Panzer Grenadier Battles on April 27th:
Arctic Front Deluxe #40 - Children's Crusade Broken Axis #14 - Târgu Frumos: The Second Battle Scenario 3: Sledge Hammer of the Proletariat
Army Group South Ukraine #6 - Consternation Road to Berlin #73 - She-Wolves of the SS
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D is for Dog
Black Panthers #8
(Attacker) United States vs Germany (Defender)
Formations Involved
Display
Balance:



Overall balance chart for BlkP008
Total
Side 1 2
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 2 votes
5
4
3
2
1
4
Scenario Rank: --- of 913
Parent Game Black Panthers
Historicity Historical
Date 1944-11-11
Start Time 09:00
Turn Count 18
Visibility Day
Counters 29
Net Morale 1
Net Initiative 2
Maps 2: 22, 24
Layout Dimensions 86 x 28 cm
34 x 11 in
Play Bounty 161
AAR Bounty 171
Total Plays 2
Total AARs 1
Battle Types
Breakout
Delaying Action
Hill Control
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Conditions
Severe Weather
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Black Panthers Base Game
Elsenborn Ridge Maps + Counters
Introduction

The entire 26th Infantry Division saw action on Armistice Day. Hints that the Germans had begun to retreat caused the division and corps command to press their subordinated units to attack with renewed vigor. South-east of Hill 310 barring the approach to the back side of Koecking Ridge, the town of Haraucourt-sur-Seille still held Germans. Dog Company's light tanks would clear some of the high ground to allow the Shermans to bombard the town and hasten the German retreat without embroiling the tanks and infantry in more house-to-house fighting.

Conclusion

The Americans met unexpected resistance in the woods south of Haraucourt, losing several Shermans and several more Stuarts, and failing to get into position to bring the town under direct fire. The Germans would be able to pull out here without harassment from the American tanks.


Display Relevant AFV Rules

AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
  • Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
  • AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
  • AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
  • Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
  • Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
  • Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
  • Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
  • Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
  • AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
  • AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC)
  • Tank: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable

Display Order of Battle

Germany Order of Battle
Heer
United States Order of Battle
Army
  • Mechanized

Display Errata (3)

3 Errata Items
Overall balance chart for 20

The reduced direct fire value of the Heer HMG became 5-5 starting with Fall of France.

(plloyd1010 on 2015 Jul 31)
Overall balance chart for 63

The morale and combat modifiers of German Sergeant #1614 should be "0", not "8".

(Shad on 2010 Dec 15)
Overall balance chart for 54

The movement allowance on the counters in Airborne is misprinted. It should be "3."

(rerathbun on 2012 Jan 30)

Display AARs (1)

Luck was with them
Author gambler1650
Method Solo
Victor United States
Play Date 2023-02-23
Language English
Scenario BlkP008

In the real world, the 26th Infantry Division and the 761st "Black Panthers" Tank Battalion were decisively and destructively pushed back from Hill 310 overlooking the town of Haraucourt-sur-Seille.

On a small table somewhere in Northern Virginia, events turned out very differently. Most of this was simply due to die rolls. Fairly consistently the Germans rolled between 6-8 on their direct fire attacks while the U.S. units rolled... better. Sometimes two 4 strength attacks would both result in morale checks on the same location in the same turn.

The first event of note was at 9:15 (Turn 2) when the German 75/41 ATG was eliminated on a die roll of 2 on the Direct Fire 7 column by two of the M5 platoons that avoided the first two opportunity fire shots from the gun which couldn't find their targets. It was situated to cover the light woods and clear terrain which was one main route the 781st could take towards the town. Mistake #1 for the Germans: No infantry stacked with it to soak the attack. This would, rather obviously, have a strong impact on the rest of the scenario as it gave the Black Panthers much more ability to come onto the hill to support the infantry.

A short time later, two platoons from the 761st pushed back a forward blocking infantry platoon at the hill's base by disrupting it - after which it realized it would do better in line with the platoons on the edge of the hill.

The centerpiece of the German defense was Hex 0716. But the ATG platoon was supposed to protect it from tanks, and since it wasn't there the HMG and Infantry platoons were eliminated at 11:15. Recriminations over whether the 50mm platoon should have also been included there instead of back in the town would reach German high command and heads would roll. Once that happened, the 26th and the 761st easily cleaned out the German units. By 12:00 all resistance on the hill was eliminated.

Making sure that the Sherman platoon would be able to lay fire down on the town and road through it, no less than 4 infantry platoons, the HMG platoon, and three M5 platoons would descend upon the town and surround the 50mm platoon. The Germans did manage one good moment when they eliminated one of the M5 platoons with an extraordinary display of shooting, but they were overrun by 12:30 pm, giving the Americans full control over the battlefield.

1 Comment
2023-02-23 19:00

Forgot to mention that despite the lopsidedness of this game, I feel that much of it was simply due to the much better luck that the American side had plus the one key mistake of not having an infantry unit stacked with the 75/41 ATG in order to soak any damage it might take. Once that fell on Turn 2, with the 50mm gun platoon back in the town, the Stuarts and Sherman had pretty much free rein on the hill (except of course in the heavy woods).

It was still a fun scenario and would definitely play it again.

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