The 36th Infantry Division "T-Patchers" were advancing east, toward the Rhine when they encountered Oberleutnant Werner Haberland's seven Jagdtigers defending the area between Gunstett and Surbourg. Haberland was supporting the 47th Volksgrenadier Division which was tasked with preventing the Americans from crossing the Sauer River. . . . .This is the big honkin' scenario of the pack in which American infantry, Shermans and M-10 GMCs must cross a stream under fire and establish a bridgehead in the face of a determined group of Germans supported by Jagdtigers.
Attacker: American (Elements 141st Infantry Regt., & 753rd Tank Battalion, 36th Infantry Division)
Defender: German (Elements 47th Volksgrenadier Division & sPzjgrAbt 653)
The Jagdtigers covered the bridges and the Americans wisely kept their AFVs hidden with a view to an endgame push into the victory area. Led with the infantry and the Germans melted away against all their firepower, helped by the US infantry passing plenty of MCs as they advanced. Capped off by the 10-2 going Berserk and charging one of the beasts, followed up by a squad and a Snake Eyes in the subsequent CC to burn it, withdraw and create another leader. With little GO German infantry remaining at that point (T5) the Germans conceded. Maybe I should have been more aggressive with the Jagdtigers but the play seemed to be to sit and defend the bridges leaving the infantry to skulk and take shots at the advancing US infantry as opportunity allows but that didn’t reward me with a great playing experience. Malfed one of the guns shooting at the infantry
2022-04-03
(D) Jason Wert
vs
Cliff Welsh
American win
2020-08-23
(D) Jeff Waldon
vs
Paul Qualtieri
German win
VASL
2017-08-29
(A) Gordon Jupp
vs
Nick Holmshaw
American win
2015-11-13
(A) X von Marwitz
vs
Armin Kraft
German win
This is a truly splendid scenario with a lot of well led and armed to the teeth Americans supported by numerous tanks and some TD's having to push some Infantry across a deep stream along with at least two of the tanks (which have to cross one of three bridges). The Germans have 4 massive PzJg VI Panzerjäger Tigers, some of which enter as reinforcements along with supporting infantry. A brittle Flakpanzer gives further support.
I had played this one before as the Americans and that fickle mistress Fortuna had really shown me her cold shoulder in that one with multiple „fate“ rolls, a Sniper recalling one of the M10 before he even reached German LOS, the 10-2 leader breaking and pinning multiple times and not archieving anything along with some freaky LOS that resulted in one stack that made it early across the stream and earmarked to screw up the German's turn 3 reinforcements all broken and torn apart. So as this is a very good scenario, I was more than happy to give it a second try.
My opponent's setup allowed me a „replay“, again with the US Schwerpunkt on the left flank bypassing the woods and going through it with a token force on the right flank to tie down some Germans. The opening turn went even smoother than in my first playing. I had a stack of infantry IN the Stream (board-edge stream hex we considered to be a Stream and not OG), some more infantry on the level 1 hill in a blind spot, some tanks there too ready to create a Trailbreak.. The rest of the infantry made good progress through the woods, while I moved the rest of the AFVs conservatively because of the balance provision we used, the Germans had besides an upgrade of 3x 447s to 467s a HIP HS which would likely tote a PSK. The 60mm MTRs and one of the 105mm Shermans reached a position from which they could keep the level 3 hill on the right flank in check.
The Germans redeployed to adjust to my Schwerpunkt, but could not hinder my infantry stack in the stream to move out unmolested. The forward German infantry elements that did not redeploy were engaged. Then Fortuna obviously remembered that I had cursed her in my previous playing about that freaky LOS to my Stream-stack. In this „replay“, she sent a „1“ Sniper instead that hit the same stack, RS picked the 8-1 leader, who was killed not wounded, and – of course – all three squads broke! Can you believe this?! So my plan to stop the German's turn 3 reinforcements cold was completely shattered – again! Nothing much could have prevented it except for the Sniper...
At least my 10-2 Killer was still in GO and had assebled the .50Cal and HMG and was making good progress up the hills with some more meaningful LOS to wreak havoc. As my opponent had quite deftly reinforced his troops towards my left flank and my Stream-stack out of commission for the moment, I would not be able to complete a direct crossing without a lot of opposition. Therefore I surged forward with my token-force on the right crossing the gully across the bridge and shifted some of the fast US AFV towards the orchard area on the right for some „counter-flanking“ and to create a threat of crossing the rightmost bridge and to keep the German turn 3 reinforcements in that area.
It took a bit of time to support the tank that had moved to the right with more infantry but I was able to catch the Germans offguard and dispatch the Flakpanzer with some shots the LOS of which he had overlooked. Meanwhile 10-2 Killer had made it up a level 3 hill with the .50Cal and a HMG and some decent LOS.
My German opponent made a bold counterattack with one of the huge Pz-Jägers (never failing Mechanical Reliability) moving forward from a blind „plateau“ postion to stop ADJACENT to two of my tanks and with two more of my tanks in LOS. Very Large target and -2 Point Blank, special ammo still available for all tanks – deliberate immobilization – hello! What could go wrong? Getting at deliberate immobilization was not trivial but for sure the odds weren't unlikely. Well, some six shots (and special ammo attempts) later, the beast was still mobile and blazed my foremost tank to kingdom come with a CH and a TK of 67 – you don't see that everyday... Then the beast started up an reversed back out of LOS. Style points...
On the left I had moved a Sherman up onto the hill behind the wall to threaten two others of the beasts with deliberate immobilization and with smoking them in along with putting some MG fire on his infantry. The big ones don't have ROF and I am hull down – and once they're fired I can move some other vehicles. The first two shots vs my tank duly missed, but the IF shot scored a CH. Doh! As a consequence, this enabled him to move those two again as the potential thread for side shots at them when they would turn was gone.
However, as these things are slow, he had one CE. In LOS of my 10-2 killer stack.. 20 flat should teach him something. Somehow, Mr. 10-2 managed to direct all 150 bullets wide off the mark. Grr! In fact that was not all. That freaking bastard and his stack did not do any damage at all in 2.5 turns, not even mentioning no ROF. To crown it all, they eventually proceeded to roll boxcars with RS taking out both the .50Cal and the HMG.
I subsequently rolled boxcars on my PMC and conceded – a very rare occurrence.
What can I say – a great scenario and still it was fun to play (especially the counter-flanking). Maybe one day I can play this one with things playing out in a less improbable way. I will not only blame the dice, though. My opponent did a good job in grabbing opportunities as they presented themselves. Might have become one of those „legendary“ games if it had not been tipped off balance too early.