Matrix Games Forums

Hi,

I'm currently trying to give an historical taste to a article testing CO:BftB. I choose Losheim Gap as backgroung. I've gathered information and I find an "error" in the Hoffman-Shönborn (GeneralMajor of the 18VGD). The game says:
"he became commander of the division the 1st december and have no combat experience"

I've found several sources that state:
- he became, as oberst, commander of the 18 in september 44
- he promote as GeneralMajor the 1st of december 44.
- he had a long combat experience in Greece and on the east front as Sturm-Geschütz-Abteilung 191 commander (he received knight's cross with oaks leaves)

- the school commander always had significant combat experience...

I don't want to blame anyone but as Panther Games supporter, I've always appreciated great historicity in their products.

Besides this kind of small issues and IA tweaks, I have a big fun with BftB and certainly continue to count it as the best non-hex based wargame system.

Best regards.

Thanks for that correction.

Paul,

Can you please add this to our list.

I concur that this is an error. This was a case of using a faulty source as a reference; thanks for catching this.

ORIGINAL: zanekin

Hi,

I'm currently trying to give an historical taste to a article testing CO:BftB. I choose Losheim Gap as backgroung. I've gathered information and I find an "error" in the Hoffman-Shönborn (GeneralMajor of the 18VGD). The game says:
"he became commander of the division the 1st december and have no combat experience"

I've found several sources that state:
- he became, as oberst, commander of the 18 in september 44
- he promote as GeneralMajor the 1st of december 44.
- he had a long combat experience in Greece and on the east front as Sturm-Geschütz-Abteilung 191 commander (he received knight's cross with oaks leaves)

- the school commander always had significant combat experience

Actually, Hoffmann-Schönborn had quite some combat experience.

He entered the Army in 1924, as volunteer for Germany's 100,000 men Army, the Reichswehr, and served in the 3rd (Prussian) Artillery Regiment. After being promoted to Oberleutnant, he became the commander of the 11th battery of the Artillery Regiment Fulda in October 1934, and was subsequently promoted to Hauptmann. After being moved to several staff-HQs (for training), he was appointed commander of the 2nd battery of Artillery-Regiment 42.

During the campaign in Poland, his entire Regiment went to the West to cover the area at the river Blies (near Saarbrücken?), during the phony war.
The regiment was then subordinated to VI.Korps for the campaign in France, and participed in the pursuit to the Loire.

After attending a Sturmgeschütz-course in August, he became commander of the newly formed Sturmartillerie-Abteilung 191 in October 1940. After his promotion to Major he lead the Abteilung, which was redesignated Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 191 on 28th of February 1941, to the Balkans and forced a breakthrough through the Metaxas-Line in 1941, which earned him the Knight's Cross.
From June 1941, he led the unit in operation Barbarossa. After a thrust of some 120km, his Abteilung managed to secure a bridge across the Dnjepr (at Gernostaipol) in a surprise attack, which earned him the oak leaves for his Knight's Cross. Hoffmann-Schönborn was severely wounded in December 1941, forcing him to stay in Hospital until March 1942.
In April, right after being promoted to Oberstleutnant, he was put in command of the Artillerie-Lehr-Regiment 2, which he left in April 1943, in order to assume command of the Sturmgeschütz-Schule Berg (StuG training grounds Berg). After being promoted to Oberst in November 1943, he then left the training facility on 1st of August 1944, in order to attend the 13th Divisionsführerlehrgang (divisional commander seminar), and was then tasked with forming the 18. Volksgrenadierdivision in September 1944, serving as their acting commander.
On 1st of December, along with his promotion to Generalmajor the same day, he was then officially appointed the command of the 18th VGD. After the Division had to go to the defensive (January '45?), Hoffmann-Schönborn was moved to the Führerreserve, a reserve pool of (unemployed) officers that were waiting for new appointments. (In later stages of the war, this Führerreserve was also used for those officers who were regarded to be either troublesome or incompetent by the High Command or by Hitler. In practice, an officer - who was moved to the Führerreserve, was not allowed to leave his post/house and had to stand by).
On 19th of February, he was either appointed second-in-command or commander of the 5th Panzer-Division, where he then was severely wounded again on 10th of April 1945. When the war in Europe ended he was still in hospital, which he could not leave before the end of the year.

The above is derived from 6 or 7 different sources I checked, so it may not be perfect, but it should be way more accurate than the current bio in the game.

Recorded as BT0048