SBWW2 Western Front DAR "Wiltz" Complete (Warhorse Welcome)

[FalseBlackBear]

Post 1 - Turn 0 - Intro, Terrain, Units

Hey everyone! Long team reader of these forums, but first time posting. I'm playing a game against Warhorse using his mod package SPWW2 Western front, which is based off of SB Eagles Strike. The scenario is entitled "Wiltz" and depicts a large engagement during the Battle of the Bulge where elements of the 26th VolksGrenadier and 5th Fallschirmjager Divisions attack American forces in the town of Wiltz, in the vicinity of Luxemburg. The scenario is largely fictional, drawn from an ASL scenario of years past. This particular iteration is a further step removed, as it tries to explore a "what it?" where elements of the Panzer Lehr arrived to assist the 26th Volksgrenadier in the latter's assault.

This is my first AAR, and might be a little underwhelming. I grew up playing Combat Mission x1 games, and reading AARs on the Battlefront forums. Good AARs to me always touch on two levels: the overall tactical problem and solution proposed by the Player, and the stories of their Pixeltruppen grappling with rolls of the dice on the screen. I hope to give a little of both, and will likely mess each up in turn.

The terrain around Wiltz is hilly and heavily forested, with a river valley cutting primarily from the Top-left of the map to the bottom-right. The snow is driving; it is cold enough to keep snow on the ground but not yet enough to freeze the rivers to a passable state. These factors together limit visibility to 10 hexes, which from experimenting with the "V" hotkey means that overwatch from opposing hillsides is unlikely. I expect this battle to start with chance encounters in the woods.



The Jump map gives us an overview of objectives and forces. There are four objectives, depicted by yellow squares. The Western objective as well as the pair of eastern objectives each count for 50 points. The southern objective counts for a whopping 250pts! To take these objectives, i've been given 40 turns. At 5min/turn, this equates to 200min, or 3hrs and 20min of game time.

My Forces (red squares) are split into three groups.

In the North is one Company-- 2nd Company, Hauptman Reichensperger-- of Volksgrenadier Fusiliers, supported by two StuGs, a Platoon of Panzer IV H's from the 130th Panzer Regiment, 2x Batteries (4 vehicles total) of self-propelled infantry guns (sIG 38t's), and a platoon of Armored Engineers. Over the next hour, they'll be reinforced by 2x Companies of Panzergrenadiers of the Panzer Lehr, at a rate of roughly 1 platoon every 5 minutes. They'll also pick up 4x Panzerjager IV/70's at the 15 minute mark.

In the center is the 1st company of the Volksgrenadier Fusiliers, commanded by Hauptman Querner. They are reinforced by a single StuG.

In the South are the Fallschirmjager troops, a full battalion under Major Hoeffner reinforced by a platoon of 4x StuGs. Major Hoeffner's Command consists of 1st Company (Hptm Lissa), 2nd Company (Hptm Rhein), 3rd Company (Hptm Meyer), and 4th/Hvy Co. That last company has no HQ, but 8x MG-42s, 2x 80mm Mortars, and 2x 75mm Infantry guns.

For artillery support, the Panzer Lehr in the north has 3x units of artillery, with 10 missions total. The Fallschirmjagers in the south have 3x units of artillery as well.

Next up, I'll draw out my plans for these three groups-- North, Center, South.

-FBB

[mllange]

Great start - looking forward to following you in action. Thanks for sharing!

[FalseBlackBear]

Post 2 - Turn 0 - Plans

So, what am I trying to achieve in this scenario?

While 75 points will be a major defeat, I need 125 pts for a minor victory and 200 for a major. So, even with no losses, taking the top three (1x West and 2x Eastern) Victory points at 50pts each is not enough for a major victory. If I lose even 2 vehicles in the process (15pts each?), it's not enough for a minor victory. But that Southern Victory point is 250pts.

Key point- I need to take the southernmost victory point, the one in front of the Fallschirmjagers.

And as always in this game, be careful about casualties. Points gained by taking victory points can be quickly offset by losses.

How do I take that point? If the FJ's are my main effort, then the responsibility of my Center and North forces (Volksgrenadiers and Panzer Lehr, KG Querner and Gralla, respectively) have to be diverting the American's precious resources, especially their tanks. They do this by attacking, conservatively. If they can penetrate into the adversary's rear, they can exploit the poor visibility to cause the Americans to divert forces to finding them or protecting each of the other Victory Points.

Ok, so, let's put that into concrete orders. We'll start with the main effort-- the Southern Group -- then talk Central Group, and finally North Group.

Concept for Group South (Kampfgruppe Hoeffner)



In front of Maj Hoeffner's Battalion of FJ's, I expect two lines of resistance. I see a roadblock, there at the top-right tip of the righthand green line, and I expect that the American's will have at least a platoon covering it along the slope. However, the main line of resistance (likely about a company in strength), would have to be farther up by the objective, giving the Americans time to whittle down my force as I continued the assault through the woods directly toward them.

Instead, I'm going to try and catch them in the flank. I'll use 3rd Company, under Hauptman Meyer, to suppress the roadblock defensive line so that the StuGs and heavy weapons company can set up. If conditions materialize for an assault, awesome, but it's not a requirement. Instead, 1st and 2nd companies (Hauptman Lissa and Hauptman Rhein) will penetrate along the river (farthest from likely defenses) and move swiftly to the point on the likely enemy's flank. From there, they will attack in a short, concentrated front... but that's farther down the road. For now, let's just get past that first defensive line. The slower this force goes, the more time the enemy has to be distracted by central and north groups.

Concept for Group Central (Kampfgruppe Querner)



In the center is 3rd Company of the Fusiliers under Hauptman Querner. Their position suffers greatly from the fact that the river is impassable-- they can only go north. Their role here is to keep forces tied to the 2 eastern-most victory points. If the American defending forces are a company or less, they'll aim to assault. This is the course of action depicted by the red, white, and blue lines. If the Americans have more than a company in defense, Kampfgruppe Querner will fix and suppress. This will be most exemplified by the MG-42 and StuG in support. My hope is to affix them in an impregnable position on the friendly side of the river, taking pot-shots and preventing any allied tanks or infantry from maneuvering against groups South and North.

Concept for Group North (Kampfgruppe Gralla)

In the north, the force that currently looks like a heavily reinforced Fusiliers company but will evolve into a full Panzer Lehr Battalion over the next hour will fulfill its task of drawing resources in a big way-- attacking, and exploiting.



Denoted in yellow, one platoon of Hauptman Reichensperger's Fusiliers company will move along the road to support group center/ Kampfgruppe Querner's attack on the Eastern Victory points. In the picture it denotes "1st co", and I apologize but it is indeed 3rd co Fusiliers in the center.

The rest of the force - Hptm Reichenspergers' co supported by StuGs, Pz IVs, inf guns, and reinforced every 5 min by another Panzer Lehr company- will attack up the closest hill (blue line), where I am assuming enemy resistance will be the lightest. Once this force takes the hill, it will reorganize, and the remains will attack to the SW. It's not depicted on the map, but to the SW is the Western-most victory point.

The purpose of this force is not to take victory points, per se, but as said above- they are trying to draw units off from fighting our Southern Group/ KG Hoeffner.

Final note - I realized after taking/editing screenshots that it's tough to get oriented to the map as a whole. I'll make an effort as this goes forward to capture the jump map to show where the screenshot actually sits within the map.

Next - We'll see how forces unfold and make contact. And we'll see how this whole plan inevitably falls apart.

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." - Mike Tyson

[FalseBlackBear]

Post 3 - Turn 1-5 (1000 - 1030) - Punched in the South

"Is that all, Herr Major?" The radioman asked, scribbling wildly on the crinkled scrap of paper he braced on his bent knee.

Major Hoeffner nodded. He lifted his stern blue eyes from the young soldier, looking into the eyes of the disorganized mass of men trudging past him. He turned, his eyes resting on the frozen stream on their right. He heard the radioman begin to stammer orders to the companies. The radiomans' hand had been cold, the Major had noted, the radiomans' writing sloppy and hardly readable. The Major's eyes fixed in fatigue on a small berg of ice as it drifted between frozen rocks.

"3rd Company, establish positions to suppress any enemy defense with support of ..." The radioman paused, and the Major heard the crinkling of paper "the heavy company and assault guns. If you are able..."

More crinkling of paper. The Major frowned, still staring at his peaceful iceberg. The radioman continued "if you are able, you are ordered to mount an attack on the defending Americans. 1st Company and 2nd Company will flank to the...left-"

"To the right, private, along the river." The major growled to the radioman behind him. "The companies will flank to..." He trailed off. It was the Major's turn to pause. Something was wrong. He looked up from his iceberg to the trees lining the far valley side.

The trees. That he could see them meant the morning fog was lifting.

He had barely begin to form the implication when a shot pierced the still air with a crack. "Everybody down!"

The major dove to the ground as he shouted. More shots pierced the air. Dirt kicked up in spurts as an unseen machine gun raked hastily across the gaggle of soldiers. Major Hoeffer found a bush, barely a twig sitting at the top of small snow drift. He rolled behind it and began to gather himself as he looked around. The major looked to where he had just been standing, and met the open, unseeing eyes of his radioman.

The plan wouldn't make it out, now. Just as well. Damn.



As you can tell, the plan in the South is not off to a good start. Biggest Changes for the FJ's are:

1. I have only 2 line companies, not the three I thought I had. Using the Strength widget in the menu, I could see three companies, but using the OOB finder, and the reinforcement widget, there appear to only be two. So what? That's one less company in the flank.

2. KG Hoeffner is in contact before it could organize. Assignments will have to change.

• 1st company is in contact, and so will now have to be the suppressing company. I'll have to bring up the heavy weapons and StuGs to support them.

• If 1st company can advance far enough to open a safe channel along the river, 2nd company will move along the river to flank.

• If 1st company falters, 2nd company will have to reinforce and the battalion will have to attack exactly the way I think the enemy wants me to-- right up the hill.

To tie the narrative part of the post to the explanatory, the story at front describes the first five minutes. TF south took fire from an American machine gun right away, with one casualty-- the Battalion Commander's radioman. Of all the luck.

Next post will update on the Northern group, where the Volksgrenadiers and Panzer Lehr try to deploy into an attack formation.

[FalseBlackBear]

Post 4 - North - Turn 3-7 (1010-1030) - Traffic Cop

Hauptmann Reichensperger, Commander of the 2nd Company of Fusiliers of KG North, found himself in a novel situation. Despite the adage that combat was a place where one had "too many enemies, and not enough supplies," the Hauptman was instead confronted with few enemies, one road, and far too many friendly forces.

At the front of the advancing column had been the leg infantry of the Volksgrenadiers, moving as fast as their feet would carry them. Hauptman Reichensperger could handle this traffic. Standing at a crossroads, he directed first platoon south to support KG Center in their attack on the central objectives. Second and Third platoons, he directed to extend off the road to the north, and attack up the most shallow grade of the their assigned hill.

As the leg infantry stepped out, the problems started. StuGs trundled up the muddy road to the Hauptmann's crossroads. The commander of the lead vehicle leaned out, over the Hauptmann's head, and lifted off his earpiece as he asked for directions. As Hptmn Reichensperger looked up the hill, contemplating a response, he saw a platoon of Panzer IV's turn a corner down the hill, coming his way. Behind them, he could see the feint smoke and churned snowdust of what could only be a column of armored vehicles.

"Just get up the hill, find Americans, and shoot them!" the Hauptmann yelled to the StuG commander, already searching for a clear ground to deploy the Panzer IVs coming up behind them.

Nothing was open. His Volksgrenadiers were trudging up the hill, frustratingly slow, already being overtaken by the StuGs. Reichensperger could hear yelling already from the long line of halftracks coming to a halt behind the tanks.



As described, KG North is suffering from a traffic problem. Trying to bring forces forward and deploy them into a line is a frustratingly slow process. Synchronizing the infantry assault of the VG company with the supporting PzIVs and StuGs is proving tough.

Thankfully, the enemy on the hill appears minimal so far. They number maybe a platoon in strength, without anti-tank reinforcement. Although not pictured, they are not mutually supporting with the Eastern objectives in KG Center's zone. Artillery has been light, but its impact significant. There are so many troops packed into this small area that we are especially vulnerable. We need to deploy and gain space quickly.

I anticipate the next turns to get a little more hectic as infantry break the crest of the hill and come into view of the enemies defending the summit.

Next up, a quick update on KG Center.

[Russkly]

Nice AAR.

I play-tested this scenario before its release, so I am familiar with what you are facing

I look forward to seeing how you handle the challenges this scenario provides.

Good luck!

[mllange]

Really enjoying this one. Thanks for the effort!

[FalseBlackBear]

Post 5 - Turn 7 (1030) - KG Center - Alone and Unafraid

Feldwebel Schmitz was frustrated. Why, why on earth would someone place his StuG in the woods? He cursed his platoon leader, his company commander, the long chain of officers whose poor reading of maps and flippant orders led him to his current position navigating amongst the branches and logs.

The fusilier company he was supporting had passed him his orders and waved him on his way. 'Hmrpf,' Feldwebel Schmitz grumbled to himself- 'those infantrymen were probably too scared my StuG would run one of them over if they came to close. Cowards.'

As he grumbled he stood high in the cupola, guiding his massive armored assault gun down the hillside, around roots and hollows that threatened to claw away their precious steel tracks.

He leaned over the side, watching and hearing thick branches scrape the side of the StuG. Bits of ice speckled his face as the branches jumped, each relieved at no longer being torn and twisted over the equipment attached to the vehicle's sides. Over the awful screech Schmitz could hear his gunner, Gunther, say "Feldwebel, I thought I saw something!"

Of course he did, thought Schmitz. This had to be the hundreth time Gunther had yelled since they left their infantry. He had been seeing ghosts of green american Shermans in every distant boulder, behind every branch and fold in the valley they could barely see below.

Looking at his map, Schmitz realized that they had arrived at their mapped-out firing position. From here, he had been told, they would be in a perfect position to see and fire on the Americans in a village below. Schmitz looked through his binoculars, eagerly searching for his mark, and couldn't see a thing.

"Gunther, where are your ghosts?" the feldwebel growled into the turret . Schmitz studied what he could glimpse of the village through the thick vegetation. To the left, the right, he saw nothing but leaves and roots. He cursed again the stupid officers who got him here. His rage built.

His officers had failed him, again, but he would complete his mission. He would show them how to find shermans. He would move to the right, find another position from which he could actually see the village and its supposed tanks. "Driver, turn right!" he yelled.

As the metal beast started to churn smoke and start it's turn, Schmitz thought he heard Gunther shout, but over the screams of the engine he could barely tell. Another ghost, he thought, and the raged filled him-- goddamnit, god damn his gunner, god damn it all, he thought, and bowed to yell into the cupola at the object of his rage.

Suddenly, he felt an enormous thud. The entire StuG rocked to the right, shuddering. Schmitz felt the engine stop entirely too fast. Gunther's ghost was real. Schmitz bolted up, raising the binoculars to his eyes. No sooner did he see the faint slice of American green, barely visible between two trees on the hillside, than a flash blinded the reticles. His world exploded.



KG Querner in the Center continues to march forward with the mission of fixing forces in the village surrounding the eastern victory points. The infantry platoons, marching abreast, have received some small arms fire and artillery, but nothing causing casualties. This is, of course, other than the StuG. Moving to its firing position, it couldn't see a thing. But as I moved it one hex to the right (north), it came into view of a pair of Shermans who plugged it in the side for a catastrophic kill. That hurts.

Going forward, Hptm Querner's 1st and 2nd platoons will take up firing positions to suppress forces in the town, focusing on anti-tank guns, mortars, and machine guns in that order. They'll have liberal use of artillery to help. 3rd Platoon will try to assault if the opportunity reveals itself, although earlier I thought I saw American troops to the northeast and if this threat materializes 3rd platoon will be on the hook to handle it.

Up next, we go back to the South where the FJ's are assaulting and beginning the flanking movement. And then to the North where Panzer Lehr is nearly organized to mount a penetration into the American's rear... if they can get out of their own way.

[FalseBlackBear]

Nice AAR.

I play-tested this scenario before its release, so I am familiar with what you are facing

I look forward to seeing how you handle the challenges this scenario provides.

Good luck!

Thank you! Glad to hear I'm not alone in playing this scenario; I'd be very interested to hear how your game went!
-FBB

[FalseBlackBear]

Really enjoying this one. Thanks for the effort!

Thank you, mllange! Glad to hear!