*North of Elsenborn, scenario #9: On the Donnerberg

*I was looking to play something from North of Elsenborn and something not too long and I ran across this scenario and it included a M12 155mm SP unit, which I have never pushed across a map board yet and the scenario looked interesting, so I went for it.

• Map 23 is kind of odd, as setup is on Map 12 for the Americans and map 14 for the Germans and all the victory objectives are on map board 14 as well, so the only need for map board 23, is maybe to retreat demoralized units.

*The German setup on the big hill on map 14, with Infantry, support weapons, Strongpoints, AT-guns and dug-in with off-board artillery. The Americans Have Infantry, armor, SP’s, Mortars, APCs and Airpower but more important to this scenario, SMOKE! The M7, M12 & the Mortar can all fire it. In fact, without it, this would have been a difficult scenario to play offensively, as the Americans had to come out of the forest, right into the face of the large defended hill hexes.

*The Americans were able to use the smoke as cover and close fast, the use direct fire of a powerful armor and Infantry force for it’s size, then throw in their on board SP fire (M12 24 points + M7 18 points = 42 points of Bombardment power) and with airpower, they were able to drive to Germans from the hills. They had to regroup a couple of times and took some losses but the Germans took more losses, and left the battlefield with the American in control with a Major victory.

General play notes

We didn't play double-blind this time, but we did try an unknown leader idea. Apart from leader names we didn't know the stats initially. We used a modified random event table from BB and the fast mech rule. We decided that the wagons should also be allowed to setup hidden, if with a gun.

Setting up

The Germans deployed on to hilltops, with an AT gun on each flank. The AT strongpoint (he got lucky there) and IGun were placed to form a cross fire between the hills. While my opponent was deploying, I suggested he use more of a reverse slope defense on the bare hilltop, advice which, to his later regret, he disregarded. The wooded hill was invested with most of the grenadiers. The Americans loaded up in the town.

How it went down

The Americans drove up the road on broad 12, and cut though the light woods in before the bare side of the hill. A random event caused a German HMG to break from the woods, he got mangled by artillery and small arms before he got back in position. U.S. infantry dismounted and started up the hill. Their objective was to root out the AT guns which may have been waiting. (As implied in the setup narrative, there was one.)

The infantry lost a step on the way up the slope, but did their job. The AT gun was found and winkled by the SPAs. The armor and halftracks advanced in 2 large formations and moved up the south slope. The Germans were quickly blasted from their foxholes. That half of the hill was cleared by turn 7.

The US SPAs moved onto the spur facing the wooded hill. Infantry to the front and tanks to back. The best US officer, John @ 1-9-1, seems to have not had a full bowl of Wheaties for breakfast (he is demoralized and keeps failing recovery rolls). The rest of the army prepares without him.

The infantry crossing the gap is almost stopped. As there is only the strongpoint for AT defense in the gap, the SPAs blast it. The armor moves up through the infantry and starts working the grenadiers. Doug, a good combat officer but not inspiring, leads a couple platoons around the woods on reconnaissance. They find the second AT gun on the north side of the woods.

The Germans put up a heroic defense. In the end massive US firepower decides the day. There are simply not enough, and never were, German bodies to fill the gaps.

The Americans have lost 8 steps, including 3 halftracks. The Germans are down by 15, most of the survivors are disrupted or demoralized.

Summary

It was fun for the first 3 or turns. Once the Americans were on the hill, the end was in sight. It took another 12 turns or so, but once the Americans were in the amongst the Germans on the southern peak, the outcome was clear.

America's 3rd Armored wins a Major Victory (by controlling 40+ meter elevation and causing more German step loses than suffered), but the Heer 12th Infantry a Minor Victory by inflicting 18 step losses on The Spearhead.

US forces mounted up; approached the Donnerberg's foothills and swung north attempting to effect a north to south cleansing of the twin heights. An uncovering German 75/41 killed a loaded M3 forcing the rest to dismount in a hurry. A combination of Heer OF and OBA (the latter of which ultimately accounted for six steps of US infantry) gave the US a bloody nose upon approach up the forested northeast slopes. The hasty scramble left the US approach in a bit of a shambles taking a few turns to reorganize. Meanwhile, the Germans moved the other ATG whilst the US took advantage of liberal smoke to block spotters on the southern hilltop.

During middle game, the US combination of M3's + armor + HMGs destroyed significant German dug-in positions. The US forces, continued to be hurt by distressingly accurate fire (including two leaders) from the OBA and 81mm whilst US counter-fire was consistently scattered. LTC Stupendous (11-1-2) was quite busy encouraging his troops in the face of the battering: a future bird colonel soon-to-be.

The US was in such a state with its INF and D/DD that it risked a three-tank assault vs. a GREN + 75/41 (which simply would not go away) on the southern peak (0707). This assault was quite effective. The counter-assault, lead by Heer Major 10-1-1 (posthumous award of the Oakleaves), with an HMG + GREN firing (both) panzerfausts destroyed three steps of US armor in 15 minutes whilst themselves being decimated. US reinforcing M3's and HMG cleared the assault. The remainder of the game was a moping up operation to repel the last Heer GREN step and the mortars from the high ground, and destroy a strongpoint.

At game end the US had remaining: 4xINF(reduced) 1xINF 2xHMG 5xM3 2xM4/76 1xM4 + 1xM4(reduced) 1xM18(reduced) and the M7 + M12 + 81mm

for a total of 18 countable step losses; a savaged mechanized infantry contingent; and a lot of burning armor in hex 0707 atop the Donnerberg.

The Germans had lost a battalion of determined defenders; a brave Major in command; a key mountain position; but gained a new "Knight" in the regiment's forward artillery observer.