Tactics in 'Battle of the Bulge'
Scenario #28: Marvie
By Doug McNair
July 2006

For my second tactics article on Battle of the Bulge, I want to give the Germans another chance against the Americans, but with a stiffer challenge than 2nd Panzer's armored column had when it hit the 110th Infantry at Clerf. The second attack on the town of Marvie by 901st Panzer Grenadier on December 23, 1944, presents just such an opportunity.

The Americans had rebuffed Oberst Paul von Hauser's first attack on the 19th and had brought in reinforcements while the Germans were regrouping. With the American advantages in numbers and defensible terrain, the Germans would be hard pressed to force them out of the town. The Germans would likely have to settle for inflicting as much damage as possible, in the hope that the Americans would deem themselves too weak to hold Marvie and would withdraw toward Bastogne.

Tactical Situation

The scenario is played on boards 10 and 11 set up in a square, with Board 11 placed horizontally to the north of Board 10. Board 11 faces toward the east while Board 10 faces toward the west.

The Americans can set up anywhere within a diagonal swath that runs southwest to northeast across Board 11, while the Germans set up within five hexes of the easternmost road hex on Board 10.

Marvie sits in the clear, so all forest, hill and field symbols on both boards are ignored.

The scenario starts at 1700 hours and runs for 18 turns. It is won on victory points, with each side scoring points for eliminating enemy steps during the game and for holding town hexes on Boards 10 and 11 at game end.

American Tactics

The Americans have numerical superiority in both infantry and tanks. One approach would be to set up all their units in the town of Marvie and let the Germans come to them, hoping the German assaults will break on the town defenses.

But the fact that night is falling and visibility drops to one hex halfway through the scenario means that this strategy would rob the Americans of their armor advantage. The Germans could simply wait for night to fall, then let their infantry rush in while leaving their three panzer units back in the dark where the American tanks can't spot them. German infantry assaults could then pin the American tanks down, letting the panzers move in at their leisure and shoot into the assault hexes from point-blank range, destroying the American armor in short order.

The Americans need to lure the Germans in for an attack before night falls, deploying their infantry in an extended perimeter outside the town, with at least one flank hanging temptingly outside the range of American anti-tank firepower. This will hopefully bring on a German assault, to which the Americans can react by either falling back toward the town or bringing the tanks out of town for fire support. Either way, the three German panzer platoons will have to expose themselves to American tank fire if they wish to support the German advance.

German Tactics

The Germans have a potent force with a lot of firepower, but their numerical disadvantage in armored units requires them to not act too aggressively. Of greatest concern is the American M18 tank destroyer platoon, which beats German armor strength handily and almost matches the panzers in range as well. The M18 and the M4 Shermans can sit concealed in town hexes behind the American infantry perimeter and wait for the panzers to get in range. They can then use their armor efficiency (which lets them fire twice per turn) to hit the panzers numerous times and probably score a few kills before the panzers can react. The complete lack of blocking terrain between the towns on the two boards makes the panzers' situation doubly perilous.

The panzers will have to set up outside M18 range and stay there until the American tanks open fire on the German infantry and APCs hitting the American perimeter. Once the American tanks have fired and revealed their positions, the panzers will need to make every shot count, hoping thin American armor won't stand up to panzer fire even at long range in town cover. They will also need to stay behind a German infantry screen to protect them and the town on Board 10 should the American infantry charge south from Marvie.

As far as the German infantry itself is concerned, it should hit both flanks of the American perimeter. The APCs should run a long dogleg outside American tank range to transport the German heavy machinegun platoons to the exposed western flank. At the same time, the bulk of the panzer grenadiers should keep the east flank and center busy, so the panzers can wait to see which flank breaks, then rush in to support a German infantry assault.

Game Summary

Here's what happened in a recent game.

Turn 1 — 1700 Hours

Both sides start the scenario with an initiative of 3. The Americans win initiative by one activation and have their offboard artillery hit the forward panzer grenadier platoons near the eastern American flank. It hits the hex with the major commanding the German force, who rolls a 12 on his morale check and becomes demoralized. But the two HMG units with him make morale easily.

German offboard artillery responds and rolls a 12 on the 42 column, scoring a 2X and eliminating one American infantry platoon screening the M18 tank destroyers in the hamlet east of Marvie (2 VPs for the Germans). The lieutenant with the eliminated INF platoon is demoralized, but the other INF platoon in the hex holds morale.

Bombardment fire from both sides is ineffective. Then a German lieutenant with a +2 combat bonus combines the fire of GRENs and HMGs in three hexes to hit the eastern American flank. The demoralized American lieutenant outside the hamlet is again demoralized and deserts, and the INF unit he was with follows his example and becomes demoralized too.

The American perimeter starts digging in, and the Germans near the road on Board 10 start moving west. Then more panzer grenadiers move into firing range on the east American flank, and American opportunity fire from there demoralizes one GREN platoon. The demoralized INF platoon flees, and the sergeant who was backing up the deserted lieutenant and his dead-and-fled INF moves up his own two INF platoons to take their place in front of the hamlet.

More GREN platoons move up to attack the east American flank, and the American M3 halftracks, M8 armored cars and M5 light tanks in the hamlet decide that's too many Germans. With the panzers far away and behind the town on board 10, the American light armor opens up with opportunity fire, eliminating one GREN step (1 VP for the Americans). The other step holds morale due to the +2 morale bonus of their sergeant.

The light armor in the hamlet is now spotted, so they'll have to do as much damage as possible next turn before running for Marvie to escape long-range fire from the panzers.

The German major recovers to disrupted status, and then both sides pass and the turn ends. The VP score is Germany 2, America 1.

1715 Hours

The Germans win initiative, and the brilliant lieutenant once again combines three stacks of GRENs and HMGs and rolls a 2 on the 22 column, scoring a 2X result and eliminating another American INF unit in front of the hamlet (2 VPs for the Germans), demoralizing the other INF there and disrupting the sergeant who brought them in (this hamlet is quickly getting an unlucky reputation).

American offboard artillery hits the brilliant lieutenant's hex, rolling a 3 on the 30 column and scoring an X result. One more GREN step is eliminated (1VP for the Americans), the other is demoralized, and the lieutenant is disrupted (meaning he can't form more fire teams until he recovers).

German offboard artillery is ineffective, and then the American center decides to take the pressure off their crumbling eastern flank by rushing south to contest control of the town on Board 10. The Shermans in Marvie dash southwest to a firing position two hexes northwest of the town on Board 10, thus keeping the town between them and the panzers (who will have to expose themselves when they advance) while blocking the advance of the APCs carrying the German west-flank assault units.

The Germans halt the APC advance but send their half-strength GRENs in to occupy the town. Two American INF units and a captain from the center rush southward on the road, and opportunity fire from the two full-strength GRENs screening the town disrupts one of the INF units.

More half-strength Germans and the three German mortars move into town, and fire from the hamlet is ineffective (the M18 joining in notwithstanding). The sergeant in front of the hamlet recovers morale but his INF platoon flees, and then the panzers do something the Americans didn't expect. They move away from Marvie, heading south/southwest from the town on Board 10 so that they just have a bead on the Shermans to the northwest of town, but from outside the Shermans' AT fire range.

The American lieutenant colonel commanding the center of the line combines the fire of his two HMGs with two M3 halftracks in Marvie, scoring an X result on the panzer grenadiers attacking the east American flank. The already-demoralized GREN takes a step loss (1 VP for the Americans) and the captain with it is disrupted.

Then the remaining German offboard artillery rolls a 2 on the 21 column, scoring an X result on the extreme east American flank and doing one step loss to an INF unit (1 VP for the Germans). The lieutenant and the uninjured INF in the hex are disrupted, and the INF that took a step loss is demoralized.

Remaining American offboard artillery is ineffective, and the Germans advance to an assault position on the extreme eastern American flank with a lieutenant, a full-strength GREN platoon and a half-strength GREN. Opportunity fire from the only undemoralized INF unit there demoralizes the half-strength GREN and disrupts the other one, so there will be no German assault next turn.

The turn ends on a Fog of War roll after some recoveries (including the German major), some failed recoveries (including a GREN which flees from the east flank attack), and the extreme west flank of the American line finishing digging in.

The score is now Germany 5, America 3.

1730 Hours

The faked-out American tankers pray very hard that they'll get the initiative so they can bug out back to Marvie . . . but not hard enough. The Germans win by one activation and the panzers open fire. Two Sherman platoons take step losses and both are demoralized (4 VPs for the Germans). The survivors all pull back to Marvie, some fleeing and others retreating in good order.

German offboard artillery disrupts all the INF that charged south from Marvie to contest the town on Board 10, but then American fire from the hamlet scores one step loss on a GREN (1 VP for the Americans). All Germans in the hex hold morale, and those units and their sergeant advance to join the captain and his disrupted/demoralized units preparing to assault the east American flank.

The APCs resume their westward advance now that the Shermans have fled, and the Germans advance north from the town on Board 10 to assault the disrupted INF units in the road, and to draw fire away from GRENs trying to recover and join the east flank assault. The Germans send half-strength units north from the town first as cannon fodder, and the Americans demoralize one of them plus a lieutenant, but do no other damage.

Remaining American offboard artillery demoralizes a half-strength HMG unit with the major, and the turn ends on a Fog of War roll after more recoveries.

The score is now Germany 9, America 4.

1745 Hours

American initiative drops to 2, but the Americans win initiative by one activation. It's a tough call in a target-rich environment, but American offboard artillery ends up hitting the three-high-stacked hex containing the only undemoralized German leader ready to assault the Americans in the road south of Marvie. The leader is unaffected, but one of his units is demoralized and the other disrupted.

Then the assault goes in, with the demoralized lieutenant outside the assault hex fleeing south while the demoralized half-strength GRENs recover. Each side in the assault scores an M1 result, with the German lieutenant leading the assault becoming demoralized along with a half-strength GREN, and one American INF demoralized as well.

The sergeant leading the disrupted remnants of the American eastern flank fires point-blank on the Germans about to assault him, but there's no effect. The assault only demoralizes an already-disrupted lieutenant there.

American mortar fire is ineffective, but German offboard artillery hits the lieutenant colonel and two HMGs holding the center outside Marvie, rolling a 3 on the 42 column. It scores an X result, does one step loss to an HMG (1 VP for the Germans) and disrupts a full-strength HMG and the captain with the lieutenant colonel.

The Americans in the road assault are only marginally successful at recovering morale, and then German mortar fire from the town on Board 10 scores an X result on the next INF stack west of the German east flank assault. One INF unit takes a step loss (1 VP for the Germans) and becomes demoralized, and their captain is disrupted.

The demoralized Shermans that fled to Marvie both fail to recover morale, and then the major charges the hamlet with a GREN to draw the fire of the American light armor there (and keep them in place for the panzers to destroy next turn). But the American tankers are smart and hold their fire until the major comes into point blank range . . . which he doesn't do, having a strong inclination to avoid suicide. Opportunity fire from the just-disrupted units of the line is ineffective, and the major stops two hexes away from the hamlet. Some line units recover morale, and then a captain moves up to join the German major, but opportunity fire from the lieutenant colonel's HMGs disrupts the GREN he's with and stops him.

Then the panzers move northeast to just outside the range of the M18 in the hamlet (which is spotted, along with all the light armor there). This leaves the American armor no choice but to withdraw from the hamlet and head for Marvie, taking up a position where they can still get a good line of fire on the APCs should they start moving northwest toward the American west flank.

The last undisrupted American unit on what's left of the east American flank disrupts the German major's GREN before he can jump into the assault outside the hamlet, and the turn ends on more recoveries. The APCs stay outside the range of the repositioned American armor in Marvie.

The score is now Germans 11, Americans 4.

1800 Hours

The Americans win initiative by one activation, and the lieutenant colonel in the American center pours HMG fire into the straggling GRENs near the east flank assault while the spotted M3 halftracks in the southernmost hex of Marvie pull back to avoid long-range panzer fire. The HMG fire is ineffective, and then German offboard artillery rolls a 2 on the 42 column, destroying another full-strength INF unit on the all-but-gone eastern American flank (2 VPs for the Germans). The remaining INF step there is demoralized along with a lieutenant.

American offboard artillery demoralizes the two half-strength GREN units next to the road assault, but not the lieutenant with them. The lieutenant activates and dives into the road assault while the two demoralized GRENs flee, and the demoralized lieutenant and half-strength GREN in the assault hex fail to recover and exit the hex. The German assault rolls a "1" result, killing one INF step (1 VP for the Germans) and demoralizing both INF units there. But in return, one attacking GREN is demoralized and the other disrupted.

The American west-flank units start heading east to reinforce the thinning center, and German mortar fire on them is ineffective. The demoralized Shermans in Marvie still fail to recover, and then the German assault wipes out the last INF platoon on the east flank (2 VPs for the Germans), but two GREN units are disrupted in return. Both demoralized American INF in the road assault fail to recover and exit the hex, but they take no damage from the German "free shot."

Then, a single PzIVF2 platoon advances to within four hexes of Marvie, daring the single undemoralized Sherman platoon there to fire and reveal its location (the M18 and other tanks that fled from the hamlet are farther north inside Marvie and outside LOS). But the Americans have a cunning plan of their own and willingly rise to the bait, firing on the PzIVF2 to draw the fire of the PzIVHs. But both shots go wide, and the PzIVHs fire on the Shermans, destroying one step and disrupting the other (2 VPs for the Germans).

The Americans launch their cunning plan, charging out with their incredibly fast M8 armored car platoon and the M18 tank destroyer platoon, heading straight for the German APCs. The M18 uses its special ability to make a half move and fire once, destroying one SPW 251 halftrack and the HMG platoon it was carrying (3 VPs for the Americans). The M8 armored car dashes to within two hexes of the remaining APCs, putting the town between it and the panzers. The M18 crew prays that it gets initiative next turn and can run back to Marvie before the panzers destroy it.

Now that the Americans have made their move, the German APCs swarm the M8 armored car, dropping off HMGs as they pass it by and surrounding it so it can't escape. American long-range AT fire from Marvie on the German halftracks is ineffective, and the turn ends on recoveries.

The score is now Germany 18, America 7.

1815 Hours

German initiative drops by one due to the bold M18 attack, but American initiative has now dropped by 2. The Americans just barely win the initiative roll, and the M18 fires on the PzIVF platoon near Marvie . . . but the shot misses! The M18 runs for Marvie, but opportunity fire from one of the PzIVH platoons to the southeast destroys it (4 VPs for the Germans).

The German APC contingent overwhelms the M8 armored car platoon, doing one step loss (1 VP for the Germans) and demoralizing the other step. Nevertheless, it gives a good account of itself, disrupting one GREN unit.

But that is all the Americans are likely to do for the rest of the game. With all American heavy armor destroyed, demoralized or disrupted, the panzers can advance on the American center with little fear while the GRENs push through the destroyed east flank and the APC contingent reloads and drives for the retreating west flank. The Americans will have to retreat to Marvie, where the Germans can pound them at will. The Germans are already ahead by a score of 23 to 7, so even if they just take the hamlet and keep the Americans bottled up in Marvie, they'll win at game’s end with a score of 58 to 43.

Click here to order Battle of the Bulge now!