shot. Easy peasy stuff. His Engineers did however get the hex to TRENCH and then withdrew.

Some more 62nd VGD units have moved up although it looks like the Fusileer Bn disrupted....German units disrupting at night.....amazing. 

At Chession the 740th Tank came under a pretty sustained artillery barrage. I lost count at about 8. They lost 2 tanks and probably had 3-4 Fatigue hits. It disrupted. Well thats what happens if you try to dig in.
The 31st Tank below them wasn't touched but didn't undisrupt. Bummer.

Patrols north of Sourbrodt show that he is still sitting there.

South of Spa his FJD have withdrawn to recover.

[Plain Ian]

Turn 80 German Night 10pm - Odeigne - Flamierge



A relatively quiet sector. US losses were 143 men and the germans lost........8. 

At Odeigne and just south of it (stacks 1 and 2) the Germans contunue to dig in, which is why his assault guns are split into 4 companies. Cesar must be pretty annoyed as they have been digging straight for at least 5+ turns. The 3-334th losses due to artillery and the 298th Engineers lost to direct fire. (but his digging reduced their losses)

The 2-290th lost most of thei r men to direct fire from the 9th SS unit. 

The 2-289th lost 17 men to direct fire and 10 more to artillery.

South of the river the 1-508th lost heavily to 26th VGD/15th PGD. 19 men from direct fire and about the same again from werfers. I kew the 15th PGD were still here so no surprise.

The 1-506th was hit by the FBB but most of the losses came from artillery. Return fire got 7 men. Woo hoo. 

[Plain Ian]

Turn 80 German Night 10pm - Magerotte - Hotte



Well this is a genuine surprise. 2nd SS attacks? His SS Panther Bn roars in plus his assault guns join the party. For good measure he adds his half track Bn and a small Recon unit. 
What this tells me is that Cesar is happy to burn fatigue as he knows he will have time and peace to recover?  Not that B morale units gain much fatigue in fighting compared to D units. He must have a back up force to protect Bastogne and allow his 2nd SS to recover fatigue, in the unlikely event they come under pressure.

He is also pretty confident and continuing his 'bossing' of the battlefield. In his emails he says he like to dictate my moves by his moves. 

The Panthers move up and 3-501st loses 14 men. His infantry adjacent also fire and take out 31 men. Howver my defensive fire does take out 25 men from his stack. 

His half track Bn appears and losses 12 men from defensive fire (1-501st and 3-104th) but does take 7 men from the 1-104th. His assault guns then appear in T-mode? (which is why I think they came in from the north along the road) and take out 7 more men from the 1-104th. My artillery and adjacent units do not fire until his armour comes out of T-mode and of course score no hits. 

So its a pretty interesting situation....well no its a pretty crappy situation really. I think I should back peddle here and pull back. I'm tempted to rush my attack at Flamierge in order to distract him.......

[Plain Ian]

Turn 80 German Night 10pm - Pratz area



Yet another surprise area? The 212th VGD keeps on coming???? No rest for the wicked it seems. I guess the 5th FJD needs time to rest. He has another VG Division arriving in this area as well I think? So why not keep the pressure on. Not that I'm in a position to hit back...

I lost 51 men and 8 M4 tanks in total. He lost 85 men. So although it was easy it was not painless. However you will see that NONE of his units were disrupted by the assaults.

(4) In the north he pulled out the Pz Lehr infantry unit and moved in aBn from the 212th. Before doing this he hit 2-319th with 4 werfer blast and took out 33 men. They then lost a further 8 to normal artillery and some direct fire from the 212th. His armour targeted my disrupted armour and killed 2 tanks. Easy peasy.....I think I've said this already?

(1) The 37th Tank Bn was pulverised by artillery (2 tanks lost, 3 fatigue hits, 3 No Effects) which disrupted it, then it was assaulted by two 212th Bn's. The 37th lost a further 2 tanks and was pushed back onto its sister Bn's. He lost 24 men in the assault.

(3) He the assaulted the 70th Tank Bn and D coy 37th Tnk Bn. I lost 2 more M4's from the 70th but held the hex. He lost 37 men but didn't disrupt? I assume this because I think the units he used to assault are the same ones in the assault hex? I don't think he would have had enough MP's left after the assault to pull disrupted units back and move fresh units in?

(2) He kept up the pressure by bringing in 2 more units although they did lose 12 to defensive fire.  I guess they are ready to assault next turn? I asked Cesar why he had left his units in clear terrain last turn and his answer was so that they can assault? So this turn he is setting out his stall. Even if I disrupt him with artillery he has a good chance  of recovering...thats what happened last turn.

Edit: The 212th is rated as a B Morale unit which is why it recovered quite easily last turn. However I've started reading Hugh Coles Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge and he says -

"The green and ill-equipped 212th Volks Grenadier Division took forty-eight hours to throw a 16-ton bridge over the Sure, and along the entire army front the infantry elements were forced to carry the assault for the first three days without direct heavy weapon support."

Cole's comments conflicts with what other sources say about the 212th?

Lastly he spotted the 1-12th in clear terrain and gave it a quick artillery barrage.

So he now has 6 Bn's of 212th sitting in clear terrain? I know that 5th FJD is behind as I saw an FJD unit moving in the replay. I also know Pz Lehr Panthers are hovering close behind, so if I use my M4's to batter his infantry his Panthers will move up. 
However I don't have many options in this area. I have to fight to hold the woods line here so I will have to find reserves from other areas to rush here?

[Plain Ian]

Turn 80 German Night 10pm - Mersch



Only three assaults in this area and very little artillery? I think after the 1st asssault Cesar realised that something wasn't right as there was a delay before the second assault went in. I think he probably began moving his units away? However at last we do see a 9th Panzer division unit on the map.

1) 2 Bn's of the 352nd hit the disrupted 2-11th and push it back. The 2-11th loses 22 men but it costs the attacker 40 men and at least one is disrupted. 
A unit of 9th Panzer arrive in T mode and is hit by Def Fire. Hoo ray! It loses 5 men. It 'dismounts' and fires killing 5 more men from the 2-11th.

2) I Coy 3-10th is hit by a small barrage (-3 men) then assaulted by a Bn of the 736th VGD. I Coy loses 23 men and the enemy 6. I Coy falls back south onto L Coy.

3) The 2/2nd is assaulted by a mixed grouping (276th/352nd/MG Bn) and loses 30 men. The attackers lose 24 and the 352nd is disrupted. 

And that was that. In total I lost 84 men and Cesar lost 85. 

I've spoken to Cesar and have told him that I will withdraw 3-10th and 2-2nd off the map. I will do the same with the Cannon/10 coy. 

The 1-11th and 2-11th will have to fight on. They will be lost.  I will try and pull the light tank unit (D/735TNK) back over the river. It will probably take losses going into T mode. And that ends the the 5th Division debacle.I'll rest 5th Division here and pull out 10th Armoured. I guess Cesar will leave the 276th (weakest unit) here and pull out the 212th and 352nd....and the 9th Panzer. 

I may send the battered 9th Armoured to Mersch just to watch the river to allow me to pull out the 5th when its fit again.