Dark December (vs German PO)

[Silvanski]

Elsenborn, near German-Belgian border
December 16, 1944.

The guys are restless and unhappy... and can you blame them? Christmas is approaching and they're thousands of miles away from home, in some unknown corner of Europe. We are among the lucky ones. Our command post has been set up in the town's hotel but most guys are huddling together in the cold damp forests.
Everyone believed this war would be over by Christmas. Sure Normandy was huge and tough and no one will forget the hell that Falaise was, but after that things went relatively easy. Once Paris was liberated it seemed like cruising down the strip. The German army seemed beaten and soon we reached the frontiers of the Third Reich. And there we came to a halt.
So... here we are, and no one knows what's going to happen next.
Reports have been coming in this morning, from various sectors of the front line... Germans assaulting our front posts... well equipped Germans, with halftracks and the likes...
No doubt the last convulsions of a deadly wounded animal. Still dangerous but not alarming.
After all, HQ assured us the German army doesn't have much left in it, and what they still have will be put to use on the Eastern front, in a desperate attempt to keep the Ruskis from reaching Berlin before we do.
No, soon after a good rest we'll be marching again... all the way to Berlin!

Sgt Michael "Mikey" Beckett
War correspondent attached to 2nd US Division/23rd Inf

I'm not gonna make it easy on myself: fog of war, no visible frontline borders, I won't consult the supply tracks and I've turned the weather visibility on...
We know what's gonna happen and where the Germans (PO) wanna go in this scenario, but I wanted to play this one for a long time... and let my writing skills loose on y'all.[;)]

We'll follow the action through the eyes of a young war correspondent based just North of the main German thrust.

[Silvanski]

North-East of Elsenborn, near German-Belgian border
December 16, 1944.

This seems more serious than we first thought it was.
Our unit got its marching orders. We have to go reinforce the line in front of Wahlerscheid.
To our South German troops have captured Hunningen and North of us the 38th Cavalry Sqd has been chased out of Monschau.

There's increased German activity all along the front, from the Dutch border all the way down to Luxembourg. I picked up confusing reports about German panzers... They still got tanks?! We believed they abandoned those during their retreat. What are they up to?

Sgt Michael "Mikey" Beckett
War correspondent attached to 2nd US Division/23rd Inf



The 23rd got out of its garrison status... it started in local reserve mode... no way I could stop it from moving out of Elsenborn...
There's a lot of German movement under the cloud cover... need to find every bridge they are moving to... hand me the explosives!

[Silvanski]

North-East of Elsenborn, near German-Belgian border
December 16, 1944 PM (turn 3)

Word has come from our divisioncommander General Walter M. Robertson to dig in and hold on tight.
I trade my pencil for a shovel and gonna go to work.
There's artillery fire in the distance ahead of us.
I wonder what the night will bring...
 
Mikey

Mikey's 2nd division, the 99th and V Corp (artillery) -both in the same sector on the axis Trois-Ponts/Elsenborn/Wahlerscheid- were forced into reorganisation... Those units that could, dug in.

[Silvanski]

December 16, 1944 PM (turn 3)

Word got spread that our 28th Inf in Luxembourg seems to have been hit hard.
and that the Germans managed to cross the Clierf and are heading West.

Our 4th Inf and 9th Armoured South-East of them has been ordered into combat. They'll show what they're made of.

But still so many mysteries about the Germans... what is their strength, where are they going to and also... what's gonna happen to us?

Mikey

[Veers]

Good read so far!
BTW, it makes no difference whether the weather is on the map or not, except that it obscures the picture, and we can't see what's going on as clearly. If you try to bomba  bridge that is clear and one that is raining, then turn the weather to invisible, and bomb the same two spots the percentages will be the same.

[m5000.2006]

the clouds seem to make it all more tranquil as if they were separating us from all that bloodshed down there...[;)]

[larryfulkerson]

Cool AAR, but what's with the weather?

[Silvanski]

It adds a bit to the fog of war -literally. I know those foggy forests as I went hiking there a lot.
I'll turn the weather of for screenies [;)]

[Silvanski]

turn 4

December 17 1944, evening. Elsenborn area.

It looks we're not going to Berlin after all... we're heading West. We've been ordered to move out and take up positions between Bullingen and Malmedy along the Warche river. A courier from HQ rambled something about Germans using US Army jeeps.

This German assault has more of a big scale offensive. Our boys are being pushed back in Luxembourg and the Germans have crossed the Wiltz. They took control over the Clervaux-Longvilly road. German units have been spotted as far West as Bastogne!

4th Inf and 9th Armoured have largely left their positions along the Mosel and Syr, blowing up the few remaining bridges there and are moving to their North to reinforce Ettelbruck.

Mikey

[Veers]

Bullingen and Malmedy

I can't see those plaes on the map...

[Silvanski]

Malmedy area on the 17th [;)]

[Silvanski]

I'll have to pull back further to the southwest in order to defend Sankt Vith and try to reinforce the shoulder of the corridor the Germans have created towards Bastogne.
There's not much available between Sankt Vith and Bastogne to stop the Germans.

The good news is that 82 and 101 Airborne are called in as reinforcements, but they are still way out west.

[Veers]

Malmedy area on the 17th

[Silvanski]

The mini map shows what happened from the 16th of December till the afternoon of the 17th...

[Silvanski]

December 17, afternoon.

More mayhem!
The Germans captured Monschau, Bullingen and the US depot there.
Elsenborn has been evacuated. Several bridges across the Warche and Ambleve have been demoilished. Hopefully this will slow the Germans' advance.

The 9th Armoured is taking up positions along the Sankt Vith-Gouvy road.

Further south the 10th Armoured is reinforcing the Bastogne defense but the most disturbing sector is the Eastern Ourthe where there's virtual no defensive line except for a few demo teams who'll blow up bridges at the first sign of a German approach.

Our prospects seem far from good but, like in a good John Wayne movie the cvalry is on their way... Our cavalry being the 101st Airborne, approaching Dinant and the 82nd Airborne, en route North via Bouillon.
I hope they follow the script of the movies and arrive on time...

Sgt Mikey

Sector 'Elsenborn-Sankt Vith-Gouvy'

[Silvanski]

December 17 evening.
 
Funny really... since all this started our division hasn't fired a single shot. That'll change soon I bet, as more and more Germans emerge through the fog.
I'ts cold and hazy and it looks like it's getting worse. These conditions prevent us from getting the air support we should need in order to stop the German advance. We've only heard a few planes flying over, at altitude that is...
The situation looks bleak between Sure and Wiltz rivers.

Sankt Vith was attacked but a speedy reaction by the 14th Tank prevented the Germans from capturing the town
 
The main thrust of the Germans is heading for Bastogne. Our guys there managed to blow up several bridges but apparently came to late to prevent the Germans from capturing some, especially those across the Clierf and Wiltz.
 
Sgt Mikey

[Silvanski]

The 10th Armoured with their Shermans are taking up positions on the approaches to Bastogne.
Some German recon units were beaten back but there are more Germans on the way.
I believe we're in for one hell of a fight there.

Sgt Mikey

[Silvanski]

December 17-18 night and early morning.

So much happening.
Sankt Vith and Gouvy were lost.
A large part of the 9th Inf has been railed towards Bastogne.
All along the line US units are scrambled together in order to close gaps and to prevent river crossings and other key points falling to the Germans. We've lost too much already.
Are they trying to reach the Meuse? And then what? It seems a repeat of May 1940.

Sgt Mikey

[Silvanski]

In the southeast German operations seem secondary but not less threatening... we managed to drive some German units back across the Sauer.
Our artillery is doing a fine job.

[Silvanski]

December 18 afternoon, east of Ligneuville.

We made contact with the enemy and it's not minnows. Tanks of an SS Panzer division. After capturing Sankt Vith they seem to be heading towards Malmedy and probably further west to Spa where we've got one of our fuel depots.
But it seems like the German offensive is losing steam... did we manage to stall them or am I too optimistic?

I was able to go first on turn 9, this helped me to stabilize the front in certain key places