Grand Campaign (Running AAR)

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Pergite!
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Grand Campaign (Running AAR)

Post by Pergite! »

Höfen Ho-down

I have decided to try and play all the scenarios in their correct order based upon the Annex G in the manual. First out is Höfen Ho-down, from the German side.
Feel free to contribute with questions and comments. Sometimes I will probably halt, post the narrative and then take suggestions on how to continue the fight.

Ingame briefing:
December 16th 1944, 0600 hours,

Historical Scenario. Höfen-Monschau sector, Belgium.

The plan for General Hitzfeld's LXVII (67th) Corps, or "Corps Monschau", was to break through the American lines at Höfen on either side of Monschau, push on past Mützenich and take up defensive positions near Eupen, providing flank protection for the 6th Panzer Armee.

On paper, Corps Monschau was to have 2 full strength Volksgrenadier divisions (326th and 246th) at it's disposal. However the 246th was unable to disengage from the fighting east of Aachen, and 2 battalions of the 326th were unavailable as well for the initial assault on December 16th.
Herr General, our impressive artillery barrage on the enemy lines is lifting - the great offensive has begun!

Unfortunately you are missing almost half of your command due to the intense fighting still raging East of Aachen. We are hoping that some more of your units will be able to join in the great offensive soon but for now you must make do with what you have.

Your area of operations lie on the extreme right flank of the offensive so your task is to secure the high ground overlooking Mützenich, and occupy the towns of Monschau and Höfen. This should provide a firm shoulder to defend against the expected American counterattack. It is imperative that you secure your objectives with minimal losses.

The enemy is dug in on the ridge ahead of you, but intelligence reports that they are mostly green troops and very few in numbers. Good luck!



326 Volksgrenadier Division


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Oberst Dr. Erwin Kaschner


The situation
The sun will rise in two hours and its freezing conditions. The ground still seems muddy though. My forces are as the orders stated indeed lacking. I do have ample firesupport, but no ammo at the moment and only three infanty bn to start with. One additional bn will be arriving around supper and another for lunch the next day. I will have to limit myself focusing my scope on what that can be achievable.
The enemy should be be somewhat disrupted from our bombardment but still poses a clear problem for me. The initial intel suggest that there are numerous armoured units opposing us. Several companies of M8´s and a platoon of M18´s could prove a problem for our infantry, especially if our artillery does not get resupplied soon.

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The M18 Hellcat, something that might cause a problem for my infantry


The plan
A reduced battalion with fire support will initially create a fient/distraction up north in order to force the enemy to divert his forces north. This bn will also constitute flank protection.
Fire support assets (7.5cm guns) will simultaneously redeploy to the forest edge directly west of ROHEN in order to attack enemy movements (primary the light tanks) along the highway from N to S.
Two battalions will then attack HÖFEN and create a breakthrough. Lastly the reinforcing battalions will exploit the breakthrough and advance through HÖFEN and attack KALTERHERBERG.

The initial Schwerpunkt will be HÖFEN, where the breakthrough will be created. By 1600 hrs I will have pinpointed where the reinforcing bn will be attacking, and hopefully they will be able to exploit some ground before it gets too dark.

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The intial draft for the concept of operations
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oldspec4
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by oldspec4 »

Looking forward to your AAR [8D]
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vsadek
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by vsadek »

Congratulation! I will be looking forward to your AAR series.
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

0830hrs

The feint is working. I have noticed movement toward the north. A successful diversion must always be believable and I have hopefully managed something that is working. I have taken my first casualties from the M8´s 37mm guns, that is what it sounds like at least. The armoured units seem to be moving which means that they aren't entrenched and that is good news.

Down south the assault will shortly begin, so its time to call off the fient and make them defend, well outside of enemy gun range.

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The northern units are about to abort their probe since they are taking heavy fire
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AKCLIMBER
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by AKCLIMBER »

Quite an ambitious undertaking. Looking forward to following your exploits.

Cheers!
Pergite!
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

0930hrs

The assault on HÖFEN is on the way and it is looking good. The southern bn formed up in the forest about 2km from their objective and quickly gained their assault formation and started to take terrain. There is a light fog present that worked in my advantage I guess. They never requested any fire support and managed to get a jump on the enemy in the outskirts of HÖFEN without taking any casualties. One enemy company is routed and I guess more is to come in that department.

The northern battalions advance on HÖFEN formed up in a lowline just 1km outside of their objective. They did not manage to get a proper formation before their assault started and looks like they are attacking in a file. I have a small reserve KG (made up from a infantry and fusilier company detached from the feinting bn). I am contemplating in committing them in support for the northern advance on HÖFEN. I will probably have to face a counter attack from north in that area so its vital that I secure it rather quickly.

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Pergite!
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

1200hrs

The southern assault on HÖFEN succeed beyond expectation. Two enemy companies destroyed and minimum of own losses. They are currently reorganizing and the bn staff and support units are on their way to setup defences.

The northern part of HÖFEN did not succeed at all. My units where targeted by heavy artillery fire and took heavy losses. They routed and are currently regrouping in the woods where they initially started their attack four hours ago. I do not like to reinforce failure so they have new orders (depicted in the screen shot) to disengage, avoid enemy contact and move into the part of HÖFEN we now control. The successful bn will make up for their shortcomings in a house to house battle north through the town.

The counter attack came sooner then expected. Armoured units rolled right through HÖFEN and will soon be engaged. Thankfully we are in the built up area now so we don´t have to face them in the open. My artillery got their supplies as well and the nebelwerfers have been targeting the northern part of HÖFEN extensively for some time now, probably inflicting some losses on the looming counter attack.

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The crews for the III Bn 89 Werfer Rgt 17VW bde went busy as soon as a transport arrived with more rockets



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The routed bn will use the following route, utilizing the terrain to gain concealment from the enemy.
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Pergite!
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

1430hrs

The fears about the enemy armour seems to have come true. The aggressive AI have taken the initiative and massed his tanks in a devastating attack on my broken bn. I believe it was safe in the forest/lowline but that proved to be false. I am forced to mass a lot of artillery on rockets to stall the potential massacre.

The allied artillery is also beginning to take its toll. The only option to counter it at the moment is to dig faster and deeper. An additional bn will arrive in 2hrs and they will have a target rich environment to greet them. The question now is if they will battle it out in HÖFEN or bypass it in the gap I have managed to create, and head further west exploiting deeper.



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I still don't know the type of armour I am facing. It however moves fast and poses a great threat to my forces. Their advance have thankfully stalled in the midst of a massed artillery and rocket attack.
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Deathtreader
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Deathtreader »




Subscribed!!
So we're at war with the Russkies eh?? I suppose we really ought to invade or something. (Lonnnng pause while studying the map)
Hmmmm... big place ain't it??
- Sir Harry Flashman (1854)
Pergite!
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

1630hrs

The good: The bn in dire conditions in the last report have managed to retreat and started to reorganize. One coy is down to just 15% in man and material, the others are a bit better but they have all taken heavy losses.

The bad: The allies how now directed their deadly bombardment and armour to the southern part of HÖFEN. The bn there is taking losses due to intense artillery fire and have lost all cohesion and the will to fight. The enemy armour is about to pounce on them any moment which makes their situation rather bleak. I have desperately pulled forward eight 7.5cm IG 37s in hope to knock out some vehicles.


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The awful situation in the southern part of HÖFEN. My artillery and rockets are pounding the allied units, and theirs are totally devastating mine. Notice the two gun platoons that are creeping up the ridge to the east in order to provide support. One is already taking incoming fire.
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Pergite!
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

2230hrs

The darkness was a welcomed by my forces. The allied artillery stopped haunting their every move and they where finally able to get themselves sorted. Morale was at an all time low, but at least the fatigue and cohesion where given a chance to improve.
In HÖFEN the enemy where now trapped between the the battered defenders and the newly arrived reinforcing bn from the south. Since the supply into HÖFEN was limited there where just a handfull of panzerfausts left, now things started to look a bit better.

The darkness also allowed for a probe on MONSCHAU, the town in the middle of the AO. I suspected that it was left relatively undefended given the amount of units engaged in HÖFEN. This proved to be true and I am now in the process to securing the town.

My initial plan does no longer work as I hoped, but I am not surprised. A plan that works without changes is a really rare exception. A coy of StugIII´s will arrive at first light and they will be tasked to support the battle in HÖFEN. My forces are too fatigued to do anything else than to dig in. The fighting in HÖFEN will continue throughout the night, but I will not go on the offensive until reinforced. Hopefully someone out there in the now burning and ruined village will get a couple minutes of sleep.







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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

0700hrs


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Soldiers from the 5 coy 751 Gren Regt retreat from enemy fire as the sun starts to rise over the fog covered battlefield



The dawn is slowly coming with a fresh new day. For the forces in HÖFEN it has however been a rough night. The units that where trapped between our two bn´s where two mechanised companies with M8 tanks, as well as a enemy bn HQ. The battle raged on and off all night and was going in our favour. The supply situation was not good, but most of my companies in HÖFEN managed to get ressuplied, not all however. One of my company suddenly started to rout, with a marker that they started to surrender to the enemy. This was soon followed by another one. I quickly glanced over the status for these units and saw that they had taken just about 10% losses and in all where doing rather well. The answer however was to be found in the equipment and supply menu.

As the sun starts to rise over the muddy and foggy battlefield the fighting ensues. In an hour or so I will probably now what the situation looks like.


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This is the reason for a desperate route. The company is completely out of ammo. All that remains is a few rounds for the panzerschreck.
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Pergite!
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

1030hrs

The enemy has somehow managed to sneak in more units into HÖFEN during the night. The morning proved a difficult one for our forces. As you see depicted below, the situation is rather complicated. The two bn´s committed to HÖFEN have been reduced and cohesion is non existent. Individual companies have fallen back over the river SCHWALM (or in all other directions for that matter) and tries to get themselves reorganized. Only two companies are still inside HÖFEN barely keeping a hold of the southern part of the village. Our fire support are now in position on the hill to the east of the village and have started to target enemy occupied buildings and vehicles on the streets.

A reduced bn has been tasked to bypass HÖFEN and move on further to the rear of the enemy in hope that this will create a confusion that in the end will relive our battered forces.


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On a quick glance one could think that the allies are surrounded, but that is sadly for me not the truth
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Pergite!
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

1430hrs


Things are looking better. The last reinforcing bn has arrived and will be welcomed addition to the battle that is raging in HÖFEN. I have realised that the enemy is just as fatigued as us and they seem to really become stuck with the bulk of their forces in that town. The positive thing is that they have lost their advantage of high mobility. They are effectively trapped and will soon face an assault from the north with a fresh bn.
My secondary option was to bypass HÖFEN completely and head further west but I am afraid that the enemy then would be able to break free (M3 half tracks does move a bit faster than German infantry boots) and chase me down, preventing me from accomplish anything at all.






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A StugIII from the 2 Coy 326 PzJg Bn waiting for yet another target to appear.

The eight StugIII´s really made a huge difference against the armoured enemy we have been facing. I can not understand why the breakthrough task was not given to a panzer division, because it would have saved both time and lives.


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A picture of local supremacy in MONSCHAU. The enemy mechanized unit will soon surrender or be destroyed. The units coming from north is the bn that will put the lid on HÖFEN with its assault.
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Pergite!
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

0000hrs

Night has yet again set over the battlefield. The enemy forces in HÖFEN is now without hope. They however continue to offer fierce resistance, especially by calling in artillery mission after artillery mission. I myself have massed my artillery on the northern part of HÖFEN and my fresh bn have just started to infiltrate into the town from north.

A bn has also disengaged, rested and is now marching towards KALTERHERBERG to seize further objectives. I have created a breakthrough as ordered. The problem now is that I will still loose the scenario if not control all the objectives. There are still enemy units moving around in HÖFEN that prevent me from securing all those vital points.



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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

End

The scenario ended at noon on day three. There where still fighting going on in HÖFEN together with sporadic shelling from allied artillery. The 326 volksgrenadier division had however achieved its mission and broken through the allied defensive line. Remnants of the US 395 Infantry regiment have started to surrender in HÖFEN, but there are still two M5 tank platoons holding out in the southern part of the village. My forces lacks ordnance to knock them out, and they in turn lacks fuel to get anywhere.

I had sadly lost almost 1/3 of my men, but I had also achieved the breakthrough needed to continue unhindered towards the Atlantic and victory.

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The situation in HÖFEN at the time of the scenario cut-off time. If the US forces would have had the manners to retreat a bit faster from the village I would probably have scored a minor victory at least.[;)]

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American POW´s being escorted out of the village back to the division CP for interrogation and internment.
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Pergite!
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

The final resolution, a draw...

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vsadek
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by vsadek »

Thank you for this excellent AAR. Off we go to Elsenborn Ridge! [8D]
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

ELSENBORN RIDGE

Image


The Situation

This is the schewerpunkt or main effort of the whole WACHT AM RHEIN operation. The 1 Panzer korps is tasked to create and exploit a breakthrough in this area. The opposition is the US 99 Infantry division. The terrain will initially favour the defender with dense woods and a limited road network. Behind the forested ridge the ground however opens up, that will let my panthers roam free. The whole AO is just a transit area, every minute we stay here the more time (effectively supplies) are lost for the offensive as a whole.

Its freezing but the off road conditions are still muddy which will restrict wheeled and most likely also tracked movement to the roads.


From the ingame briefing:

December 16th 1944, 06:00 hours,

Historical Scenario. 6. Pz. Armee: I SS Pz Korps sector.

The I SS Panzerkorps represented the main effort for the entire Ardennes Offensive. With the 12 SS Panzer division on the right and 1 SS Panzer Division on the left the armored schwerpunkt was to exploit through the gaps forged by the infantry divisions and drive for the Meuse River bridges between Huy and Liege.

The Volksgrenadiers were to make the initial breakthrough for the Panzerkorps and open up the Panzer Rollbahn for the mechanized forces waiting in reserve along the narrow forest roads of the Eifel. The 277th Volksgrenadier Divison on the right was to open up Rollbahns A and B which pass through the twin farming towns of Rocherath and Krinkelt, while the 12th Volksgenadier Division's task was to open up Rollbahn C, the main highway between Losheimergraben and Bütgenbach. The 3rd Fallschirmjaeger Division would secure Rollbahns D and E along the southern Flank of 6. Panzer Armee.

The Allied line in this sector was held by the American 99th Infantry Division. Having arrived on the Continent only 4 weeks earlier, the 99th lacked combat experience. Despite this, the "checkerboard" division was to prove itself a worthy opponent in the fight to defend the Elsenborn Ridge against a German breakthrough.

The scenario begins just as the initial German artillery bombardment is lifting.
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RE: Grand AAR

Post by Pergite! »

The Plan

I have only concentrated on the first day here.
My intent is to achieve a breakthrough through the 99 inf divisions defensive line. The grenadier regiments will focus their efforts to create and secure two movement corridors for my armoured units. As shown on the slide below the grenadiers will be tasked to clear the forest area of opposition. The panzers will then take up the lead and continue the attack over the open ground. Villages will primary be isolated and bypassed given that they do not block my advance towards the exit objectives.

The endstate for day one is to have my panzer units formed up at the forest edge west of the ridge, in good order to continue. At the same time no enemy units larger than platoons are allowed to hinder movement along the roads over the ridge.
Am I optimistic? Yes, probably...[;)]



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