After six days of fighting, XIX Corps believed they were ready for a quick push to the Roer. Merzenhausen was the key to the enemy’s defenses west of the Roer River. The 246th Volksgrenadier Division was undergoing a relief in place. TF 1/66 with Crocs attacked before the relief occurred and ran into elements of the 246th Volksgrenadier Division and LXXXI Corps.
Attacker: American / British (1/66 Armored, 1/119th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division and Squadron B, Fife and Forfar Yeomanry)
Defender: German (Volksgrenadier Division 246, SchweweAbteilung 506, and LXXXI Corps)
8 turns
Players: 2 OBA: None Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:18.0 D:20.0
AFVs: A:12
Churchill Crocodile x 3 Churchill VII x 2 M5A1 x 2 M4A3 x 2 M4A3(76)W x 2 M4A3E2
AFVs: D:6
StuG IIIG (L) x 2 JgdPz IV/70 PzKpfw VIB x 2 PzJg III/IV Nashorn TD
Guns: A:0 D:1
5cm PaK 38
Misc Rules:
Ov2 w A: FTV3
Map Board(s):
10
43
Overlays:
O1
OG1
Errata (source)
Players wanting to play this game/Request a match:
The Germans face an immediately tough decision on how strongly they decide to defend the farm compound (worth 10VP). I chose what I would call a moderate approach, filling most building hexes with HS, with a dummy tank to boot. I setup fairly strong defending an eastern approach which never materialized, as my opponent came on strong just west of the main road, bolstering this force with his western reinforcements entering as far south as possible. Turn 2 saw him overrun my dummy tank as his men began pouring into the western end of the compound, grabbing a quick 4 VP. Turn 3 saw him use his tanks very aggressively in sleze freezing the remainder of my men in that area, losing two of them in process (including one of his two upgunned Shermans), but totally controlling the compound by the end (at a cost of 3.5 squads for me). Meanwhile my JgdPz was stunned by his HMG nest trying to make its escape and swarmed and eliminated the following turn, a move that could've easily been prevented had I kicked into reverse motion rather than forward. But the Allies made their share of mistakes as well, babying their FT tanks even after locating both my heavy guns. Meanwhile I was counting down the time until my precious reinforcements arrived. Turn 5 was costly for the Allies as they sensed the need for ugency, and also due to a fair bit of luck on my part. I was able to fry a Stuart trying to sneak up on my Nashorn from the side, and a Sherman was dispatched in CC. Then I knocked out his last upgunned Sherman with the Nashorn, and both King Tigers accounted for themselves by burning up two more. the Allies were down to only their Churchhills, and with the German reinforcements embedding themselves in the stone buildings and woods surrounding them on the approach it would be very difficult for the Allies indeed. At this point the Allied infantry losses began to escalate beyond the Germans as they needed to cross much open ground to assault the town proper. As their assets continued to dwindle the attack peatered out, leaving them raising the white flag halfway through their last turn moves. A very fun, swirling scenario that both lives up to its name and its reputation.
2021-02-28
(D) John Gorkowski
vs
John Stadick
German win
Combined arms mayhem with high velocity guns, thick armor, flamethrowers, and infantry armed to the teeth, highly recommended. My defending Germans counterattacked John Stadick’s Americans on the last turn to squeak out victory by a margin of a few building locations. Since both sides have lots of good units, time is the real key to victory here. The Anglo-Americans need to gobble up ground quickly, even if it’s expensive while the Germans want to hold them back, even if it’s expensive. If the Allies can’t wedge into the board ten village by turn four, they are in real trouble.
My Germans placed key units as follows: Nashorn in woods at 10R9 with a southwestern covered arc, JgdPzIV beside the wall in 10Q5 facing west, 9-1 directing HMG on the upper floor of 43N9 in the central compound, the Stug IIIs in 43L9 and G9 with a cross fire on the southern field, both Panzerschrecks hidden in the eastern brush field on board 43. I wanted to set back far enough to prevent the fiery Crocodiles from
just rolling on and torching good units in the southern end of the central compound. I deliberately placed armor in brush and woods for concealment to keep the American guessing about the exact location of my Nashorn (lethal) versus Stugs (dangerous, but manageable).
The Allied southern force, 10 squads and nine tanks, entered via the southern brush field (43N3 area) in the blind spot of my armor deployment. They rolled ahead cautiously making smoke and using vehicles as cover for infantry. My 9-1 HMG combo nailed an American lieutenant and squad in their bore sighted hex at 43O3, where the brush field begins. The Allied eastern force, eight squads and three tanks, also proceeded with caution along the wood roads in the 10F4 area. They were clearly trying to discern where I had placed my Nashorn and JgdPzIV BEFORE making a risky rush.
So, John’s Americans put on a masterclass in advancing via cover for minimal loss by patiently overrunning the central compound and lining up their flame-throwing crocodiles around 10K3 for a blitz against the JgdPzIV position on my western perimeter. Around turn three, a spunky M5A1 popped out of the smoky compound to blitz the Nashorn (10R9). The HIP German 50L in 43O10 fired and missed, the Nashorn fired and missed, then the M5A1 crashed into the woods with the Nashorn, made its bog check, came out the other end and fired to kill the beast! A 5-4-8 advanced into close combat with that M5A1 and rolled boxcars to cut itself in half and then die when the M5A1 rolled 4 in CC. The M5A1 then rushed the JgdPzIV (10Q5) and got into its hex before a nearby Stug III killed it. Smoke from that wreck combined with ordnance smoke from Allied prep fire cluttered up the battlefield enabling the Americans and their Churchills to close in from the west, but also screened the JgdPzIV retreat from flamethrower shots. Meanwhile, a Panzershreck knocked out an Easy 8 (Sherman) by board 43’s eastern brush field and a Stug III clocked the other M5A1 before stunning a CE Sherman Jumbo with an HE hit.
By turn five the Allies had lined up mid-board for the assault on the board 10 village. My JgdPzIV was repositioned to 10V4 among friendly infantry with a Stug at 10U7. East of that, I had a German HMG with 5-4-8 and 7-0 in the 10V7 building and a host of German infantry in the 10Z6 building. The Allies tried and failed a bunch of smoke and white phosphorous shots before following up with equally bad prep fire by those disappointing tanks. Allied infantry closed in on the 10U5/U6 building. The crocodiles steered clear of the JgdPzIV preferring instead to scorch German infantry one-squad-per-turn. Fortunately, one of those monsters broke its nozzle to afford the Germans some relief. The JgdPzIV pivoted southward to kill two Shermans closing in from the central compound via column U and later used its sN to reduce an American squad in close combat before suffering immobilization from enemy fire. German small arms kept the American infantry at bay. The King Tigers and their infantry entered along the north edge and quickly deployed one big cat to the circular wall at 10Y5 and another behind the wall at 10Z2.
Soon after, the Allies dashed forward along the north board edge, around the 10W2. A comedy of German errors set the stage for Allied success. Two panzerfaust checks failed with 6 to pin the wanna-be tank hunters. Another squad fired its faust, but missed, got cut in half by back blast, and then rolled box cars on the 1MC for total destruction. A Panzerschreck carefully placed at 10Z0 fired and missed a fast-approaching Sherman Jumbo, as did a Stug, so the Jumbo overran a 5-4-8 with the Stug in 10Y1. The 5-4-8 survived and would later finally succeed in panzerfausting the in-motion Jumbo. American infantry swarmed the western half of the village; they were pressing up against that King Tiger in the 10Y5 stone circle.
On the last turn, the Allies rushed building 10Z6 from the south for a crack at victory. Their 9-2 and some machine guns provided devastating covering fire from the west (10U5/U8) enabling them to break and route all but one of the German occupants. A lone 2-2-8 with Panzerschreck denied the Allies building control, so they would have to measure progress one location at a time.
All German survivors, then about five squads huddled in the northeastern buildings, followed their King Tigers into the 10Z6 building. One big cat failed ESB and so broke down at the front door. That was good enough, he turned his turret to kill a Crocodile along the north edge at 10X1. Another big cat crashed into the foyer and blasted an adjacent 6-6-6 with a 3 to hit, thanks to the armor leader! A Stug came around the back to fire on 10Z7. German infantry funneled in via smoke left behind by the Stug in 10BB6. The Germans took half the ground floor back and their 2-2-8 persisted in melee against an American 3-4-7 to deliver the win by limiting the Allies to 33 of the 38 required building locations.
2020-10-30
(D) John Smith
vs
Scott
German win
If the Germans can delay the Americans long enough so they can get their King Tigers and 2 platoons of infantry on, the Americans will have a hard time of it. And if the German King Tigers can escape and room, they just feast on any remaining allied AFVs. Having 3 Crocs running around was fun! Oof.
2019-08-24
(D) Jason Wert
vs
Ron Duwenksy
American / British win
2018-02-18
(D) jon smith
vs
american british
German win
Germans HIPed the 9-1 and the HMG, along with the 8-1 and an MMG, rest was put on a forward defence with the big guns up front in woods and cover, most of force was facing the Yanks with the HIP units and a stug facing off the brit crocs thrust through the wooods...
Early turns saw the infantry get mown down as they left the woods with the HMG tearing into them from the central stone building, armoured support was slow and possibly a little cautious till the Nashron was dealt with. The nashon him self fired twice, missing the first shot and breaking the gun on the second... grrrrr... before being destroyed by shermans...
The germans packed the central walled stone bulidings and the yanks fell in droves trying to get them out, with the stuarts falling to HIP 50l, and 3 shermans going down to the Jgpazr IV, game was fun but effectively over as the allies were down to 4 tanks and 4 MMc in centre, and 3 tanks but only 1 mmc from woods... with the germans yet to bring on the King Tigers!
Lovely looking scenario, possibly crying out for a smoke barrage for balance.
