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Wacht Am Rhein (1st Edition)

By: Lone Canuck Publishing

Type: Ziplock

Product Line: ASL Scenarios (Lone Canuck Publishing)

Last Stocked on 1/12/2024

Product Info

Title
Wacht Am Rhein (1st Edition)
Category
Sub-category
Publish Year
2002
Dimensions
8.5x11x.2"
NKG Part #
2147381710
Type
Ziplock

Description

16 Scenarios compatible with MMP's ASL™ System and adaptable to Critical Hit's Combat™ Tactical Wargame and other miniature Wargaming systems.

16 December 1944: The village was defended by Company B, 1st Battalion, US 110th infantry Regiment and M36 tank destroyers from the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Company B was well dug in and the German assault companies assaulted the village but were unable to pierce the perimeter and were forced to infiltrate the woods north and south, heading for their primary objective, Clervaux.

16 December 1944: The German Volksgrenadier Division 212, made a successful and relatively uneventful crossing of the Sauer around Bollendorf in the early hours, overrunning small American outposts along the river line without giving them a chance to radio a warning. Although Colonel Chance commander of the US 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division immediately opposing them was aware because of reports from the US 28th Infantry Division further north that an attack was in progress. Even though speed was of the essence, the German assault companies of Volksgrenadier Regiment 423 with their objectives the American command post in Consdorf and artillery positions in Scheidgen. Partially ignored orders to bypass pockets of resistance became involved in costly and time-consuming battle for the insignificant villages of Berdorf and Lauterborn.

17 December 1944: General von Lüttwitz’s orders required Volksgrenadier Division 26 to establish bridgeheads across the river Clerf by nightfall on the 16th, so any enemy resistance had either to be subdued quickly or bypassed. As it turned out, the biggest stumbling block turned out to be the Company K, 3rd Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment and Company B, 103d Engineer Battalion in Hosingen. The American defenders were simply too well dug in to be shifted easily and the close-range battle, with dozens of individual hand-to-hand encounters, swayed backwards and forwards all day. In the evening, four Shermans arrived from the 707th Tank Battalion, but failed to bring any rifle ammunition with them. The constant delays imposed by the defenders in the handful of villages along Skyline Drive forced KoKott to unleash his reserved Grenadier Regiment 78 whose 1st Battalion was thrown into the struggle for Hosingen, supported by a few Jagdpanzer 38(t) from Panzerjäger Abteilung 26.

17 December 1944: Screened by the mist which aided all of the Volksgrenadier Division 352’s assault companies, the leading two battalions fortuitously struck at the junction between the US 109th Regiment’s 2d Battalion, whose Company E was in Führen and the 3d Battalion’s Company I deployed in front of Bettendorf. Lt. Colonel James Rudder, the commanding officer of the US 109th Infantry Regiment immediately drew upon his meager reserves and sent A and B companies of the 1st Battalion supported by 1st Platoon Company C, 707th Tank Battalion into a counter-attack. Although progress was slow by nightfall Company A was in sight of Longsdorf and Company B was overlooking Tandel. The morning of 17 December brought as series of uncoordinated attacks by 2nd Battalion Volksgrenadier Regiment 915 against Führen while the 1st Battalion had its hands full with the Americans counter-attacks at Longsdorf and Tandel.

17 December 1944: Alerted by the Seventh Armee’s preliminary artillery barrage, Colonel Rudder moved Company G up on the right of Company F, replacing it in Brandenburg by Company C from the 109th’s reserve 1st Battalion, which was stationed in Diekirch. During the night remembering his orders to avoid confrontation and leave American strong points to be mopped up by the reserve Fallschirm Regiment 13, Oberst Gröschke took advantage of a wooded defile to continue advancing west in between the 109th’s companies F and G. But early on the 17th the 2nd Platoon from Company C, 707th Tank Battalion moved into position to block the regiment. By daybreak on 18 December the GIs were completely cut off, even though they had not been attacked Colonel Rudder ordered them to fight their way out south to Diekirch helped by the tank platoon.

17 December 1944: Before dawn on 16 December the engineers of the Fallschirm-Pioniere Battalion 5 began ferrying the assault companies of Fallschirm Regiment 14 across the Our. Their instructions were to head as rapidly as possible west to the river Clerf, establish a bridging site near Kautenbach and press on west to Wiltz to establish a blocking line behind the river Sûre south of Bastogne. Their line of advance actually lay at the intersection of Lt-Colonel James Rudder’s US 109th and 110th Infantry Regiments and immediately in their path at Weiler was Company I, 3rd Battalion 110th Infantry Regiment. General major Ludwig Heilmann’s orders to both his 14th and 15th Regiments called on them to bypass any pockets of resistance in the villages. Leaving those to be mopped up later by his reserve 13th Regiment. One such village was defended by six 105mm and three 75mm Shermans from Company C 707th Tank Battalion and a part of the 110th Regiment’s anti-tank company.