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PG-HQ Library - Panzer Grenadier Hall > Scenarios > PaLe024
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Plug the Hole
Panzer Lehr #24
(Attacker) Germany vs United States (Defender)
Formations Involved
Germany 130th "Lehr" Panzer Division
United States 106th Cavalry Group
Display
Balance:


Overall balance chart for PaLe024
Total
Side 1 1
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 1 vote
5
4
3
2
1
2
Scenario Rank: --- of 913
Parent Game Panzer Lehr
Historicity Historical
Date 1944-11-23
Start Time 23:30
Turn Count 17
Visibility Night
Counters 53
Net Morale 1
Net Initiative 0
Maps 2: 22, 25
Layout Dimensions 56 x 43 cm
22 x 17 in
Play Bounty 157
AAR Bounty 171
Total Plays 1
Total AARs 1
Battle Types
Exit the Battle Area
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Urban Assault
Conditions
Hidden Units
Off-board Artillery
Smoke
Illumination
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Elsenborn Ridge Maps + Counters
Panzer Lehr Base Game
Introduction

Excellent intelligence allowed the American XV Corps to split the German First and Nineteenth Armies. With no reserves available to plug the hole a cry went up the chain of command for help. The Heer only offered one option, the refitting Panzer Lehr Division who they ordered to concentrate in Sarrebourg and strike south against the exposed American flank. Just to reach the assembly area required a 300 mile march for the rebuilt division.
Conclusion

The German First Army commander felt the mission was a fool's errand that would waste men and machines for no purpose. He was overruled, and late in the afternoon Panzer Lehr threw what elements had arrived into the fray. They overcame their first serious challenge to their advance when they quickly pushed aside American screening elements at Hirschland early in the morning.
Additional Notes

Panzer Lehr concentrated in Sarre-Union from where they struck south. Sarrebourg is to the south west of Sarre-Union. Sarrebourg is to the west of Strasbourg in the Lorraine
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).
  • Open-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables, but DO take step losses from X and #X results (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). If a "2X" or "3X" result is rolled, at least one of the step losses must be taken by an open-top AFV if present.
  • 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
  • APC – Armored Personnel Carrier: These are Combat Units, but stack like Transports. They can transport personnel units or towed units. They are not counted as combat units for the +1 stacking modifier on the Direct Fire and Bombardment Tables (4.4). They may be activated by regular leaders and tank leaders (1.2, 3.34, 4.3, 5.43). They do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Armored Cars: These are Combat Units. They are motorized instead of mechanized. All have their own armored car leaders, who can only activate armored cars (6.85). Do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Reconnaissance Vehicle: 8.23 Special Spotting Powers Both foot and vehicle mounted recce units (1.2) possess two special spotting abilities. The first ability is that they can spot enemy in limiting terrain at one hex further than the TEC specifies for other units and leaders. For example, an enemy unit in town can normally be spotted at three hexes or less, but a recce unit can spot them at four hexes.Their second ability is that they can place a Spotted marker on any one enemy unit they can spot per turn, just as if the enemy unit had "blown its cover" by firing. Such Spotted markers are removed as described earlier.
Display Order of Battle
Germany Order of Battle
130th "Lehr" Panzer Division
  • Mechanized
Heer
  • Mechanized
  • Motorized
United States Order of Battle
Army
  • Motorized
Display Errata (2)
2 Errata Items
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 47

All SPW 251s have an armor value of 0.

(Shad on 2010 Dec 15)
Display AARs (1)
Not even worth a wad of gum
Author Matt W
Method Solo
Victor Germany
Play Date 2012-09-12
Language English
Scenario PaLe024

The name of this scenario got me thinking of a time 30+ years ago. When I first moved away from home as a newlywed husband I was immediately tested by a leaky basement. Surely as the man of the house I could figure out how to plug a leak, especially one which was evident from the crack in the apartment foundation. I spoke to the management and they sent out someone with all the appropriate "stuff" including some vile, nasty smelling goop which went on the outside of the house. The next time it rained it was not possible to measure with any level of accuracy any difference between the amount of water coming in from before the application of the "treatment".

My wife, being sympathetic to my plight suggested that I was probably too stupid to think of a solution. Since the leak was near my gaming area, this required serious thought. I didn't smoke so as I thought I chewed a large cud of chewing gum. To this day I remember that it was a bright, though not neon, green. It suddenly hit me, gum could fill the crack adequately and have a chance to keep the basement dry. I chewed and stuffed the gum into the crack and the next time it rained I was rewarded with a dry basement and the complete apoplexy of my wife.

We were probably the only family in Western Massachusetts who bought chewing gum as a hardware item...

In any event, if I was plugging a hole, my first thought would be chewing gum. Although the hole in this scenario's title is actually a hole in the German line, after the scenario the hole is in the American line. The cavalry unit was almost completely wiped out. The hidden Stuarts were too aggressive and got caught by the PzIVhs and turned into little piles of burning metal (they gambled on an initiative roll (50/50) and lost. The Lehr infantry and engineers then closed in on the town and squeezed the life out of it.

It was brutal and grusome and reminiscent of some of the early Soviet scenarios with the added attraction of the lower morale force (the Americans) being substantially outnumbered. It is hard to see a winning strategy for the Americans. They simply aren't strong enough to inflict enough damage on the Germans to keep them out of the towns or to delay them enough to keep them on board and miss their exit requirements.

Reading the conclusion, however, indicates that the real result did not differ substantially from this result. It is scenarios like this one which point out how very useful the "campaigns" are where losses from one scenario follow through to the next. Faced with the overwhelming strength of Lehr the cavalry would have fired a couple of shots and gotten out of Dodge. As a competitive scenario I cannot suggest this one. As a study of unbalanced force it has its merits. I give it a "2".
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