"Thet's noo ordnary Rabbit, it's the mos foul, crul, bad timpred Rodent!" R4 Sitreps

[Digger]

4km East of St Vith, Somewhere in the Ardennes

Axis Turn 7

With no visible spotters the American artillery falls with little impact and the German response is equally ineffectual, with the exception of forcing a jeep on the outskirts of St Vith to hightail it. A least the smoke mission landed in place on the edge of Wallerode.

Little enemy movement is noticed, but plenty is heard, except for the Engineer platoon and machine-gun section withdrawing up the Eiterbuch - St Vith road and taking up blocking positions in sight of Wallerode.

The barrage settles in the north to reveal a halftrack section spotting the German advance accross the Bullingen - St Vith road. A Panther platoon reverses on to the rise above the road and dispatches it with Germanic precision. The platoon maintains LOS as the Lemnitz's landsers advance to the road, without meeting any resistance.

Using the smoke as cover two platoons of Sonderheid's company, supported by a Panther platoon advance to the edge of Wallerode. From these heights Sonderheid's men are able to look down at St Vith some 3km away. The town is looks strangely quiet from this distance and unoccupied, though it is doubtful to remain this way for long.

Still struggling up the sealed road from Eiterbuch the Bicyclists and their supporting vehicles fail to contact the enemy as they fan out through the St Vith Wald, looking for enemy stragglers.

Moving north in an attempt to contact the withdrawing enemy, Stoesser's company, reinforced with a platoon of engineers leave the Schlierbach - St Vith road and enter the St Vith Wald. Advancing slowly the 2nd platoon and the machinegun platoon are fired upon by the same infantry, machine-guns and mortars and five men and an MG-42 are lost. The remaining machinegunners come streaming back past Stoesser's 2nd platoon looking somewhat perturbed. The 2nd platoon returns fire and the machinegun section disappears in a hail of bullets. Advancing from the southwest the Engineers and the 3rd Platoon advance forward and fire into the Americans. The infantry are wiped out and the mortar section retreats onto a muddy forest road, right in front of a rather startled Hetzer platoon, advancing from Eiterbuch. Fortunately for them, they have no time to load the cannon.

General Grabung, seated at a roadside cafe in Eiterbuch watches as reinforcements begin to pass him towards the frontline. He pours over updated maps of the advance so far. Muttering to himself.

"Lemnitz has done well in the north, sweeping the enemy aside and has acheived control of the main road, as well as LOS into St Vith. In the South and centre the advance has been slower and more cautious, perhaps too slow, but it is the shortest route to St Vith and no doubt well defended. Fichtner was told to wait for reinforcements. Now they have arrived perhaps the attack will resume with more gusto"

One thought still bothered him, however, ringing at the rear of his mind like a church bell. "Where have those Americans got to?"