Tactics in Elsenborn Ridge
Scenario 22: 'St. Vith: The Fall,' Part 2
By Doug McNair
July 2008

The final German push on St. Vith continues in today’s episode of my Elsenborn Ridge Scenario 22 replay. As the first hour of battle came to a close, the Volksgrenadiers were taking heavy losses at the forward American roadblocks, but the vital SS Tiger II tanks had arrived and were poised to exploit any roadblock breach the Volksgrenadiers can manage. American tank destroyers are moving into position for crossfire attacks on the King Tigers, but unless the predicted snowstorm blows in shortly, superior German numbers will likely overwhelm the forward roadblocks and allow the King Tigers to drive westward down the roads and force a general American withdrawal to the western towns.

The battle continues.

Turn Five: 1600 Hours

The German player rolls a 7 + 1 = 8, and the snowstorm still does not arrive (the roll gets a +1 modifier starting this turn). Neither side has taken enough losses to reduce their initiative, and the Germans beat the Americans on initiative by one activation.

The northernmost Volksgrenadier battalion and its accompanying Engineer company activates. Its lead units assault the Americans who pulled back from the northernmost roadblock last turn, while its remaining units move south to an assault position on the Americans holding the crossroads and more units pile onto the road behind the roadblock. Opportunity fire from the hill to the southwest is ineffective, and with an American INF and a Lieutenant both demoralized in he assault hex the remaining disrupted INF doesn’t stand much of a chance. The Germans roll a 4 on the 18 column to inflict a step loss on the disrupted INF and demoralize the other step, and also inflict compound demoralization on the other already-reduced INF to wipe it out (2 German VPs total). The Americans inflict no damage in return.

American mortar fire is ineffective, and then the southern Volksgrenadier battalion activates its forward units to blast the roadblock there at point-blank range, demoralizing the already-disrupted American HMG there. American offboard artillery is ineffective, and then the GREN and STUG protecting one of the Nebelwerfer batteries fire point-blank on the remaining American INF that attacked the Nebelwerfers. The Germans roll a 12, scoring a 2X result that obliterates the INF platoon (2 German VPs). The Nebelwerfer in the hex with the GREN and Stug fires at the demoralized American INF that fled from the attack, but the fire is ineffective.

With their southern positions crumbling, the American Sergeant in the southeastern town presses the assault to try and finish off the Volksgrenadiers there so he can pull back to the secondary southern roadblock. Once again he rolls very well, scoring an M2 result that demoralizes the Volksgrenadier unit in the hex (the Germans score no damage in return).

Germans offboard artillery fire is ineffective, and the Americans stage a Captain and an INF unit forward to a new roadblock position just west of the northern Volksgrenadiers while an M36 tank destroyer platoon moves up onto the northeastern hill and into a firing position on the King Tiger company that’s waiting for the northern roadblock to fall.

The other Nebelwerfer battery hits the roadblock at the northern crossroads and disrupts the American HMG platoon there, and an American INF platoon stages forward from a western town hex to the roadblock on the northwestern board. German mortar fire is ineffective, and an M4 Sherman platoon starts working its way northeastward away from the Volksgrenadiers and toward a crossfire position on the King Tigers. The last German mortar shot is ineffective, and the American INF at the roadblock two hexes southeast of the northern crossroads recovers morale. This leaves the Germans with little choice but to throw more troops into the roadblock assaults to prevent the HMG at the crossroads assault hex from recovering morale.

A Lieutenant, two fresh GREN and an HMG pile into the crossroads assault hex while the demoralized, reduced GREN fails to recover and exits it. Meanwhile, another Lieutenant and two more GREN move southwest and adjacent to a demoralized American INF (this also gets them out of the friendly fire zone around the assault hexes). The dug-in Americans at the crossroads get first fire and roll very well once again, inflicting a step loss on a GREN (1 American VP) and demoralizing the other step of that unit plus the HMG! The remaining GREN and its Lieutenant roll a 1 and do no damage. This roadblock assault is going nowhere at a very high cost. The Americans at the roadblock then add insult to injury by recovering the morale of their HMG.

The other roadblock assault goes somewhat better, with first fire from the Americans demoralizing a GREN unit but leaving the German HMG intact, and the HMG and its Lieutenant rolling a 5 on the 13 column to kill an American INF step (1 German VP) but not breaking the morale of the other INF step while disrupting the American Lieutenant there. The already-demoralized GREN in the hex recovers morale, boding well for next round’s assault.

The Lieutenant who was leading the attack on the Nebelwerfers retreats northeast to join his remaining demoralized INF, and the Tiger II company on the northern road decides the roadblock isn’t going to be breached and starts offroading around it. The demoralized Americans who withdrew from the northernmost roadblock fail to recover and exit the assault hex they’re in, and are wiped out by the German free shot (1 German VP).

The turn then ends on recoveries and redeployments, with a Lieutenant taking a fresh GREN into the southeastern town to try and rescue the demoralized Volksgrenadiers there, the demoralized GREN unit in the assault hex there failing to recover and getting obliterated by the American free shot as it exits the hex (2 American VPs), the demoralized American HMGs at the southeastern roadblock recovering, and the M18 Hellcat having to pull back into the woods on the southern road since the offroading King Tigers to the north are now in a position to spot it.

The Volksgrenadiers took a beating at the roadblocks this turn but the Americans had it even worse, and the score is now America 33, Germany 8.

Turn Six: 1615 Hours

The German player rolls a 4 + 1 = 5, and there’s still no snow. German initiative is still just barely holding on at 3, but American initiative drops to 0. The Germans beat the Americans by one activation and a Captain with a +1 combat bonus combines the fire of two GREN units with a Tiger II unit to fire point-blank on the southern roadblock. They roll an 11 on the 30 column, scoring a 2X result that wipes-out the HMG platoon (2 German VPs) and leaving nothing but their Lieutenant, who passes the M2 morale check.

The American Sergeant who wiped out the Volksgrenadiers in the southeastern town reacts by pulling out of the town and up onto the hill with the Shermans, and the German Lt. Colonel exploits the roadblock breach and takes a GREN platoon plus two HMG platoons down the road toward the next roadblock (displacing the American Lieutenant along the way). Said roadblock opens fire on him, but he and his GREN unit pass all the morale checks. The Shermans on the hill hold their fire, since the King Tigers would obliterate them if they revealed their position.

American offboard artillery hits the Lieutenant at the leading edge of the German advance on the northern hill, and demoralizes a GREN unit. Nebelwerfer fire is ineffective, and the Sergeant who activated the Nebelwerfers takes two GREN units northeast to finish off the Lieutenant and the disrupted INF unit that fled from him. The INF hits them with point-blank opportunity fire, and on the second shot scores a 2X result that wipes-out an entire GREN unit (2 American VPs)!

American mortars self-spot against two ENG units on the northern road and disrupt one of them. German offboard artillery fire hits the 40-meter hilltop west of the Volksgrenadiers again and disrupts an AT gun battery there. Fire from the other American mortar unit is ineffective, and with no other artillery support to be had the lead Volksgrenadiers on the northern hill advance. They assault the disrupted, reduced INF unit that fled from a roadblock and move a GREN company up to an assault position against the Americans on the 40-meter hill. Opportunity fire from the hill is ineffective, and the M36 tank destroyer platoon has to pull back to avoid being assaulted next turn. The assault eliminates the reduced INF unit (1 German VP), and the disrupted GREN recovers.

The turn then ends on a Fog of War roll, meaning the other Volksgrenadier battalion and the King Tigers with it get left behind. The score is now America 35, Germany 11.

Turn Seven: 1630 Hours

The sun hits the horizon and visibility drops to 10 hexes, but the German player rolls a 7 + 1 = 8 and the snow still does not arrive. German initiative drops to 2, but the Germans still beat the Americans by one activation. German offboard artillery hits the Sergeant on the southern hilltop before he can move west and reinforce the roadblock, and the fire demoralizes the Sergeant but does not break the morale of his INF and I&R unit. Those units run for the roadblock immediately, because they can still do it as long as no German combat unit is between them and it. The Germans to the northeast open up with opportunity fire, and combined fire from two HMGs demoralizes both American units before they can reach the roadblock! The Sergeant recovers morale.

American mortar fire from the 40-meter hill is ineffective, and the Germans go up the hill. The lead GREN unit assaults the mortars and a GREN and an ENG unit move to an assault position on the INF and AT gun at the north end of the summit. The Germans make it through point-blank opportunity fire in good order, but the assault on the mortars does no damage to either side.

American offboard artillery fire hits a three-high stack of GREN units just north of the northern hill (the ones that wiped-out the Americans from the northernmost roadblock), and rolls a 3 on the 42 column for an X result that kills a GREN step (1 American VP) and disrupts all three GREN units! The Colonel in command of the Volksgrenadiers activates most of those that got left behind last turn and gets them moving westward while a Captain tries to rally the just-disrupted units. Opportunity fire from the INF blocking the road ahead of the Colonel is ineffective, and two disrupted GRENs recover.

The Americans at the northern crossroads are now officially being bypassed, so they counterassault the largely-demoralized Germans in their hex in hopes of eliminating them and attacking the Volksgrenadiers in the rear. The roadblock force attacks on the 24 column while the Germans defend on the 13 column. The Americans should have stayed behind their sandbags; they roll a 1 on the attack while the Germans roll a 4 on defense. Still, a 1 on the 24 column is an M1 result, which does compound demoralization to a reduced GREN unit and eliminates it (1 American VP). The M2 result the Germans score on defense demoralizes the American Lieutenant commanding the roadblock, but amazingly his INF and HMG both hold morale!

More GRENs rush the 40-meter hill west of the roadblock, and then the disrupted INF that fled from the Nebelwefers but eliminated an entire GREN unit last turn rolls a 3 and demoralizes the Sergeant leading the remaining GREN against it (the GREN is OK). The Germans then try to finish off the Americans at the roadblock southeast of the crossroads, and they demoralize the INF unit there along with its Lieutenant while the demoralized GREN in the hex recovers morale. American mortar fire to the south is ineffective, and the King Tiger company bypasses the northern roadblock. German offboard artillery fire is ineffective, and the M36 tank destroyer unit moves northwest to a position just behind the roadblock on the next hill to the west on the northern road.

Nebelwerfer fire is ineffective, and the INF at the roadblock the M36 platoon just moved behind starts digging itself in. More Nebelwerfer fire is ineffective, but a StugIIIG unit that was with the Nebelwerfer moves southwest to a firing position on the Shermans on the hill. That will force the Shermans to either fire at the Stugs and thus expose themselves to obliteration by King Tigers, or to retreat ignominiously and hide behind the hill (if they move anywhere else they’ll get blasted by opportunity fire from the King Tigers). But the Americans take a third option for now, using the special move-and-fire ability of their M18 Hellcat unit. It moves southeast two hexes and fires one shot at the Stugs from a hex which the King Tigers can’t spot. Unfortunately, the Hellcats roll a modified 8 and miss . . .

. . . and the turn ends abruptly on a Fog of War roll. That means the Shermans can’t fire on the Stugs and save the Hellcats from counterfire next turn. If the Germans get initiative the Hellcats are toast. The score is now America 37, Germany 11.

Turn Eight: 1645 Hours

Visibility drops to eight hexes, and the Germans roll a 7 + 1 = 8 and the snow is still nowhere to be seen. The Germans beat the Americans by two activations, and the American tankers start praying.

First a German lieutenant with a +1 combat bonus combines point-blank fire from 3 x GREN + an ENG on the INF and AT gun on the 40-meter hilltop. They roll an 11 to wipe out the AT gun and an INF step and demoralize the other INF step (2 German VPs). Then the Stugs blast the Hellcats, scoring a hit on the first shot to kill a Hellcat step but missing on the second shot (2 German VPs). But the remaining Hellcats become demoralized.

Honor will not allow the Shermans to just sit there and watch this, so they surrender to certain death and fire on the Stugs. They miss with both shots, and the King Tigers fire at the now-revealed Shermans and obliterate them with one shot (4 German VPs). The American armored counterattack on the southern Volksgrenadier battalion goes horribly, horribly wrong.

The American Lieutenant commanding the southern roadblock directs the AT gun there to fire at the Stugs while trying to rally the demoralized INF and I&R that got that way heading for the roadblock. The AT gun rolls a modified 8 and misses, and both demoralized units fail their morale check and flee westward.

German offboard artillery fire at the southern roadblock is ineffective, and American offboard artillery fire hits the Colonel at the head of the German northern advance and disrupts a GREN with him. Nebelwerfer fire is ineffective, but the American mortar unit on the southern hill rolls a 3 and breaks the morale of two two HMG units on the road near the southern roadblock (one disrupted, one demoralized)!

More Nebelwerfer fire is ineffective, and the INF at the second roadblock west of the northern German advance finishes digging in. The Colonel advances westward and off the northern road, clearing a path for the King Tigers. Opportunity fire from the Americans on the road ahead is ineffective, and a disrupted GREN in the road recovers morale.

The brilliant, disrupted American INF that failed to hurt the Nebelwerfers but has been slaughtering Volksgrenadiers fails to do any damage this time, and then the Tiger II company moves west to a firing position on the Americans in the road ahead of the northern German advance.

The reduced, demoralized M18 Hellcat unit fails to recover morale and flees west (getting out of Stug range in the process), and then a Lieutenant jumps into the assault on the American mortars on the 40-meter hilltop but neither side scores any damage. The M36 tank destroyer platoon on the hill west of the King Tiger company then takes advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: It has a shot at the King Tigers but doesn’t have to worry about exposing itself to counterfire next turn because the setting sun will drop visibility to six hexes, and the range to the Tiger IIs is seven hexes. They take the shot but roll horribly and miss.

More GRENs in the north advance while others recover, and an M4 Sherman unit near the north edge heads eastward to engage a leaderless GREN and also get outside next turn’s visibility range from the King Tigers. More Germans recover, and then the Americans at the now-bypassed crossroads try again to wipe out their attackers. The Americans do much better this time, rolling a 5 on the 18 column to kill a GREN step and disrupt the other, demoralize the German Lieutenant and kill an HMG step through compound demoralization (2 American VPs). But the demoralized American Lieutenant there fails to recover morale and exits the hex, while the INF and HMG unit remaining in the hex pass their morale check. The Germans then wipe out the last, demoralized reduced INF unit at the roadblock two hexes southeast of the crossroads (1 German VP), displacing the demoralized Lieutenant there.

The turn then ends on recoveries and redeployments, with HMG opportunity fire from the southern roadblock disrupting an oncoming GREN, and the demoralized, reduced INF on the 40-meter hilltop right next to the King Tiger company rolling a 2 to recover to good order.

So at the end of the second hour of battle, the Germans have repulsed an armored counterattack to the south with hideous losses, and they’ve bypassed the roadblock at the northern crossroads at a cost of numerous GREN steps lost. They’re poised to pour massive fire into the next set of roadblocks to the west, so unless that snowstorm arrives soon the Germans can expect to push onto the western boards by the end of Hour 3. The score now stands at America 39, Germany 20.

Will Mother Nature come to the aid of the Americans and slow the Tiger IIs to deprive the Volksgrenadiers of their support? Tune in next time and find out!

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