KAMPFGRUPPE PEIPER ON THE ATTACK!
KAMPFGRUPPE PEIPER ON THE ATTACK!
Scenario Date: 19AM (First Scenario)
German Purchases and Plan
My purchases for the initial scenario of KGP CG I reflect the fact that while toys are nice, infantry is what wins CGs. Thus, I maxed out my infantry purchases. Whatever CPPs were left over I used for the "fun stuff". So, my purchases were: 3 Para Infantry Pltns, 2 SS Infantry Pltns, 2 SS Panzer Grenadier Pltns, 1 SS Panzer Grenadier HW Pltn, 1 Flamm HT section, and 1 Wirbelwind section. This also left me with 2 CPP left over, which I saved. My plan was to use the Extremely Heavy Mist and a Fanatic date in order to steamroll the US positions. The main goal was to destroy as much of the US force as possible, and scoop up strategic locations as a byproduct of that. This meant that I would be relying on movement more than anything else. The plan of attack was to send the 3 Para platoons at Stoumont, entering from the south edge. To help them out would be a couple of halftracks worth of infantry and a Pz IV driving straight down the N33 to link with Paras and break into Stoumont from the southeast corner. Most of my force, however, was divided into two pinchers. One would attack into Stoumont bypassing Roua to the south and cut off the US retreat out of Stoumont. The other would bypass Roua to the north and drive directly on the Sanitorium. This would have the effect of splitting the rest of the US force off from the group in Stoumont and Roua. A small halftrack-mounted force would attack north onto the hill. This would eliminate the US positions there, then push north to capture the buildings near the northern board edge (by the US entry areas up there).
US Purchases and Plan
The US is commanded by David Cody. The US purchases focussed on infantry and fortifications. This was probably wise, as any expensive toy isn't likely to survive long anyway. He didn't buy any extra guns or AFVs. Since the US gets plenty of guns given to them, there isn't much point in buying more...their immobility will prevent them from running away, and once located, they will be quickly overwhelmed. The US set up in a line running from the southeast corner of Stoumont, through Roua, up the hill, and making a hook to run along the crest line south of the woods. Several roadblocks were used to try to hold up the German AFVs. The forces were spread pretty evenly across the lines, although there was some depth to the defense north of Roua. With an up-front defense (about half the guns were right on the front line), I think David was looking to score some casualties before being forced to run. It did, however, leave most of his guns exposed and without much infantry support.
Progression of the Battle
The first couple of turns were spent by the Germans simply creeping forward. Most movement isn't speedy across the soft ground. As I encountered the US lines, however, it quickly became apparent how powerful the Germans are. Advanced US positions were overwhelmed, and I broke into the southeast corner of Stoumont relatively quickly. Just as the US defenders were pulling back through Stoumont towards the Sanitorium, my pincher entered the town just south of Roua. This had the effect of bagging quite a few squads, and forced the remainder to retreat toward the Ambleve instead. Thus, all of the US positions south of Roua were dealt with rather quickly. This left the pincher to the north of Roua. It did have the effect of sealing off these positions from helping the defenders of Stoumont, but German progress was slow due the depth of the US defenses and the concentration of guns. Tanks and infantry moving through Stoumont from the southern pincher were needed to help reduce the US positions in the area. But by that time, the Germans had troops and tanks to spare, so it was not much of a problem. In the end, I think the battle progressed as it typically does for most players...a serious thumping of the US by the Germans. The Germans control all of the strategic locations on the map, and the remnants of the US forces were forced to be retained to their entry area.
The US tank RG entered and then immediately left the map. Also, David forgot to set up the 3 on-map tanks (!) so they were not a factor in the battle. I think this is just as well for the Americans. If these 8 Shermans get into the fight, they'll die and probably not take any Germans with them.
Analysis
This scenario was the rout of the US forces that I think is fairly common. I used my halftracks aggressively to scout positions, soak up defensive fire, and freeze the fire of guns by entering their positions. This was extremely effective in saving my tanks and infantry, but it was rough on the halftracks. I lost 9 of them and had another immobilized. One of my two Flamm HTs blundered adjacent to the last US 76L gun, after I lost count of how many I had discovered, and was flamed. Ouch. I also had one squad KIAd. I think that if the Germans emphasize moving, conserving their tanks (I rarely had any tanks actually do any of the fighting, except to eliminate already broken units), and use their HTs as scouts, they will be difficult to stop. With Assault Fire and good leadership, the AFPh is just as dangerous as the PFPh, so there's no reason to ever sit and prep fire. This keeps the Germans close on the heels of the retreating Americans and can prevent a lot of them from escaping, if the Germans plan ahead to cut them off. Furthermore, with a mobile reserve of two Wirbelwinds and two Flamm HTs, the Germans can swoop in and toast any opposition after using HTs to soak up fire.
I did also notice that two of David's leaders were toting Radios. He never made contact rolls or anything, so I'm not sure what they were connected to; probably OBA missions gained from traded-in 60mm MTRs. This is a great idea for the US in the first scenario; convert those 60s into OBA and don't call in the missions. Those 60s aren't going to do anything to the Germans and at 5PP they rapidly become war trophies...this is a good way to preserve this firepower for later.
German Retained Units
19PM went Idle, so the next scenario was 19N
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