CO - BftB: Hell on Wheels Counterattack AAR - Americans

[Chad Harrison]

Hi all

I will be honest, I had a lot of fun doing the other two AAR's. Even though the scenario was the tutorial, and even though when I did the German AAR I knew what to expect and when to expect it, I found a lot of enjoyment in both playing through them and writing about my experiences.

After a couple of posters in those AAR's suggested it, I decided that I will continue to write AAR's (while I still have time to do so before real life once again takes away my evening free time) which I had not originally planned to do. My intent to write the original AAR of the Tutorial from the Allied perspective was that many were contemplating whether or not to get this great game and I wanted to help them see how much fun this game can be. Then, after discussing the performance of the German AI in my game, I decided to do a second AAR from the German point of view to show how tough of a scenario it really was. While the final outcome was surprising, at least for me, I feel like I showed that the German AI did a good job in my first game - especially considering their bleak situation form the outset.

I can honestly say that writing about my experiences greatly enhanced the overall experience of the game. Why? Because I took it more seriously. I took individual units seriously - and I was excited to report their triumph, and saddened to report their demise. The more you start to look at and treat any wargame as 'real' instead of 'just a game', the greater play experience you find. That's why I think it is enjoyable to write from the perspective of being there, instead of just playing the game. Yes, I know it is cheesy at times, and my period military jargon is just barely, barely passable. but I feel like it makes it both more fun to read and for me to write. I have really enjoyed a number of WitP (and now AE) AAR's that do the same thing - except, theirs have class and sophistication, oh, and they can spell unlike yours truly. Anyways, despite the oozing cheese, I will do so again.

Enough with the introduction and soul searching, lets get on with it. I want to rotate between German and American, so its time to be a GI again. I also want to do a smaller scenario, and I have had my eye on 'Hells on Wheels Counterattack'. I have not played the scenario, and I have no idea what the Germans have - outside of what I know from the briefing. I will not peek at the other side either, which is a shame because I really wanted to read Richards AAR that was posted today. I will be playing with 'Painfully Realistic' delays and standard settings for everything else. In other words, I have done everything possible to keep this as realistic as possible.

With that, its time to put on my helmet!

Chad

[daft]

Good to see more from you! I'll be following this one closely as well.

[oldspec4]

ORIGINAL: daft

Good to see more from you! I'll be following this one closely as well.

[8D]..It always amazes me how people have the time, ability, and patience to do good AARs.

[OlegHasky]

..It always amazes me how people have the time, ability, and patience to do good AARs

The perspective of making Your experience "immortal" have its glamour in it. [:'(]
Also, stamping a cahcet on the outside - resulting with a cachet on the inside.. Catching details, and prevailing over chasm of forgetfulness [8|]

Speaking of "fealing the game"..

The more you start to look at and treat any wargame as 'real' instead of 'just a game'

Full agree.. AAR making the game "reachable". And the matrix of the game is a key to oped door for the imagination,


Heres a important point also

I have not played the scenario, and I have no idea what the Germans have - outside of what I know from the briefing

Im also using the same system. First time scenarios are always becoming the deepest treasure chests.
When the cards are cloaked, the realistic hits its top level.
(but I gues this works for specific type of players. Those who without hacitation are ready to excange the quality over the mass)

To be honest.. I wasnt much suprised when You wrote that Chad. As Ive recognized You earlier as an open-minded.

[Chad Harrison]

January 4th - 07:00
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

There is no doubt in my mind, the past 24 hours have been exciting. The entire 2nd Armored has been ordered on the offensive by Montgomery. This is a broad offensive against the Northern flank of the German offensive. Not only is our 2nd Armored involved, but also two Brit infantry divisions (the 83rd and 84th I believe) and our 3rd Armored division. The 3rd is on our left and the 84th Brit is on our right. The goal of the entire offensive is simple: push back and destroy the tired, cold, under supplied Germans until we meet Patton in the middle of the Bulge.

Yesterday was the first big day. After we spent the entire night preparing plans for the day, our attacks unfortunately got off to a slow start all along the line. Whether it was the snow - both falling and on the ground - or the Germans, its hard for the staff here to say. The end story is that Collier is very displeased with our progress so far. Our line of departure was the line running Hotten-Soy-Erezee, situation nicely between the Ourthe and Aisne Rivers. Despite our best efforts, CCA has only progressed about 2 kilometers yesterday. With our immediate goal of Samree about 12 kilometers away, the mood here at headquarters is not good given our progress yesterday. To make matters worse, command has taken the majority of CCB and CCR and put them into Corps reserve. The attack falls to us alone now - well, us and the 335th Infantry, which is still attached to the Division.

After yesterdays slow start, Collier has reorganized our forces into four task forces: A, B, C and D. During the night, Collier ordered these units to be aligned from left to right as: B, C, and A - with D held in reserve with us in Soy - I can see the recon troops in their foxholes from my window. My guess is that the General plans to use TF B, C and A to take a rough string of small towns this morning, thereby opening up the road to Samree. He is confident that with our CCA troops (335th attached) pushing - supported by two batteries of our artillery (the 14th and 92nd Arm FA Bn) and two Corps battalions (325th and 327th) - we should easily be able to handle the Germans in our immediate area.

Which is what I think the problem has been. We are not facing green troops. Both Division G-2 and our own S-2 are agreeing that we are facing the remnants of the 2nd SS Panzer Division. Personally, I think that is why we have not made it farther. These troops are tough as nails. I can only imagine the extensive fighting that they have seen over the past three weeks, and I would wager that they are tired and depleted. However, they still have plenty of fight left in them. The map shows that our patrols have roughly located their MLR running along the line Amonines-Magoster-Beffe. Part of this MLR is also a Hill Marked 400 - but it is being called Concy Ridge. I would imagine that this entire string of enemy emplacements will be our goal for the morning.

Looks like its time for orders to be given out. Will write more once I have a better feel for what's going to be happening this morning. But I can guarantee one thing - with the way Collier has been feeling about our performance yesterday, its going to be a big push.

[Chad Harrison]

ORIGINAL: oldspec4

[8D]..It always amazes me how people have the time, ability, and patience to do good AARs.

Thanks for the comments everyone. Hope you enjoy this AAR also.

The irony is that I dont have the time - I am going to need to earn serious browny points with my wife after this weekend! This AAR will be slower than the last two because I wont have a nice 3 day weekend to write and play. But, I will keep it moving along for sure.

Thanks again for reading!

Chad

[Chad Harrison]

January 4th - 07:30
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

The meeting in the war room was brief. It was obvious that Collier had already made up his mind with what needed to happen today. While it is funny to see someone so short order troops around, I respect the Texan, even if his nickname is 'Pee Wee'.

The immediate German threat - along the line from Amonines to Beffe - hinges around Hill 400, or Concy Ridge as it is known to the locals. Rather than assault it directly, the General wants to first take the foot of the hill from the Germans - thereby giving us a supporting base from which to assault the hill directly. This will specifically require the clearing of Amonines and Magoster. To that end, orders went out to all of TF A and TF C's 1st Bn 66th Arm to assault Magoster. For Amonines, the 2nd and 3rd Bn 335th Inf will be assaulting. The General was unhappy with how many units his staff had assigned to a number of the assault battalions - especially TF A with a total of 11 units! He immediately ordered the bloated battalions to temporarily release their non assault units (engineer platoons, anti-tank platoons, ect.) back to CCA. Once the assault units had taken their objectives, these units would be returned to help defend the now taken objectives.

The General was also specific in his desire for not one, but two assault units being held in reserve. As soon as the first villages were taken, he wanted fresh, rested troops that he could commit to the battle immediately. As such, he ordered TF B's 2 Bn 66th Arm and the recon troops of TF D to rest in their current positions. However, I can imagine that these troops, knowing they are about to also face combat, will do no resting. But it will give them a chance to catch their breath from yesterdays efforts. Though 2/66 will have a much harder time of it - they are only about a kilometer from our 155's. I hear that you can feel them go over you with a big 'whooosh'. As long as its outgoing, I am sure they are okay with it. Actually, probably, reassured by that kind of support.

All in all, the orders are pretty straightforward. Not knowing the enemy's exact disposition or strength, our staff was unable to exploit any weaknesses or avoid any strong points. I think of our opening attacks today as more of 'recon in force' than determined assaults against the enemy's strong points. That will come later. In my limited experience, I do expect the Germans to put up quite the fight - these are SS troops after all. Depleted and tired they may be, but they will not give up without a fight.

Glancing out the window, I can see both the 92nd and 14th FA Bn's preparing to fire. Having hear the orders go out myself, I know that a very similar scene is occuring at the 325th and 327th. Looks like it about time for things to get hot around here. Orders were for the assault battalions to get moving at 07:30. While the staff is certainly optimistic and in good spirits, I still can't help but wonder how much fight these SS Troops have. They are tired, in hastily dug foxholes and about to face concentrated artillery fire from both 105's and 155's - followed by tank-infantry assaults. Fanatic or not, there's only so much a soldier can do against such force.

The artillery has started.

[henri51]

Nice start Chad. Before I saw your plan, my first idea was to do exactly what you did - avoid dividing your force into 3 lines and concentrate the middle line on the objective on their right flank thus improving your chances to break through.

There is more than one way to skin a cat, so here are a few thoughts about your plan (as you have gathered by now, second-guessing is my specialty...[:'(]).I hae not played this nor read the briefing.

1) You identify Hill 400 as the main threat. It seems likely to me that the hill will be used in a support role for covering the two other German wings, and not as a major point of resistance - if I were the Germans that is what I would do. If you were to throw everything at Hill 400, you could expose yourself to a "Cannae" with the two wings hitting your flanks from both sides, so you are correct to neutralize them first. However if the hill is to support the two other German strongpoints, then why not attack it with a small force to disrupt this support, thus reducing the defense strength of your 2 attacks on the wing?

2) From the map, it seems to me that the main objective is Devant to the South. Indeed if this strongpoint falls, it becomes irrelevant whether or not the stongpoints to the North have fallen or not, because now they can be attacked from the rear. This implies that you need to break through only ONE of the strongpoints to the North to get to Devant.Unfortunately the three roads to not converge to any chokepoint so you cannnot cut off German supplies from any single point. However your objective is to head South and connect with Patton, so at least in principle if you break through you only have to protect your supply lines, not annihilate the enemy immediately.

3) You are launching assaults on the two strongpoints without knowing the enemy strength or disposition. Would it not be more prudent to first sound out the enemy by means of a probe on both wings and a spoiling attack on the hill (to disrupt the latter)? It surprise were an element it might be a good idea to hit the Germans before their defense can harden, but since they left these units behind to hold the line,this is unlikely.Or maybe you figured that because the German intentions are only to delay your advance, they do not have the means of doing much harm?

4) Keeping a reserve is a good idea, but can you really have too many units? Normally you would assault in successive lines, and the extra units would be either used for another wave, to reinforce the existing waves, or used as a reserve (I am not familiar enough with the game to be sure).

Anyway keep it coming. It is interesting how most scenarios (including the tutorial) allow more than one plan for both sides. I have noted from the AARs and my own games in the tutorial scenario that the AI does not always follow the same exact plan, which adds a bit of fun to the game (as well as some criticism when some do not agree with what the AI did...).

Henri

[Chad Harrison]

Henri

As always, thanks for the comments.

1. At this point, my intel is very weak, rated as 'Poor' ingame. If we just go by the units that I can see, no, the Germans are not too concerned with holding Hill 400. However, by taking the base first, if the hill is not heavily defended, I am free to continue moving Southeast at the base of the hill towards my future objective without coming under fire and/or observation from the other side of the hill. I did not want to commit too many troops in the first go, so I resisted having atleast something going towards the hill for now.

2. I have four objectives along the German MLR - the three villages and Hill 400. While I could care less about the points, I do want to be realisitc in that my superiors have ordered me to take them, so I will atleast attempt to take them. As you mentioned, and as I mentioned above, if one is a beast, I will simply bypass it in favor of a more open route. I have not mentioned it yet, but this is an exit scenario.

3. As I mentioned in my last post, these are not all out assaults. If they do come under heavy fire, I will get them to dig in where they are - then I will push again. While this is not ideal, I do not have a lot of time to waste. AND, from the briefing, we know the Germans are very tired - I do not want to give them time to rest. Yes its a risk, but I want to push hard now and see if I can work my way through.

4. My biggest fear is artillery. Moving these small, platoon sized units into an assault is death for them if they come under artillery fire. In this game of companies, platoons do not last long - one good artillery barrage hits them in the open moving and they are out of the game. They are not going to add a lot of firepower to my assault, only overload the commander (whos limit is 6 units by the way) and slow down the assault in general. More liability than its worth in my opinion.

My observations also. Not only has the AI not followed the same plan, but I have seen very different plans from them. In the tutorial, one time the German AI moved the entire 27th to the South bank of the Our. Another time, they abandoned the Our defense entirely and moved to Brietfeld. No two playthroughs are the same, thats for sure.

Thanks for the questions

Chad

[Chad Harrison]

January 4th - 10:00
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

The past two and half hours has a seen a whirlwind of activity here at HQ. With nearly all of CCA on the move, it is indeed a busy day - both on the front and back here in Soy. The reports coming in good. Despite not wanting to be overly optimistic, I would say that based on the majority of these reports, things are moving much better this morning.

All along our frontline, the attacks got underway pretty quickly this morning. I have no doubt that the troops there had been anticipating all night making a fresh attack this morning - especially after their slow performance yesterday. To the troops credit, they got underway very quickly after orders were issued. I was not aware of any official time for them to jump off - the orders were to just get moving ASAP. The only trouble was with Task Force A. From what I could gather, the Task Force commander made a good choice in putting his formation into a column of companies, but he put the line of departure for his front company nearly at the enemy MLR. Once the staffers caught wind of this, and Collier, he was ordered to instead put them into a line - albeit a tight one. Outside of that minor hiccup, the battalions were immediately reporting progress.

That is, until the shooting started. The 2/335th reported that as soon as they moved out of the woods, they began to take accurate and direct tank fire from somewhere. Despite their best efforts, they could not locate the enemy tanks taking them under fire. I would have assumed that the fire was coming from Hill 400, but looking at the map, there is not a clear shot from there. This fire caused a number of delays as the assault companies fell back one by one to their foxholes. To the battalion commanders credit, he got them back into the fight pretty quickly. I am sure he used some very choice words to do so.

Task Force A also reporting taking close range anti tank fire. Unlike the 335th, it did not take very long to find the culprit. The leads tanks from both I and M Co started trading shots with a platoon sized AT unit in the woods. After our 105's found their range, the anti-tank guns were quickly destroyed. With that obstacle out of the way, TF A continued with their assault. Which from the incoming reports of their progress, it seems the attack is moving pretty well. On the left flank of TF A, the 1/66th is reporting that they have troops already in Magoster, and TF A is closing in fast. While it is still difficult to tell from the reports I have seen, it would seem that the Germans have quite a number of troops in the Magoster-Beffe area.

The best news so far this morning is from the 2nd and 3rd Bn 335th: at 08:38, Amonines was secured. Despite the direct tank fire, both assault battalions were able to progress forward and into town. Once they got closer into town, they were finally able to spot the tanks firing into their positions. They are on the hill to the South of the village - right on the woodline - type unknown. Both assault battalions are requesting for heavy artillery on the tanks.

Personally, my biggest concern is where the rest of the German units are. After yesterdays attacks, and last nights patrols, we had identified a number of enemy units - all from the 2nd SS Panzer Div - in the combat area. After our immediate attacks this morning, quite a few are not in the same positions that they were in last night. Have they withdrawn out of the area? Did they reposition to different defensive positions? From the fight so far this morning, the incoming reports would give me the impression that the majority of Germans are on our right flank - in the Magoster-Beffe area. If that is the case, we would be open for a direct assault against Hill 400 from Amonines - not to mention testing the defenses toward Samree. Collier is cool about this - too early to gauge where the enemy's MLR is now located. He insists that no changes be made to current attack orders - for now.

Regardless, it is hard to not be optimistic at this point. Our attacks have not met strong resistance, losses have been very light, and it is only 10:00. But, these are SS troops. And a number of them are somewhere unknown.

[Chad Harrison]

January 4th - 12:00
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

Without a doubt, this morning has gone much better than yesterday. As of 12:00, all four assault battalions (TF A, 1/66th, 2/335th and 3/335th) have secured their objectives. Amonines is now completely in our hands and as of 11:22, Magoster is considered secure. This mornings gains are already better than yesterdays bogged down attacks. I am convinced that one of the biggest help has been our artillery. I can personally account for how much they have been firing: a quick glance out of my window and I can see the 92nd working feverously to keep the fire up. Needless to say, its very, very loud.

I would assume because of our great success this morning, at 10:26 Collier released the 2/66th from its reserve in Blier and ordered an immediate attack on Hill 400. With both flanks secure and more or less cleared, the 2/66th will have a much easier time clearing the high point. As of 12:00, they are forming up at their line of departure for the assault on the hill. At this time, there are no known units on the hill - though we are having a hard time directly observing the high point due to the surrounding woods. The hill is just as important to us as it is the Germans, so I would be very surprised if there are no units at its peak. This leaves only TF D in reserve - right outside of our HQ in fact. Knowing that 2/66th has been pulled out of reserve has certainly brought the cavalry troops out of their foxholes - looks like they are getting ready to be called upon too.

I just saw the orders about to go out to the 2/335: they are to attack South in a supporting move against Hill 400 and to prepare for our assault tomorrow against Devantave. This village is directly on our route to Samree - while it has not been a focus of our efforts today, it will be tomorrow. If the 2nd Bn is successful in its attack, we will be in a great position to move against the road to Samree tomorrow - not to mention they will threaten the flank of the German froces in the Magoster-Beffe area. The 3rd Bn will continue to hold Amonines against mounting German pressure against it. They are facing the same tanks that have been taking them under fire all morning, but these tanks are now trying to push into the village itself. Type and number still unkown. From what I heard, the battalion commander is now going to move up his anti-tank platoon - it is currently in Blier.

Atleast one aspect of the German defense is becoming clear: they intend on holding Beffe. TF A and the 1/66th are reporting strong opposition coming from the village and are actively engaging targets in the village when they show themselves. I do not know what Collier plans to do with this apparent stronghold. While our primary objective is get South to Samree, we are also to destroy the German units in our path - we are not here to juts bypass the enemy. If the Germans want to fight in Beffe, then a fight in Beffe it will be.

With what would appear to be the majority of the German troops in and around Beffe, our entire left flank may be open. If the 2/66th is successful in taking Hill 400, and 2/335th ties into their left flank, we will be in a great position indeed. It could unwrap the entire German line.

[Chad Harrison]

January 4th - 14:00
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

The word from the front, beyond the radio traffic that we hear, is starting to trickle back from a number of troops on the front lines - mostly 'walking wounded' passing through on jeeps towards the aid station: the Germans just don't have the fight in them today. They are tough as nails our boys insist, but they are dog tired and low on supplies. What could have been a determined foe is fighting not only us, but exhaustion from the elements and nearly a month of fighting in this snow. Sounds like to me we have found the right time to attack the 2nd SS Panzer Division. When your enemy is having a bad day, you push your advantage. And that is exactly what Collier is doing. Moments after I made my last notes, he immediately issued a number of orders.

First, for portions of TF B and C's anti-tank platoons to be moved to Amonines. It is obvious that Jerry wants this village back. As such, the General wants us to hold it with the 3/335th, two towed AT platoons and one self-propelled AT platoon. Whatever comes down that road will have quite the welcoming party. Which reminds me - the 335th finally took their revenge on the tanks that had been plaguing them all day. Once the German tanks got close enough to Amonines, they could finally be identified as StuG III's. Our infantry from the 335th got uneasy as the tanks closed their attack - until they got within bazooka range. After at least two tanks were knocked out, the rest fell back into the woods. For now, especially with the AT assets arriving, Amonines is well within our hands.

Second, Collier made the orders to 2/335th official. They are to attack towards the area between Hill 400 and the woods to the East - just on the edge of some light woods. It took the 2nd Bn about an hour to get moving - as soon as they did, the SS hit them with heavy artillery. While casualties were light, it did stop the attack in its tracks - except for Golf Co. Word is that they are currently 500 yards in front of the rest of the battalion - and still attacking!

Lastly, TF A was ordered to continue their attack into Beffe itself. Not the village center, but the outskirts on the North side. Collier wants to both deny the village to the Germans and be ready for a dawn strike to clear out the rest of the village. The number, type or strength of any German units in Beffe is totally unknown at this point. Therefore, this is somewhat of a risky move - but I agree with the General that we need to at least try to keep the momentum from this morning going as much as possible. However, fatigue in the snow is becoming an issue with our assault battalions. They will need to rest for sometime tonight. If they can get into Beffe, they can rest in warm houses. How's that for incentive?

On a last note, 2/66th attack towards Hill 400 is going well. Just as I suspected, they are reporting contact with at least two units of SS troops on the hill. They have not been able to fully identify either, but the tanks have kept them under direct fire and our 105's have been hitting them hard. As a bit of bad news, it would appear that our 105's and 155's are running low on ammo. I keep seeing trucks pass our HQ laden with shells for each battalion - they are usually supplied at night. I would imagine that this is starining both our stock of artillery shells and our ability to get them to the needy units. Hopefully our supply troops will work it out quicky - our artillery does the most damage.

[Chad Harrison]

January 4th - 18:00
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

The sun has now set over the battlefield. The artillery fire is starting to slacken - and stop for a few of our batteries that are down to only a mission or two of ammo. Units are starting to report that they are moving up their unit headquarters and kitchens. It has been a long, exhausting day for our troops.

First, the good news. 2/66th has fought its way to the top of Hill 400. It took the entire afternoon to do so, thanks to the efforts of some determined SS troops on the Hill who still have not given up their foxholes. The company commanders for both G and H Co decided to bypass this threat and move to the top of the hill itself. E Co however is still fighting the SS troops - or at least they were before the sun fully set. I would imagine that their battalion HQ is going to have them move up to the crest of the hill and dig in for the night. Personally, I am curious to see if the Germans still on the hill will stick it out through the night, or withdraw under the cover of darkness back to their lines. Guess our tankers will find out in the morning.

The other good news is that 2/335th attack was a success - they encountered no resistance other than artillery fire that delayed more than killed our troops. Battalion HQ is moving up the slope to dig in for the night along with the rest of the battalion. I would imagine that their will tie into their left flank (2/66th) shortly, thereby giving us a very strong presence on Hill 400. From this position, one, or both of the battalions will be free to pres our advantage in the morning.

With securing Hill 400, we have secured three of our four original objectives. Which brings us to Beffe. As I had mentioned before, reports from HQ's and troops alike have agreed that the Germans just don't have a lot of fight in them today. Well, that is changing at Beffe. TF A's attack was repulsed. Not only that, but M Co took quite a few losses to their Stuarts. I have not heard what did the damage, but whatever it was, they lost about 1/3 of their tanks to the Germans this afternoon. The reports coming in from TF A are painting a very clear picture: the Germans do not intend on losing Beffe. For this night, TF A is being ordered to defend their current location, and to rest and recuperate this night.

This all begs the question, is Beffe the only place the 2nd SS plans on holding? Are they in strength anywhere else? While our other troops certainly ran into some resistance elsewhere, it was no where near the concentration we have found at Beffe. I am sure it is tempting for Collier to patrol in force the lines tonight to find the answer to these questions. However, with darkness now upon us, and snow falling, nighttime visibility is close to nothing. Too risky. I am sure he will wait for the morning. With how tired our troops are, and how tired the Germans must be, I would imagine that it is going to be a quiet night as we all prepare for another push tomorrow.

With that, I am going to try and get some shuteye myself. Its going to be another big day tomorrow. Hopefully the artillery will remain silent enough for us staffers to get a decent amount of sleep.

[Chad Harrison]

January 5th - 07:00
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

It woke me up sometime around 01:00 in the morning. Without asking and without even needing to look outside of the tent, I knew what the sound was: the 82nd Arm Recon (TF D) was moving out. My first reaction was that Collier got a wild hair and did in fact want to do some night time recon. Then, as I sat there in the growing silence with the departing vehicles of TF D, I could hear the reason they were leaving: gun and artillery fire. Not being able to fall back asleep, I went back to HQ to see what was happening.

Turns out, it was a good thing I choose to get back to HQ because everyone else was being called back in early. Over the next hours I pieced together from the chaos what was happening: the Germans were mounting a determined counter attack at night. No, not the routine patrols that we both send out. Two battalion sized attacks - one at Magoster and one towards Hill 400. Not only had they made contact with our lines, but they pushed the attack through the night. Looks like these SS troops not only have some fight left in them after all.

For now, both attacks have been stopped. The 1/66th was able to hold on to Magoster through the night, but their troops fell back a number of times. I heard that at one point, the battalion headquarters was the only unit still in town and the HQ troops not only stood their ground, but they stopped the attacking SS troops alone. The line companies are working their way back into the town as the fight rages on. With such close quarters, our 105's and 155's have been unable to help at all - but the same applies to the Germans heavy artillery. Hopefully with the now rising sun, we will be able to spot more troops on the approaches to Magoster than can be hit by our big guns.

As it turns out, Hill 400 *was* important to the Germans too. The 2/66th also fought throughout the night against a few hundred SS troops. However, it became immediately apparent to Collier (does he ever sleep?) that they were in danger of encirclement. As such, shortly after midnight, he ordered our last reserve to the aid of 2nd Bn: Task Force D. They dug into the North slope of Hill 400 a few hours before dawn. As soon as they sun came up, they would have perfect firing lanes into the attacking Germans. We will soon find out.

Now the big question around HQ is what will Collier do? Hold fast against the Germans? Counterattack at dawn into the oncoming SS troops? When I went to bed, I was full of confidence that we had the Germans trapped in Beffe and we could simply encircle the town in the morning, and press in our attack until the Germans were destroyed. How silly of me to think that the Germans would not notice this also. Instead of sitting in town waiting for their deaths, they struck out, thereby re-stabilizing their line.

But how long can this new line of the Germans holds?

[henri51]

Very well done AAR Chad.What program are you using for your very useful on-map indications?

Your approach to this scenario is very interesting and classical. It is unclear tome which side is inside the other's Boyd cycle...[:'(]

I have started to play it using maneuver warfare concepts. This means that my aim is to 1)Determine the disposition of the Germans, 2) exploit their weak spots to prevent them from interfering with my plan, 3) Use spoiling attacks to keep them from reacting effectively to my plan by staying inside their Boyd loop; 4) Open the road to the exit location, 5) Exit as many units as possible while keeping the Germans at bay.

From this point of view, the first key location is Devantave, the other objectives North of there being only the means to get there. From Devantave, one can either harrass the Germans on both wings and on Hill 400 and threaten to cut off their supplies, and/or launch an attack towards Laidprangeleux, a key objective to get to the exit objective if the road along the river is not open - and it is not a bad idea if both roads can be opened, although dividing one's attack along 2 roads is not recommended unless they are lightly defended.

It is clear from the above that the maneuver warfare plan will require a lot of recon and a considerable reserve, and the time and location for committing that reserve will take a considerable amount of judgment from the commander.

Maybe I will write an AAR of this approach, but I won't do it here because I don't want to hijack your AAR.

Henri

[Chad Harrison]

Henri

I am using Microsoft Paint - the free paint application that comes with Windows. It is actually very, verys simple to use - and its, well, free [:D]

I will be honest, I am somewhat torn on what to do in this situation - I have not played beyond my last post, and I have a deadline to meet w/ work, so I wont be playing until maybe tonight - so I have some time to think about it.

On one hand, I am in a perfect position to roll up the Germans right flank from the line Hill 400-Devantave. I could use 2nd and 3rd Bn 335th for this. If successful, I would most likely bag the majority of the Germans. But, I do not know a number of things: Are there reinforcements coming? Is this all of his line units? Would I still have time to exit?

So the other hand is that I need to get this ball rolling on securing my exit. I agree: Devantave is the key right now - and its my guess that only support troops are there. If I take that, with say the 335th, the road could possibly be open to get to Samree. I will have to think about this one.

If you are doing AAR's, play around with paint (assuming you have Windows). It very intuitive. Use the 'crop' command to clip out the unwanted areas of your screenshot. Then just start drawing lines and putting text on the screenshot. Make sure to save it as a .jpg.

Thanks for reading and your comments.

Chad

[daft]

I don't know, but maybe you should "probe forcefully" down the road to Samree with a battalion strength forces in order to at least tie down any reinforcements coming up or to secure the road as best it can. Maybe a bit of a stretch, but getting some troops that far behind the German lines can't be good business for them.

[Chad Harrison]

January 5th - 09:00
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

In all my war experiences thus far, I have never heard anything like that before. As the sun came up this cold morning, the defenders of Magoster and Hill 400 saw the snow covered fields in front of them filled with attacking SS soldiers. As luck would have it, they were a few hundred yards from our troops - far away enough for our artillery boys to have a crack at them. And have a crack at them they did! No sooner had the sun come up around 08:00, that our own artillery battalions and the two from Corps were firing as quickly as possible into this exposed threat. I don't think a single gun was silent - meaning that we were firing 48 105mm tubes and 12 155mm tubes - for 30 minutes at least! Since we are so close to them, especially our 92nd, my hand still shakes as I try to write now! Some of the SS troops had dug foxholes in the early morning hours, but against such firepower, not to mention direct fire from our troops, their lines broke.

Not only broke, but routed! There was no order to the SS troops withdraw back up Hill 400 towards Devantave - it was a complete rout. Our artillery troops continued to hit them time and time again as they tried vainly to move through the snow on the ground. There is no way to know how much damage we have caused the enemy, but we know this: this is a huge setback for the Germans. While their night attack both stabilized their line and pushed our troops back, they did not finish their attacks before dawn. Personally, I think that the German commanders made a decent choice to counter attack, they just needed to stop it before dawn and take the time to dig in. That simple mistake cost them dearly. I have not heard any first hand accounts of this carnage, but as the day goes on, I am sure we will be hearing more about what has happened at the foot of Hill 400. Come to think about it, I am sure that this will be talked about for years to come!

Not wanting to miss his chance to hit them even harder now that they were down, Collier made a number of orders. TF A is to attempt to clear Beffe once again. 1/66th is to attack from Magoster towards the woods between Magoster and Devantave - a number of SS troops are reported to have withdrawn to this area. And 3/335th is to attack from Amonines towards the Germans rear area - specifically Dochamps. While there is certainly some risk to sending the 3rd Bn alone towards Dochamps, its a risk Collier sees as necessary to fully exploit the Germans breaking line. Orders went out to these units after the German rout began, so I would imagine that these attacks are getting underway. The 3/335th is apparently already on the move because they are reporting that they have made contact with the StuG's from yesterday once again. TF B has ordered some M10's to move up and engage these tanks.

While the carnage played out on Hill 400, the 2/335th has been underway towards Devantave since dawn. They are now reporting that there are some German troops on the outskirts of the village, but no significant resistance has been met yet. If the 2nd Bn is successful in its attack, it will close one of the only main routes of supply or retreat for the Germans through the woods.

The tide of battle is turning!

[Chad Harrison]

January 5th - 12:00
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

If the tide was turning three hours ago, it has now turned. I am well aware that reports from front line troops in combat can be inaccurate at times, especially in the snow and especially coming from tired troops. However, all reports are now the same: moving against light opposition - light or no casualties. It would appear that the Germans determined counter attack at night, and our artillery response, has broken the German defenders.

The past three hours have seen a number of successes. At 10:00, 2/335th reported that Devantave was secured. There are still some Germans in the town, but they are laying low for now - both their type and number is unknown, but it would appear that they are support troops of some kind as they did not put up much of a fight. 2nd Bn is now in a blocking position against any German supplies trying to reach the front, or any withdrawing Germans trying to reach the rear. This is a devastating blow against the Germans.

TF A has taken revenge for their losses yesterday. At 11:05, TF A reported that Beffe was now secured. There were around 100 SS troops that refused to withdraw from the village crossroads. TF A surrounded these defenders, and for the next hour, battled them at point blank range. While a few of the SS soldiers did eventually surrender, most of them were killed in this point blank exchange of fire - in which we did loose some troops also. But their loss was not in vain. With Beffe now secure, orders have been given to the TF to continue their attack towards Devantave. The General wants this momentum to keep going!

3/335th is still trying to move on the road towards Dochamps. The hold up: a few StuG's on the opposite bank of the river - the same StuG's that have been plaguing the 335th since our endeavors began. However, at the height of the StuG's directing fire against our troops trying to move forward, our M10's finally were able to move forward to engage the StuG's. What followed was an immediate duel between the tank destroyers and the assault guns. Our boys found their mark first and soon there were two burning StuG's on the far bank. The other two fell back into the woods. The staff is hoping that with that threat removed - for now at least, there's still 2 of them - 3rd Bn's progress will be better.

With the Germans falling back and falling apart, orders are being drawn up for all units to continue with the attack. If this fight keeps up this pace, I may be on the road to Samree in the morning.

[Chad Harrison]

January 5th - 18:00
CCA 2nd Armored Division HQ
Soy, Belgium

Collier is smiling. To see the General smile is to know that this day, CCA did good work. And by my estimation, he has good reason to smile. Beffe has fallen. Devantave is ours. Magoster has been cleared. Hill 400 is no longer relevant to our advance. Amonines is still in our hands, as it has always been since yesterday morning. We have two companies of tanks from the 66th dug in along the road to Samree. And to top it all, 3rd Bn of the 335th Infantry finally made it to Dochamps. The Germans realized how important it was to us, and to them also, so they had some troops waiting for us. After overcoming the initial ambush, the reports are sounding good - our troops are moving into the village center, clearing homes and businesses as they go. There is just no sign of an organized defense by the Germans anymore. All in all, it has been an excellent day for CCA. Collier has every reason to be happy.

This day went from our troops being toe to toe with the Germans, to a sweeping advance by our troops. If I was doubtful of the optimistic reports from our front line troops, the captured SS troops passing my window would tell me everything I need to know. I mean, SS troops surrendering? These guys are stuff of legends as far as stubbornness goes. And here are dozens of them moving past my window under guard. They are tired. Their clothes are torn, wet and dirty. But its their face that tells everything: the 2nd SS Panzer Division is a dying unit.

Now the biggest question is whether there are more troops coming? We have broken through the German defenses and are free to roam. But will it last the night? Once again, its time to leave HQ and try and get some sleep.

However, this time, I do not expect to be woken up by the sound of gunfire. Tonight, I expect to get some much needed - and deserved in my opinion - sleep.