Elsenborn Ridge:
Scenario Preview, Chapter Six
by Mike Bennighof, Ph.D.
October 2025

I got some feedback not long ago about the background text of another game (it was Fire & Sword), suggesting that I hold a prejudice against Nazis in general, and the Armed SS party militia in particular. Of course I do. I hate Nazis, whether the 1940’s originals or the 2020’s pale echo. I don’t see any excuse for feeling otherwise.

None of that changes the facts about Armed SS combat performance in late 1944. In the early days of wargames, these units were often depicted as efficient, super-human elites. And that’s just factually wrong. They did have very high proportions of combat veterans of the Eastern Front, favorable allotments of weapons and supplies, and political fanaticism. When things went in their favor, they could be formidable enemies.

But they also lacked the staff officers with the extensive training and experience to plan operations. Junior officers had mostly learned the craft on the job. And that political fanaticism could quickly turn to rout and despair when things went wrong, where regular army formations would rally around their hard core of cynical “old hares.”

In the Battle of the Bulge, they ran into a U.S. Army unimpressed by their snappy uniforms and Aryan purity. And so, things went wrong. Let’s have a look at the sixth chapter of Panzer Grenadier: Elsenborn Ridge, the story of one of the SS militia’s worst defeats.

Chapter Six
The Empire Defeated
The 2nd SS “The Empire” Panzer Division didn’t participate in the initial assaults on the American positions. The German plan initially held this formation back to exploit through the gaps to be made by the front-line units, chiefly the 560th People’s Grenadier Division.

An M36 tank destroyer and two Sherman tanks of the 3rd “Spearhead” Armored Division await the Germans at Houffalize.

Once the militia division moved forward, it promptly ran out of fuel and had trouble committing its full force between the inability to move all of its vehicles and the narrow, unpaved roads of the Ardennes. And if those problems were not enough, they promptly ran into tough American defenders including the crack 3rd “Spearheard” Armored and 82nd “All-American” Airborne Divisions.

Later apologia would blame the lack of fuel and the poor roads for the failures of the SS militia to achieve their objectives. Blame would also be laid at the feet of Germany’s Supreme Leader. But all of these factors were known before the offensive jumped off. The unavoidable fact is that the SS militia staff officers were not up to the task laid before them.

Scenario Twenty-Six
Parker’s Crossroads
23 December 1944
Maj. Arthur C. Parker of the 598th Field Artillery Battalion found himself guarding the crossroads of Baraque de Fraiture with three howitzers and their crews, the only roadblock stopping the fresh 2nd SS Panzer Division from driving deep into the American rear along Highway N-15 to unravel the defenses to the north and block the coming counter-offensive. Ordered to a rest area to help re-constitute the shattered 106th Infantry Division, Parker ignored the Army’s bureaucracy and instead began gathering scattered pieces of other units as they went past - anti-aircraft gunners, cavalrymen, and glider infantrymen. Finally, the 82nd Airborne and 3rd Armored Divisions sent what few reserves they had to help hold the crossroads, just in time to face the SS assault.

Conclusion
The Americans fought hard, but with little cohesion thanks to the presence of troops from three different divisions (3rd Armored, 82nd Airborne and 106th Infantry) and at least three independent battalions. The defenders held up the SS throughout the night - a vital task, as the Germans dared not move by daylight now that the weather had cleared enough for Allied airpower to join the fray - but crumbled by dawn and a regimental commander of 82nd Airborne authorized a withdrawal. Thanks to the confused command structure many American units never received this order, and casualties are impossible to determine but were severe. The road to Liege, the major realistic German objective, lay open but 2nd SS Panzer lacked both the fuel and the command competence to exploit their victory.

Notes
It’s going to be a hard afternoon and night for the heroes, with restrictions on how the Americans can move (since they come from a bajillion different units) but they still can fire just fine. The only artillery support they have is what’s on the board, which isn’t much, while the Nazi scum have halftracks for their infantry, tank support and artillery backing. Bet on the red, the white and the blue anyway.

Scenario Twenty-Seven
Christmas Gift
25 December 1944
The raw 75th Infantry Division arrived at the front on Christmas Eve and was immediately flung into action. A German tank column quickly broke through their lines and was only stopped by a lucky bazooka shot that knocked out a Panther so that the burning wreck blocked the road. The next day the green infantrymen received air and armor support, and an order to attack the dreaded SS at the village of Grandmenil.

Conclusion
Third Armored Division’s Task Force McGeorge had laid out its orange recognition panels properly, but the P38 Lightnings of 430th Fighter Squadron attacked them anyway, killing 38 men and wounding dozens more. The “American Luftwaffe” thoroughly crushed the attack and the SS militia had no problem driving back the handful of green riflemen who tried to advance without the tanks. Grandmenil would fall on the 26th to the same American forces - but without air support.

Notes
The American tankers are pretty tough; they’re from Spearhead, after all. The new infantrymen are not so determined, and there’s a 50-50 chance that any American planes that show up will attack them instead of the Nazi criminals. Those SS Panthers are going to be hard to deal with, but Spearhead’s 76mm-armed Shermans can take them if they work onto their flanks.

Scenario Twenty-Eight
Boxing Day
26 December 1944
Recovered from the deadly “friendly fire” incident of Christmas Day with additional tank reinforcements on their way, Task Force McGeorge made ready to resume its attack on Grandmenil. Meanwhile the SS prepared to renew their own attack up the road to Erezee where they had been stopped by the green troops of the 75th Infantry Division. The two attacking forces met on the day after Christmas.

Conclusion
The two forces crashed together, with the Panthers getting much the better of the tank duel. But the SS militiamen had suffered terrible losses among their junior officers and lost much of their unit cohesion. Timely reinforcements made the difference, and it was the Germans who fell back as American tanks captured Grandmenil. Capt. John Jordan and his crew joined the attack after having spent the night near the village - trapped behind enemy lines, Jordan simply parked his tank next to several burned or abandoned Shermans and the SS militiamen never examined them. When the Americans returned to Grandmenil, Jordan radioed in reports of German movements and when his own division’s tanks drew close, he joined them.

Notes
We have a replay of the previous scenario, but this time the Americans have more tanks, more artillery, and a spotter hidden behind the German lines. The new guys are still pretty green, but the Spearhead always pushes through.

And that’s Chapter Six. Next time, we dig into Chapter Seven.

Order Elsenborn Ridge Here.

Order Elsenborn Ridge (Anarchy) Here.
No rules! You’ll need the Fourth Edition rules from another Panzer Grenadier game. Earlier edition rules will not work with this game.

Elsenborn Ridge Playbook Edition: Downloadable Upgrade
Includes Snowstorm of Steel Campaign Study
You can transform your old copy of Elsenborn Ridge (the boxed edition) into the splendid Panzer Grenadier: Elsenborn Ridge Playbook Edition, bundled with Snowstorm of Steel. It’s $39.99, but if you’re a Gold Club member, you can download for $27.99 using your Gold Club link (That’s the only way to claim your Gold Club discount).

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Mike Bennighof is president of Avalanche Press and holds a doctorate in history from Emory University. A Fulbright Scholar and NASA Journalist in Space finalist, he has published a great many books, games and articles on historical subjects; people are saying that some of them are actually good. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife and three children.

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