Windhund Division

[nikdav]

Take command of 116.Panzer Division "Windhund" in the Ardennes Offensive.....from 19 to 24 dec 44

116. Panzerdivision ‘Windhund’(G.M. Siegfried von Waldenburg)
16. Panzer-Regiment (Oberst Johannes Bayer)
60. Panzergrenadier-Regiment (Oblt. Helmuth Zander)
156. Panzergrenaider-Regiment (Oberst Heinrich Voightsberger)
146. Panzerartillerie-Regiment (Oberst Ernst Pean )
116. Panzeraufklärungs abteilung (Haupt. Eberhard Stephan)
228. Panzerjager abteilung (Major Helmut Bochnig)
281. FlaK Abteilung
675. Panzerpionier-Bataillon



this is the minimap 80x34 hexes:

[ranknfile]

This scenario starts after the 116th Panzer attacked unsuccessfully for two days in the Lutzkampen area. I decided to play John Tiller's Battle of the Bulge in preparation for this game. I try to follow the historical moves with my own gameplay, so I too am attacking as did the 116th (north of where they eventually crossed the Our). I have only reached 1600 hrs on 16th Dec, so I will give this another day to succeed (even then, the bridge in this area - at Oberhausen - is not sufficient for armor). If not, I will do as was actually done and have the 116th cross the Our at 2nd Panzer's crossing to their south.

It will be interesting to see how DC:Ardennes contrasts with Tiller's version, since the hex and unit scale is the same.

[nikdav]

You can play the 116.PzDiv. starting struggle to find a crossing in the "Wacht am Rhein" scenario !
In this scenario i prefer to start the action after the regrouping of the division at Heinersheid, without considering the 2.PzDiv elements on the south.
The scenario follow the route of the 116.Pz and 560.VG

[ranknfile]

Heinersheid is west of the Our, but they still had to cross the Ourthe to reach Gouvy.

I completely agree with your choice of starting date/location for a 116th Panzer scenario. As I say, the first two days (16th & 17th), saw the division being unsuccessful attempting to cross the Our River, further north of where they eventually did at the XLVII Corps bridge at Dasburg. 19th Dec is the perfect time for this division's scenario to start.

I look forward to playing it as both the German and U.S. sides.

[ClaudeJ]

What prevents you to cross the Ourthe at Ortheuville (near Tenneville) and carry on to Marche then the Meuse?

(As far as I know, on the 19th of December the recce elements of the division found a bridge there and the Division was going to cross but Von Manteufel ordered not to, to make room for the 2nd Pz Div.)

[nikdav]

Actually there is no restriction!
Is the best move, if you find the bridge intact, but not historical as using von Waldenburg words :
" Against all principles, in the evening of 19 december Corps' order halted the division movements and we were forces to return to Houffalize"
" troops didn't understand those orders, which resulted in numerous counter questions"
" the roads were overcrowded with traffic due to the turning points by the troops to the rear......many supply vehicles lost their units in the Dark "

That Order was one of the big avoidable mistakes in the Ardennes !

[ranknfile]

I can see on the map of "The 5th Panzer Army Attacks the 28th Infantry Division 16-19 December 1944" (which map I am not yet allowed to post, as I have too few posts to have permission to add attachments or links) that the 116th split up at Trois Vierges, with one segment heading towards Gouvy and the other towards Bertogne (then splitting again towards the road to Ortho and also towards the road that would allow crossing at Ortheuville). I only mentioned the path towards Houffalize since both they and the 560th VG managed to cross the river there by 19th Dec.

As I said I'm playing the Tiller Battle of the Bulge game (inspired by this game's announced release) and - starting on the 16th - I am following the historical 116th division's attacks in the Lutzkampen region. While I am ready to shift to crossing the Our further south if I am unsuccessful through 17th Dec (as happened historically). It appears I may have more success than the 116th actually did, and so instead of having to cross on their southern neighbor's corps crossing at Dasburg, I may be able to deviate from history in this regard.

However, the 116th Panzer Division DC:Ardennes scenario starting at Heinersheid after they crossed the Our is the perfect place to begin their journey (if not, then as with my current John Tiller game it may make more sense to drive west from a more northerly location; should they cross the Our River there). Where they cross the Ourthe after that is undetermined, and may very well vary with different play-throughs.