Mike205
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After the pasting I took in Fontenoy, Doug and I switched up and I was the defender for the 84th 'Railsplitters' Infantry Division's assault on Lindern during Operation Clipper. Launched in late November 1944, this shaping operation intended to shorten the boundary between the British and American armies by eliminating the salient in the Geilenkirchen region along the German border. Interestingly, the fighting would see the 84th temporarily under the command of General Horrock's 30 Corps, with American units in combined arms action with British armor alongside the 43rd Wessex Division to the north. These actions have been covered in several other ASL scenarios such as RPT127 Saurians at Suggerath and A100 Dorset Wood in the Rain.
If you're interested in reading about Operation Clipper, I recommend Ken Ford's Assault on Germany: The Battle for Geilenkirchen and Harold Leinbaugh and John Campbell's The Men of Company K. Although I haven't read James Holland's Brothers in Arms it should also cover the campaign, and judging from Normandy '44 and Together We Stand it should be very engaging.
Although Clipper got off to an excellent start and Geilenkirchen fell within a day, the real issues started as the Railsplitters attempted to push up the Wurm Valley. The hills behind Geilenkirchen were sown with well-sited pillboxes that overlooked the open fields below. It had rained for most of the month of Novemember, and Allied armor quickly became bogged down, leaving the infantry to slog forward alone under constant artillery and machine gun fire. Clipper quickly became similar to the battle of Passchendale during World War I, only it fortunately didn't last nearly as long.
The subject of Three Bars of Chocolate examines the Railsplitter's achievements at Lindern, a hard fight that marked the end of Operation Clipper and culminated in the division prying apart elements of the Siegfried line in order to cleverly outflank this key part of the German defenses rather than attempt to take it head on, as they had at such a high cost previously at towns such as Beeck.
To simulate the defenses and terrain, this scenario plays out on board 14a, and by SSR the stream is an anti-tank ditch. The Americans must capture all buildings within two hexes of E15 by game end on American turn 8. Of course, conditions are mud but initially the only penalty involves vehicular movement in open ground, but all other penalites would accrue is heavy rain ocurred. Heavy rain would indeed start on American turn 2 and remain in effect until German turn 7.
As the defender, I had a small garrison of the veteran 15th Panzergrenaider Division, consisting of a 4-6-7, 2x 4-4-7s, and a 2-3-7 armed with a mmg and lmg, led by a 9-1 and a 8-0. They would set up HIP and I'd plunk down the 4-4-7s in G14 & F14, the 4-6-7 and lmg would watch the left flank in E13, and the 2-3-7, mmg, and 9-1 would watch the right in F16. On turn 4 I would receive two Tiger tanks from Panzer Kompanie Hummel, and on turn 5 another 2x 4-4-7s, a 4-6-7, lmg, and 8-1 leader.
Doug would command 10x 6-6-6s of the 84th Infantry armed with two bzk 44s and led by a 8-0 and 9-1. This fresh division entered the line in November 1944 and Clipper was the first time it saw combat. It held up remarkably well under the strain of constant mud, rain, and artillery.
On turn 4 or 5 (by dr) these troops would be reinforced with 4 Shermans from the 40th Tank Battalion with a 8-1 AL, and on turn 5 or 6 (by dr) 4x 6-6-6s, a dm mmg, and 8-0 leader. Doug's main force would enter from the south, the tanks from the west, and the reinforcements from the east, while my reinforcements would enter form the north, providing the opportunity for a swirling series of engagements all along the edge of Lindern that portrayed the American flanking movements through the Siegfried line.
To simulate the types of indirect small arms fire the Railsplitters had to slog through, by SSR, the German player adds 5 prep fire, 5 defensive fire, and 20 other counters to a cup. Each time the American player moves, the German player pulls out a counter. If prep, the unit is subjected to 2 residual FP and 1 FP residual for a defensive fire counter. I'd either pull chits until out of counters or the Americans had three or more mmc in the AT ditch. The Americans would also enter the board with half of their MP expended.
I think the chit pull was a nice touch that's very much in step with newer games such as Skies Above the Reich and Longstreet Attacks, where chits, rather than dice rolls have a lot of impact. To me, its definintely worth considering other chit pull mechanics for some ASL scenarios as a way of adding another layer of unpredictability and fog of war alongside the dice.
As a former military man, Doug understands audacity and the violence of action much better than I do. His creativity in the attack has taught me alot and encouraged me to try bold flanks and back end runs, even if they don't work out in the end, such as was the case in Fotenay by Day. Risking casualties in favor of moving as quickly as possible and taking the least about of residual hits, he stacked squads as he crossed the open fields towards the anti-tank ditch. The gamble did not pay off, by turn two he'd lost two entire squads before his advance party threw themselves into the AT ditch and stopped the hate from raining down.
Another squad broke due to sniper fire in the ditch and would take an astonishing four turns to rally before coming back as a battle hardened 6-6-7.
For the next two turns, the Railsplitters skulked forward maintaining concealment in order to position for an attack on the G14 building. A prolonged firefight would result in a broken American squad while a flanking skulk was pinned down by the spandau and 9-1 on the right.
Doug's guys had a much better time pressuring the 4-6-7 and lmg in E13, pinning them before killing them in CC. On turn 4 Doug's tanks came on and by that time G14 was about to fall and the Railsplitters had advanced up to D13/E14. The Shermans set up around the elevated road to intercept the Tigers.
Its here that I mention that I have 88 caliber syndrome- most of the games where I've possessed an 88 toting tank or gun, one or all end up MA'ing early on and often X'ing before I can even get started. But not today. While the Shermans got a side shot on the turret of one Tiger and knocked it out, three of the four, including the 8-1 AL, would wind up as smoldering wrecks.
The surivor fled back behind the road embankment to lick its wounds and rally. My remaining Tiger then positioned itself to harass the troops occuppying G14.
Due to the rain and fog, only massive American fire groups were able to inflict any damage as we traded shots across the road. Although my guys in G14 were broken and casualty reduced before routing back to F16 and their 9-1 savior, my reinforcements plugged the gaps in the line and everytime Doug tried to move his turn 5 reinforcements up the eastern side of the map they were beaten back.
American firepower forced a 4-6-7, lmg and 8-1 out of the D15 church late in the game, leaving only F16 in the defender's hands. Turn 8 saw the 4-4-7 stacked with the 9-1 pin and Doug flung four squads across the road. Although three would break, one would advance into CC and kill them along with the 9-1. Victory was his.
This was a fun one. Due to the possible timing of the reinforcement groups and their entry on various sides of the map, there is some real potential for some smash mouth play and things can shift quickly, as evidenced by the destruction of Doug's armored thrust and my ability to hold the line with such as frail force before finally falling in close combat. Its very manageble in size and quick playing while still presenting a variety of options. The scenario also gave me a sense of the terrain and dreary atmosphere during the grind towards the Roer, underscoring my deep respect for the British and American soldiers who endured the rain, cold, and mud to break through the much vaunted Siegfried line.
We'll have to try Dorset Wood in the Rain.
If you're interested in reading about Operation Clipper, I recommend Ken Ford's Assault on Germany: The Battle for Geilenkirchen and Harold Leinbaugh and John Campbell's The Men of Company K. Although I haven't read James Holland's Brothers in Arms it should also cover the campaign, and judging from Normandy '44 and Together We Stand it should be very engaging.
Although Clipper got off to an excellent start and Geilenkirchen fell within a day, the real issues started as the Railsplitters attempted to push up the Wurm Valley. The hills behind Geilenkirchen were sown with well-sited pillboxes that overlooked the open fields below. It had rained for most of the month of Novemember, and Allied armor quickly became bogged down, leaving the infantry to slog forward alone under constant artillery and machine gun fire. Clipper quickly became similar to the battle of Passchendale during World War I, only it fortunately didn't last nearly as long.
The subject of Three Bars of Chocolate examines the Railsplitter's achievements at Lindern, a hard fight that marked the end of Operation Clipper and culminated in the division prying apart elements of the Siegfried line in order to cleverly outflank this key part of the German defenses rather than attempt to take it head on, as they had at such a high cost previously at towns such as Beeck.
To simulate the defenses and terrain, this scenario plays out on board 14a, and by SSR the stream is an anti-tank ditch. The Americans must capture all buildings within two hexes of E15 by game end on American turn 8. Of course, conditions are mud but initially the only penalty involves vehicular movement in open ground, but all other penalites would accrue is heavy rain ocurred. Heavy rain would indeed start on American turn 2 and remain in effect until German turn 7.
As the defender, I had a small garrison of the veteran 15th Panzergrenaider Division, consisting of a 4-6-7, 2x 4-4-7s, and a 2-3-7 armed with a mmg and lmg, led by a 9-1 and a 8-0. They would set up HIP and I'd plunk down the 4-4-7s in G14 & F14, the 4-6-7 and lmg would watch the left flank in E13, and the 2-3-7, mmg, and 9-1 would watch the right in F16. On turn 4 I would receive two Tiger tanks from Panzer Kompanie Hummel, and on turn 5 another 2x 4-4-7s, a 4-6-7, lmg, and 8-1 leader.
Doug would command 10x 6-6-6s of the 84th Infantry armed with two bzk 44s and led by a 8-0 and 9-1. This fresh division entered the line in November 1944 and Clipper was the first time it saw combat. It held up remarkably well under the strain of constant mud, rain, and artillery.
On turn 4 or 5 (by dr) these troops would be reinforced with 4 Shermans from the 40th Tank Battalion with a 8-1 AL, and on turn 5 or 6 (by dr) 4x 6-6-6s, a dm mmg, and 8-0 leader. Doug's main force would enter from the south, the tanks from the west, and the reinforcements from the east, while my reinforcements would enter form the north, providing the opportunity for a swirling series of engagements all along the edge of Lindern that portrayed the American flanking movements through the Siegfried line.
To simulate the types of indirect small arms fire the Railsplitters had to slog through, by SSR, the German player adds 5 prep fire, 5 defensive fire, and 20 other counters to a cup. Each time the American player moves, the German player pulls out a counter. If prep, the unit is subjected to 2 residual FP and 1 FP residual for a defensive fire counter. I'd either pull chits until out of counters or the Americans had three or more mmc in the AT ditch. The Americans would also enter the board with half of their MP expended.
I think the chit pull was a nice touch that's very much in step with newer games such as Skies Above the Reich and Longstreet Attacks, where chits, rather than dice rolls have a lot of impact. To me, its definintely worth considering other chit pull mechanics for some ASL scenarios as a way of adding another layer of unpredictability and fog of war alongside the dice.
As a former military man, Doug understands audacity and the violence of action much better than I do. His creativity in the attack has taught me alot and encouraged me to try bold flanks and back end runs, even if they don't work out in the end, such as was the case in Fotenay by Day. Risking casualties in favor of moving as quickly as possible and taking the least about of residual hits, he stacked squads as he crossed the open fields towards the anti-tank ditch. The gamble did not pay off, by turn two he'd lost two entire squads before his advance party threw themselves into the AT ditch and stopped the hate from raining down.
Another squad broke due to sniper fire in the ditch and would take an astonishing four turns to rally before coming back as a battle hardened 6-6-7.
For the next two turns, the Railsplitters skulked forward maintaining concealment in order to position for an attack on the G14 building. A prolonged firefight would result in a broken American squad while a flanking skulk was pinned down by the spandau and 9-1 on the right.
Doug's guys had a much better time pressuring the 4-6-7 and lmg in E13, pinning them before killing them in CC. On turn 4 Doug's tanks came on and by that time G14 was about to fall and the Railsplitters had advanced up to D13/E14. The Shermans set up around the elevated road to intercept the Tigers.
Its here that I mention that I have 88 caliber syndrome- most of the games where I've possessed an 88 toting tank or gun, one or all end up MA'ing early on and often X'ing before I can even get started. But not today. While the Shermans got a side shot on the turret of one Tiger and knocked it out, three of the four, including the 8-1 AL, would wind up as smoldering wrecks.
The surivor fled back behind the road embankment to lick its wounds and rally. My remaining Tiger then positioned itself to harass the troops occuppying G14.
Due to the rain and fog, only massive American fire groups were able to inflict any damage as we traded shots across the road. Although my guys in G14 were broken and casualty reduced before routing back to F16 and their 9-1 savior, my reinforcements plugged the gaps in the line and everytime Doug tried to move his turn 5 reinforcements up the eastern side of the map they were beaten back.
American firepower forced a 4-6-7, lmg and 8-1 out of the D15 church late in the game, leaving only F16 in the defender's hands. Turn 8 saw the 4-4-7 stacked with the 9-1 pin and Doug flung four squads across the road. Although three would break, one would advance into CC and kill them along with the 9-1. Victory was his.
This was a fun one. Due to the possible timing of the reinforcement groups and their entry on various sides of the map, there is some real potential for some smash mouth play and things can shift quickly, as evidenced by the destruction of Doug's armored thrust and my ability to hold the line with such as frail force before finally falling in close combat. Its very manageble in size and quick playing while still presenting a variety of options. The scenario also gave me a sense of the terrain and dreary atmosphere during the grind towards the Roer, underscoring my deep respect for the British and American soldiers who endured the rain, cold, and mud to break through the much vaunted Siegfried line.
We'll have to try Dorset Wood in the Rain.
