Continuing my fascination with the games published by 119694_avalanche Press during my sojurn through the real world, today I focus on America Triumphant. America Triumphant is a game that offers a radically different strategic and tactical situation from Gazala (the subject of my last article). So even though both games use the same system, the factors that drive this game of combat in the Ardennes require players to think and act quite differently from a game of desert battles.

“Terrain of the Bastogne Pocket.” Painting by Olin Dows, 1945.

Terrain and Ground Conditions

The America Triumphant board is shot through with rivers, streams and forests and crisscrossed by a complex network of roads. The roads offer the only real opportunity for making quick advances and taking territory, so the badly-outnumbered and -outgunned Americans can give the Germans hell by focusing on controlling key road crossings. Also, the Ground Conditions die roll each turn gives a significant possibility of snow, which cuts movement rates in half. This can be very bad for either side depending on the distance of their forces from weak points in the American line.

In addition, the Ardennes offers far more opportunities than the desert for troops to entrench in strategic positions and halt enemy movement. For that reason, units in America Triumphant cannot move from one enemy ZOC to another (unlike in Gazala), unless there is a friendly unit covering for them in the hex they wish to enter. This makes things tougher for the Germans in their efforts to exploit any breaches in the Allied line.

Difficult to dislodge. A 7th Armored Division anti-tank crew in Vielsalm, 23 December 1944.

Divisional Integrity

German armored divisions in America Triumphant consist of three regiments (armored, mechanized and motorized). These units are trained to fight together to maximize their combined arms capability. Because of that, if all three regiments of the same armored division are stacked together, they can attack and defend at double combat strength. This capability is the main factor giving the Germans a chance to blow holes in the Allied line of defense. The tough, broken terrain of the Ardennes, plus weather conditions and Allied air support, makes Allied units very difficult to dislodge, and the fact that they can simply retreat up the road to the next crossroads makes life even tougher for the Germans. This makes it crucial for the German player to keep the units of his armored divisions stacked together, and have some supporting units stacked with those divisions to absorb any losses (if you lose one of the three units in the division, you can’t get the divisional integrity bonus anymore).

Engineers

Tanks can’t move or attack across rivers. This means that the Germans have no chance to use their main weapon, the aforementioned Divisional Integrity bonus, if there’s a river between them and the Americans. This makes German Engineer units crucial in America Triumphant. Most bridges start the game destroyed or heavily guarded, so one of the best tactics the Germans can use is to ford a river at an unguarded point with infantry, then bring up an Engineer unit to construct a bridge behind them. If successful, the Germans can quickly send armored divisions across the river to attack targets beyond it, with the infantry that created the bridgehead supporting.

Supply

In America Triumphant, the German supply situation is tenuous. Fuel is running low, so each turn the German has to spend 3 supply points for each HQ unit he wants to put “in supply” meaning it can supply the units it commands. The Germans don’t get that many supply points, so they have to ration them carefully, putting only those HQ units in supply that the German player thinks will need to provide full combat support this turn. Units under HQ’s not in supply can still move and fight, but at half-strength.

This narrative of a recent game of the "Drive on Antwerp" scenario illustrates the importance of the four factors above:

December 16th

The Germans decide to put all their chits in the cup to maximize their chances of attacking the Americans before they can consolidate their forces. They also spend the full 12 points to put all their Headquarters units in supply. The German 7th Army activates first, but its attack is blunted. Then the 5th Panzer Army activates and drives the U.S. forces out of Loscheimergraben (in hex 2105) and westward down the road to Butgenbach (hex 2008). The German SS Panzer divisions advance to hexes 2006 and 2007, giving the division in 2007 an open road to the SW.

Then the U.S. VIII Corps activates. Since there are no German engineers in the 15th Army at the north end of the board, the U.S. 311/78 regiment pulls back from the river at 1106 to the road so it can head south to block breaches in the line. The U.S. units in 1306 are trapped between the ZOC of the German 15th Army units to the east and forest and river to the west, so the best thing they can do is stay put and block the road to Liege. The Recon and Infantry regiments in the victory hex at Monschau do have an escape route, however, and they take it, backing up one hex to 1608 so they can hold the road while forcing any Germans coming from the east to attack them from across the river. Other U.S. units move into Rocherath (1906), Bitgenbach (2008) and Anbleve (2208) to block roads and junctions ahead of 5th Panzer Army’s initial thrust.

German infantry advance past abandoned American guns.

Then U.S. V Corps activates. The German 7th Army has engineers, so the U.S. units across the river from them must stay there to prevent the Germans from repairing the blown bridges. But the CCR9 regiment (positioned in reserve at Trosvierges (2911) moves to 2708 to stack with the lone U.S. tank unit there and prevent the SS Panzer division in 2007 from overrunning it and moving deep into the U.S. rear. The U.S. rolls for Operational Halt but fails.

The German 15th Army to the north activates. Infantry and Engineer units use Strategic movement toward the blown bridge at the north end of the river. The rest of 15th Army attacks the Americans in 1306, but they hold with no damage! Then the German 6th Panzer Army activates, but its attacks have only minimal effect.

So, after the first turn, the only real German advance is of 1st and 12th SS Panzer Divisions out to hexes 2006 and 2007.

December 17th

The weather changes to Cloudy, giving the U.S. 3 points of air support this turn. The ground condition changes to snow, slowing the German advance. The Germans have only 16 supply points to work with till the end of the game, so they only put the German 5th and 6th Panzer Armies in supply to support their one advance. The 15th Army will continue to try to ford the river to the north, circumventing the U.S. units in 1306.

The 6th Panzer Army activates. The 1st SS Panzer Division destroys CCB in Rutgenbach and advances, leaving its Mechanized regiment behind to provide a supply line and prevent the other 2 regiments being cut off by a U.S. attack from units on its northern flank.

Then the U.S. VIII Corps activates. The units in Rocherath (1906) are now surrounded by German ZOC so they can’t move. The U.S. must retreat somebody to a crossroads to the west to prevent the Germans from charging down the open road and killing the VIII HQ, so they move a Recon unit to 2010.

The U.S. V Corps activates and uses strategic movement to bring more units north. There is no operational halt.

The German 15th Army activates. Its infantry ford the river and an Engineer regiment moves to the east bank of the river so it can attempt to build a bridge next turn. Other units move to cut off U.S. units in 1608 from supply.

The 5th Panzer Army activates. They kill the U.S. units in 2608 and open the road to St. Vith, but CCR9 in 2708 (which moved up from Trosvierges last turn) holds and its ZOC blocks any German advance past it.

December 18th

Weather changes to Precipitation, and ground condition changes to Frost, so the Germans can move normally and there’s no Allied air support. The Germans put the 5th and 6th Panzer Armies in supply again.

The U.S. V Corps activates first. Its sends CCA9 plus tank and infantry units to St. Vith. CCR9 stays in place by itself (the rivers give it good protection).

Defenders of St. Vith. 7th Armored Division tanks await the Germans.

Then U.S. VIII Corps activates. It sends units to reinforce Anbleve against the anticipated attack of 12th SS Panzer Division from the north. There is no Operational Halt.

The 5th Panzer Army activates. Some of its infantry units ford the river with another Engineer unit moving into position to build a bridge. Three German Armored divisions (2nd, 116th and the Panzer Lehr) attack CCR9 in 2708, and it loses a step and retreats to 2609.

The German 6th Panzer Army activates and advances on a broad front, with infantry fording streams. It attacks Rocherath and Anbleve, but forces there hold.

The German 15th Panzer Army activates and the Engineer unit attempts to build a bridge, but fails. Other units ford the stream.

December 19th

Weather is cloudy and ground condition is Frost. The Germans are down to their last 3 supply points, so they put the 5th Panzer Army only in supply. It’s do-or-die time — after this turn all their units will be at half combat strength.

5th Panzer activates first, and the Engineer unit it moved to 2507 successfully builds a bridge to 2408. The Panzer Lehr crashes through the forest from behind, and speeds across the bridge to attack St. Vith.

Then the 1st SS Panzer Division advances, and the Recon unit blocking the road at 2010 decides not to die heroically (and pointlessly) so it retreats 3 hexes, still guarding the road between the Panzers and the U.S. HQ. The Panzers move to the victory hex at Malmedy. Then the 12th SS Panzer division moves south and destroys the U.S. units guarding Anbleve, taking that town. Panzer Lehr’s attack on St. Vith is blunted, but the two remaining German Armored divisions attacking CCR in 2609 destroy it, opening the road southwest to Trosvierges and the undefended U.S. V Corps HQ beyond.

At this point, there is a 2-hex breach in the Allied line at 2107 and 2208, with no Allied ZOC. All Allied VIII Corps units are effectively pinned down by German ZOC, severely limiting their movement capability. And the two SS Panzer divisions are loose in the Allied rear, free to split their component regiments up to take victory hexes independently. The U.S. V Corps HQ is in danger of being overrun, and can do nothing but retreat along with its units. The game is over, and the Germans win with a last-minute breakthrough.