Another FoBww2 game, again with 20mm 'stuff' though this time in the desperate actions in Belgium during the Ardennes offensive in 1944/45.
The scenario this time is based on the generic game, again from the old '94 'Clash of Armor' module - PanzerKampfe, by David Reynolds.
Again, a very close game, with the Americans actually running out of morale first, but the Germans being so close that they were trading morale chips. It started off a one sided matter, but quickly devolved into very exciting action.
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| ...a certain 75mm ATG would have too many directions to face in the end...in a Target Rich Environment |
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| Out of shot on the top left, is the village of Aalst, and the key bridge just beyond that - the American objective, unless they can break the Germans first... |
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| Early StuG positions are reconned and eliminated...despite these early losses on the German left, they reconstitute very quickly |
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| The US right, which will become a challenge as troops throw themselves against German defensive works |
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| The US left, and early capture of the village of St Marc - all quiet.... |
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| German recon units spot and pull back, awaiting their own panzers |
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| A wide flanking movement for Combat Command B on the US right |
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| Panzers are deceptively slow to arrive at the bridge |
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| Remaining StuGs hope to see action in the centre, but the flanks would dominate for the morning hours |
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| Germans stalled around the objective |
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| Though American TD battalions are similarly stalled (through desperately poor movement card rolls in the morning turns) |
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| German recon units move to reinforce Aalst and the bridge |
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| The critical US drive on the left, with reinforcements in the centre, and a soon to be stymied probe at right |
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| Action on the US right as their convoy is ambushed by PanzerGrenadiers |
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| ...then the column is hit with accurate artillery (pre-spotted on a command card, then brought down directly after on a very lucky indirect fire card) |
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| The ambush is very effective |
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| ...and the rounds keep falling |
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| On the US right, armour movement is slow, the Panzer force having not yet been spotted |
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| Slow but steady movement in the centre, hoping to swing left to the objective |
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| Carnage on the US lift on the high ground, with combat assaults supported by armour, and danger close German artillery |
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| Combat Command A drive slowly past Virth, toward Aalst...finding that damned recon unit at last |
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| Good progress on left (Combat Command A), slow progress in centre (CCC)...halted on the right (CCB) |
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| Combat Combat C with the Anti Tank elements rolls astonishingly well on a drawn move card, and finally seizes the initiative, managing to outflank the Panzers, who are still stuck on the highway |
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| Here is one of the true facets of genius with these rules...cards dictate what your units do, and initiative dictates how many cards you can act upon...but sometimes - a bad move on one side, is countered by a superb move on the other, and suddenly..."ACTUNG! PANZER!" as M10 tank destroyers are spotted on the German left. |
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| It's horrific on the US right, as company close assaults are destroyed and pushed back again and again - it does however focus the German artillery spotting rounds and Fire for Effect, allowing the other US drives to move fast. |
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| a little theatre... |
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| "Can you see anything Hans?" ..."Just zeese rather large red Pom Poms Fritz!!!" |
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| Hard to argue with a 75mm ATG at close range though... |
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| CCC swings left toward Aalst |
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| Dertmined US pressure forces the Panzers back - they have barely been able to move out of the town |
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| The US assault goes in on the objective. It was touch and go for a long time in the final series of card draws, as both sides ran out of morale... |
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| ...ultimately , the Germans would fail their morale card roll...and it was all over |
Another great game, and rules mechanisms which deserve to be hacked and re-modelled for many other modern periods and scales.
