Battle of the Bulge 18th and 62nd Volksgrenadier Divisions, 14th Armored Group and the 106th Infantry Division

 

Starting Positions

Introduction for this series here. This post discusses the terrain, some items considered during scenario design and a Q&A with the scenario designer.

The 18th Volksgrenadier (VG) Division holds my right flank and was opposed by the 14th Armored Group (AG) and the 422nd Regiment of the ill-fated 106th Infantry Division (ID).  The 62nd VG Division is on my left and their jumping off positions are west of the German town of Prum. The armored Führerbegleit Brigade (Führer Escort) is in reserve behind the 18th VG Division, ready to exploit weaknesses in the American line.

Link to a map showing the initial attacks on the 106th ID from Hugh M. Cole's The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge.

The image above uses satellite imagery to show the importance of the Losheim Gap on the course of the battle.

More after the jump.

Volks-Grenadier Weapons

 

Infantry Weapons

Sturmgewehr (Assault Rifle) 44

[caption id="attachment_83907" align="alignleft" width="256"] StG-44 from Infogalactic article[/caption]

Hitler was opposed to the development of an assault rifle as he was afraid widespread use would cause a strain on ammunition supplies. The original version banned by Hitler was the Maschinenkarabiner 42(H) so the German Army renamed it to the Maschineenpistole 43 (MP 43), started production and tested the first examples on the Eastern Front, where they proved their worth. This version was able to fire single shot or automatic.  Front line troops soon learned that the added firepower was well worth the cost in ammunition and also gave infantry platoons tactical flexibility as the were not wholly dependent on less maneuverable machine guns for firepower. By 1944, its worth proven many times over, Hitler officially authorized the weapon which was renamed to the Sturmgewehr 44 (StG 44).

The weapon fired 7.92mm rounds from a 419mm barrel with a muzzle velocity of 650m per second at a cyclic rate of fire at 500 rounds per minute. Magazines held 30 rounds.  Effective up to 500 meters, after which stability and accuracy greatly decreased.  The basic issue was 26 assault rifles in each 32 man machine pistol platoon. Each company had three platoons and the third platoon was designated as the infantry platoon and armed with Mauser 98K rifles. This was the official issue though many VG formations only received 50% or less of their allotment of StG-44's.

Raketenpanzerbüschse (Rocket tank rifle) 54

Not to be confused with the Panzerfaust this weapon was also known as the Panzerschreck (tank terror) and the design was influenced by the American bazooka.  Served by a two man crew the weapon fired a 88mm hollow charge projectile with an effective range of 120 meters.  Allied tank commanders gave great respect to this weapon and eventually learned to call in heavy artillery fire wherever it was suspected this weapon was deployed. The Panzerschreck teams were vulnerable to high explosive fire and the back blast and smoke given off after firing, quickly gave their position away.

In the Campaign Series game system I believe that this AT capability is included in individual platoon's anti-tank firepower. The VG platoons will knock Allied tanks around if they are allowed to get close and this weapon is one of the main reasons for that high unit value.

Armor

Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer (Tank Hunter 38(t) "Brawler")

[caption id="attachment_84111" align="alignleft" width="256"] Click for Youtube video showcasing this diorama.[/caption]

Each VG Division was to be assigned an anti-tank battalion consisting of 14 light tank destroyers, the Jagdpanzer Jg.Pz. 38(t) Hetzer though due to bombing of the Czech Skoda Factor and lack of raw materials StuG III assault guns were usually substituted.

The chassis of the early war Pz Kpfw 38(t) was used but the turret with its 3.7cm gun was removed and a rigid 7.5cm PaK39 gun installed in its place. Additionally, the vehicle was up armored from roughly 25mm and 15mm thick front and side armor versus 60mm and 20mm for the Hetzer and the thicker armor plates were angled up to 50 degrees more in the front and 20-30 degrees more angle on the sides.

For a light tank, the Hetzer lives up to its name and with a little luck and tactical prowess the Hetzer is more than a match for any Allied light tank and can give Allied medium tank commanders something to worry about. Though the 7.5cm Pak39 gun was slightly less powerful as the 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun mounted on the latest Pz IV models, the Hetzer's thicker armor allows this weapon system to compare favorably with the German medium tanks. In Campaign Series game play the Pz IV's are allocated about a third more firepower, against both armor and soft targets but woe behold the Mk IV tank commander that winds up next to (i.e within bazooka range) an American infantry platoon. The Hetzers may retreat or only be disrupted where a Mk IV platoon will suffer losses.

After the war surviving Hetzers served in the Czech Army while the Swiss Army purchased 158 and designated them as G13.

Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G (Assault Gun)

Using a hull design similar to the Pz III this G version of the assault gun mounted a 7.5cm StuK40 gun. Armored was increased in the rear hull from 30mm to 60mm and an extra 30mm armor plate bolted to the front which already had 50mm thick armor.

In Campaign Series this unit has equivalent offensive factors (8 versus armor, 12 versus soft target) as opposed to the Pz IV factors (12 versus armor and 16 versus soft targets) despite the 7.5cm StuK40 gun being similar to the 7.5 KwK 40 gun mounted on the Pz IVs.  The only reason I can think the game designer did this was the Stu G III was less effective with a fixed gun as opposed to the Pz IV's gun mounted in a turret.

At Panzerworld.com I discovered a translation of assault gun employment guidelines.  Information in this document will be of interested to wargamers and game designers.  Relevant to the Battle of the Bulge I note the following below, especially the last two bullets on forest combat and winter usage:

• Supporting the infantry's assault is thus the nature of the assault guns' most important task.
• It is delicate in close combat, as it has easily vulnerable sides and open top hatches, as well as having poor close-defense capabilities and only being able to fire forward.
• It is not intended to independently carry out reconnaissance or combat missions. Infantry protection is always required.
• After four to five days of operation, the assault gun units must be given the necessary time to restore their combat readiness. If the situation does not allow for this, it must be accepted that parts are not combat ready, or fail completely.
• Because the average march speed of the assault guns is about 22 kilometers per hour, during longer marches, they cannot move at neither the walking pace of the infantry, nor at the speed of motorized units. Consequently, they will usually have to move in leaps in the spaces between the individual marching groups or the vanguard, etc.
• Forest combat: The assault guns provide over watch for the infantry during the approach to and infiltration of the forest. Inside the forest they can usually only provide weak support for their infantry due to the poor gun traverse and limited spotting ability, and easily puts them in danger due to premature detonation of grenades on branches, etc. Thorough scouting is required when fighting against forest strong points.
• Winter usage: Usage depends on the terrain and snow conditions. The assault guns' poor ground clearance mainly limits their use to existing roads, which must be expected to have increased enemy defenses. Their use can only be justified by detailed preparation and careful estimation of the expected success.

 

Battle of the Bulge OOBs for V Panzer Northern Sector

 

Orders of Battle

[caption id="attachment_83630" align="alignright" width="256"] Small portion from the Campaign Series OOB file.[/caption]

Any designer of historical simulations has to confront the question: what was the actual composition of forces at that place and time?  The harder one works for historical accuracy, the more elusive the answer. At times, the task is almost futile but the question must be asked.

The ancient up to the medieval periods are notorious for the lack of sources and exaggerated numbers.  Even with the advent of better record keeping historical accuracy remains difficult. Keep in mind every organization in this post was required to send daily status reports.  Despite the ubiquity of reports (and sometimes because of it), accessibility of primary sources can be problematic. Also, game designers, who often rely on secondary resources, will adjust the OOBs for reasons of playability or constraints of the game engine. I encountered a prime example of this issue when trying to determine the 14th Armored Group's historical OOB:

• Hugh Cole mentions "light tanks".
• In the 14th Cavalry in the Gap article, Col. Judge mentions 17 M-3 tanks.
• The scenario OOB's light tanks are M-24 Chafees.
• A Panzer Leader OOB highlighted on the next page has a mix of M-1 and M-5 tanks.
• At least most sources agree on the M-8 scout cars...

Additionally, I discovered a typo in the scenario's OOB.  The 193rd VG Regiment was actually the 183rd.  A misnamed regiment won't affect game play but unless caught and corrected in time, it may become a vector for inaccurate information for future games and posts.

This post will discuss the units available at the start of this scenario and compare the scenario's OOB with one that comes to us via the Nafziger OOB collection then finish with some Panzer Leader OOB charts.

At the end of this post, the index and reference sections are beginning to flesh out and I have added a related games section. Let me know your favorite Bulge related games and I'll add to the list.

Battle of the Bulge. Cannae in the Schnee Eifel.

 The title from today's post taken from Hugh Cole's The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge.  The Germans have taken the village of Bleialf and have driven the 14th Armored Group back to Andler.  In this post, the two pincers of the German advance snap shut at Schoenburg, cutting off the 106th Infantry Division's 422nd and 423rd Regiments and sealing their fate.

Andler to Schönberg

After the German assault on the Losheim Gap, 14th Cavalry Group's Troop B (from the 32nd Recon Squadron) was holding the southern end of a fall back line at Andler.  At daybreak on the 17th the Germans advanced on Andler with infantry supported by Tiger tanks. The Tigers were from the 506th Panzer Battalion which actually belonged to the Sixth Panzer Army and were sent south to find a road (and bridges) that would allow them to continue west. Overwhelmed, Troop B withdrew to Schönberg while the Tigers went lumbering off to the northwest. This withdrawal made the rest of the fall back line untenable to defend and the 32nd Cavalry Squadron at Herresbach was given permission to fall back to Meyerode.  Herresbach can be seen on the next page's map, just to the west where the 14th Cavalry units are located on the top.

The remaining forces of 14th Cavalry Group's 32nd Recon Squadron were now split in two, divided by the thick forests and lack of north / south roads.

Once in Schönberg, Troop B was attacked by the 294th Volks-Grenadier Regiment and before being overwhelmed retreated westwards towards St. Vith.  They found a good defensive position just west of  Schönberg at a sharp bend in the road near the village of Heuem. According to Hugh Cole:

"Here, while other American troops streamed through from the east, the cavalry deployed its six armored cars and ten machine gun and mortar jeeps. When the first German vehicle, a tank or assault gun, rounded the bend two of the armored cars opened up with 37-mm. guns which did no damage but induced it to withdraw. Then, for nearly two hours, the troopers' light machine guns and mortars repelled every attempt that the advance guard of the 294th made to move forward. Finally at 100 the 14th Cavalry Group sent radio orders for Troop B to withdraw through St. Vith and rejoin the 32d Squadron northeast of that city. This move was part of a general withdrawal which Colonel Devine had ordered on his own initiative after scouts sent out by the 18th Squadron at Wereth reported seeing German troops to the west (probably the advance guard of the 3d Parachute Division moving in the direction of Malmédy)".

Battle of the Bulge Aviation American Artillery Spotting

 There is a short chapter in R. Dupuy's St. Vith Lion in the Way on artillery spotting planes titled Bumble Bees in the Fog. Unfortunately, the L2 and L4  light aircraft used for spotting are only mentioned briefly and just a third of the chapter talks about this interesting topic  I'm guessing much of the original content was edited out as there is no explanation for the Bumble Bees title (probably received that nickname due to the sound of the engine).

I'll summarize:  the forward airfields were in danger of being overrun and the pilots needed to take their aircraft to safety while simultaneously flying reconnaissance and artillery spotting missions in the rare moments flying conditions allowed.  Extreme bravery by the pilots flying in dense fog and somehow finding a landing site and an account of a recon mission flown along a road at tree top level, which spotted an approaching German column.

A comprehensive post about WW2 artillery spotting using Piper L-4 aircraft fills in where the Bumble Bee chapter stops with a set of links to rival the Bulge index. Bruce Gale fought in the Pacific but his experiences are relevant to his comrades flying in Europe:

"Bruce Gale often flew “figure 8” patterns while spotting. If artillery fire he was directing hit an enemy fuel dump, there would be a fire ball that would come up and he would have to fly in such a way that it would not engulf the plane, and although enemy soldiers tended to keep their heads down when the L-Birds were about, some fired up at the airplanes. On one sortie a bullet came through the floor of the L-4, traveled upward between Gale’s legs, passed through the bill of his “lucky” hat, and then exited through the top of the airplane. The incident was both shocking and thought provoking: Bruce Gale realized that one could get killed in his line of work.

Perhaps the aforementioned incident contributed to Bruce’s decision to arm his L-4. He had bazookas installed on each of his wing struts."

Many pictures of the aircraft in this post, accompanied by technical specifications and operational history.

Battle of the Bulge The 18th VG Division Advances

 

Prelude

The 293rd VG Regiment at start. Scout cars spotted at one bridge and the two companies at top will encounter and destroy another Recon troop as they advance through the fog across the bridges over the Our River[/caption]

From the In Front of St. Vith chapter of A Time for Trumpets: "Split seconds before 5:30 A.M. on Saturday, December 16, an American soldier from Company K, 110th Infantry, manning an observation post atop a concrete water tower along the Skyline Drive in the village of Hosingen (south of this battle's AOR), telephoned his company commander. In the distance on the German side of the Our, he could see a strange phenomenon: countless flickering pinpoints of light".  At the same time, 14th Armored Group sentries in various villages of the Losheim Gap saw the same flickers, almost immediately followed by a tremendous artillery barrage. "Amid the thunder the troops could make out the distinctive screeching sound of rockets (the Americans called them "Screaming Meemies") from the Nebelwerfer, a multiple-barreled, electrically fired rocket launcher".

MacDonald continues: "Yet little of the shelling hit the villages in the southernmost reaches of the Losheim Gap, the villages of Weckerath, Roth, and Kobscheid. That reflected the fact that German patrols had found an undefended area of more than a mile between Weckerath and Roth, and at the last minute General von Manteuffel decided to eschew an artillery preparation there while sending a column through the gap to gain a leg on the march to the valley of the Our. A battalion of Volksgrenadiers was soon pushing unhindered in the darkness toward the village of Auw...".

A map showing the situation at the end of the German first turn on the next page.

Gnome Miniatures

 Almost done painting up a Gnome army* recruited from Splintered Light Miniatures.  Not sure if my painting does the figures credit but very happy with this lot.  

Waiting for some Old School Miniatures gnomes I backed in a Kickstarter, delayed due to the virus scare,  but I already have a contingent of Old School gnomes painted up and should be posting on the the gnome's adventures soon.

* I hate to refer to the gnomes above as an army.  They would be familiar with the term based on their interactions with humans and other races but not being interested in empire and happily self sufficient in their locals, it is a concept that they would, at best, view with contempt.