Panzer Grenadier Battles on November 21st:
Desert Rats #16 - The Panzers Pull Back Desert Rats #19 - The Panzers Return
Desert Rats #17 - The Tomb Of Sidi Rezegh Jungle Fighting #7 - Line Of Departure
Desert Rats #18 - A Pibroch's Skirl South Africa's War #5 - Irish Eyes
PG-HQ Library - Panzer Grenadier Hall > Scenarios > SpDv004
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All In
Spearhead Division #4
(Defender) Germany vs United States (Attacker)
Formations Involved
Germany 12th Infantry Division
Germany 9th Panzer Division
United States 3rd "Spearhead" Armored Division
Display
Balance:
Overall balance chart for SpDv004
Total
Side 1 2
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 2 votes
5
4
3
2
1
4.5
Scenario Rank: --- of 940
Parent Game Spearhead Division
Historicity Historical
Date 1944-09-17
Start Time 09:00
Turn Count 20
Visibility Day
Counters 148
Net Morale 0
Net Initiative 1
Maps 4: 22, 23, 24, 25
Layout Dimensions 86 x 56 cm
34 x 22 in
Play Bounty 194
AAR Bounty 171
Total Plays 2
Total AARs 1
Battle Types
Delaying Action
Exit the Battle Area
Hill Control
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Urban Assault
Entrenchment Control
Conditions
Anti-infantry Wire
Entrenchments
Minefields
Off-board Artillery
Randomly-drawn Aircraft
Reinforcements
Severe Weather
Smoke
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Elsenborn Ridge Maps + Counters
Spearhead Division Base Game
Introduction

With Task Force Lovelady bogged down, Third Armored Division’s staff sent Task Force Mills to take the high ground near Duffenter. This would allow American forward observers an unobstructed view of Stolberg from the east. Already short of infantry due to their tank-heavy organization, the Spearhead Division had been worn down to about half of its armored strength over four days of heavy fighting. Sending two task forces into combat meant that CCB had little reserve if things went wrong.
Conclusion

The dawn attack against the infantry of CCA started things off badly for the Americans, but the division staff ordered them forward anyway. Soon both Task Forces were under heavy fire and unable to advance. Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Hogan gathered up what few remaining men and machines he could find and tried to advance on Lovelady's right. It made no difference as the American forward progress was agonizingly slow. While all this was going on a probing attack by the Wild Buffaloes also failed to advance. The Germans reorganized themselves in some woods and managed to surround Company E from the Second Battalion of the 36th Armored Infantry Regiment and scattered those they didn't capture. Only four men made it back to friendly lines during the fighting. The Germans still controlled Weissenberg and most of the high ground at the end of the day. Each side suffered enormous casualties during the fighting and both were eager to end aggressive action.

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
  • Assault Gun: if closed-top, provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable
  • Tank Destroyer: do not provide the +1 Assault bonus, even if closed-top (SB)
  • Self-Propelled Artillery: do not provide the +1 Assault bonus, even if closed-top (SB)
  • Anti-Aircraft Weapon Carrier: apply a -1 modifier to an air attack if within three hexes of the targeted hex (15.14).
  • 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
Heer
  • Motorized
United States Order of Battle
Army
  • Towed
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)
A Knock-Down, Drag-Out Fight
Author TFGA73
Method Solo
Victor Germany
Play Date 2023-02-01
Language English
Scenario SpDv004

The US 3rd Armored attempts to break through the West Wall, take some towns and forge a breakthrough. It’s a tall order with bad weather and a bunch of German reinforcements standing in the way. This is a big battle using all four Elsenborn maps.

The Germans start with thin forces, many of them half strength units holding entrenchments scattered here and there. The Americans come up from the south and start clearing the frontline trenches, methodically using artillery, direct fire from tanks, infantry assaults and the occasional air strike to clear them out. The US eventually took six of the eight entrenchments in the game.

The German reinforcements arrived on the first eligible turn on the west edge and started moving east-southeast. They moved deliberately but held together, and eventually fell on the US left flank just as they were finishing off a trench and preparing to attack a village on board 22. They hit the US line hard and stalled them out.

German armor pinned the American mechanized units down but the GIs scored a few hits, with the big prize being the Jagpanzer, jumped by a M4 Jumbo from the woods. Eventually the two sides slugged it out on the hill on board 24, with the Germans stopping the US cold atop the hill. Finally the Americans went back to what they do best, pounding the opposition with copious amounts of artillery. Disruptions and demoralizations piled up and in the final turns the Germans started pulling back. However the GIs were too scattered and weakened to press ahead.

Both sides absorbed a lot of punishment—the Germans lost 26 steps and the Americans 29. The US cleared the aforementioned trenches and the towns on the southern maps, but the Germans held all of the northern towns and prevented a breakthrough. Final score 53-44 Germany.

This was a rough, intense engagement that wasn’t decided until the final few turns. The German counterattack held the line but at great cost. Game wise there was a lot going on and the victory conditions are quite demanding for the US. As long as a German player keeps the field covered by the tanks and AT guns, and doesn’t let the infantry get sucked into too many attritional battles he should have the edge.
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PG-HQ Library - Panzer Grenadier Hall > Scenarios > SpDv004
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