1. Attached is a table of Invasion of Germany scenarios listing the original scenario number from West Wall, North of Elsenborn, Aachen, Roer River Battles and Siegfried Line. It includes dates, locations (which are more accurate than described in some of the scenarios), the defensive line, titles of American and German units, which games the maps are from, whether Tigers are featured, and which games counters can come from.
The table can be used to identify mini-campaigns that follow the progress of individual units e.g. the American 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, and the German 301st Heavy Tank Battalion.
2. Also attached is a map showing the scenario locations. It can be used for mini-campaigns covering a particular area where several scenarios are based.
3. Research sources:
http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/S...ied-fm.htm
“The Siegfried Line Campaign” by Charles B. Macdonald.
“The Siegfried Line” by Steven J Zaloga, Osprey Publishing.
“Defense of the Rhine 1944-45” by Steven J Zaloga, Osprey Publishing.
4. Historical background:
When I started to read the IoG book I was rather confused about the different names of the defensive lines, so I carried out some research to clarify the situation:
The defences in the area covered by this game include the Westwall fortifications.
The original Westwall had been built between 1936 and 1940. It split between Geilenkirchen and Aachen into two separate zones.
West of Aachen was the Scharnhorst-Stellung (Position) (called the Scharnhorst Line in IoG), running down through Schmithof and Monschau, then south through the Ardennes.
East of Aachen was the Schill-Stellung (Position) (called the Schill Line in IoG), running down through the southern edge of Stolberg, around Mausbach, to the West of Schmidt in the Hurtgen Forest, then south through the Ardennes.
The two zones met up east of St Vith and then continued southwards.
The Westwall had been largely abandoned after the defeat of France. The armaments and fittings had been removed from the emplacements for use in the Atlantic Wall, leaving concrete shells. The minefields had been lifted and most of the barbed-wire entanglements taken away.
A refurbishment programme of the Westwall was initiated in August and September 1944, and other defensive lines were built in depth (outside the scope of IoG).
The western zones of the Westwall in the Aachen to Hurtgen Forest area were manned by lower grade troops, and the Americans made better progress initially. By the time that the Americans reached the Schill Line, the Germans were bringing in reinforcements including more powerful units, and the Americans’ supply problems were getting worse. Consequently the fighting became much harder.
The Siegfried Line nickname has been applied over the years to the original 1940 Westwall and also to the far more extensive defences of 1944-45. The name stemmed from a speech by Hitler in 1939 when he described the new Westwall as 40 times stronger than the old Siegfried-Stellung fieldworks of 1918. Due to a misunderstanding the British Press started referring to the Westwall fortifications as the Siegfried Line in 1939-40. When Allied forces reached the old Westwall in September 1944, the German defensive positions were again called the Siegfried Line.
5. Strongpoints:
The weaker mix of 6 strongpoints from Airborne/Edelweiss Expanded feature in North of Elsenborn scenarios #1, 3, 4, 5 and 9 (IoG scenarios #3, 8, 9, 10 and 14).
The stronger mix of 15 strongpoints from Cassino ’44 are used in the other 4 books (IoG scenarios #2, 5, 7, 17, 18, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 35, 36, 37 and 40).
The Scharnhorst Line was less heavily defended than the Schill Line in the early scenarios of IoG, which may explain why IoG #3, 8 and 10 have the weaker strongpoints mix. I am not so sure about IoG #9 (in the Schill Line), and IoG#14 (adjacent to IoG#15 and 26 – both Cassino ’44 strongpoints).
6. “Missing” counters to play IoG scenarios:
Most of the counters that I was short of come from Cassino ’44. Using images of counter fronts on the PG-HQ website, I made up a sheet of 28 counters and their correct reverse sides. Can I share them here?
7. I am working on a similar spreadsheet and scenario map to cover the combined Battle of the Bulge, Elsenborn Ridge and Winter Soldiers games. I will post it later this year.
Tim
Invasion of Germany – Player aids and historical background
