Author	treadasaurusrex (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	United States
Participants	battlecarrysabot (AAR)
Play Date	2025-04-21
Language	English
Scenario	ElsR005

Elsenborn Ridge Scenario 5: Collision

Advance & Secure the High Speed Avenue of Approach – NOT!

This was a 7-session play-through with the careful & methodical, battlecarrysabot leading defending elements of the US 2nd & 99th Infantry Divisions, supported by the 741st Tank Battalion. I led an assortment of attacking elements of the German 12th SS Panzer and the 277th Volksgrenadier Divisions seeking to control as much of the east-west road and nearby towns as possible. This swirling, meeting engagement was surprisingly, action-packed and interesting to play with a challenging opponent.

We used the FOW, consolidation, smoke/illum, hidden units, tank riders, excess initiative, strategic movement and extended assault optional rules, as well as these 2 house rules: 1) Road Movement for Mechanized & Foot Units - All FOOT & MECHANIZED units may move on roads at the rate of ½ of a Movement Point (MP) per road hex, just like MOTORIZED units, and 2) Standardized Movement for Mechanized Units — All mechanized units may move through clear hexes at a movement cost of only 1 movement point (MP) per hex, instead of 1 1/2. Add one to this cost if moving up, across, or down slopes hexes.

Our first session (game turns 1-3) featured a rapid German movement to contact, in the dark, from the east straight down the road. Exchanges of artillery fire commenced at the end of the first game turn thanks to a pair of forward deployed, combined arms teams of GIs. The advancing Germans began deploying in mixed order across the 20-meter ridge to their front and got lucky in a close assault, which eliminated the forwardmost US observation point at the cost of an entire SS grenadier platoon. A skillfully-executed, tactical withdrawal brought the advanced US teams back to new positions about 600-800 meters east of the 7-hex town. Step losses were at 2 apiece. and a US officer at the end of this session as dawn began breaking. Visibility improved to 6 hexes at O645.

The action-packed, second session (game turns 4-6) was a rather grim one for both sides that saw a platoon of Sherman tanks eliminated in the small village on the ridge, at the cost of another dead platoon of SS infantry. This village changed hands and was occupied by the Germans in a costly flank move that cost them an SS leader and several units halved, or demoralized by both accurate US artillery strikes & heavy opfire. Probing German units revealed additional units of dug-in GIs in the light woods northwest of the main ridge, and also just south of the 1-hex village. The German side managed to fail repeatedly in morale recovery this session. Their south-bound, advance atop the ridge became discombobulated & collapsed, thanks to several adjacent-hex fire fights that were dominated by well-positioned American defenders. German artillery support proved completely ineffective this session. Victory point totals continued to be strongly in favor of the defending Americans at 21, with the Germans trailing with only 13 – not counting the road hexes controlled by either side.

Our very busy & rather bloody, third session (game turns 7-9) was much less horrible for the German side as heavy fighting washed back and forth across the western margins of the 20-meter ridge. Highlights included: 1) an instance of hyper-accurate, long range AT fire, which introduced the overeager, SS assault gun crews to losing an entire section of AFVs to a well-positioned 3 in AT gun platoon, south of the town, 2) a series of highly risky German OBA strikes in support of the newly-established Jerry garrison on the 1-hex village atop the ridge, and 3) many adjacent-hex firefights. Overall, the American side moved to reinforce the troops engaged on the ridge, and also to initiate a push on the northwest margin of the same terrain feature. Steps lost this session totaled: 8 for the struggling Germans, and 6 for the steadfast GI defenders.

The fourth session (game turns 10-11) was a grim one for the attacking Germans with an additional 6 steps lost, as well as a leader casualty. Both SS STG III units were now taking up space in the graveyard. The steadfast & aggressively led GIs lost a pair of steps as they pushed up the western & northern slopes of the ridge. The updated victory point count continued in favor of the defending Americans at 33, with the Germans trailing with 18 – not counting the road hexes controlled by either side.

Our extremely bloody, fifth session (game turns 12-14) was another grim one for the scuttling, Germans, who lost 12 steps, while the counter-attacking Americans lost only 5. A fast-advancing wave of US infantry pored across the north & west slopes of the ridge, pushing back the Germans, especially in the north. We threw a combined SEVEN combat 7-die rolls this session, adding to the frustration experienced by both sides. Oddly, Third Reich artillery support was significantly more effective this session. The updated step loss tally was now at: 20 for the defending Americans, and 32 for the rapidly faltering, Germans. The excessive, exuberance of the initial German advance has long-worn off, and the casualty rate now indicates that their force is critically diminished and verging on ineffective.

The perfectly dreadful – for the Germans – sixth session (game turns 15-18) consisted of another massacre of hapless Third Reich troops in a series of adjacent-hex firefights, close assaults and accurate artillery strikes. Advancing American units were finally able to push the last Boche troops off the west slopes of the ridge and reclaim the ridgetop village. German step losses were 8, plus 3 leaders this session, basically guaranteed against the remaining Jerries mounting anything more than relatively minor, combined arms operations. The reinforcing contingent of Panther tanks showed up 3 turns late, but rapidly moved west down the main road. Only 2 steps of GIs were lost by my worthy & calculating opponent. Updated victory points were now a decisive, 75 for the American side and a mere 44 on the Axis side of the ledger.

Our seventh & final session (game turns 19-21) included a furious advance of misallocated German armor - as was the case throughout the Battle of the Bulge - that failed to balance the heavy losses suffered by the Jerries. Now, with insufficient infantry to fix & hold the surging GIs, all the Germans could manage was to try to maintain standoff positions and slowly work around the ridge to menace the 3 remaining platoons of US armor, and the garrison in the 7-hex town. The German side conceded at the beginning of the 21st turn, when a win was no longer possible. In all, there were 9 FOW-shortened game turns of the 21 played.

This was an overlong, deeply-flawed, but sort-of-fun-to-play scenario that rates a score of 1. Still, I do recommend it for both SOLO & SHARED play with the suggestion that all US units should set-up hidden, to make the scenario better, balanced & more difficult for the German side to secure a victory. A rewrite that adds a scenario special rule limiting mobility due to off-road snow, would also improve this conflict simulation.