TM

BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

BATTLEGROUP
WACHT AM RHEIN
TABLETOP WARGAMES SUPPLEMENT FOR 15mm & 20mm MINIATURES
by WARWICK KINRADE
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

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BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

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 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 DRIvE FAST AND HOLD THE REINS LOOSE . . . 49
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Kampfgruppe Peiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Breakthrough at Lanzerath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
DUELS IN THE MIST Ambush at Ligneuville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Special Rules for Battlegroup Wacht am Rhein . . . . 25 Crossing Stavelot Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
US Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Assault on Stoumont. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Armoured Reconnaissance Infantry Platoon . . . . . . 29 Stoumont Halt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
THE ARMY LISTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 St Edouard Sanatorium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Unit Availability Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 La Gleize, the Battle of So L’Hesse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
vOLKSGRENADIER ARMY LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
BATTLES IN THE BULGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Ardennes Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Roadblock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Roadblock at Antoniushof Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Battle of Wallerode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

CREDITS
Terrain Models shown from the following manufacturers: Lancer
Written by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warwick Kinrade
Miniatures, Last Valley, Hovels, Woodland Scenics, Battleield Models
Archive Photography from . . . . . . . . . . US National Archive
and a large tub of baking soda. With special thanks to all those that
Miniature Photography by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warwick Kinrade
helped out, in large or small ways, including Piers Brand and Will
Art and Sketches by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Pentland
Townshend at Plastic Soldier Company.
Production by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Artorus Games Ltd
Proof Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Hubback
Produced by Iron Fist Publishing Ltd. First published in Great Britain,
in 2016. The contents are © Iron Fist Publishing Ltd and may not be
Playtesting by: Warwick Kinrade, Ken Kinrade, Russ Mason,
reproduced without the prior permission of the publisher.
Andy Fox, Andy Edwards, Sean Allen.

The book contains models from a number of companies, including
AB Figures, Elhiem Figures, Battleield/Blitz Miniatures, Wartime
Miniatures, CP Models, Lancer Miniatures, Wargames Foundry, The
Plastic Soldier Company, SHQ Miniatures, Grubby Tanks, MMS
Models, Armourfast, Dragon, Airix, Zvezda and Hasagawa.
All archive photographs are used under licence and with permission,
except where they are recognised as being in the public domain. The
copyright of all images is recognised and no claim is intended. Images
may not be reproduced without the prior permission of the copyright
holder.

Miniatures and models from the collections of Warwick Kinrade and Printed in Lithuania, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-9573132-7-9
Ken Kinrade. Battlegroup TM Iron Fist Publishing Ltd

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BATTLEGROUP
WACHT AM RHEIN
W elcome to Battlegroup Wacht
am Rhein, the irst of a new
format of supplements to the
Battlegroup rules; a shorter format to
deal with other (secondary) theatres
or periods of the war. This isn’t the
full Battlegroup treatment, mainly
because the forces involved are
so closely related to ones we have
already covered in earlier books.
In Wacht am Rhein’s case, that book
would be Battlegroup Overlord.
Between summer 1944 and December
1944, very little had changed with the
Allied armies in north-west Europe.
American and British divisions still
used the same orders of battle and the
same equipment, with the addition of
one or two new vehicles and pieces
of kit. Also, the tactics remained the
same. So, rather than simply repeat
a lot of information that has already
been published (mainly the army
lists), this books builds on them.
Most importantly for Battlegroup,
however, the character of the ighting
had changed. Unlike in Normandy,
in the Ardennes we have the
German Army in full attack mode
and the Americans mostly on the
defence. Also, the winter weather
has a big role to play (especially in
lying conditions for the important
American air support), as does the
close nature of the terrain amidst
the hills and woods. This book
incorporates these factors into the
main rules to create a WWII game
with a very different feel, even
compared to those closely-related
battles in the ields of Normandy
ive or six months earlier. In the
meantime, the Germans had
introduced a new formation to their
order of battle, the Volksgrenadier
division. Although in some ways
little more than an updating of
the infantry divisions, a new army
list is included here because the
Ardennes offensive was the new
Volksgrenadier divisions’ baptism of
ire and their different organisation
tables offer some nice alternatives to a
standard 1944 infantry division force
(although, of course, the same models
can be used perfectly well with both
lists).
In order to play Wacht am Rhein
games, players are going to need
Overlord’s army lists and vehicle data.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
No apologies are made, here, because
the Overlord book is really the basis
for gaming all the ighting in north-
west Europe in 1944 and into early
1945, until we reach the end of the
war and Germany’s last desperate
stands (covered by the Battlegroup:
Fall of the Reich book). On the positive
side, those with the miniatures to
play Normandy games already have
the right collection to play Wacht
am Rhein games without changing
anything. They can jump right in.
If this book proves a success, then
we’d eventually like to look at other
‘secondary’ theatres or operations
that offer a different character
and feel, including such battles
as Operation Market Garden or
breaking through the West Wall at
Aachen, in the Hürtgen Forest or for
General George Patton’s battles in
the Lorraine. This doesn’t have to
be restricted to NW Europe, either,
as smaller formats could cover the
ighting in Sicily and mainland Italy;
Burma and the Philippines, the Siege
of Leningrad or the late war battles in
Budapest and the rest of Hungary.
These smaller books won’t
replace the larger format
hard-back ones. It is still
intended that Battlegroup
will eventually cover all
the major theatres/periods
of the war with these, so
North Africa, the Paciic,
the Eastern Front in 1942
(Stalingrad) and 1944
(Bagration) are all still on
the main ‘to-do’ list. But,
until then, enjoy reighting
the US Army’s greatest
battle of WWII.
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 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE
I n autumn 1944, the German High
Command (OKW) knew it was
facing defeat. The Battle for Normandy
had been lost and the western Allies
were rapidly advancing east, closing
up to the German border. Losses had
been very heavy and it seemed the
German Army was on the point of
capitulation. On the Eastern Front,
the situation was, if anything, even
worse. The massive Russian summer
offensive in Belorussia had all but
destroyed Army Group Centre and
torn a large hole through the German
frontlines. Russian forces were now
rapidly pressing west, into Poland
as far as the river Vistula. Soon, the
German Fatherland itself would face
the prospect of invasion from two
directions.
Wherever OKW and Hitler looked,
the war’s strategic situation looked
bleak for Germany. Their considerable
remaining forces could still ight
a defensive war and hold on for
as long as they could, but a purely
defensive strategy gave them no hope
of ultimate victory. In order to win,
the Germans had to seek to attack
again and reclaim the initiative. Hitler,
perhaps inspired by his personal hero,
Frederick the Great (who had faced
a similar situation, surrounded and
outnumbered by a formidable enemy
alliance during the Seven Years War),
demanded that OKW must launch a
new offensive. The only place with any
reasonable (if slim) chance of changing
the course of the war was on the
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Western Front. In the east, Germany
just did not have the forces to inlict a
crippling defeat on the Russians. Even
a successful offensive that destroyed
20 or 30 Russian divisions would make
little impact on the overall situation.
On the Western Front, however, such
heavy losses could be catastrophic for
the Americans and British.
Like Frederick the Great, Hitler hoped
that inlicting such a heavy blow on
his enemies would see their alliance
against him fall apart. Winning the war
in western Europe would then free up
the German armies currently facing
west to turn about and meet the far
larger Russian threat, where they could
then hope to at least ight the Red
Army to a stalemate and save Germany
itself.
Many high-ranking oficers in OKW
saw little hope in a new attack; their
forces were too badly worn down and,
post-Normandy, tank strength was
at an all time low, with the panzers
outnumbered almost 10:1 by British
and American armour. But, by careful
husbanding of forces and by directing
almost all the new tank production
to the panzer divisions ear-marked
for the offensive, a force that could
conceivably inlict a serious defeat
on the British and Americans could
quickly be rebuilt. Such a plan would
mean denuding the rest of the front
of armour, and that was a major risk,
but new divisions were already being
raised and equipped and the Anglo-
American offensive itself was running
out of impetus, as their over-stretched
supply lines snaked back across France.
The new offensive would be a huge
gamble, but it was one Hitler was
prepared to take to try and conjure an
unlikely victory from what was soon to
be an assured defeat.
In October 1944, Hitler ordered that
an offensive plan be created, with
the aim of encircling enemy units
and destroying them. At least seven
locations were considered, but the
best prospect was an attack to capture
Antwerp, the major port supplying
the British and American forces in
the region; cut off Allied units in
Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland
and drive them back to the North Sea,
creating what Hitler described as a
‘new Dunkirk’. At irst, it was known
as the ‘Luxembourg’ option. It would
be a left hook, starting in the weakest-
held American sector of the front, in
the Belgian Ardennes.
An initial attack would smash through
the thin enemy lines, drive west and
south of Liège to the Meuse river
(the major natural obstacle in the
offensive’s path), capture its bridges
intact and then push on north and
north-west to Antwerp and the sea.
To neutralise Allied air superiority,
the attack would have to take place in
poor lying weather. Late November
was the irst date set for the attack,
but later this would be moved back to
early, then mid-, December to allow
extra time for more forces
to be moved into place and
larger stockpiles of fuel and
ammunition to be gathered.
The entire plan was top
secret. All the planners
signed personal oaths not to
the reveal anything and no
telephones or radios could
be used to discuss plans
or preparations - couriers
were employed instead.
Troops would be mustered
behind the attack sector in
complete secrecy, under
the guise of training, and
in forested areas to avoid
the prying eyes of Allied

aerial reconnaissance. Supplies would
be built up using trains only running
at night. Surprise, to prevent the
Allies using their superior numbers
to smother the offensive, would be
key. The new offensive must come
as a complete shock and make rapid
gains if it was to achieve its ambitious
objectives. As part of the deception
plan to disguise German intentions, the
new offensive was given a ‘defensive’
codename: Wacht am Rhein (Watch on
the Rhine).
On the Allied side, after the Germans’
defeat in Normandy, it was thought
that all the enemy could manage was
a desperate defence to try and prolong
the war. When, in September 1944, the
British plan to get over the Rhine and
into Germany using airborne troops
failed at Arnhem, it was decided that
German Forces
“We gamble everything!”
Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt
on Operation Wacht am Rhein
F or the start of Wacht am Rhein,
the Germans gathered 19
divisions, divided between three
armies, with 6th Panzer Army in the
north, 5th Panzer Army in the centre
and 7th Army in the south. Each had
its own objectives and roles. Behind
them, further divisions were gathered
as a potent reserve, to be committed
once the Meuse was crossed.
To achieve ultimate success, the irst
phase of the offensive would rest
upon its strike force of ive panzer
divisions. These would provide the
combat power that would, irst, race
to and capture the Meuse bridges and
then the fresh divisions would move
up and take over the lead to press on
for Antwerp.
Supporting the ive panzer divisions
were 12 Volksgrenadier infantry
divisions and two Fallschirmjäger
airborne divisions. Their initial
task was to force a breech in the
American front, into which the
panzer divisions would then strike,
allowing the tanks to immediately
break free of the frontline defensive
zone without losing valuable men
and vehicles and then drive deep
into enemy territory to exploit the
breakthrough. Behind them, the
a broad offensive to pressure the
enemy everywhere and slowly press
east to the Rhine along the entire front
would be too much for the thinly-
spread German armies to stop. There
would be no more bold, narrow-front
offensives to make quick gains; just a
relentless, steady, attritional advance
to begin in the spring when the winter
weather cleared and the ground and
lying conditions improved.
For the Americans, the Belgian
Ardennes was regarded as a ‘quiet’
sector. Neither side was seeking to
attack here and, as winter set in, the
Americans used it as an area to re-
it divisions battle worn from hard
ighting in the Hürtgen Forest and to
‘blood’ green divisions, new to the
European theatre. No-one at Supreme
Headquarters Allied Expeditionary
infantry (and various equivalents)
would advance to mop up any
remaining centres of resistance that
had been bypassed by the panzers in
their race for the Meuse. They would
also secure the occupied territory
and provide protection from enemy
reinforcements threatening the
northern and southern lanks of the
offensive’s gains.
To aid the breakthrough, sow
confusion amongst American rear
echelon troops and secure important
road junctions and bridges on the
routes west, the entire offensive
would be aided by Otto Skorzeny’s
Operation Greif (Grifin). It would
be a commando operation, utilising
disguised tanks and specially-
selected English-speaking troops
in US uniforms to iniltrate the
American lines, cut communications,
misdirect trafic and generally upset
the rapid deployment of more US
troops into the Ardennes.
American Forces
In mid-December 1944, the sector
carefully chosen by the Germans for
their attack was weakly held by just
three American infantry divisions -
the 99th, 106th and 28th. Each was
holding a front far longer that would
normally be expected and, as such,
they were stretched thin. The 99th
Infantry Division was in the north;
a new division yet to see combat, it
had only arrived in the European
Theatre of Operations (ETO) in
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Force (SHAEF) suspected that the
German Army still had the strength
to launch a major counter-offensive
and, even if they had, the hills, rivers
and forests of the Ardennes seemed an
unlikely battleield through which to
drive a major armoured counter-attack.
Also, if the Germans were planning an
offensive, then the Allies had ‘Ultra’
intelligence to warn them. The broken
German codes and signals intercepts
would mean that SHAEF would soon
hear of any plan and be able to react to
meet it. But, for once, German secrecy
held and no word of the plan leaked
through Ultra decryptions. Wacht
am Rhein, to be re-titled Operation
Herbstnebel (Autumn Mist) for the
actual attack, would have the element
of surprise.
November. The 106th Infantry
Division was in the centre; another
unbloodied, rookie division seeing
its irst deployment in the ETO. The
veteran 28th Infantry Division was
in the south, holding a ‘quiet’ sector,
recovering from its heavy losses
sustained during the Hürtgen Forest
ighting and absorbing its many new
recruits. These three divisions were
not alone, attached were the 14th
Cavalry Group, for reconnaissance
operations into Germany, and
various extra engineer battalions
for rear area logistical work. These
engineers would play a vital role in
blocking roads during the early days
of the German breakthrough.
On hand, just north of the attack
sector, was the 2nd Infantry Division,
a veteran unit, at full strength and
currently engaged in a renewed
attack towards the Roer dams. As
the nature of the German offensive
became plain, this attack into
Germany would be hastily cancelled
and the division would redeploy
south to assist the 99th Division.
Immediately behind the Ardennes
front was the 9th Armoured Division,
another green unit with very little
combat experience, acting as VIII
Corps’ reserve. Its units were spread
out, scattered behind the entire front,
while its Command A was already
committed to supporting the Roer
dams offensive. It would not ight as
a single cohesive division. Just south
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 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
German Order of Battle for the initial phase of Operation Wacht Am Rhein
6th Panzer Army
(Obergruppenführer Joseph ‘Sepp’
Dietrich)
1st SS Panzer Corps
(Obergruppenführer Herman Priess)
1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte
SS Adolf Hitler
12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Jugend
277th Volksgrenadier Division
3rd Fallschirmjäger Division
12th Volksgrenadier Division
150th Panzer Brigade
67th Corps
(Generalleutnant Otto Hitzfeld)
326th Volksgrenadier Division
of the Germans’ main attack sector,
in Luxembourg, was the veteran 4th
Infantry Division - another division
recuperating after heavy losses in the
Hürtgen Forest.
Beyond the Ardennes front, the
large US Army in the ETO was
already stretched to capacity. In
December, only two divisions were
held in strategic reserve for the entire
Western Front: the 101st and 82nd
Airborne Divisions. Every other
US division was already deployed
to its own duties and sector. One
unit that would have a big role to
play was V Corps’ reserve, the 30th
Infantry Division, situated in the
Spa area. They would be readily at
hand to deploy southwards to meet
6th Panzer Army’s advance. Two
inal reserve forces that could also
be rapidly deployed to the Ardennes
were the 7th Armoured Division’s
Combat Commands A, B and R and
10th Armoured Division’s Combat
Command B. 7th Armoured was
held as a local reserve in the Heerlen
area on the German/Dutch border.
As a fully mechanised unit, it could
be quickly directed south to meet
any enemy breakthrough and be in
place to ight in just a few days. CCB,
10th Armoured, was to the south, in
Luxembourg, and would shift north
just in time to help hold Bastogne.
Beyond this irst response, the
strength of the US Army in Europe
would soon begin to tell. More
divisions, including 3rd Armoured,
2nd Armoured and 1st, 75th and
84th Infantry would all quickly be
redeployed to Belgium, capitalising
on the important time the hard-
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5th Panzer Army
(General Hasso von Manteuffel)
47th Panzer Corps
(General Heinrich von Lüttwitz)
2nd Panzer Division
Panzer Lehr Division
26th Volksgrenadier Division
57th Panzer Corps
(General Walter Krüger)
116th Panzer Division
560th Volksgrendier Division
66th Panzer Corps
(General Walter Lucht)
18th Volksgrenadier Division
62nd Volksgrenadier Division
pressed frontline units had bought,
to establish a new front against the
panzers with fresh, well-equipped
troops that would then be facing
battle-weary and damaged enemy
units. Finally, moving up from the
south, across Luxembourg, could
come more units of Patton’s Third
Army, led by his favoured 4th
Armoured Division.
The Attack Plan
At approximately 5.30am on the
night of December 16th, the German
guns, mortars and rocket artillery
opened ire with a heavy preliminary
bombardment of the forward US
positions, in preparation for the
infantry attacks to follow. The eastern
skyline lit up with thousands of
muzzle lashes as a prelude to the
surprise offensive along its 160km
front. As the artillery thundered
in the pre-dawn darkness, the
irst German infantry began their
advance. It was dark, damp and
misty. In some places, there had been
a light snowfall but, as yet, the full
winter snows hadn’t arrived. Heavier
snow would not begin to fall over
most of the Ardennes until December
American Order of Battle for the opening phase of
Operation Wacht Am Rhein
First US Army
(Lt General Courtney Hodges)
v Corps
(Major General Leonard Gerow)
2nd Infantry Division
99th Infantry Division
30th Infantry Division
7th Army
(General Erich Brandenberger)
80th Corps
(General Franz Beyer)
212th Volksgrenadier Division
276th Volksgrenadier Division
340th Volksgrenadier Division
85th Corps
(General Baptist Kneiss)
5th Fallschirmjäger Division
352nd Volksgrenadier Division
21st, ive days into the offensive.
Behind the opening barrage the
infantry would use the cover of the
shelling and darkness to move up
and iniltrate through the American
front lines. After dawn, they
would then attack the surrounded
enemy positions and seize the road
networks, vital for the panzer units
still waiting to follow them. The irst
day or two would see the German
Volksgrenadiers take advantage of
the surprise to seize more villages,
road junctions and bridges and clear
the way for the waiting second wave.
Their irst task was to push open the
door.
The second wave would be the
panzers and their supporting mobile
infantry and artillery. With the door
pushed open, the panzers would then
crash through it and, following their
pre-described routes west, rapidly
cleave through the weak American
rear echelons to break through and
strike for the Meuse bridges. They
had to move fast, getting across that
major river was the irst priority
before the next phase of the offensive
could begin, when the reserve
vIII Corps
(Major General Troy Middleton)
106th Infantry Division
28th Infantry Division
4th Infantry Division
9th Armoured Division

armoured forces would take over and
push on north for Antwerp and the
coast.
These reserve armoured forces,
including 2nd SS Panzer, 9th SS
Panzer, 3rd and 15th Panzergrenadier
divisions and the Führer Begleit
(Escort) Brigade, were not be used for
the initial exploitation; their combat
strength had to be husbanded for the
battles still to come. In the event, with
no clean breakthrough, most of these
units were committed earlier than
anticipated to assist the drive for the
bridges.
A inal element of the attack plan was
the Luftwaffe. Powerful air support
was promised (as it always was)
but (as usual) almost completely
failed to materialise. The weather
conditions, chosen to ground US
air support, would do likewise to
the Luftwaffe but, even as the skies
cleared, German ground attack
aircraft would be a rare sight over the
Ardennes. Their main contribution
would be for Operation Bodenplatte
(Baseplate), on January 1st 1945. In
an ambitious attempt to cripple the
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Allied air forces in northern Europe, Above: 12th SS Panzer’s grenadiers loot superior
the Luftwaffe would gather over American boots from casualties, after the surprise
900 aircraft to simultaneously attack attack overran unsuspecting US forward positions.
airields in France, Holland and
Belgium and catch enemy aircraft on
the ground. The mission had only
very limited success. Allied losses the enemy operation was and many
of some 200-300 aircraft were made units reported their situations to be
good in about two or three weeks. ‘holding’ and ‘under control’.
German losses of some 300 aircraft
could not be replaced. Bodenplatte Back at SHAEF, near Paris, General
would almost break the Luftwaffe Dwight Eisenhower, the overall
and German forces on the ground felt Allied commander, did suspect from
almost no respite for the sacriice. the irst reports reaching him that
the German effort was something
larger than a local counter-attack.
He immediately took steps to
The First American Response
reinforce the Ardennes front,
After the irst day’s attacks it was
releasing elements of 7th Armoured
still unclear to the US commanders
Division to the north and 10th
how large or serious the German
Armoured Division to the south
offensive was. General Omar
(much to Patton’s disapproval) to
Bradley, commander of the Twelfth
quickly move to counter the irst
Army Group, which comprised the
German penetrations. This swift
majority of US troops in north-west
precautionary action would go a long
Europe, had expected a local, spoiling
way towards slowing and eventually
counter-attack in response to his
halting the enemy offensive.
on-going Roer dams offensive and
it seemed like this attack might well
The Americans had not faced a major
be it. Even to the three US infantry
panzer attack on the offensive’s
divisions engaged in the ighting,
irst day so the threat seemed less
it was still unclear how extensive
9
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

than it actually was. Therefore, after
the initial 24 hours’ ighting, there
was little sense of urgency or of an
impending crisis. It was not until
the following days that the enemy
plans began to come into focus and
the scale of the attack started to be
recognised. Only then would steps be
taken to move up reserve troops and
free other divisions to deploy into the
Germans’ path west.
At the front, caught by surprise, some
small American units had quickly
folded or retreated in panic, but
many more had stood and fought and
had offered sterner resistance than
the Germans had expected from the
‘weakest’ of their Allied enemies. In
small villages and at road junctions,
US infantry companies and platoons
(often ad hoc units of armed cooks,
clerks and MPs), reinforced by a
few tanks, had already slowed the
German advance and many had paid
the ultimate price for their bravery.
Some artillery units, caught unawares
by iniltrating enemy infantry, had
been forced to lower their guns to
minimum range and ire over open
sights at the encroaching enemy.
Many of these smaller ‘road-block’
positions had become isolated as
German troops moved around them
and pushed on west, leaving them
cut-off and ighting alone for the next
few days, before either escaping or
surrendering.
6TH PANZER ARMY
IN THE NORTH
Failure at Elsenborn Ridge
Held by the US 99th Infantry
Division’s three infantry regiments,
the northern shoulder of the offensive
had the shortest distance to cover to
reach the Meuse west of Liège, over
the forested Elsenborn Ridge. The
initial attack would be conducted by
the 12th and 277th Volksgrenadier
Divisions, with the 12th SS Panzer
Division behind, ready to advance to
exploit the infantry’s breakthrough
and, once over the ridge, utilise the
improved road network (aided by
a link-up with Operation Stosser
– see below) to quickly reach the
Meuse bridges and establish the
irst bridgeheads towards Antwerp.
For ten days, the Germans would
repeatedly attack the American
defences on and around the ridge,
and for ten days they would be
rebuffed by a steadfast defence by,
irst, the 99th Infantry Division and
then the 2nd , 1st and 9th Infantry
Divisions.

1. Elsenborn Ridge 9. 2nd Panzer

attacks 10. Panzer Lehr
2. Operation Stösser 11. 5th Fallschirmjåger
3. Kampfgruppe 12. 7th Army attacks
Peiper 13. Siege of Bastogne
4. Kampfgruppe 14. 116th Panzer
Hansen second advance
5. Schnee Eifel 15. 2nd SS Panzer
encirclement 16. 2nd Panzer and
6. Battle of St Vith Panzer Lehr
7. Vielsalm pocket advance to Celles
8. 116th Panzer

10

vOLKSGRENADIER
DIvISIONS
The heavy defeat in Normandy and
the almost complete destruction of
Army Group Centre in Belorussia
and the Ukraine in summer 1944 saw
both the German Western and Eastern
fronts in crisis and rapidly retreating.
To help replace the lost divisions
and their manpower, OKW quickly
conceived and recruited a new type
of division. They were to be named
Volksgrenadier (People’s Grenadier),
to better appeal to the population’s
sense of national unity and tradition.
The new divisions would have a new
order of battle, cutting a division’s
manpower requirement from almost
17,000 in the old pattern infantry
divisions, to just 10,000 for the
Volksgrenadiers. The manpower
would be drawn from the survivors
of shattered infantry units, as well as
by combing-out support units from
the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine;
renaming second line ‘fortress’
battalions (designated to occupy
the West Wall defences) and by
conscripting Volksdeutsche, foreigners
with ethnic German heritage that
had previously not been eligible for
conscription for military service,
notably Poles and Czechs.
The Volksgrenadier division’s
primary role would be defensive, to
help protect the borders of Germany.
The cut in manpower would be
compensated for by an increase in
overall irepower, with additional
After a preliminary bombardment,
Volksgrenadier infantry initially
advanced and seized routes through
the forests east of Elsenborn and,
supported by tanks of 12th SS Panzer
Division’s Kampfgruppe Müller,
forced the 99th Division’s frontlines
to withdraw to twin villages in
front of the ridge itself. Krinkelt and
Rocherath would become the key
positions in the ensuing days’ battles,
with the Americans holding them
against repeated direct attacks and
attempts to encircle their positions
to the north and south. Shermans
of 741st Tank Battalion (attached
to 99th Infantry Division) became
heavily engaged with the panzers
and suffered severe losses in the irst
three days.
automatic weapons (many of them
captured) and issuing the new
Sturmgewehr 44 assault riles in large
numbers. The new divisions each
had three Volksgrenadier regiments,
each with two battalions, whilst the
supporting artillery regiment would
have four battalions. Many of their
weapons would also be captured ones,
especially Russian ield guns and
howitzers, of which the Germans had
very large stockpiles. One artillery
battery was to be equipped with
lighter weapons: 75mm leFK 18s or
FK40s, or captured Russian 76.2mm
ield guns. Each division would also
have its own anti-tank battalion
(again, captured Russian guns would
be ielded alongside German ones),
an engineering battalion and a
reconnaissance battalion, with much
of its infantry on bicycles. There was
a chronic shortage of trucks for the
Volksgrenadiers but, given their
primarily defensive role, this was not
seen as major problem.
Conscription of the Volksgrenadiers
began at the start of September 1944
and recruits were given just six week
basic training before being shipped
to their units – and much of this
‘training’ involved clearing rubble in
Germany’s bombed cities. When the
plan for an offensive in the Ardennes
was conceived, Hitler ordered that
the newly-forming Volksgrenadier
divisions be ear-marked for the attack
and not deployed to hold the front
lines (ironic, given they had been
created for a defensive role). For their
new role leading the offensive and
The Shermans fought the Jagdpanzer
IVs of 12th SS Anti-Tank Battalion
at point-blank ranges in the streets
of Rocherath. Disguised in the thick
mist around the twin villages, US
infantry armed with bazookas also
exacted serious losses on the panzers.
By midday on the 17th, the Elsenborn
Ridge positions were being
constantly attacked by elements of
three German divisions. It was clear
that holding the twin villages was
vital to the defenders and massed US
artillery ire was directed to screen
them from German assaults. Troops
of the 2nd Infantry Division were also
recalled from their own offensive and
quickly sent south as reinforcements.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
creating the irst breakthroughs for the
following panzer units to exploit, they
would be reinforced by supporting
assault guns.
Despite their new name, new order
of battle and new equipment, the
Volksgrenadiers were really nothing
more than a renaming of the infantry
divisions and fulilled exactly the
same roles. So poor were many of
the recruits that the Allies came to
regard Volksgrenadiers as second-rate
formations, even though the Germans
regarded them as regular units. By
the end of the war, 89 Volksgrenadier
divisions had been rapidly recruited.
Using the volksgrenadier
Army List in 1945
This book contains an army list for
the Volksgrenadiers, designed for use
in games set in the Ardennes battles
against the Americans in late 1944 and
early 1945. Volksgrenadier divisions
remained in combat on the Eastern
and Western fronts until the end of the
war and, as such, the list can also be
used for battles in Germany in 1945 as
an alternative to the Defenders of the
Reich army list (see the Fall of the Reich
supplement). As noted in that book,
when using Panzer, Infantry and
Fallschirmjäger lists in 1944, this army
list must then use the Fall of the Reich
Battle Rating counters and also use
the Defenders of the Reich Defences
and Additional Fire Support sections
instead of its own. In addition, in
1945, a ‘Greif’ iniltration team cannot
be used, as they are speciic to the
Ardennes offensive.
On December 18th, the furious
assault was renewed, including
attacks by the Jagdpanthers of
560th Heavy Anti-Tank Battalion.
Again, massed artillery was the
Americans’ saviour, with the guns
now positioned behind the ridge
and providing withering barrages
on demand. The American tanks
continue to suffer heavy losses but
their sacriices were buying valuable
time for more US reinforcements to
reach the Elsenborn area, including
the veteran 1st Infantry Division, now
digging in on the ridge itself to add
depth to the American frontline.
The lost time was critical for the
Germans, as ever more frantic orders
were coming down the chain of
11
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
command to capture the villages
and ridge. Obersturmbannführer
Hugo Kraas, commander of 12th SS
Panzer Division, was given overall
command of the Elsenborn operation,
but his forces had already suffered
heavy losses in the irst days and,
increasingly, the Americans were
reinforcing their positions, digging
in with more men and guns. Any
chance of capturing the ridge was
fading by the day.
12th SS Panzer shifted their attack
south, to open up the main road
from Bullingen and Malmedy, via
the village of Butgenbach. There
was very heavy ighting around
Butgenbach as the panzers launched
repeated attacks, only to be repelled
each time. Meanwhile, ighting
continued in Krinkelt and Rocherath
as well.
Only on December 19th did the US
defenders inally abandon the twin
OPERATION GREIF
Hitler’s favoured trouble-shooter
and special operations expert,
SS Obersturmbannführer Otto
Skorzeny, was given command
of a covert mission designated
Operation Greif. Skorzeny was
ordered to recruit a unit, under the
cover name Panzer Brigade 150, for
operations behind enemy lines. The
men would have to speak English,
preferably with a US accent, and
would be quickly trained in the
use of American equipment and in
US orders of battle. Disguised in
US uniforms and issued with US
equipment, their role would be to
iniltrate into the American rear
and sow confusion, sabotage road
routes used by US reinforcements
and seize vital objectives before
the panzers could arrive, including
some of the Meuse bridges.
In the weeks before the attack,
Panzer Brigade 150 gathered
together captured American
uniforms (most taken from
prisoners of war), weapons and
vehicles, including jeeps, trucks and
armoured vehicles. There were not
enough vehicles for the proposed
scale of the operation - only a
single working Sherman tank could
be found - so, as an emergency
measure, Skorzeny had a few
12
villages, to pull back behind a new
main line of resistance, with the 9th
Infantry Division now arriving to
support the dug-in 1st Division.
The Germans, now desperate to
get their failing attack moving,
committed the 3rd Panzergrenadier
Division from the reserve, but even
their assistance was not enough to
break through the US 1st Infantry
Division’s defences on the Elsenborn
Ridge, which commanded excellent
ields of observation and ire. Each
German attack was met with a deluge
of artillery and anti-tank ire. The
artillery concentrations were now
so great as to make the Elsenborn
position all but unassailable.
Still, Kraas tried again, with two
more big attacks. The inal attack, led
by 277th Volksgrenadier Division
on December 26th, was smashed
by artillery ire before it had even
got started. To add to the German
woes, the clearing skies were now
German vehicles converted to mimic
US versions. Panther turrets were
altered with mild steel plates to look
like(ish) M10 tank destroyers whilst
StuG assault guns and German-
made Ford trucks were painted
green and given large Allied white
stars.
All this equipment was to support
6th Panzer Army’s attack, with
the commando units joining the
American retreat in disguise and
then spreading confusion by
redirecting trafic, marking false
mineields, turning road signs
around, destroying supply dumps
and gathering intelligence on
the arrival of US reinforcements.
Some teams would be equipped
with demolition equipment to
destroy bridges that the Americans
would be using. Other teams were
to prevent bridges from being
destroyed by removing any enemy
demolition charges.
Each man knew that, if caught
ighting in enemy uniform, he could
be shot as a spy but the exact nature
of the mission was kept secret. Some
of the volunteers believed they were
to iniltrate across France to relieve
the besieged garrison at Dunkirk;
others that their mission was to
reach Paris and attack the Allied
supreme headquarters itself. Only a
dominated by US ighter-bombers.
In ten days of ighting on the
northern shoulder of the ‘Bulge’, the
Germans had failed to break through
and suffered a heavy defeat. In all,
ive German divisions had been badly
mauled in the battle for Elsenborn,
including the 12th SS Panzer and 3rd
Panzergrenadier divisions. Elsenborn
Ridge, just 18km from the German
start lines, never fell.
Kampfgruppe Peiper
1st SS Panzer Division’s race
to the Meuse would be led by
Kampfgruppe Peiper, built around
1st SS Panzer Regiment. A potent
force, including King Tiger tanks, the
elite SS battlegroup would strike via
the Losheim Gap, along the Ambleve
river valley, moving fast to secure
important bridges and capitalise on
the Americans’ initial confusion.
Their target was any of the Meuse
bridges that remained intact between
few days before the mission began
were the unit commanders inally
briefed on the exact plan to support
Wacht am Rhein.
In the event, Operation Greif was
only a limited success. A few Greif
teams may have reached the Meuse
bridges but in such small numbers
they could do little once there.
Given the nature of the mission, it
is still unclear if some attempted
acts of sabotage on bridges were
conducted by Greif teams or
actually by US engineers with
orders to block roads and destroy
bridges anyway. The disguised
armour was a complete failure,
all being discovered and knocked
out en route. However, while the
commandos achieved few practical
results, they did have a far wider
psychological effect. Rumours of
iniltrators spread like wildire
through US ranks. Suspicion
became rife and sentries quizzed
all they stopped about baseball
teams or US state capitals. Even
their own generals were stopped
and interrogated - one was arrested.
There were also a couple of friendly
ire incidents when paranoid US
troops opened ire on their own
men. One Greif team was captured
and three of them were executed by
iring squad as spies.

Liège and Huy. After a rapid and
bold penetration, the Kampfgruppe
became stalled, and then surrounded,
in heavy ighting in the vicinity
of the villages of Stoumont and
La Gleize. Out of fuel and with
no hope of a relief force or fresh
supplies reaching them, the unit’s
commander, Obersturmbannführer
Joachim Peiper, was eventually
forced to escape the pocket he was
trapped in on foot, abandoning all his
vehicles, equipment and wounded
men. Moving by night, the SS men
eventually found their way back to
German lines but, despite achieving
the deepest penetration of US lines
by any unit of 6th Panzer Army, they
only ever got about halfway to their
objectives.
Whilst Peiper was surrounded
at La Gleize, two other 1st SS
units, Kampfgruppe Sandig and
Schnellgruppe Knittel, were ighting
to keep his vital line of supply open,
around Stavelot and Trois Ponts.
The Americans cut the supply route
forwards when they recaptured
Stavelot and demolished the bridge.
En route west, the military discipline
of much-vaunted men of the
Leibstandarte had failed them,
and they instituted a campaign of
terror against the ‘weak’ American
defenders and Belgian civilians.
There were repeated executions of
prisoners of war (notably, but not
only, at the Malmedy Massacre) and
deliberate attacks on civilians in
which Belgian women and children
were executed in cold blood. They
were the terror tactics the SS had
become used to on the Eastern Front,
where they had habitually burned
villages and massacred civilians.
Designed to intimate the enemy,
it probably had the opposite effect
and only increased their resolve
and a desire for revenge. There was
no doubt that Pieper and his senior
oficers knew full well what their
men were doing and gave tacit
approval to it. After the war, Peiper
and many of his oficers and men
would be charged with war crimes
and put on trial for their illegal and
immoral conduct during the Battle of
the Bulge. With damning evidence
against them, most were found
guilty.
Far from being the glorious, elite,
iercely loyal and battle-hardened
soldiers that their later reputation
would suggest, many SS men proved
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Above: A Jagdpanzer IV of 1st SS Panzer
Division’s anti-tank battalion, photographed by a
propaganda unit during Kampfgruppe Hansen’s
advance towards Poteaux.
themselves to be little more than
vicious fascist thugs, allowed to give
full rein to their worst instincts by
their Nazi oficers.
Peiper’s offensive is covered in full
detail in the campaign section, ‘Drive
Fast and Hold the Reins Loose’.
Kampfgruppe Hansen
Just south of Peiper’s planned route
to the Meuse, a second Kampfgruppe
of 1st SS Panzer Division was also
moving west. Built around 1st SS
Panzergrenadier Regiment, with
supporting anti-tank and anti-
aircraft guns and artillery including
Nebelwerfer rocket launchers,
the unit’s initial attack irst saw it
advance rapidly through the villages
of Hallschlag, Ormont and Kehr.
By mid-afternoon on December
17th it had occupied Amel and its
vanguard had reached Born. On
December 18th, it surprised a column
of vehicles belonging to the US
14th Cavalry Group on the road to
13
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
OPERATION STÖSSER
A second special operation
to support the offensive was
designated Operation Stösser
(Auk). It would be an airborne
drop, using paratroopers to capture
important roads and road junctions
just ahead of 6th Panzer Army’s
northern advance. It would be
led by the veteran Fallschirmjäger
commander Oberst Friedrich von
der Heydte. He was ordered to
enlist a special battalion of 900
experienced men, recruited from
across all Fallschirmjäger units,
who had combat jump experience
or at least parachute training (the
Fallschirmjäger had not been used
as airborne troops since 1941).
The mission would be a night
drop into the Hohes Venn area,
ahead of 12th SS Panzer Division’s
planned route of advance through
Elsenborn. 27 Ju-52s transports
were found to carry the men and
their equipment drop pods. The
mission went badly awry from the
start. Von der Heydte had warned
that, without pilots experienced in
airborne operations (the Germans
had none), the plan was highly
unlikely to succeed as, without tight
formation lying, his men would be
scattered. In reply, Field Marshal
Walter Model, Wacht am Rhein’s
overall ield commander, asked if
von der Heydte felt his mission had
a 10% chance of success, to which
he agreed. That was good enough
as the entire Wacht am Rhein
operation also had, in Model’s
Poteau and destroyed all the enemy
light armour in detail. However,
they then ran into units of the
rapidly-deploying US 7th Armoured
Division’s Combat Command R
(Reserve) near the village of Recht,
where Kampfgruppe Hansen was
halted for the next two days by heavy
ighting. The Kampfgruppe’s men
did succeed in pushing CCR back
and capturing Poteau itself but they
were then ordered to disengage and
ind another route west, via Wanne.
They were replaced at Poteau by
fresh elements of 9th SS Panzer
Division, moved up from reserve,
who continued the ight for the town
against a counter-attack by CCA of
7th Armoured Division.
14
opinion, a mere 10% chance of
success - but it was the only chance
they had as every other option
would mean eventual defeat for
Germany.
As predicted, the inexperience of the
Ju-52 pilots proved critical. After a
24 hour delay because the aircraft
weren’t ready, the drop still went
ahead (at the front, the SS armour
still hadn’t advanced as far as had
been planned, so the Stösser plan
was still viable). En route, two
aircraft were shot down by US air
defences. The route from the airield
was lit by searchlights and tracer
ire on the ground, for the pilots to
follow, but, after the irst wave of
aircraft passed, the ground lights
were mistakenly turned off. The
second wave of aircraft got lost and
the pilots panicked (200 men were
dropped near Bonn!).
The irst wave of aircraft attempted
to ind the actual drop zone but
the rookie navigators had got to
the front by dead reckoning, not
taking into account the wind speed
(miscalculated by the Luftwaffe’s
meteorologists anyway) they had
lown into. As a result, most of
the paratroops missed the target
area. Von der Heydte himself,
in the irst aircraft, hit the mark,
but then collected just 25 men. By
dawn, he had gathered around
100 men, still not enough for the
mission, although the number
would rise to about 200 over the
next few days as stragglers arrived.
Moving west again, over dificult
secondary roads and forest tracks,
Kampfgruppe Hansen then made
its way through Wanne and on to
the Trois-Pont/Petit-Spa area. After
skirmishing in the woods with
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment’s
forward lines and being repulsed
when trying to cross the Salm river,
Sturmbannführer Hansen was
ordered to attempt to relieve the
surrounded Kampfgruppe Peiper
at La Gleize. Whilst crossing the
small bridge over the Ambleve river
at Petit-Spa, the weight of one of
the Jagdpanzer IVs caused the light
bridge to collapse into the river,
taking the tank destroyer with it.
The rest of the men crossed on the
remains of the bridge but heavier
The Fallschirmjäger had no radio
equipment to communicate their
situation and only enough weapons
and ammunition for a single
engagement with the enemy. Von
der Heydte planned that this would
be the battle to seize and hold the
Haut-Beaumal road junction, when
he heard the 12th SS approaching.
But the advancing armour of 12th SS
Panzer never got past Elsenborn to
reach him and the Fallschirmjäger
stragglers, cut off with no more
supplies, withdrew north and set up
an all-round defence in the woods
north of the village of Drossarf.
Their rations then ran out (each
man had carried just 24 hours worth
and stretched it to 48 hours) and
now they had nothing left to eat. A
supply drop that found them landed
only water (something they had
plenty of all around them, as it was
snowing).
After being located by a US patrol
acting on rumours that paratroops
had landed, von der Heydte order
his men to move eastward, back
towards German lines. After
another ire ight in the woods,
with the ammunition now almost
gone, he ordered his hungry, weary
survivors to split into small teams
of two or three men and make their
own way back to German lines.
About 100 made it, including the
commander himself. The others
were captured or surrendered en
route. Operation Stösser had been a
iasco and achieved nothing.
equipment had to be left on the
south bank. Over the next two days,
an attempt by the Kampfgruppe’s
pioneers to build a pontoon bridge
at Petit-Spa was thwarted by US
artillery ire.
Regardless, Hansen’s infantrymen
then attacked into the hills north of
the Ambleve river valley, advancing
north-west. They briely captured
the village of Biester and fought a
battle for the village of Ster. They
also overran the village of Aret de
Coo and captured a forward aid post,
destroying at least two of the M5
light tanks left to guard the hamlet.
But, lacking heavy armour (it could
not get across the river), the SS men
could not drive ‘Taskforce Lovelady’

further back. Unable to break through
the Americans’ thickening ring of
forces around Peiper, the battle in the
woods raged all day on December
23rd, including Nebelwerfer strikes
and heavy mortaring, but it all gained
Hansen’s men little ground. When
Kampfgruppe Peiper abandoned
La Gleize and escaped, Hansen’s
under-equipped relief attempt was
also aborted and his men fell back to
the south, back across the Ambleve
river (which was wadeable in places).
They had failed to reach the Meuse
and then failed to break through to
Peiper’s stricken Kampfgruppe.
5TH PANZER ARMY
IN THE CENTRE
Surrender on the Schnee Eifel
The upland area east of the river Our
known as the Schnee Eifel was part of
the long, weakly-held front manned
by the US 106th Infantry Division.
When the offensive began, the 18th
and 62nd Volksgrenadiers’ plan of
assault included an attack from the
north and south to surround the area
and capture the Our river bridges
beyond, thus sealing the American
forces into a pocket and opening the
way towards the vital road hub town
of St Vith. Within the pocket would
be large a proportion of the 106th
Division, including the 422nd and
423rd Infantry Regiments and much
of the division’s artillery support.
The initial German attack in the
north went well, capturing the
village of Auw, and, to the south,
Bleialt was captured but then quickly
lost to an American counter-attack,
stalling the encirclement. The 293rd
Volksgrenadier Regiment was given
very urgent instructions to retake the
village, and did so on the morning of
December 17th. The US commanders
within the developing pocket did
not see their imminent danger and
held their positions. Divisional HQ
had given its regiments east of the
Our orders to withdraw but, in
the confusion, these hadn’t been
followed. It was only when the
German advance reached the town
of Schonberg and captured the
bridge over the Our there that the
impending threat become obvious.
Still, the US reaction was slow. The
Americans did start to pull out of
the Schnee Eifel, but not with much
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
urgency. The German advance from
the south continued rapidly until the
two pincers met at Schonberg and
sealed the pocket.
Trapped within it were almost 9,000
US troops, who, after a couple of days
of being surrounded, were running
short of supplies and ammunition.
Artillery and mortar shells, in
particular, had completely run out.
Several weak attempts were made
to escape west, but each was thrown
back by the reinforced Germans
holding the ring. On December 19th,
cut-off, out of supplies and with no
relief effort forthcoming to save them,
the American units began to destroy
their weapons and surrender.
It was the largest military defeat
suffered by the American military in
Europe, and the second largest of the
entire war, after the surrender to the
Japanese at Bataan in the Philippines
in 1942. The mass surrender also left
Below: US anti-tank gunners manhandle their 57mm
gun. Winter conditions and heavy armoured vehicles
would quickly turn the narrow roads into quagmires.
15
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
a large hole through the centre of the
US frontline in the Ardennes, into
which they would scramble to throw
any available forces to hold back the
German tide.
Cometh the Our
South of the Schnee Eifel, the
Germans directly faced the River
Our, along which ran the long front
line of the 28th Infantry Division,
stretching down into northern
Luxembourg. In the north of their
sector, the line was held by 112th
Infantry Regiment. At Ouren, the
German, Belgian and Luxembourg
borders meet and here 116th
Panzer Division (Windhund) would
spearhead the offensive, supported
by the 560th Volksgrenadier Division.
Their combined initial infantry
attacks seized bridges over the Our at
Reuland, Oberhausen and Ouren but
the latter was found to be unable to
support 116th Panzer’s heavy tanks
and they had to move south to ind a
new route across the river. Over the
coming days, and despite light US
resistance, the Windhund division’s
advance would be dogged by
further such delays and frustrations:
repeated small roadblocks, clogged
roads, blown bridges and orders
from corps commanders to retrace
their steps as the division’s three
Kampfgruppen struggled slowly
west on a winding route. Quickly
realising they were facing a far larger
force, the US 112th Infantry Regiment
offered a limited defence and then
fell back. Soon cut-off from their own
28th Infantry Division to the south,
they withdrew north-west until they
eventually joined the defenders of St
Vith.
On the irst days of the attack, 116th
Panzer Division should have had an
easier route and could have broken
through altogether but they suffered
chronic fuel shortages. Only the
fortuitous capture of a 30,000 gallon
American fuel dump at Samree, on
December 20th, allowed them to
continue their drive at all, and then
they ran headlong into the deploying
taskforces of the US 3rd Armoured
Division’s Combat Command R. By
then, the Windhund had already
captured the crossroads towns of
Houffalize and La Roche with its
bridges over the river Ourthe. The
Americans tried to counter-attack to
retake Samree but were thrown back
16
in a battle north of Dochamp, whilst
the 116th Panzer’s Kampfgruppe
Bayer became embroiled in heavy
ighting for Hotton and Dochamp
against the 51st Combat Engineers
Battalion and tanks of 3rd
Armoured’s Taskforce Hogan and
Taskforce Orr. Here, the 116th’s drive
west was stalled, until the division
received orders to move south again
and begin a new drive from the
Ourthe river bridge at La Roche.
The centre of the 28th Infantry
Division’s front line was actually on
high ground between the Our and
Clerf river valleys (just to the west),
with only outposts on the Our itself.
These outposts were withdrawn to
safety each night. This procedure
had been noted by the German
commanders - their troops could get
across the Our unseen and, under
cover of darkness and the morning
mists, begin iniltrating through the
28th’s frontlines, in order to get to the
bridges over the Clerf beyond.
Behind the German infantry,
engineers spent the irst day building
two heavy pontoon bridges at
Dasburg and Gemünd to allow the
tanks and vehicles of 2nd Panzer and
the Panzer Lehr divisions to cross the
Our. By the time they were across,
and after having negotiated the
narrow tracks out of the Our valley,
the Clerf bridges should already be
in German hands, so the panzers
could then speed to their irst main
objective on the way to the Meuse,
the road hub town of Bastogne.
Cutting short the preliminary
bombardment, 26th Volksgrenadier
Division’s infantry and some
dismounted Panzergrenadiers of
2nd Panzer crossed the Our in boats
in darkness and moved cautiously
west, around the US garrisons
holding the villages of Heinerscheid,
Marnach, Hosingen, Consthum and
Holzthum. In the morning mists,
there was skirmishing and a few
small engagements, but the Germans
were content to leave the isolated US
positions to following troops. They
surrounded Marnach and Hosingen.
In the early hours of December 17th,
with the two pontoon bridges now
complete, the two waiting panzer
divisions were unleashed to drive
for Bastogne and the Meuse beyond.
December 17th saw the US positions
at Holzthum, Weiler, Munhausen and
Marnach all attacked and overrun.
A brief counter-attack by Sherman
tanks of the 707th Tank Battalion
(attached to the 28th Infantry) was
launched towards Marnach, but
it was repulsed by the 2nd Panzer
Division’s tanks. Soon after, there
was heavy ighting in Clervaux,
on the Clerf river, with tanks of
2nd Panzer shelling the town and
the US troops of the 110th Infantry
Regiment’s HQ being pushed back
until they only held the town’s
castle, whilst the bridge fell into
German hands and was soon open
to westward trafic. Colonel Fuller,
commanding the 110th Infantry
Regiment, escaped Clervaux but
was captured two days later trying
to get back to American lines. Now,
28th Infantry Division’s commander,
Major-General Norman Cota, saw
the full scale of the offensive he
was facing and realised his single
division was ighting alone against
at least ive advancing German ones
(including three well-equipped
Panzer divisions). The 28th Infantry’s
regiments began to swiftly fall back
before the tide, whilst, behind them,
units of CCR, 9th Armoured Division,
scrambled to establish roadblocks on
the main routes west, with Taskforces
Rose, Harper and Hayze.
The race for Bastogne now began
in earnest. With the 28th Infantry
in some disarray, US commanders
searched for any available unit to hold
the vital town. The 101st Airborne
Division, then resting as SHAEF’s
theatre reserve back in Mourmelon
in France, was urgently ordered to
move via road to Bastogne. There
was no time for anything beyond
basic preparations, its men were
short of supplies, ammunition and
winter clothing, but needs must,
and the Screaming Eagles’ truck
convoys were soon racing through
the night for southern Belgium. Also
en route for Bastogne was CCB,
10th Armoured Division, just now
reluctantly released from Patton’s
command in Luxembourg. They sped
north and reported to VIII Corps
headquarters in Bastogne. A plan was
hatched to deploy the arriving tanks
and armoured infantry in three more
taskforce roadblocks, north, north-east
and east of Bastogne. Respectively,
these were Taskforces Desobry,
Cherry and O’Hara.

Coming the other way were the
2nd Panzer Division and the Panzer
Lehr, who had crossed the Clerf
at the village of Drauffelt after
it was attacked and captured by
26th Volksgrenadier’s advance.
Both panzer spearheads were on
a collision course with the US
armoured roadblocks. On December
18th, Taskforce Rose, CCR, 9th
Armoured, was destroyed in detail
by 2nd Panzer Division’s vanguard
east of Allerborn. Likewise, near
Fetsch, Taskforce Harper lost 24
Shermans and its commander that
evening as it, too, was surrounded
and overrun. Longvilly, just held by
Taskforce Cherry, looked set to be the
scene of the next encounter, but 2nd
Panzer Division turned north-west to
move around Bastogne to the north,
following their prescribed route to
the Meuse. If Longvilly had fallen,
Bastogne, just 10km behind, was all
but undefended.
Further south, Taskforce Hayze held
the village of Derenbach, but it was
also bottled up and then annihilated
by the Panzer Lehr Division’s
vanguard. The Lehr division’s swift
advance then bogged down when its
lead tanks took a wrong turn up a
farm track and had to move cross-
country in quagmire conditions. On
December 19th they took the village
of Neffe from Taskforce Cherry
and they were ighting just east of
Mageret, just 6km from Bastogne.
Attacks on Marvie and then on
Wardin were repulsed by Taskforce
O’Hara, but the Lehr division moved
south-west around the town – its
reconnaissance battalion reached St
Hubert unhindered. The noose was
tightening around Bastogne.
Even as it did so, on December
19th, the irst of 101st Airborne’s
troops had arrived and were quickly
marching through Bastogne. The
501st Parachute Infantry and 327th
Glider Infantry Regiments established
new blocking positions in a ring
east and south of the town, from
Bizory to Senonchamp. The 506th
and 502nd Parachute Infantry would
soon follow them to hold the line
to the north and north-west, at Foy,
Noville and Longchamp. Bastogne
had been held just long enough
to get a solid defence in place, but
now, with German forces already
north, east and south of the town
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
and still moving west, the Americans was an important early objective for
would soon be trapped. The cold 5th Panzer Army’s advance. After
paratroopers dug-in for a siege. the US 106th Infantry Division’s
surrender, there was not a lot in
7TH ARMY IN THE SOUTH the American reserve to ill the gap
left by their defeat. The irst unit
Holding the Southern Shoulder
dispatched to St Vith was CCB,
The role of General Erich
7th Armoured Division. Moving
Brandenburger’s 7th Army in the
south from Heerlen, via two routes
Wacht am Rhein offensive was to
secure and screen the southern lank which cut directly across the path
of 6th Panzer Army’s advance,
of the main attack sector and hold
the American tanks, armoured
it against the arrival of American
infantry, self-propelled artillery and
reinforcements from the south, thus
supporting units had the speed and
freeing 5th Panzer Army’s divisions
mobility to reach their objectives
to drive west at speed and not to be
with only a few run-ins with the
too concerned with their exposed
lank security. Apart from one advancing Germans that crossed their
path along the way. The unit’s move
Fallschirmjäger division, 7th Army
was mostly delayed by retreating
consisted entirely of Volksgrenadier
US units blocking the roads, but
divisions and its limited attacks
the tanks forced their way south
would drive south-west into
throughout December 17th.
Luxembourg, gaining no more than
10-15km, and pin US units down
By December 18th, CCB, 7th
and, hopefully, draw in local enemy
Armoured had arrived in strength
reinforcements.
and was rapidly deploying east
7th Army’s irst task was to get across of St Vith, supporting the sole
surviving regiment of the 106th (the
the Our and Sûre rivers, along which
424th Infantry Regiment had been
their frontline ran. Then, once across,
left to hold the town alone against
their engineers would build bridges
two advancing German divisions).
to bring the artillery and the army’s
Fortunately, the German advance had
few armoured vehicles into the battle.
been slowed by its own huge trafic
Under cover of darkness and thick
jams on the roads west, the need to
mist, Volksgrenadiers crossed the
bring up horse-drawn artillery and in
rivers in rubber boats and moved
south-west amid heavy ighting for dealing with the Schnee Eifel pocket.
The 18th and 62nd Volksgrenadiers
the villages of Diekirch, Bedufort,
only probed west towards St Vith as
Echternach and Diekweiler.
their forces regrouped for the main
assault. Meanwhile, the defenders
Only 5th Fallschirmjäger Division
would make signiicant gains into reinforced their positions when the
112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th
Belgium, advancing on, and then
Infantry Division, retreating from the
capturing, the town of Wiltz, before
Our river valley, was added to the
moving west towards Bastogne
defender’s ring around St Vith. The
and helping surround the town
defence was anchored along a ridge
to the south. But even this success
was a failure for a screening force; of hills known as the Prumerberg. It
was not until December 21st that the
being a foot-bound division they
Germans were ready for a maximum
had little hope of being able to keep
effort assault to capture the town.
pace with the motorised panzer
troops advancing to their north. 5th
To assist this effort the two
Fallschirmjäger did achieve their
Volksgrenadier divisions had been
objectives but, when the American
bolstered by the release of the Führer
Third Army’s relief drive began from
Begleit Brigade from reserve. This
the south, it could not be stopped by
was another ‘elite’ unit (usually
the weak forces positioned to stop
used to guard Hitler’s headquarters)
them.
and it had speciic orders to take St
Vith and Vielsalm (15km west of St
5th PANZER ARMY
Vith). The Führer Begleit Brigade
IN THE CENTRE
was commanded by Oberst Otto
The Battle for St Vith Remer and it had special priority
Beyond the Schnee Eifel and the
for equipment and manpower. It
upper Our, the town of St Vith lay at
was well-equipped with Panzer IV
the centre of the road network and
17
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Above: Sherman crews of 4th Armoured Division
watch on as formations of C-47 transports approach
Bastogne to parachute their supplies to the troops
inside the surrounded town.
tanks, StuGs, armoured infantry,
engineers, self-propelled artillery and
88mm anti-aircraft guns. However,
Remer was more concerned that
his prized unit should now play a
more prominent and glorious role in
reaching the Meuse than becoming
caught-up in attritional ighting for St
Vith. His irst attacks, on December
19th and 20th, were half-hearted
attempts and he was soon repulsed.
Remer then ordered most of his men
to move on west and left St Vith
to the following Volksgrenadier
divisions.
The main attack inally struck
on December 21st, behind a very
heavy artillery barrage from every
gun and Nebelwerfer the Germans
could bring to bear. All three of 18th
Volksgrenadier’s regiments were
committed to the assault, supported
by StuGs and six Tiger tanks and
the last of the Begleit Brigade,
along with 62nd Volksgrenadier
18
Division pushing up from the south.
Throughout the day, there was heavy
ighting for the Prumerberg just east
and south-east of St Vith. The 294th
Grenadier Regiment, supported by
StuGs, broke through the defences
along the main Schonberg road. CCB,
7th Armoured retreated into the
town but, with the Germans so close
behind, they panicked and withdrew
further west again to attempt to
establish a new defence line on the
high ground. That night, German
troops captured the town and began
looting the large stockpiles of US
stores left behind. To the south-east,
to avoid being cut-off, the 112th and
424th Infantry Regiments also both
had to pull back west to re-establish
a new line. Alarmingly for the
American commanders, St Vith had
fallen, but the local German forces,
exhausted by their previous battles,
had little impetus to quickly exploit
their success. Later, St Vith was
targeted by RAF heavy bombers and
obliterated, to prevent its roads being
easily used by the Germans. By the
time the town was recaptured by the
Americans in January 1945, barely a
house remained standing.
The Siege of Bastogne
The last road into Bastogne was cut
by the German advance at Sibret
on December 21st. The defenders
were surrounded but most of the
panzer units had already moved
on west, still making for the
Meuse at Dinant, leaving the 26th
Volksgrenadiers, Kampfgruppe
901 of the Panzer Lehr Division
and some of 5th Fallschirmjäger
to reduce the Bastogne pocket and
force its surrender. The defenders
would endure ive days cut-off
behind enemy lines, with only
limited resupply by airdrops (when
the winter weather permitted). On
December 21st snow fell and the
ill-equipped paratroops began to
freeze in their new foxholes. German
artillery repeatedly shelled the
frontlines and Bastogne itself, whilst
Luftwaffe bombers also hit the town
in repeated night raids. The besiegers
made probing attacks against the
101st Airborne’s men and captured
Flamierge but, at Senonchamp and
Marvie, the paratroopers, with their
tanker support, just held the line.
On December 22nd, German oficers
approached the American positions

on the road from Remoifosse under
a white lag of truce. They came
to ask for Bastogne’s surrender.
Escorted to 101st Airborne’s HQ in
Bastogne, they received short-shrift
from General Anthony McAuliffe, the
stand-in commander of the besieged
forces: ‘Nuts!’ The Americans
would ight on, even if they were
surrounded.
Christmas Eve was a quieter day,
as both sides reformed as best they
could and the USAAF dropped
supplies in to the defenders. The
defence of Bastogne remained a
thorn in the German side and the
15th Panzergrenadier Division had
been activated from reserve to move
west, with its Kampfgruppe Maucke
deployed to join the ring around the
town and help eliminate the pocket.
Maucke’s tanks would conduct an
assault from the west, via Champs
and Hemroulle, on Christmas Day.
That attack began at 02.45 on
December 25th, with mortar and
artillery ire. 77th Volksgrenadier
Regiment assaulted Champs in hard,
house-to-house ighting and 18
Panzer IVs and StuGs broke through
the 327th Glider Regiment’s lines
towards the village of Hemroulle
and then divided into two: one
group attacking Champs, the other
Hemroulle, just 2km from Bastogne.
By irst light, the Americans were
scrambling any forces they could
to meet the penetration which
threatened to undo the entire
Bastogne perimeter.
The 502nd Parachute Infantry
Regiment’s headquarters at Rolle
Chateau was evacuated as the attack
threatened to overrun them, but
some tank destroyers had engaged
the enemy tanks and heavy machine
gun ire had the accompanying
Panzergrenadiers pinned down. At
Champs, three panzers were knocked
out by two M18 tank destroyers; then
two more panzers were disabled
by bazooka ire. One tank broke
into the village itself but it, too,
was hit by bazookas and knocked
out. The dangerous attack was
repulsed and by the evening 327th
Glider Regiment’s men were back
holding the line. The attack had cost
15th Panzergrenadier Division 200
casualties and all 18 Panzer IVs and
StuGs.
A inal attempted to break into
Bastogne would be launched
on December 26th, by 26th
Volksgrenadier Division, again near
Hemroulle. Supported by Jagdpanzer
IVs, the attack was repulsed by heavy
defensive artillery ire. It was now
too late - news reached the Germans
that the vanguard of 4th Armoured
Division had broken through the
siege at Assenois, south of the town -
Bastogne was no longer surrounded.
Following Maucke’s defeat, on
December 27th it was declared that
‘the Führer has ordered that Bastogne
be taken at all costs.’ To execute
Hitler’s orders, the Führer Begleit
Brigade and units of 1st SS Panzer,
9th SS Panzer, 12th SS Panzer and
3rd Panzergrenadier Division were
all transferred south, from 6th Panzer
Army to 5th Panzer Army, and were
either arriving or en route to the
Bastogne area. By New Year’s Day,
elements of nine German divisions
were involved in the battle for the
surrounded town. Most were now
very weak, 12th SS Panzer could
list only 25 working tanks and its
grenadier battalions were down to
just 125 men. Meanwhile, General
Patton was busy reinforcing the relief
corridor his men had created to the
south.
Escape from the Vielsalm Pocket
The deteriorating situation at St
Vith had left CCB, 7th and 9th
Armoured and 28th and 106th
Divisions’ remaining infantry now
ighting on three sides as a salient
developed just west of the town of
Vielsalm and its vital bridge over
the Salm river. Kampfgruppe Krag
had been committed to the south,
the irst unit of 2nd SS Panzer
Division to be released from the
offensive’s armoured reserve. It was
built around 2nd SS Reconnaissance
Battalion with artillery and pioneers
in support. They had raced up
towards Salmchateau unhindered
and captured bridges in the area,
threatening to seal off the Vielsalm
pocket entirely. The battered
US units inside the pocket had
a narrow timeframe in which to
escape encirclement, only whilst the
bridge at Vielsalm was still in US
hands. General Robert Hasbrouck,
the commander of 7th Armoured,
decided on December 22nd that
the situation was untenable and
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
he had to save whatever forces he
could, whilst he could. The 82nd
Airborne Division’s 508th Parachute
Infantry Regiment had arrived and
was establishing a new front, some
10km to the west. They represented a
degree of safety for the hard-pressed
former defenders of St Vith. The
Führer Begleit Brigade and elements
of 9th SS Panzer were attacking
from the north, whilst 18th and 62nd
Volksgrenadiers still pressed the
pocket to the east and 2nd SS Panzer
was on the move to the south. The
pocket’s evacuation would have to be
quick.
Ordered to disengage and make
their way via the Vielsalm bridge
to regroup near Malempre, the irst
American units began pulling out on
December 23rd – CCB, 9th Armoured
being irst, abandoning Beho. CCB,
7th Armoured would act as the
rearguard whilst the surviving 112th
and 424th infantrymen then pulled
back, leaving 7th Armoured as the
last to escape possible encirclement.
They would ight running battles
throughout December 23rd,
trying to force a passage through
Kampfgruppe Krag at Salmchateau
and pursued by the Führer Begleit
Brigade’s tanks. Taskforce Jones, the
rearmost retreating unit, was run
down and surrounded near Bovigny
and destroyed. Soon after, engineers
from 82nd Airborne Division
demolished the Viersalm bridge to
prevent the Germans using it.
Despite the lost taskforce, 20,000 men
had escaped the pocket after stalling
the German advance through St Vith
for four more days. It was valuable
time which the Germans could not
recover and now, because of the
delay, more American units were in
place to block the westward routes
to the Meuse. The Germans had won
the bitter battle at St Vith, but their
victory had been too slow and there
was no clean breakthrough or swift
drive to the Meuse.
Halted in the Centre
116th Panzer Division’s renewed
effort to the reach the Meuse began
from La Roche on December 24th.
The divisional commander, General
Siegfried von Waldenburg, had been
promised that the Führer Begleit
19
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Brigade would cover his northern
lank but no sooner had they arrived
than they quickly moved out again,
having been sent further south to
the ‘priority’ Bastogne area. Lack of
lank protection would be a major
problem for the Windhund division
as its leading element, Kampfgruppe
Bayer, ran into the thickening
defences of the rest of the US 3rd
Armoured Division near Marche
and the newly-deploying, fresh, 84th
Infantry Division. Fuel was again
becoming a problem for the Germans.
Bayer’s tanks and half tracks did
not get far, only reaching Verdenne
and Marche, 15km away, before
US counter-attacks cut off some of
his force in the Verdenne woods.
Surrounded, Bayer held on and
awaited relief for two days, but this
never arrived and the Kampfgruppe
eventually had to breakout and
withdraw with whatever it could
salvage. For the battle-weary
Windhund troops, there were no
Below: Sturmgeschütz assault guns would reinforce
the Volksgrenadier Divisions for the initial attack.
Note the captured M3 half track in use behind.
20
longer any routes west that were not
held in strength by the enemy. Von
Waldenburg ordered his division
to go over to the defensive; they
would not be attacking again during
Operation Wacht am Rhein.
Although elements of the 2nd SS
and 9th SS Panzer Divisions had
already entered the battle for St
Vith, the main bodies of these two
reserve armoured divisions formed
II SS Panzer Corps, and they began
their main move west on December
22nd, south of St Vith, in the centre
of the offensive’s front, advancing
in the wake of 116th Panzer’s earlier
attacks. Their route turned north-
west, seeking to utilise the main
N15 road, linking Bastogne to Liège.
Their offensive would be seriously
hampered by poor roads, lack of fuel
(again) and Allied air strikes. 9th SS
Panzer attempted to cross the Salm
river but ran headlong into 82nd
Airborne’s front lines, reinforced by
survivors from the Vielsalm pocket in
the Bra area, and, while they made a
few small gains, they failed to break
through.
On December 23rd, 2nd SS’s advance
ran into an American roadblock
position at the Baraque de Fraiture
crossroads, held by a scratch force
of artillery, cavalry light tanks, some
glider infantry from 82nd Airborne
and anti-aircraft half-tracks. Fighting
throughout the morning halted
the Germans’ progress, with the
Americans calling in heavy artillery
support to hold their positions.
However, despite this, the SS had
the defenders of Baraque de Fraiture
surrounded by the afternoon. That
evening, they launched a fresh
attack which overran the Americans,
who lost 17 tanks in the battle. In
darkness, the Germans reformed
to continue the advance towards
Manhay.
That night, they ran into another
scratch force of paratroopers,
armoured infantry and Sherman
tanks, Task Force Brewster, who
stopped them again. On December
24th, 2nd SS could not continue
their drive. Instead, the day was
spent regrouping, resupplying
(although fuel remained critical)
and supporting an attack by 560th
Volksgrenadier which took the
village of Odiegne as a preliminary
to a major attack to capture the

crossroads town of Manhay and open
the N15 to the north and south.
The battle for Manhay began in
earnest on the night of December
24th. In a night march, Panther tanks
and SS grenadiers quickly overran
two roadblock positions of CCA, 7th
Armoured, south of the important
town. Fleeing US survivors spread
word of the approaching Germans
and there was a panic in Manhay,
with American troops abandoning
the town in disorder.
In the confusion, German Panthers
were soon rolling through the streets
of Manhay unmolested. Here, their
route divided with some SS forces
heading towards Grandmenil and
others along the road to Werbomont.
Cut-off by the Germans in Manhay,
the remains of Taskforce Brewster
quickly abandoned all their vehicles
and escaped on foot (for this act,
its commander would later face a
court martial). The new penetration
at Manhay was a serious danger to
the US frontlines in the centre of the
Ardennes sector, especially 82nd
Airborne’s positions to the north,
which were being outlanked.
On December 25th, the Americans
responded in force. Manhay
was shelled into ruins as CCB,
3rd Armoured Division, moved
rapidly to counter-attack 2nd SS’s
breakthrough. US infantry and
tank destroyers halted the German
advance through Grandmenil
towards Erezée when a bazooka
shell knocked out the lead Panther
on a narrow lane and blocked it.
Very heavy shelling forced the SS
grenadiers to withdraw from the
village the next day. Taskforce
McGeorge, despite having been
bombed by its own air support, then
led an attack on Grandmenil on
December 26th, but lost all but two
of its Sherman tanks in the attempt.
A second attack in the afternoon did
recapture the village. Meanwhile, 7th
Armoured Division had regrouped
its routed forces and they now joined
the counter-attack by striking directly
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Above: The US commanders’ response to the offensive
was swift and, although slowed by the snow
falls, it paid a large part in halting the German advance.
at Manhay. However, their attack
was repulsed after heavy losses to
accurate German tank ire. Further
north, US glider infantry were
starting to envelope the town in hard
ighting with 4th SS Panzergrenadier
Regiment.
Surrounded on three sides, in danger
of becoming cut-off in Manhay and
under the repeated air attacks which
were hourly straing and bombing
the town, the SS troops pulled back
that night. On December 27th, US
troops retook the ruined town and
2nd SS’s drive for the Meuse was
halted.
Advance on Dinant
2nd Panzer Division and the
vanguard of the Panzer Lehr Division
had bypassed Bastogne to the north
21
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
and south and driven on west. Very
little serious opposition remained in
their path to stop them reaching the
Meuse bridges around Dinant. It was
the same route the Germans had used
in 1940 during the invasion of France,
and it had succeeded then, but now
it would be the closest they would
come to securing any of the Meuse
bridges.
2nd Panzer was led by its
reinforced reconnaissance battalion,
Kampfgruppe von Böhm, and by
December 23rd they had reached
the village of Foy Notre Dame, just
4km short of the Meuse. Its leading
scouts had already investigated the
bridges, which remained intact, and
a ‘Greif’ jeep team had scouted the
Below: The bitter woods. Heavy snow would
dominate the later fighting in the Ardennes. Here,
US infantry endure their frozen foxholes.
22
river at Rocher Bayard only to be
destroyed by a mine. Now facing
2nd Panzer was the British 29th
Armoured Brigade’s 3rd Royal Tank
Regiment, which had rushed into
place from Holland with instructions
to hold the Meuse and prevent any
German crossing. The German light
reconnaissance troops now paused
whilst 2nd Panzer Division’s potent
armour, under Kampfgruppe von
Cochenhausen, moved up behind
them with plans to assault the
Dinant bridges on December 24th.
Von Cochenhausen’s Panthers and
supporting grenadiers were dogged
by air attacks but laagered in the
Celles area. Short on fuel, both
Kampfgruppen awaited urgent
resupply.
Whilst the British tankers prepared
to block the dangerous German
breakthrough, the Americans had
not been idle. In complete secrecy,
they had rushed their 2nd Armoured
Division’s CCA and CCB south,
and these fresh troops (completely
unknown to the Germans) were now
massing east of the Meuse and just
north of Celles. With the enemy’s
strength unknown, they held their
own attack until all their units were
in place.
South of 2nd Panzer’s bold dash for
the river, the Lehr Division, having
left a lot of troops to aid the siege of
Bastogne, was also moving west and
had fought a ierce battle to capture
the town of Rochefort, with its bridge
over the Lomme river. A single
battalion of the US 84th Infantry
Division’s 335th Infantry Regiment
put up a stern ight for Rochefort
and delayed the Lehr Division for
two days. Only on Christmas Day
did the remaining US infantry inally
withdraw from Rochefort and allow
Panzer Lehr to continue west.

Delayed by lack of fuel, and with
supply units failing to reach von
Böhm and von Cochenhausen, the
threatened attack on the Dinant
bridges never materialised. On
Christmas Day, American and British
forces launched their own joint
counter-attack against Foy Notre
Dame and Celles from the west
and north. CCB, 2nd Armoured,
divided into two task forces, moved
to surround Celles whilst the
British and 2nd Armoured’s 82nd
Reconnaissance Battalion smashed
von Böhm’s troops at Foy Notre
Dame.
Meanwhile, 2nd Armoured’s CCA,
further east, quickly moved south
to cut off the extended German
spearhead from any reinforcements
from the west. Here, CCA would
encounter the irst units of 9th Panzer
Division (released from reserve to
reinforce the ‘successful’ Dinant
thrust), as they fought to get through
to Celles and restart the advance. All
9th Panzer’s attempts to ind a way
through were repelled, thwarted by
US and British air superiority, now
lying round the clock missions, and
by potent artillery directed by aerial
observers (at one time, ive spotter
aircraft were noted circling in the
skies over Celles).
The Panzer Lehr Division also
launched a relief attempt towards
Celles from Rochefort. It was halted
by 2nd Armoured Division’s 67th
Armoured Regiment, supported
by very heavy artillery ire near
the village of Custinne and the
relief column, called Kampfgruppe
Holtmayer, was destroyed in detail.
In Foy Notre Dame, von Böhm’s
reconnaissance Kampfgruppe had
also been wiped out as the Americans
retook the village.
Outmatched, on December 26th,
von Cockenhausen’s Kampfgruppe
was forced to withdraw, escaping
south-east to Panzer Lehr’s lines near
Rochefort with just 800 survivors and
having lost all the Panther tanks of its
3rd Panzer Regiment’s 1st Battalion,
along with many of its half-tracks,
anti-tank guns and artillery units. As
they escaped, 9th Panzer Division
also suffered a further reverse, losing
the village of Humain after ten hours
of heavy ighting with 2nd Armoured
Division. Their westward advance
had also been completely halted
by the new American armour. 2nd
Panzer and the Panzer Lehr had paid
a very heavy price for their success in
getting so close to the Meuse bridges.
The Relief of Bastogne
On December 26th, Colonel
Creighton Abrams led a small task
force of 4th Armoured Division tanks
and half-tracks through the snow in
a risky direct attack against Assenois,
south of Bastogne. His bold attack
swept the surprised Germans aside
and achieved the irst link up with
troops of 101st Airborne inside the
siege’s perimeter. As yet, the relief
effort hung by a narrow thread
but, over the next few days, more
of Patton’s forces would arrive to
defend and widen the new corridor.
In response, the Germans planned
and mustered the forces for a
major attack on December 30th,
to simultaneously strike from east
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
and west, cut the relief corridor and
inally take Bastogne. The attack
from the west failed when it ran
into troops of CCB, 11th Armoured
Division moving up from the south,
although the Führer Begleit Brigade
did capture Sibret in heavy ighting.
However, 3rd Panzergrenadier
Division sustained heavy losses to
American artillery and made little
headway. To the east, there were
four days of ighting in the Lutrebois
area as the defenders held off the
last rag-tag armoured forces of 1st
SS Panzer and the remains of Panzer
Lehr’s Kampfgruppe 901. Patton’s
Third Army was now moving north
towards Bastogne in increasing
strength and imposing itself on the
battleield south of the town. 35th
Infantry and 4th and 11th Armoured
were all holding the southern
corridor while 6th Armoured and
87th Infantry would soon follow.
Fighting continued around the
Bastogne perimeter and relief
corridor until January 6th 1945, with
the last gasp being that of 12th SS
Panzer as they fought, and failed, to
capture Bizory. On January 7th the
Hitler Jugend were inally ordered
to withdraw. The Germans around
Bastogne now lacked the combat
strength to defeat the reinforcements
arriving from the south and so, against
the odds, Bastogne had been held.
General Hasso von Manteuffel,
commanding 5th Panzer Army,
later commented that ‘the defence of
Bastogne, undertaken in apparently
hopeless circumstances, was decisive
in foiling our offensive plans.’
A Gamble Lost
The crushing defeat at Foy Notre
Dame, Celles and then Humain
would effectively see the end of the
German offensive and any hope of
crossing the Meuse, if not the end of
the ighting in the Ardennes. Only
5th Panzer Army had come within
sight of the Meuse bridges, but they
had failed to capture any. Wacht am
Rhein had been a huge gamble - and it
had been lost.
The cost to the Nazi war effort was
severe. The offensive had incurred
approximately 70,000 German
casualties - over 10,000 dead, 34,000
wounded and 23,000 missing. For
23
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
the Americans (and the few British
troops involved), the casualty lists
would read over 8,000 dead, 47,000
wounded and 29,000 missing.
Between December 16th and 31st, the
German Army recorded the loss of
324 panzers, although the US claimed
413 knocked out. Meanwhile, the
Germans claimed to have destroyed
1,742 US tanks; a ludicrously high
total, with the US igure of 733 lost
being far more likely. Although
severe, the US losses would be
replaced – the German ones could
not be.
Despite the casualties being relatively
even, the German strategic situation
had, despite the sacriice, only
deteriorated. After Wacht am Rhein,
their last major armoured forces
on the Western Front were now
spent. Many of the best German
panzer divisions were gutted in the
ighting and, with a mere trickle
of replacements to rebuild them,
they could not launch any further
threatening offensives. Never again
would the Western allies face massed
RETAKING THE ARDENNES
The German offensive had been
stopped, the panzers had failed
and the surviving tanks were soon
withdrawn from the front, leaving
the infantry to hold the ‘bulge’ that
had been captured across southern
Belgium. The Americans, with
some British aid, set about the task
of recapturing the lost ground. It
would take most of January 1945,
ighting in deep snow, to retake it
but now the Americans’ massive
advantage in manpower and war
matériel could be fully brought
to bear. For the Germans, on the
defensive again, it would be a
retreat back to their original starting
positions and beyond.
The salient the German offensive
had thrust west was now in
a dangerous position and the
Americans planned counter-
offensives from the north and
south to cut-off and encircle 10-12
German divisions within it. To the
Germans, the ground they now
held was of little value but the
troops and equipment were. Aware
of their precarious situation, they
24
panzers; only pockets of resistance
and local counter-attacks once
Germany itself was invaded.
The ‘last blitzkrieg’ had failed,
ultimately lacking the numbers to
sustain the attack and, vitally, retain
the initiative over the Americans.
Insuficient troops had meant
the armoured spearheads had
been weakened to maintain lank
protection, and even then it wasn’t
enough to prevent momentum-
sapping US counter-attacks. The US
response had been too quick. Even
the much-vaunted Waffen SS panzer
divisions had, in truth, performed
poorly. With the shortest distance to
cover, 12th SS Panzer had failed to
break through at Elsenborn Ridge.
1st SS, even with Peiper’s dash, had
only reached halfway before his
forces were out of fuel, stranded,
surrounded and destroyed. 2nd SS
joined the ighting late and then
failed to break through at Manhay.
Those divisions redeployed to
Bastogne had failed there too. Only
the regular army divisions of 5th
started to pull their units out - irst
the armour, then the infantry - as
they collapsed the bulge back to the
Our river while being careful not to
weaken the perimeter too much. The
American forces meanwhile pushed
north, south and east again, retaking
ground they had already captured
once. The US First Army, advancing
from the north, and Third Army
from the south made contact at
Houffalize on January 16th – exactly
one month after the German
offensive had begun. By then,
however, the only panzer division
still in Belgium was 116th Panzer,
and they were already pulling back,
pursued by enemy artillery ire and
air attacks. The enemy units the
Americans had hoped to surround
had escaped back to the east.
By January 21st, all that remained
of Operation Wacht am Rhein was a
small German perimeter guarding
the Our bridges at Dasburg and
Vianden. The last defenders made a
brief stand on the Clerf river but the
US 26th Infantry retook Clervaux,
which had fallen on December 18th,
on January 26th. It took ive more
Panzer Army: 2nd Panzer, the Lehr
Division and 116th Panzer, had come
anywhere close to achieving their
missions - but lack of fuel had inally
crippled them.
The failure in the Ardennes would
perhaps have its greatest implications
on the Eastern Front where German
units were denuded of fresh supplies
of tanks, men, fuel and ammunition
and denied the support of the
divisions which had been husbanded
for Wacht am Rhein. The Russian
army would soon launch a massive
offensive from its Vistula river
bridgeheads that would sweep aside
the German Army in western Poland
and result in the Soviets reaching the
Oder river in just two weeks.
The German defenders simply lacked
suficient forces to hold them and
an increasingly desperate defence
was all that was left to them. After
gambling on Wacht am Rhein and
losing, the fall of the Reich was now
inevitable.
days to mop-up the last Germans
west of the Our.
To the south, the American 4th
and 5th Infantry Divisions had
counter-attacked over the Our and
Sûre rivers, recaptured Diekirch
and the pressure on 7th Army
was mounting. The survivors
of 2nd Panzer and the Panzer
Lehr Divisions were both moved
south to shore up the lagging
Volksgrenadier divisions and avoid
an American breakthrough that
could still result in them being
surrounded and then a disaster
further to the north.
The withdrawal was rapid and
(as ever) well-organised while
deepening snow slowed American
progress and poor weather
protected the retreat against roving
Allied air power. By the start of
February, the Americans were back
on the front lines they had occupied
in mid-December and the Germans
had saved the remains of their
divisions engaged in Belgium.

DUELS IN THE MIST
Special Rules for re-fighting the Battle of the Bulge
NEW US SPECIAL RULES
Wild Rumours . . . . . . . . . 10 pts
This is a new HQ choice for any
American battlegroup (Armoured
Division, Infantry Division or
Airborne Division).
American troops have heard rumours
of disguised iniltrators and that SS
units have been executing prisoners
of war in cold blood. This may
well make Americans troops more
reluctant to surrender, for fear of
being shot, or it might spook them.
Before the irst turn, roll on the table
below.
1 Spooked
The rumours have spooked the
men and they are fearful of facing
a vicious and callous enemy.
Reduce the Americans starting BR
total by a D6.
2-3 OK
Your units have heard the
rumours but are OK, they ight as
normal.
4-6 Determined
The troops have heard the
rumours and are now more
determined not to give in and
surrender and to take some
measure of revenge on the enemy.
The US Battlegroup’s starting BR
total is increased by a D6.
Germans Low on Fuel . . . 15 pts
This is a second new HQ choice
for any American battlegroup
(Armoured Division, Infantry
Division or Airborne Division).
Fuel supply (or lack of it) was
a constant problem for German
armoured formations throughout the
offensive. This special rule means
that the enemy you will face today is
already suffering from fuel shortages.
If the US player draws an Air Attack
counter, he can chose to use it either
as an Air Attack as normal (see Low
Cloud Cover for further rules) or as
an Out of Fuel counter. As an Out of
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Above: A SdKfz 251/3 radio half track of 116th
Panzer Division (Windhund) advances through the
mist. Behind, an M10 tank destroyer lies wrecked.
Fuel counter, play the counter on a
single German vehicle anywhere on
the table and roll a D6.
1.The vehicle has just enough fuel to
keep going for the rest of the game.
2-4. The vehicle can make one more
move, then its fuel tanks are empty
and it is immobilised.
5-6. The vehicle is completely out
of fuel and the crew abandon it. It
counts as destroyed. Take a Battle
Rating counter for the loss.
NEW US UNITS
For the Ardennes in 1944, the
following new vehicles can be added
to the US Armoured Division, Infantry
Division and Airborne Division
lists (see Battlegroup Overlord for the
full lists). Add these to the relevant
sections of the army lists.
25
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
TANK UNITS
Self-Propelled Tank Destroyer
M18 Hellcat . . . . . . . . . . 38 pts 2-r BR
(Restricted)
M36 Jackson . . . . . . . . . .46 pts 2-r BR
(Restricted)
Self-Propelled Tank Destroyer
Battery
Option:
Upgrade all M10 Wolverines to:
M18 Hellcats . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts each
(Restricted)
RECONNAISSANCE
SUPPORT UNITS
Light Tank
M24 Chaffee . . . . . . . . . .48 pts 2-r BR
(Restricted)
Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 pts
For each Troop you may choose 4 Support units
Platoon Composition: 1 Troop HQ Jeep, 2 Scout Jeep
MG Teams, 3 Scout Jeep mortar teams, 1 Armoured Car
Section and up to 5 Troop Support Options.
Special Rules: Unique, Scout2
Troop HQ Jeep
Unit Composition: 3 men
Transport: Jeep with pintle-mounted MG
Special Rules: Oficer, Artillery Spotter
Scout Jeep MG Teams
Unit Composition: 3 men
Transport: Jeep with pintle-mounted MG
Scout Jeep Mortar Teams
Unit Composition: 3 men with 60mm mortar
Transport: Jeep
Armoured Car Section
Unit Composition: 3 M8 Armoured Cars
1 M8 (Oficer, Artillery Spotter)
2 M8s
Troop Support Options
The Troop may take up to 5 Troop Support Options.
Each option cannot be taken more than once. The Light
Tank platoon counts as a single choice.
M8 HMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 pts
26
Jeep Reconnaissance Team reconnaissance troops, a light
Option: tank company and an assault gun
Upgrade Jeep to: company. These last two units were
Armoured Jeep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts generally divided to support the
reconnaissance sections and were not
US CAVALRY intended to ight as coherent units
Additional American units for themselves. Each Armoured Division
Armoured Divisions, 1944-45 also had two cavalry squadrons (each
of two troops) attached.
Forming part of the initial US
defenders on the Ardennes front was The heart of the cavalry squadron
the 14th Cavalry Group. Attached was the three reconnaissance troops.
to V Corps for reconnaissance Each consisted of six jeep teams - half
operations over the border into MG-armed, half 60mm mortar-armed
- and a three-vehicle armoured car
Germany, the 14th Cavalry Group
was composed of two cavalry section of M8 Greyhounds. Again,
the troops did not generally operate
squadrons. Each squadron was
formed with a HQ and service together as one unit but would
troop, a medical detachment, three usually form into smaller sections,
9-r BR
Bazooka team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 pts 1-r BR
Unit Composition: 2 men with a Bazooka
Transport: Jeep
Stretcher Bearer team . . . . . . . . . 14 pts 1i BR
Unit Composition: 2 men
Transport: Jeep
Special Rules: Medic
Light Tank Platoon . . . . . . . . . . . 90 pts 6-r BR
Unit Composition: 3 M5 Stuarts
1 M5 (Oficer, Artillery Spotter)
2 M5s
Add up to 2 additonal M5s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +30 pts each +2-r BR each
Anti-tank Gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 pts 2-r BR
Unit Composition: 57mm anti-tank gun with 3 crew
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Beep Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
M3 half track tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Supply Half Track . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 pts 1-i BR
Unit Composition: 1 M3 half track
Special Rules: Resupply
2-r BR
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

VEHICLE MOVEMENT ARMOUR ARMAMENT

Off-Road Road Special Front Side Rear Weapon Mount Ammo

M36 Jackson 9" 14" - M N O 90mmL53 Turret 5

Open-Topped MG Hull -

VEHICLE MOVEMENT ARMOUR ARMAMENT

Off-Road Road Special Front Side Rear Weapon Mount Ammo

M18 Hellcat 14" 24" - M N O 76mmL53 Turret 5

Open-Topped MG Pintle -

VEHICLE MOVEMENT ARMOUR ARMAMENT

Off-Road Road Special Front Side Rear Weapon Mount Ammo

M24 Chaffee 12" 18" - L N N 75mmL40 Turret 5

MG Co-axial -
MG Bow -

VEHICLE MOVEMENT ARMOUR ARMAMENT

Off-Road Road Special Front Side Rear Weapon Mount Ammo

Armoured Jeep 6" 24" - O O O MG Pintle -

Open-Topped

of jeeps and armoured cars, for
their roving scouting role (these are
already represented in the American
army lists as the Recce Support
Assets). These small units would also
be reinforced by light tanks, anti-tank
guns (when defending a position,
these would be on detached service
from other local units) and self-
propelled assault guns. Again, the
troop was not supposed to ight as a
whole but, during the early Ardennes
ighting, the 14th Cavalry had little
choice as it was caught up in the irst
German attacks and required to hold
the line as best it could.
A Reconnaissance Troop can be
added to the American Armoured
Division Battlegroup list for 1944 and
the American Battlegroup list for Fall
of the Reich in 1945. It counts as an
Infantry Asset (because it is not being
used in its standard scouting role, but
for frontline combat duties).
As only a single Troop was included
in each Infantry Division, it cannot
be included in this list, as it would be
used for its main role, reconnaissance,
and not as a main combat unit and so
is already represented by the army
list’s Recce Support Assets.
NEW GERMAN The requirement to roll a 6 is lost
if the Disguised unit opens ire at
SPECIAL RULES
an American unit, after which it is
Infiltration treated as an enemy unit as normal.
This is a new HQ choice for any
German battlegroup (Panzer
NEW GERMAN UNITS
Division, Infantry Division or
The following new units can be
Fallschirmjäger Division).
added to the German Panzer
Along the front, German units
Division, Infantry Division and
have been iniltrating into US
Fallschirmjäger Division lists (see
lines, and rumours of already
Battlegroup Overlord for the full lists).
being outlanked or surrounded
Add these to the relevant sections of
are spreading confusion and panic
the army lists.
amongst the troops. At the start of
the game, the US side must take a
Battle Rating counter because his TANK UNITS
Captured US Vehicle
men are now ‘windy’. Also, a single
Reconnaissance support Foot Patrol This has been recently captured
from the Americans and turned
may start the game with the ‘Behind
Enemy Lines’ special rule. against them (whilst the ammo
lasts). A captured vehicle cannot be
resupplied during a game.
New Unit Special Rule
Disguise
Unit Composition: 1 US Vehicle
The Germans are using some
M8 Greyhound . . . . . . 21 pts 1-r BR
disguised vehicles and troops to try
M5 Stuart . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 2-r BR
to get through the lines and sow
M3 Sherman . . . . . . . . . 50 pts 3-r BR
confusion in the rear. A German
M3 Sherman (76mm) . 54 pts 3-r BR
unit with the Disguise special rule
M10 Wolverine . . . . . . 34 pts 2-r BR
cannot be ired at by any American
M18 Hellcat . . . . . . . . . 38 pts 2-r BR
unit (they think it’s their own side,
after all) unless they irst roll a 6.
Special Rules: Unique
This check is made before rolling any
other dice for shooting (i.e. rolling to
spot, etc). If a 6 is rolled, any iring is
then resolved as normal. If a 6 is not
rolled, then the Open Fire order is
wasted.
27
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
RECONNAISSANCE
SUPPORT UNITS
Greif Team . . . . . . . . 31 pts 2-v BR
Unit Composition: 3 men with 1
demolition charge, in a Jeep.
Special Rules: Scout2, Behind Enemy
Lines, Disguise, Unique
Disguised Panther (Restricted)
Unit Composition: 1 Panther,
disguised as M10(-ish)
Panther . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 pts 3-r BR
Special Rules: Scout, Disguise,
Unique
PANZER
AUFKLÄRUNG ANGRIFF!
Additional Unit for German
Panzer Divisions, 1944-1945
Throughout the irst days of
Operation Wacht am Rhein, as the
panzer divisions searched for the
fastest routes west, they were
invariably led by their reconnaissance
units, often operating as independent
Kampfgruppen, roving ahead of the
main bodies, deep into the US rear.
As well as inding routes west, these
light reconnaissance units also had to
assist in clearing the way for the main
body against American roadblock
positions thrown in the advance’s
path and in capturing any important
bridges. Each leading Kampfgruppe
was not simply the reconnaissance
battalion alone but an effective,
combined-arms unit built around the
reconnaissance battalion, including
attached support from the panzer
battalions, anti-tank and anti-aircraft
battalions and a range of divisional
and corps artillery ire support (when
still in range).
Of course, such leading units make
excellent forces for a wargame,
to ight (historically accurate)
engagements against the American
roadblocks, but the Panzer Division
army list is designed to recreate
a division’s main combat forces
and their support, not these lighter
reconnaissance units. In order to
recreate units like Kampfgruppe Krag
(2nd SS), Kampfgruppe von Böhm
(2nd Panzer), Kampfgruppe Fallois
(Panzer Lehr) and Schnellgruppe
Knittel (1st SS) the following
additional Armoured Reconnaissance
Infantry Platoon can be added to the
Panzer Division army list.
Each German Panzer Division
included is own ‘organic’
28
reconnaissance battalion
(Aufklärungbattalion), constituted of
a HQ, a heavy and a light armour
car company and two light infantry
companies as their infantry support.
From 1942, the light infantry
companies began to replace their
standard issue motorcycles and
light car transports with the new
SdKfz 250 series of light half tracks,
to improve their off-road speed and
mobility (seen as vital when leading
tracked vehicles which could/
would move cross-country). The
replacement vehicles came into service
gradually but, by 1943, all the Panzer
divisions were to have equipped their
reconnaissance battalion’s infantry
with the new transports. At irst,
most divisions could only re-equip
one of their two reconnaissance
infantry companies, with the planned
re-equipping continuing into 1944.
But, even by 1945, (and despite the
introduction of a new, easier to
manufacture version of the 250 half
track) many of the companies were
still ielding some wheeled transports
and motorcycles. On paper, in late
1944, each of the light infantry
companies consisted of three platoons
of armoured infantry. Each platoon
was organised as follows.
A platoon command squad of
four men, including the platoon
commander (an oficer or senior
NCO); a two man stretcher bearer
team and the oficer’s aide (radioman,
messenger, dog’s body). They
were transported in two vehicles, a
standard SdKfz 250/1 and a 37mm-
armed SdKfz 250/10 (or 28mm
Panzerbuchse 250/11). Both vehicles
also had drivers. Each of a platoon’s
two rile squads had 12 men in total.
These were again split over two
SdKfz 250/1 half tracks, with teams
of six men to each vehicle. Each team
included a light machine gun, in
addition to the machine gun mounted
on the transport itself. Each squad
also had to provide two drivers and
two gunners for its vehicles (these
men have been removed from the
teams listed; it is assumed they
remain with the vehicle to provide
ire support). Each platoon would
then be supported by machine guns,
mortars and anti-tank guns deployed
from the company’s heavy weapon’s
platoon.
For the purposes of this list, it is
assumed that the reconnaissance
platoon is ighting in a standard
infantry role, rather than in their
more advanced scouting role, so
they are selected as an Infantry Asset
(not Reconnaissance Support, where
reconnaissance patrols are already
listed).
Each MG team counts as its machine
gun for Rate of Fire (RoF) - the extra
man doesn’t provide additional
RoF, but is a spare crewman and
ammunition bearer.
This new unit is available to German
Panzer Division battlegroups in 1944.
SCENARIO SPECIAL RULE
Any of the Battlegroup scenarios
can be adapted to be played in
an Ardennes setting, for their
deployment zones, objectives, etc.
But, if they are, the following scenario
special rules must be included.
Low Cloud Cover
The German offensive was timed
to utilise the weather conditions,
to minimise the US advantage in
airpower. Low cloud, mist and then
snow all greatly hindered American
air support. In any scenario set in the
Bulge in the winter of 1944-45, before
the start of the game, the German
player should roll for cloud cover.
1-2 Clear Skies
The skies are currently clear. Air
Support operates as normal in this
battle.
3-4 Overcast
The low clouds are impeding air
support. If an Air Attack counter is
drawn, roll for an aircraft’s arrival
as normal. If the roll is successful,
then re-roll the result and the
second result must be used. A unit
with the Air Spotter special rule is
also affected by these conditions
and must re-roll. Timed air strikes
are not affected by the overcast
conditions and arrive as normal.
5-6 Fogged in
The low cloud and mist is too
thick - no aircraft can operate. Any
Air Attack counter drawn counts
as a 1 instead - do not roll for the
arrival of an aircraft. All timed
air strikes are cancelled and do
not take place. Any aerial artillery
observers are grounded and
removed from the Battlegroup.
Also reduce the Battlegroup’s total
BR by the aerial observer’s value.

Armoured Reconnaissance Infantry Platoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 pts
For each Platoon you may choose 4 Support units
Platoon Composition: 1 Reconnaissance Platoon
Command Squad, 1 Stretcher Bearer Team, 1
SdKfz250/10, 4 MG Teams and up to 5 Platoon Support
Options.
Special Rules: Unique, Scout2
Reconnaissance Platoon Command Squad
Unit Composition: 2 men
Transport: SdKfz 250/1 half track
Special Rules: Oficer, Mortar Spotter
Options:
Upgrade Mortar Spotter to Artillery Spotter
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
SdKfz 250/10
Unit Composition: 1 SdKfz 250/10
Options:
Upgrade to SdKfz 250/11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . free
Stretcher Bearer Team
Unit Composition: 2 men
Transport: In platoon commander’s SdKfz 250/1
Special Rules: Medic
4 MG Teams
Unit Composition: 4 men with bipod MG34
Transport: SdKfz 250/1 half track
Options:
Team may take a Panzerfaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . +5 pts
Upgrade any MG34 for a bipod MG42 . . . . . +4 pts
Platoon Support Options
The entire platoon may be upgraded to Veteran for
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +20 pts +5-v BR
The platoon may include up to ive of the following
additional units. No unit may be taken more than once.
Heavy Machine Gun team . . . . . 18 pts
Unit Composition: 3 men with a tripod MG34
Replace MG34 with tripod MG42 . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Mount in SdKfz 251/1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +12 pts
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
16-r BR
Panzerschreck team . . . . . . . . . . . 22 pts 1-r BR
Unit Composition: 2 men with a Panzerschreck
Transport: May squeeze into Platoon Command
Squad’s SdKfz 250/1 or 250/10
Medium Mortar team . . . . . . . . . 23 pts 1-r BR
Unit Composition: 1 SdKfz 250/7
Anti-tank Gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 pts 2-r BR
Unit Composition: 50mm PaK38 gun with 3 crew
Upgrade anti-tank gun to 75mm PaK40 . . . . +20 pts
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Opel Maultier Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts
SdKfz 250/1 tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +12 pts
Light Armoured Car . . . . . . . . . . 20 pts 1-r BR
Unit Composition: 1 SdKfz 222
Special Rules: Scout
Replace with SdKfz 250/9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . free
Heavy Armoured Car . . . . . . . . . 22 pts 1-r BR
Unit Composition: 1 SdKfz 234/1
Special Rules: Scout
Replace with SdKfz 234/2 Puma . . . . . . . . . . +6 pts
Replace with SdKfz 234/3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +12 pts
SdKfz 250/8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 pts 1-r BR
Armoured Reconnaissance Squad
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 pts 3-r BR
Squad Composition: 1 MG Team in SdKfz 250/1
MG Team
Unit Composition: 4 men with a bipod MG34
Transport: SdKfz 250/1 half track
Options:
Team may take a Panzerfaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . +5 pts
Upgrade any MG34 for a bipod MG42 . . . . . +4 pts
1-r BR
Upgrade squad to Veterans. . . . . . . +4 pts +1-v BR
SdKfz 250/11
29
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
ARMY LISTS
T his section contains a single Army
List, for battlegroups constructed
from the new Volksgrenadier
divisions, a new organisation for
German infantry, which would
replace the standard infantry
divisions, but lacked manpower and
included many captured weapons,
especially artillery.
The other army lists that can be
used for playing battles during the
Ardennes offensive can all be found
in Battlegroup Overlord. US Armoured,
Infantry and Airborne forces can all
be used, with very few changes to
those formation which had fought
the Normandy campaign. The few
additions to these army lists have
been included in the Special Rules
sections of this book.
Likewise, for the German forces, from
the Battlegroup Overlord book, the
following army lists should be used:
Panzer Division, Infantry Division
and Fallschirmjäger Division. The
few additions to these army lists have
been included in the Special Rules
sections of this book.
30
THE
Each Army List is organised into ten
different types of units, divided into
two halves. The irst half is called
Front Line Assets. This consists of
the principal combat units of the
battlegroup, its infantry, tanks and
artillery, along with its battleield
command and any prepared
defences.
The second half is called Support
Assets, second line and specialist
units which lend aid to the front
line. These include such specialists
as Reconnaissance units, Engineers,
Logistics, Additional Fire Support
and Specialist Units.
Support Assets can only be taken
by irst including Front Line assets.
For each Front Line asset included
in your battlegroup, you are allowed
to purchase a unit from a Support
section. The Support section you
can take is dictated by which Front
Line Asset was chosen. The details
are covered below, and again in the
Army Lists themselves.
FRONT LINE ASSETS
Forward Headquarters
This is the battlegroup commander
(that’s you) and any specialist units
that are attached to him, such as
Communications units. The Forward
Headquarters can sometimes be a
ighting unit, right up to operating in
the tank, whilst attached to it might
be radio vehicles, messengers or other
sub-commanders.
For each Forward Headquarters
unit in your battlegroup, you can
include a single unit chosen from
either Logistics, Specialist Units or
Additional Fire Support.
Infantry
These are the ground-pounders,
the squads and platoons of ighting
infantry, which might be directly
supported by infantry-borne heavy
weapons like machine guns or lighter
mortars.
For each infantry unit in your
battlegroup, you can also include
a single unit chosen from either
Engineers, Reconnaissance or
Specialist Units.
Tanks
The front line armour, squadrons of
the main ighting vehicles, including
self-propelled guns as well as the
tanks.
For each Tank unit in your
battlegroup, you can also include a
single unit from either Engineers,
Logistics, Reconnaissance or
Specialist Units.
Artillery
These are the guns dedicated to
supporting your own battlegroup.
Above right: A Sherman tank column on
the move to the front.
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

UNIT AVAILABILITY INFANTRY REQUIREMENT TABLE

The Army Lists also place some Game Level Max Restricted German Infantry US Infantry
restrictions on how many units your Points Units Min Max Min Max
battlegroup can include. Squad 350 2 1 squad 1 platoon 1 squad 1 platoon
Platoon 750 3 1 platoon 2 platoons 1 platoon 2 platoons
Infantry Platoons Company 1500 4 2 platoons 3 platoons 2 platoons 4 platoons
A battlegroup must include some Battalion 3000 5 3 platoons 6 platoons 3 platoons 9 platoons
infantry. It cannot function without
infantry to support the tanks and
hold the ground it captures. The Restricted Units Restricted unit, but each one still
Allied player and German player The army lists note some units as counts as a Restricted choice.
have different maximum limits, being ‘Restricted’. These are rare
because of the different character units to which an army just would Unique Units
of their ighting forces and the not have easy access. Restricted units Some units have the ‘Unique’
quantities of infantry each side are limited by the size of game. In a special rule. This means you can
could historically ield. The size of Squad-level game, you may take two only include one of them, regardless
the game also dictates the minimum restricted units. In a Platoon-level of the size of the game. Some
and maximum amount of infantry game you may take three Restricted very rare units are rated as both
your force can include, shown on units. In a Company-level game, ‘Restricted’ and ‘Unique’; this means
the Infantry Requirement Table you may take four Restricted units. you only have one, and it counts as
above. As noted in the army lists In a Battalion-level game, you may one of your restricted choices.
themselves, some may vary from take ive Restricted units. You can
this. take more than a single unit of a

31
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
They might be deployed in close
support, as actual models on the
table, or a bit further to the rear
as off-table support. These are the
battalion’s, regiment’s or division’s
own ‘organic’ guns. Larger guns from
the supporting corps, army and front
level artillery units must be taken
from Additional Fire Support.
For each Artillery unit in your
battlegroup, you can also include
a single unit from Additional Fire
Support.
Defences
This part of the army list can only be
used if the battlegroup is the defender
in an Attack-Defence scenario, in
which case they may be dug in to
prepared positions, behind mineields
and anti-tank ditches, inside pillboxes
and strongpoints, etc.
Defences do not allow a battlegroup
to include any extra support units.
SUPPORTING ASSETS
Reconnaissance
Any battlegroup can be supported
by its parent division’s (or corps’)
reconnaissance units, seeking out
the enemy for them and aiding the
battlegroup commander by providing
him with good intelligence on the
32
enemy’s positions and movements.
Reconnaissance units vary from
infantry patrols on foot, to fast
moving units on motorcycles (or
even horses), to armoured cars and
light tanks and can also include aerial
reconnaissance units.
Logistics
Second line logistical support units
include supply vehicles, that bring
extra ammunition and fuel to the
front lines, and the medical support
of aid posts and combat medics. They
aren’t ighting units, but still fulil an
important role.
Engineers
Negotiating a battleield requires
many engineering tasks, from
building bridges and clearing
mineields, to attacking enemy
strongpoints with special weapons
like lamethrowers. Engineer
support includes all this, in the form
of pioneer (or sapper) units and
specialised engineering vehicles, like
bridge-laying vehicles, demolition
units and recovery vehicles.
Additional Fire Support
Beyond your battlegroup’s parent
division, there is a whole army of
extra artillery units that can lend
support. Demand upon these units
is always great, and no battlegroup
commander can have all the aid he
would like, but corps, front and army
command can lend the support of
heavier guns, as well as providing
a few useful tactics, like counter-
battery ire missions to attack off-
table enemy artillery or pre-timed
barrages and air strikes.
This section also includes the army’s
Close Air Support Table, which is
used should an aircraft arrive to aid
the battlegroup.
Specialist Units
These are the oddities and rare units.
These are units or vehicles that don’t
easily it into the other categories,
as well as rare units which, whilst
present in the 1944-45 ighting, would
not have formed the backbone of
a battlegroup – often this includes
uncommon heavy anti-tank or anti-
aircraft guns or some unique, ‘Elite’
rated units.
USING THE BATTLEGROUP
ARMY LISTS
The Army Lists included allow you
to select a (hopefully) balanced force
to play a game. The easiest way of
doing this is to use a Battlegroup
Organisation Chart (see Appendix).
This chart contains all the different
types of unit and places to note down
points values, Battle Ratings, how
many Oficer units it includes and
how many Scout units.
When creating a battlegroup, units
are ‘bought’, using points. Before a
game, the players should have set a
points limit, for example 1,000 points,
and these points are spent on units.
As you select a unit, note it down on
the Organisation Chart along with
its Battle Rating, until you have no
points left. You should only expend
the points available to you; do not
exceed the total.
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

– ARDENNES 1944 to 1945 –

VOLKSGRENADIER
DIVISION
BATTLEGROUP
FORWARD HEADQUARTERS UNITS
Each unit taken from Forward Headquarters allows a support choice from either: Logistics or Additional Fire Support

Forward Headquarters . . . . . . . . .21 pts 3-r BR Forward Signals Unit . . . . . . . . . . 17 pts 1-i BR
Unit Composition: 3 men Unit Composition: 3 men
Transport: Kübelwagen Transport: Radio medium truck or radio van
Special Rules: Senior Oficer, Artillery Spotter, Unique Special Rules: Communications, Unique

Options: Replace Kübelwagen with:

Heavy Car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts Comms Relay Team . . . . . . . . . . . 13 pts 0-i BR
Schwimmwagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts Unit Composition: 2 men
Transport: None
Special Rule: Communications
Iniltration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts 0 BR
Along the front, German units have been iniltrating
Motorcycle Dispatch Rider . . . . 11 pts 0-i BR
into US lines and rumours of already being outlanked
Unit Composition: 1 man
or surrounded are spreading confusion and panic
amongst their troops. At the start of the game, the US Transport: Motorcycle
side must take a Battle Rating counter because his men Special Rule: Dispatches
are now ‘windy’. Also, a single Reconnaissance Support
Volksgrenadier Foot Patrol may start the game with the
‘Behind Enemy Lines’ special rule. Wire Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 pts 0-i BR
Unit Composition: 2 men
Transport: None
Special Rule: Wire Communications

33
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

INFANTRY UNITS
Each unit taken from Infantry allows a support choice from: Reconnaissance, Engineers or Specialist units.

Volksgrenadier Platoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 pts 7-i BR

For each Platoon you may choose 4 Support units

Panzerschreck team . . . . . . . . . . . 22 pts 1-i BR

Platoon Composition: 1 Volksgrenadier Platoon
Unit Composition: 2 men with a Panzerschreck
Command Squad, 3 Volksgrenadier Squads and 3 MG
Teams and up to 3 Platoon Support Options.

Medium Mortar team . . . . . . . . . 24 pts 1-i BR

Volksgrenadier Platoon Command Squad
Unit Composition: 3 men with 80mm mortar
Unit Composition: 6 men
Special Rules: Oficer, Mortar Spotter Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts

Options:
May take up to 2 Panzerfausts . . . . . . . +5 pts each Anti-tank Gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 pts 2-i BR
Unit Composition: 50mm PaK38 gun with 3 crew
3 Volksgrenadier Squads
Upgrade anti-tank gun to 75mm PaK97/38 . +13 pts
Unit Composition: 5 men
Upgrade anti-tank gun to 76.2mm PaK36(r) . +17 pts
Options:
Upgrade anti-tank gun to 75mm PaK40 . . . . +20 pts
May take up to 2 Panzerfausts . . . . . . . +5 pts each
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Squad may replace all riles with SMGs . . . . . . free
Horse and Limber tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts
Squad may replace all riles with assault riles
Medium Truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Opel Maultier Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts
SdKfz 6 half track tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts
3 MG Teams
Unit Composition: 3 men with a bipod MG34
Options: Infantry Gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 pts 1-i BR
Upgrade any MG34 for a bipod MG42 . . . . .+4 pts Unit Composition: 75mm infantry gun with 3 crew
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Platoon Support Options
Horse and limber tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts
The platoon may include up to three of the following
Heavy Car tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts
additional units. No unit may be taken more than once.

Combat Medic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 pts 0-i BR

Unit Composition: 1 man Volksgrenadier Squad . . . . . . . . . 20 pts 1-i BR
Special Rule: Medic Squad Composition: 1 Volksgrenadier squad
and 1 MG Team

Volksgrenadier Squad
Light Mortar team . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 pts 1-i BR
Unit Composition: 2 men with 50mm mortar Unit Composition: 5 men

Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts Options:

Heavy Machine Gun team . . . . . 18 pts
Unit Composition: 3 men with a tripod MG34
Replace MG34 with tripod MG42 . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
May take up to 2 Panzerfausts . . . . . . . +5 pts each
Squad may replace all riles with SMGs . . . . . . free
1-i BR Squad may replace all riles with assault riles
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .+10 pts
MG Team
Unit Composition: 3 men with a bipod MG34
Options:
Upgrade any MG34 for a bipod MG42 . . . . . .+4 pts

34
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

TANK UNITS
Each unit taken from Tanks allows a support choice from: Reconnaissance, Engineers, Logistics or Specialist units.

StuG III Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 pts 9-r BR Panzer IV

Unit Composition: 3 StuG III Gs Unit Composition: 1 Panzer IV
1 StuG III G (Oficer, Mortar Spotter) Panzer IV G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 pts 3-r BR
2 StuG III Gs Panzer IV H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 pts 3-r BR
Special Rules: Unique

For a StuG Battery you may take 3 Support units. Panther

Unit Composition: 1 Panther
Panther A or G . . . . . . . . . . 90 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)
Hetzer Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 pts 9-r BR
Unit Composition: 3 Hetzers
1 Hetzer (Oficer, Mortar Spotter) Captured US Tank
2 Hetzers Unit Composition: 1 Tank
Special Rules: Unique M5 Stuart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 2-i BR
M4 Sherman (75mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 pts 3-i BR
For a Hetzer Battery you may take 3 Support units.
M4 Sherman (76mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 pts 3-i BR
M10 Wolverine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 pts 2-i BR
You may include a StuG battery or a Hetzer battery, not both.
Special Rule: Unique
Assault Gun
Unit Composition: 1 Assault Gun
StuG III G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 pts 3-r BR
StuG IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 pts 3-r BR
Hetzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 pts 3-r BR

35
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
ARTILLERY UNITS
Each unit taken from Artillery allows a support choice from: Additional Fire Support.
Forward Observer Team
Towed Artillery Gun
Unit Composition: 1 gun and crew
75mmL26 Light Howitzer with 4 crew . 26 pt 2-i BR
Options:
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Horse drawn limber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts
Medium Truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
105mmL28 Howitzer with 4 crew . . . . . 34 pt 2-i BR
Options:
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Horse drawn limber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts
Medium Truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
150mmL30 Howitzer with 4 crew . . . . . 52 pt 2-i BR
Options:
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Horse drawn limber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts
Heavy Truck tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +6 pts
Of-Table Artillery Fire
Unit Composition: 1 Battery
2 75mm (L26) ield guns . . . . . . . . . . . 70 pts 0 BR
2 76.2mm (L54) ield guns . . . . . . . . . 70 pts 0 BR
2 105mm (L28) howitzers . . . . . . . . . . 90 pts 0 BR
2 122mm (L23) howitzers . . . . . . . . . . 116 pts 0 BR
2 150mm (L30) howitzers . . . . . . . . . . 135 pts 0 BR
2 152mm (L24) howitzers . . . . . . . . . . 125 pts 0 BR
2 150mm Nebelwerfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 pts 0 BR
2 210mm Nebelwerfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 pts 0 BR
36
Forward Observer Team . . . . . . 16 pts 1-r BR
Unit Composition: 2 men
Transport: Kübelwagen
Special Rules: Artillery Spotter+
Of-Table Mortar Fire
Unit Composition: 1 Battery
2 80mm mortars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 pts 0 BR
2 120mm mortars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 pts 0 BR
Captured Russian Towed Artillery Gun
Unit Composition: 1 gun and crew
76.2mmL54 Field Gun with 4 crew . . . . 26 pt 2-i BR
Options:
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Horse drawn limber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts
Medium Truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
122mmL23 Howitzer with 4 crew . . . . . 43 pt 2-i BR
Options:
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Horse drawn limber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts
Heavy Truck tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +6 pts
152mmL24 Howitzer with 4 crew . . . . . 48 pt 2-i BR
Options:
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Horse drawn limber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts
Heavy Truck tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +6 pts
Heavy Mortar Team . . . . . . . . . . . 26 pts 1-i BR
Unit Composition: 120mm mortar and 3 crew
Options:
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Mount in Medium Truck or Heavy car . . . . . +4 pts

DEFENCES
Each unit taken from Defences allows no support choices.
May only be taken if your battlegroup is the Defender in an Attack-Defence scenario.
Improvised Barricades . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR
10" of improvised barricades made of earth-illed
boxes, rubble, furniture, destroyed vehicles etc. Counts
as hard cover for infantry behind it.
Machine Gun Dug-Out. . . . . . . . . . . 32 pts 1 BR
3 men and a tripod MG34 in reinforced cover. The
cover is lost if the MG team moves.
Machine Gun Pillbox . . 54 pts 1BR (Restricted)
3 men and a tripod MG42 in hardened cover. The
cover is lost if the MG team moves.
Mortar Pit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 pts 1 BR
3 men and an 80mm mortar in reinforced cover. The
cover is lost if the mortar team moves.
Fortified Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 0 BR
A single, chosen building, anywhere on the table, it
counts as reinforced cover rather than hard cover.
Foxholes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR
Deploy up to 10 infantry in foxholes; they count as in
reinforced cover until they move.
Trenches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR
Up to 10" of trenches which count as reinforced cover
for infantry in them.
Sniper Hideout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts 0BR
A single sniper in reinforced cover. It can be placed
anywhere outside of the opponent’s deployment zone.
The cover is lost if the sniper moves.
AT Gun Dug-out . . . . . . . 20 pts+gun 0 BR+gun
Reinforced cover for a single anti-tank gun and crew
until the gun moves. The gun must be purchased from
the army list.
Minefield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 pts 0 BR
A single mixed anti-tank and anti-personnel mineield.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Command Bunker . . . . . 30 pts 3 BR (Restricted)
Special Rules: Senior Oficer, Mortar Spotter, Unique
A command post in a wood and earth bunker. 4 men
in hardened cover. The cover is lost if the command
unit moves.
Artillery Observation Post . . . . . . . . 26 pts 1 BR
Special Rules: Artillery Spotter+, Unique
A Forward observer team in reinforced cover. The
cover is lost if the FAO team moves. Includes an
Forward Observer Team.
Booby-Trapped Building . . . . . . . . . 25 pts 0 BR
A chosen building anywhere on the table has been
wired with booby-traps. The irst time an enemy unit
enters the building roll a D6. On a 2+, it detonates and
the unit take a 3/3+ HE hit. On a 1, there is a fault and
the booby-trap fails to go off!
Barbed Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR
Up to 10" of barbed wire. It is an obstacle for vehicles
and infantry.
Improvised Road Block . . . . . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR
Something large and heavy across a road. Place on any
road or track, anywhere on the table. It counts as an
obstacle.
Anti-Tank Ditch/Embankment . . . 20 pts 0 BR
(Restricted)
10" of ditch or embankment, impassable to vehicles
without a bridge.
Off-table 88 Anti-Tank Shot . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR
The positions are covered by 88s well-camoulaged
behind the lines. You may take a single 88mmL56
Aimed Fire – Armour-Piercing shot at an enemy
vehicle within 30" of your table edge. The shot will hit
on a dice roll of 6, with a penetration value of 6. This
requires no orders to use.
37
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

RECONNAISSANCE SUPPORT UNITS

Sniper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 1-r BR Volksgrenadier Foot Patrol . . . . . 26 pts 1-i BR
Unit Composition: 1 man Squad Composition: 1 Volksgrenadier squad
Special Rules: Sniper Scout and 1 MG Team
Special Rules: Scout, Mortar Spotter, Behind Enemy
Options: Lines*
Add a spotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +5 pts
Volksgrenadier Squad
Unit Composition: 5 men
Spotter: A sniper with a spotter increases its maximum
range from 30" to 40", hitting on a 6. Options:
May take up to 2 Panzerfausts . . . . . . . . . +5 pts each
May replace all riles with assault riles . . +10 pts
Motorised Reconnaissance Patrol
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 pts 1-i BR MG Team
Unit Composition: 3 men with a Panzerfaust Unit Composition: 3 men with a bipod MG34
Transport: Kübelwagen Options:
Special Rules: Scout, Mortar Spotter Upgrade any MG34 for bipod MG42 . . . . . . . +4 pts

Armoured Car
Unit Composition: 1 Armoured Car
Special Rules: Scout, Mortar Spotter
SdKfz 222 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 pts
Captured M8 Greyhound (unique) . .26 pts
Recon Platoon Command . . . . 35 pts 2-r BR
Unit Composition: SdKfz 222
Special Rules: Oficer, Scout, Artillery Spotter, Unique
Options:
Mount entire patrol on bicycles . . . . . . . . . . . .+4 pts
1-i BR ‘Greif ’ Iniltration Team . . . . . .31 pts 1-v BR
Unit Composition: 3 men with a demolition charge
1-i BR
Transport: Captured Jeep
Special Rules: Scout2, Engineers, Mortar Spotters,
Behind Enemy Lines, Disguised, Unique

ENGINEER SUPPORT UNITS

Assault Pioneer Squad . 40 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)
Squad Composition: 1 Assault Pioneer Squad
Flammpanzer 38 t Hetzer and 1 MG Team
Unit Composition: 1 Flammpanzer 38(t) Hetzer
Flammpanzer 38(t) Hetzer . . . . . . . . .48 pts 3-r BR Assault Pioneer Squad
Special Rules: Unique Unit Composition: 5 men with a Panzerfaust and
2 demolition charges
Transport: Mount in a Medium truck . . . . . . . +4 pts
Light Bridging Unit . . . . . . . . . . 18 pts 2-r BR OR mount on bicycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
Unit Composition: 6 men Options:
Transport: Heavy Truck with a Bridge May replace all riles with assault riles . . . . +14 pts
Special Rules: Bridging Squad may take a lamethrower . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Squad may take a mine sweeper. . . . . . . . . . . +5 pts

Recovery Vehicle MG Team

Unit Composition: 1 Recovery Vehicle Unit Composition: 3 men with a bipod MG34
Transport: Transported in Squad’s vehicle.
Special Rules: Vehicle Recovery, Vehicle Repair
SdKfz 9 ‘Famo’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 pts 1-r BR Options:
Bergehetzer. . . . . . 24 pts 2-r BR (Unique, Restricted) Upgrade any MG34 for bipod MG42 . . . . . . . +4 pts

38
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

LOGISTICS SUPPORT UNITS

Supply Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 pts 1-i BR Ambulance . . . . . . . . . . 14 pts 2-i BR (Restricted)

Unit Composition: 1 Horse drawn wagon Unit Composition: 1 Kübelwagen Ambulance
Special Rules: Resupply, Unique Special Rules: Medic

Options: Options: Upgrade Kübelwagen Ambulance to

Add up to 2 Horse drawn wagons . . . . . +3 pts each Ambulance Medium Truck . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts

Transport Column . . . . . . . . . . . 4 pts 1-i BR Stretcher Party . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 1-i BR

Unit Composition: 1 Medium Truck Unit Composition: 2 men
Special Rules: Unique Special Rules: Medic

Options: Forward Aid Post . . . . 20 pts 5-i BR (Restricted)

Add up to 5 medium trucks . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts each Unit Composition: 4 men with a tent
Special Rules: Medic, Unique

SPECIALIST SUPPORT UNITS

Heavy Anti-Aircraft Gun
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 pts 3-i BR (Restricted)
Unit Composition: 88mm FlaK36 AA/AT gun, 4 crew
Options:
Add 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
SdKfz 7 tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts
Anti-Tank Gun Battery . . . . . . . 94 pts 4-i BR
Unit Composition: 2 75mm PaK40 anti-tank guns each
with 3 crew
Options:
Add 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts each
Horse and limber tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts each
Medium truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts each
Towed Anti-Aircraft Gun
Unit Composition: 1 anti-aircraft gun with crew
20mm FlaK with 3 crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 pts 1-i BR
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Medium Truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
SdKfz 10 halftrack tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts
37mm FlaK with 3 crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 pts 1-i BR
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Medium Truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
SdKfz 11 halftrack tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts
20mm FlaK Vierling with 3 crew. . . . . . 41 pts 1-i BR
Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts
Medium Truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts
SdKfz 10 halftrack tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts

Special Rules: Unique

Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Gun
Unit Composition: 1 vehicle
Panzerjäger Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 pts 1-i BR Marder II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 1-r BR (Restricted)
Unit Composition: 2 men with a Panzerschreck Marder III H . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 pts 1-r BR (Restricted)
Marder III M . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 pts 1-r BR (Restricted)
Marder 38t (36r) . . . . . . . . . 34 pts 1-r BR (Restricted)
Assault Howitzer Jagdpanzer IV (L48) . . . . . . 52 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)
Unit Composition: 1 vehicle
Jagdpanzer IV (L70) . . . . . . 64 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)
StuH 42 G. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)
Sturmmörser Tiger . . . . . . . 90 pts 4-r BR (Unique)

39
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

ADDITIONAL FIRE SUPPORT

Of-Table Artillery Support Request Pre-Registered Target Point . . . . 15 pts 0 BR

3rd Target Priority (5+). . . . . . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR
2nd Target Priority (4+) . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR
1st Target Priority (3+) . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 pts 0 BR Counter-Battery Fire Mission . . 10 pts 0 BR
The counter-battery ire mission is effective on a 5+

Volksgrenadier Fire Mission Requests

Timed 80mm Mortar Barrage . . 5 pts 0 BR
Regimental Battery (3+ comms test) Fired by a battery of four 80mm mortars. Before the
1-4 2 80mm mortars game, write down which turn the guns will ire on.
5-6 2 120mm heavy mortars The points cost includes a pre-registered target as the
target point of the barrage.
Divisional Battery (4+ comms test)
1-2 2 75mm (L26) ield guns
2-4 2 105mm (L28) howitzers Timed 75mm Barrage . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR
5 2 122mm (L23) howitzers Fired by a battery of four 75mmL26 light ield guns.
6 2 150mm (l30) howitzers Before the game, write down which turn the guns will
ire on. The points cost includes a pre-registered target
Corps Battery (5+ comms test) as the target point of the barrage.
1-2 2 150mm (L30) howitzers
3-4 2 152mm (L24) howitzers
5-6 2 150mm Nebelwerfers Timed 105mm Barrage . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR
Fired by a battery of four 105mmL28 howitzers. Before
Army Battery (6+ comms test) the game, write down which turn the guns will ire on.
1-3 2 150mm Nebelwerfers The points cost includes a pre-registered target as the
4-5 2 210mm Nebelwerfers target point of the barrage.
6 2 280mm Nebelwerfers

Timed 122mm Barrage. . . . . . . 20 pts 0 BR

German Close Air Support Table 1944 Fired by a battery of four 122mmL23 howitzers. Before
the game, write down which turn the guns will ire on.
D6 Aircraft The points cost includes a pre-registered target as the
1-3 Bf109 G target point of the barrage.
1-4 No bombs
5-6 2 small bombs
Timed 150mm Nebelwerfer Barrage
4-5 Fw-190 G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 0 BR
1-4 8 small bombs Fired by a battery of two 150mm Nebelwerfers. Before
5-6 1 large bomb and 4 small bombs the game, write down which turn the rockets will ire
on. The points cost includes a pre-registered target as
6 Choose the target point of the barrage.
Select any of the above aircraft

You may always choose an aircraft from lower down the

table over a higher roll. You must still roll for armament.

40

BATTLES
IN THE BULGE
ecember 1944 and January 1945
D saw some very heavy ighting
in the Ardennes; irst as the Germans
broke through the frontlines and as
they pushed westwards and then
when they were inally brought
to a halt. The second phase saw
the Americans, with some British
aid, launch a counter-offensive to
retake the lost ground and drive the
Germans back to their start lines and
beyond. By the end of January 1945,
the Germans had retreated back to
where they started and were on the
defensive again.
Playing games set during this period
of the war on the Western Front
have their own character and unique
factors which this supplement brings
to the fore. In general, though, the
forces engaged were very much like
those that had previously fought
the Battle of Normandy. These
forces were covered in detail in the
Battlegroup Overlord supplement, and,
as such, will not be repeated here.
The Battle of the Bulge was largely
fought between US and German
forces. The small part the British
played in the counter-offensive phase
is not covered but, should you wish
to play using British forces, then the
list in Overlord will work just ine
with no modiication.
US Forces
To play with US forces, use the
following three lists from Battlegroup
Overlord: US Armoured Division,
US Infantry Division or US Airborne
Division. To save space, cost and
repetition, these three lists will not be
repeated here. Added to these three
lists are the new units and Special
Rules described in this book’s ‘Duels
in Mist’ section.
German Forces
To play with German forces, use the
three lists from Battlegroup Overlord:
Panzer Division, Infantry Division
or Fallschirmjäger Division. To save
space, cost and repetition, these three
lists are not repeated here. Added
to these three lists is the entirely new
list for Volksgrenadier Divisions
included in this book. Also added
to the three lists from Battlegroup
Overlord are the new units and
Special Rules described in this book’s
‘Duels in Mist’ section.
Scenarios
Any of the previously published
generic scenarios from other
Battlegroup supplements can easily
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
be adapted to use in the Battle of the
Bulge. This book also contains a new
generic scenario for the Ardennes,
called Roadblock.
For players who would like to
randomly generate a scenario, rather
than just chose one, here is table to
roll for. Roll a D6.
1-2 Meeting Engagement. Roll again.
1 Flank Attack (see rulebook)
2-4 Attack/Counter-Attack
(see rulebook)
5 Recce Screen (see Battlegroup
Overlord)
6 Bridgehead Breakout
(see rulebook)
3-6 Attack/Defence. Roll again.
1-3 Roadblock (US forces are
defending)
4 Defence Line (see rulebook,
US forces are defending)
5 Delaying Action
(see Battlegroup Fall of the Reich.
US forces are defending)
6 Die Hexenkessel
(see Battlegroup Fall of the Reich.
US forces are defending)
ARDENNES TERRAIN
The Belgian Ardennes is a rural area
of hills, valleys, fast-lowing rivers and
streams and large forests, scattered
with small farming hamlets and
villages with occasional larger towns
at the centre of the area’s network of
winding roads. These towns became
important objectives, as did the many
bridges over the region’s small water
courses. An important part of playing
battles set during Wacht am Rhein is
recreating this tight terrain. This can
be done in any mutually acceptable
way but, for ease, a terrain generator
is included here.
Using and Positioning Terrain
Before playing a battle, you will
need to lay out a battleield. There
are various methods of doing this,
but one common method is to
use a terrain generator. A terrain
generator is included here to cover
41
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
the broad type of terrain fought over
in the Ardennes. This is not the only
method of creating a battleield.
Players should feel free to use any
method they ind works for them.
Using the Terrain Generator
To use the terrain generator, irst
divide your table roughly 24" by 24".
Then roll a D3+1 for each square, this
is the number of terrain pieces in that
area. Next, roll two different coloured
D6s and cross reference the terrain
table.
When generating a table, it is less
important that you follow the rules
strictly than that you create an
interesting battleield. Terrain can
spill over the edges of its designated
24" x 24" area, by up to about half
its size. Roads, tracks and streams
should lead from one table edge to
another table edge or to some suitable
feature. For tracks, this is likely to be
a building or farm complex. If a road
crosses a stream, then there will be a
bridge (or the remains of a bridge) or
a ford. As it is winter, fords are not
likely to be easily crossable.
In the end, try and use common sense
when generating your terrain and
make the miniature world ‘work’.
Terrain Types
Small Hill
A low hill (hillock) up to 10" square.
Small hills may be placed on large
hills to create higher hills.
Large Hill
A hill up to 20" square.
Hedge or Fence
Up to 20" of hedgerow or fencing,
following a track or road or marking
ield boundaries.
Copse
A small area of trees up to 10" square.
Units may ire up to 5" through
woods. Any copse or wood can be
placed on a hill. Trees were often
pines.
Wood
An area up to 20" square. Units may
ire up to 5" through woods.
Large Wood
An area up to 30" square. Units may
ire up to 5" through woods.
42
ARDENNES TERRAIN GENERATOR
1 2 3 4
1 Small Hill Small Hill Small Hill Small Hill Large Hill Large Hill
2 Hedges Hedge Hedge
3 Copse Copse Wood
4 Stream Stream Stream
5 Small Building Farm Farm
6 Track Track Track
Stream
A fordable stream. It is dificult
ground for vehicles and should be
edged by bushes and trees.
Marsh
An area up to 10" x 10" of boggy
ground. Dificult ground for vehicles
but provides soft cover for infantry
willing to get wet.
Small Building
A single cottage, animal shelter or
small barn. A cottage may have a
small walled garden attached.
Large Building
A larger house, barn, grain silo, a
small rural church, hotel or perhaps a
warehouse or timber mill.
Farm
Two or three small buildings, such as
a cottage, stable, barn, chicken coop
etc, clustered together. A track must
lead to it from another road or a table
edge.
Village
Four to six stone buildings with a
track leading to it. Buildings are
usually closely-packed together.
Buildings might have outbuildings
and walled gardens.
Track/Road
Track, one vehicle wide, or a wider
road, two vehicles wide. All are earth
roads; there were very few metalled
surfaces in 1944. Roads and tracks
are often narrow and twisting as
they round, climb or descend the
hillsides. A track or road must lead
from one table edge to another, or to
a building.
Wrecks
A few destroyed or abandoned
vehicles, most likely US soft-skins.
They can be arranged along a track.
5 6
Copse Wood Large Wood
Wood Large Wood Large Wood
Marsh Marsh Pond/Lake
Farm Village Large Building
Wreck Wreck Railway
Railway Line
In a cutting or on an embankment
running from one table edge to
another. Often railway lines followed
the course of streams and river
valleys.
Lake/Pond
A pond or lake up to 20" square. It
is impassable to vehicles or infantry
(unless the vehicle is amphibious).
SPECIAL TERRAIN FEATURE
HEAVY SNOW
It had already snowed lightly in
various areas of the Ardennes when
the Germans attacked, but it was not
until December 21st that heavy snow
fell and turned the battleield into a
winter-wonderland. So, games set
earlier in the campaign need not be
under snow, they were simply cold,
damp and misty days, but a snow-
covered board can look very effective
and will make your Ardennes games
feel very different from other battles
in the European theatre.
Recreating light snow on the tabletop
requires no extra rules, it doesn’t
hinder men and vehicles very greatly
but just looks nice. Heavy snow,
however, does affect movement.
If a game is to take place in heavy
snow conditions, the following extra
rules apply.
1. All vehicle movement counts
as cross-country. There is no road
movement.
2. Wheeled soft-skin vehicles (not
half-tracks) count all off road
movement as Dangerous Ground.
They can only move a D6".
3. All water features (streams,
lakes, marshes) are frozen
and count as open ground for
movement.

ROADBLOCK
Scenario Type: Attack/Defence.
In this scenario, the US forces are
always defending and the Germans
are always the Attackers.
Situation Report
German forces have broken through
the front and confusion and panic are
starting to spread amidst US forces
in the area. Some units are moving to
counter the breakthrough; others are
pulling back in good order, while still
others are simply running for their
lives. In the close terrain, the German
advance will be restricted to the roads
and, thus, crossroads and other road
junctions become vital objectives.
In order to slow the enemy advance, a
local American commander has been
ordered to gather an ad hoc force
of any troops he can ind (even the
cooks, mechanics and drivers will do)
and form a roadblock at one of these
junctions. Their mission is to hold up
the German advance for as long as
they can.
Meanwhile, the German commander
has orders to push west as fast as
he can as time is of the essence.
Any delays will prove costly as the
Americans move reinforcements
into place so any opposition must be
quickly eradicated. In order to do
this, he has sent part of his force on
an outlanking move, to get behind
the defenders and cut off their retreat.
Terrain
There must be at least one road
or track running from one side
of the table to the opposite side.
Approximately half way across the
table, is a junction where a side road
leads off. This is the position the US
roadblock is trying to hold.
As this is the Ardennes, hills and
forests dominate. Use the random
terrain generator or any other
mutually acceptable method to create
the battleield.
Victory
The side that exceeds its Battle Rating
must withdraw and loses the battle.
The US player cannot claim an All
Objectives Secured victory, but the
German player can.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Above: A US M1 76mm anti-tank gun and crew
deployed to cover the approaches
to the Vielsalm bridge.
Special Rules
Low Cloud Cover: Use the scenario
special rule, with the German player
rolling for lying conditions at the
start of the game.
Time is Pressing: The German player
does not have long to remove this
obstacle to his advance. If, at the
start of turn 5, the US forces are still
ighting, then the German player
must take a Battle Rating counter at
the start of each of his turns. If, at
the start of turn 10, the US forces are
still ighting, then the German player
must take two Battle Rating counters
at the start of each of his turns.
Deployment
1. Determine table edges
Both players should roll a dice and
add the number of scout units he has
in his Battlegroup. The player that
scores the highest total may chose
which table edge he will deploy from.
43
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
German Table Edge
US Table Edge
His opponent automatically gets the
opposite table edge.
2. Place Objectives
Place D3+1 objectives on the table.
The irst objective must be the road
junction. After that, starting with the
attacker, place objectives anywhere
on the table, but not within 10" of
any table edge and not within 10" of
another objective.
3. Determine Defender’s Initial
Forces
At the beginning of the game, place
all the US player’s Defences and
44
a D6+6 units. These units can be
freely chosen from the US player’s
battlegroup. Any units which are
placed in Defences, such as infantry
in foxholes or guns in dug-outs, do
not count towards the D6+6 total.
4. Defender Deploys
Place all the Initial Forces and
defences anywhere in the US
deployment zone, which is 2/3 of the
way across the table from his table
edge. Any units not deployed are US
reinforcements.
5. Ambush Fire
A D6 US units may start the game on
Ambush Fire.
6. Deploy Attacker’s Initial Forces
The German player then places all the
units chosen from the Reconnaissance
section of his army list and 2D6+6
additional units, freely chosen from
his Battlegroup, anywhere in his
deployment zone, up to 10" from his
table edge. Any units not deployed
are the attacker’s lanking force.
7. First Turn
The Germans are attacking and
automatically get the irst turn.
8. Attacker’s Flanking Force
Any of the German player’s units not
initially deployed for the attack are
his lanking force, attempting to work
around the roadblock on the left or
right.
Before the game, the German player
should write down whether his
lankers are moving to his left or
right. From the start of turn 4, start
rolling for the arrival of the German
lanking force. On a 4+, they arrive
and a D6 units are placed on the left
or right table edge (as pre-chosen),
within 10" of the centre point. Units
placed on the table edge can then be
given orders from there as normal.
A D6 units will continue to arrive in
each subsequent turn until the entire
lanking force is on the table.
9. Defender’s Reinforcements
Any US forces not initially deployed
are reinforcements, en route to help
hold the junction, and will arrive
throughout the game.
From the start of turn 2, roll a D6.
On a 4+, US reinforcements have
arrived. A D3* units may be placed
on the US player’s table edge and can
be given orders from there. Roll for
reinforcements at the beginning of
each US turn.
* In Company games roll a D6.
In Battalion games roll 2D6.

ROADBLOCK AT THE
ANTONIUSHOF FARM
Game Size: Platoon
Situation Report
2nd Panzer Division’s run for the
Meuse began on December 17th
with a brief ight for the bridge
over the River Clerf at Clervaux.
Once the American defenders
had been defeated and bridge
was open, the division’s leading
edge, a kampfgruppe of reinforced
reconnaissance troops under
Hauptman von Böhm, was released
to ind the route west.
Early on December 18th, von Böhm’s
light armour set off, skirting north
of the villages of Donnange and
Lullange, but ran into their irst
enemy resistance at the Antoniushof
farm, a roadblock position quickly
thrown into place by Task Force Rose
of CCR, 9th Armoured Division.
Having quickly scouted the US
positions, von Böhm requested a
smoke screen be ired to cover his
attack, which he then launched
in the early afternoon. With his
reconnaissance troops supported by
an attached platoon of Panzer IVs,
his attack quickly knocked out seven
Sherman tanks and strong mortar and
artillery ire forced the accompanying
dismounted US armoured infantry to
withdraw.
With the road open, 2nd Panzer’s
reconnaissance troops moved on and
fought another stiff ight at Baroque
d’Allerborn that evening where, in
a 15 minute battle, they knocked out
more Shermans of Taskforce Harper
(Lt-Col Ralph Harper, commanding,
was also killed in the ighting).
Von Böhm’s men then pressed
rapidly on through the night and
reached Noville, north of Bastogne,
by irst light on December 19th.
Finding it held in strength by
Taskforce Desobry of 10th Armoured
Division, von Böhm bypassed Noville
by turning north at Bourcy, leaving
it to the following 2nd Panzer tanks
of Kampfgruppe Cochenhausen,
advancing about an hour behind
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
his own units.
Von Böhm then
raced for his irst
US Table Edge
objective, a bridge
over the Ourthe
river at Ortheuville.
Fighting a
German Table Edge
third successful
engagement
against deploying
troops of 327th
Glider Regiment
at Herbiamont,
von Böhm’s men
then moved on and
seized the bridge
intact to allow the
rest of the following
division to continue
west.
This scenario
recreates the
the road are all dense and tangled.
Kampfgruppe’s irst encounter at
They are impassable to vehicles
Antoniushof Farm on December
and even count as dificult ground
18th, under the dense pall of a smoke
for dismounted infantry. Two US
screen.
roadblocks, of felled trees, can be
placed anywhere on the table, but
Deployment must be on the roads.
The Germans are attacking and the
Americans defending. The Americans
Special Rules
deploy irst, placing all their initial
Heavy Smoke Screen: Before
forces within 30" of their table
attacking, the Germans have ired a
edge. The German smoke screen
thick smoke screen which covers the
has warned them that the enemy is
entire table. Before the battle, roll a
coming and 3D6 units may start the
D3+1. This is the number of turns the
game on Ambush Fire.
smoke screen lasts.
The Germans then deploy, placing
Whilst the smoke screen is in place,
their entire force within 20" of their
all iring on the table may only be
table edge. As the attackers, the
Area Fire, no Aimed Fire is allowed.
Germans take the irst turn. The
On the turn number rolled (the last
Americans have been out-scouted
turn), the smoke screen is thinning.
and must take a Battle Rating counter
All iring returns to normal but with
at the start of the game.
an additional -1 to all spotting tests
for that turn only. After this, the
Objectives smoke screen has cleared and iring
There are three objectives on the continues as normal for the rest of the
table: two roads junctions and the game.
largest farm building.
Low Cloud Cover: There is low cloud
The Terrain cover. Air Attack counters can only
Play the game on a (roughly) 6' x 6' be used on a roll of 6, instead of the
table. Set up the terrain as shown usual 5-6.
on the map. The woods north of
45
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

Above: A photograph taken during the recapture
of the Ardennes. US infantry and observers
prepare to attack uphill.
Wild Rumours: (for US player, see
‘Duels in the Mist’ Special Rules).
US Reinforcements
From turn 2, roll for US
reinforcements at the start of each
US turn. On a 5-6, the extra Sherman
tank platoon arrives. Place them on Panzer Division army lists. The
the northern table edge, within 10" American player can take 650 points
of the road, and then give the tanks of forces, including Defences, chosen
orders from that position. from the US Armoured Division
army lists.
Alternative Forces
Historical forces are given but players
can replay this scenario using forces
they have selected themselves.
The German player can take 750
points of forces, chosen from the

US FORCES GERMAN FORCES

(all US forces in this battle are Inexperienced)
Dismounted Armoured Infantry Platoon (no half-
tracks present)
.50 cal HMG team in a foxhole
Combat Medic
Sherman Tank Platoon - 4 M4 Shermans (1 officer)
Battery of 2 82mm mortars (off-table)
2 improvised roadblocks (felled trees) – place
anywhere on the roads
Foxholes for 10 men
2 3rd Priority artillery requests
1 Fortiied Building (the farm house)
Reinforcements
Sherman Tank Platoon - 4 M4 Shermans (1 officer)
Officers: 3
BR: 34 (+ Wild Rumours result)
(all German forces in this battle are Regulars)
Forward HQ, 3 men in SdKfz 250/3
Forward Signals Unit in SdKfz 223
Armoured Reconnaissance Infantry Platoon - each
MG team has an MG42 and a Panzerfaust. Oficer
upgraded to Artillery Spotter
Heavy MG42 team in SdKfz 250/1
Pak40 AT gun with loader team and Maultier tow
2 SdKfz 234/1 armoured cars
1 SdKfz 234/2 Puma
Panzer IV Platoon - 5 Panzer IV Hs (1 officer)
Battery of 2 80mm mortars (off-table)
3 1st Priority Artillery Requests
Officers: 3 (including senior oficer)
BR: 38

46

BATTLE OF WALLERODE
A MULTI-PLAYER SCENARIO FOR THE DEFENCE OF ST VITH
Situation Report
December 21st, 1944.
When the Ardennes offensive began
on December 16th, a vital early
objective for 5th Panzer Army’s
attack was the road hub town of
St Vith. By December 18th, the US
7th Armoured Division had rushed
its Combat Command B into place
to plug the gap around the town
created by the defeat of the 106th
Infantry Division on the Schnee Eifel
in the previous days. The US tankers
had a few days to get into position
and hold off the initial enemy
probing attacks whilst the Germans
regrouped their main forces, brought
up extra artillery and moved the
Führer Begleit Brigade from reserve
for the assault on St Vith.
The vanguard of the Führer
Begleit Brigade would support the
main attack by the 18th and 62nd
Volksgrenadier divisions. After
a heavy artillery bombardment,
the Volksgrenadiers advanced,
supported by their own StuGs and
Hetzers and some of the Begleit
Brigade’s Panzer IVs. There was
ighting all along the frontline north-
east, east and south-east of the town,
but the Germans soon made gains
with the 295th Grenadier Regiment
and the attached Sturmgeschütz
Brigade 244 attacking along the
main St Vith-Schönberg road from
the west. Here, lanked by the dense
woods of the Bois de Wallerode,
the Germans made progress all
afternoon, until the woods gave out
to rolling farm pastures just south of
the village of Wallerode, only 3km
from St Vith itself.
At Wallerode, the 7th Armoured
Division met the threatening advance
with the Shermans of 31st Tank
Battalion and men of 38th Armoured
Infantry, supported by M10s and
M36s of 814th Tank Destroyer
Battalion. But, throughout the early
evening, the Volksgrenadiers’ strong
attack still made ground towards
St Vith, forcing the US tankers to
withdraw back to the town. Closely
pursued by the enemy, the US troops
panicked and abandon St Vith that
evening. By midnight, German tanks
and troops were in the streets of St
Vith, looting US stores. The road hub
town had fallen.
Terrain
This game recreates the early evening
battle south of Wallerode, just outside
St Vith, where the forests end and
the German attack continued over
the open farmland around St Vith, as
marked on the map below.
Objectives
There are six objectives on the table,
two in each 4' section. From north to
south, these are: a house, a hilltop, a
road junction, a farm, another house
and a small wood. All are marked on
the map.
Deployment
The game is played across a 12' x
6' table. Each of the three forces
gets a 4' section of the front line
to deploy in. Players should agree
which forces will take which sector.
All the available German forces
start within 15" of their table edge.
All the available American forces
start with 20" of their table edge. US
Defences can be placed up to halfway
across the table, including any units
occupying these defences.
A D6 US units from each battlegroup
may start the game on Ambush Fire.
The Germans are attacking and so
take the irst turn.
Command and Control
At the start of each turn, a side will
roll 5D6 for orders and divide the
rolled total between their three forces
in any way they wish. Each player
may then add his own oficer total
to that score to get his orders total
for that turn. There should be a time
limit on each side’s turns, so the game
moves along fast, 20 minutes per side
is enough to get everything done.
Battle Rating
Each force ights with its own
separate BR rating, keeping their own
BR counters. Once a force has lost all
its BR, the battlegroup withdraws.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
The irst side to lose two of its three
battlegroups due to withdrawing
loses the game.
Special Rules
Snowfall: Today is the irst day of
heavy snowfall. The ground is now
covered by light snow (this has
no effect on movement) but heavy
snow is still falling. No aircraft are
available in this battle. All air attack
counters count as 0s instead, do not
roll for the arrival of aircraft. Any
timed air strikes are aborted and lost.
Reserves: Before deployment, each
player should roll 2D6. This is the
number of units from his battlegroup
that he must leave in reserve. These
can be any of his units, freely chosen
from his battlegroup.
Reserves begin to arrive from the
start of turn 3, at a rate of D6 units
per turn. Reserves must be placed
on a player’s table edge in his own
4' sector of the table. They are then
given orders from there.
Picking Forces
Each player should select their own
750 pt force from the relevant army
lists. They may not include any of
the following: Forward HQ, Forward
Signals Unit or Forward Aid Post.
One of each of these units will be
given to each side for free. Only
the Americans may take Defences;
no Defences may be taken by the
Germans.
GERMAN FORCES
There are three German forces, each
of 750 pts. These are two companies
of the 295th Grenadier Regiment,
both chosen from the Volksgrenadier
Division army lists, and a Führer
Begleit Brigade battlegroup, chosen
from the Battlegroup Overlord Panzer
Division army lists, with some
restrictions.
Führer Begleit Brigade
Battlegroup Restrictions
An ‘elite’ unit for the defence of
Hitler’s own HQs, the Führer Begleit
47
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Brigade was re-equipped, upgraded
and sent as part of the armoured
reserve for the Ardennes offensive.
The brigade consisted of a Panzer
IV battalion, a StuG battalion, two
fully-armoured Panzergrenadier
battalions, a pioneer company, an
anti-aircraft battalion (mostly with
towed 88mm guns) and a self-
propelled artillery battalion equipped
with Wespe and Hummel SP guns.
Use the Battlegroup Overlord Panzer
Division army lists, 750 pts, with the
following restrictions:
• No Panther tanks allowed
• No Tiger tanks allowed
• No towed artillery allowed (must
be SP guns)
• No Brummbär allowed
US FORCES
The Wallerode area is held by units
from CCB, 7th Armoured Division
(31st Tank Battalion and 38th
Armoured Infantry) and 18th Cavalry
Squadron of 14th Cavalry Group.
There are three US forces, each 750
pts: two 7th Armoured Division
battlegroups and an 18th Cavalry
Squadron battlegroup. All are
chosen from the Battlegroup Overlord
US Armoured Division army lists.
18th Cavalry Squadron has some
restrictions.
48
18th Cavalry Squadron
Restrictions
A light armoured unit
deployed in the Ardennes for
reconnaissance operations before
the offensive struck, in previous
days it have been retreating
before the German attack until
it was forced to stand at St Vith
and was then reinforced by 7th
Armoured Division’s tanks.
Use the American Armoured
Division battlegroup army lists,
with the following restrictions:
• Must include a
Reconnaissance Troop
• No M4 Sherman tanks (any
variants) allowed
• No self-propelled artillery
allowed
• No Engineer Support units
allowed

DRIVE FAST AND HOLD
THE REINS LOOSE
A narrative campaign for Kampfgruppe Peiper’s drive for the Meuse
T his campaign is a series of seven
linked historical battles, to be
played in chronological order, as
the 1st SS Panzer Division’s column
advances along the Ambleve river
valley to Stoumont and La Gleize.
The battles have been chosen (from
many potential options) to provide
interesting and closely-fought
tabletop games of various sizes. As
historical reights, they are not all
‘even ights’ – often, one side does
have an advantage in forces, but such
it was at the time.
A battle may provide the winner with
a small advantage in a future game.
Where this is so, it is noted in the
scenario’s victory gains and in the
affected scenario’s force lists. Once
played, the winner of each battle is
awarded campaign points. The player
with the most campaign points at the
end of Game 7 is the overall winner.
As well as playing these battles in
order, player may wish to use them
as stand-alone scenarios, to provide
an evening’s gaming entertainment.
December 17th-22nd, 1944
The Battles
1. Breakthrough at Lanzerath
Size: Squad
Victory Advantages: Time for extra
US reinforcements at Ligneuville,
scenario 2.
2. Ambush at Ligneuville
Size: Squad
Victory Advantages: Time for extra
US reinforcements at Stavelot,
scenario 3.
3. Crossing Stavelot Bridge
Size: Platoon
Victory Advantages: US Artillery
observer team arrives sooner at
Stoumont, scenario 4.
4. Assault on Stoumont
Size: Company
Victory Advantages: US
reinforcements arrive on 2+ instead
of 4+.
5. Stoumont Halt
Size: Squad
Victory Advantages: Extra US M10
reinforcement for scenario 6.
6. St Edouard Sanatorium
Size: Platoon
Victory Advantage: None
7. La Gleize, the Battle of So L’Hesse
Size: Platoon
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Picking your own forces or using
historical refight ones
The campaign allows for two
approaches. Players can either
play the seven battles as a series of
historical reights using the forces
listed for both sides in the scenarios.
Or, the players can use the scenarios
as the basis of their own ‘what-if’
battles. In this case, both players can
pick their forces from the army lists
given, up to the points value given,
including any additional new units
from this book. There are some extra
restrictions on the German player, to
better represent the forces deployed
for the offensive, so that each game
will still feel like a battle involving
Kampfgruppe Peiper, even if the
forces aren’t exactly as they were on
the day.
Players should also feel free to mix
and match these two approaches,
playing some battles as straight
historical reights and picking their
own forces in others.
Using the American Army Lists
The US army lists in Battlegroup
Overlord can be used without further
restriction. Most of the campaign’s
battles will be fought using the
Infantry Division lists.
If the US player so wishes (and he
has the correct model collection),
then he can substitute US infantry
division battlegroups with US
airborne troops in his own ‘what-if’
scenario – assuming that the attack
is actually launched in a sector that
was being held by one of the airborne
divisions rather than regular infantry.
This option is only included so that
players with an airborne force can
use the campaign and it should be
either used throughout the campaign
or not at all; do not switch army lists
between battles.
49
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

Campaigns Points
Campaign Points Table
Victory in the campaign is achieved
by winning campaign points. The US Victory German Victory Decisive Victory
winner of each battle is awarded Bonus
campaign points and both sides keep 1. Breakthrough at Lanzerath 1 2 +0
a running total through the seven 2. Ambush at Ligneuville 1 1 +1 (Special)
battles. The side with the most at the 3. Crossing Stavelot Bridge 3 1 +1
end of the campaign is the winner,
with the margin of victory rated by 4. Assault on Stoumont 3 3 +2
the difference between the point 5. Stoumont Halt 2 3 +0
totals. 6. St Edouard Sanatorium 2 1 +1
7. Battle of So L’Hesse 2 3 +2
Using the Battlegroup Overlord
Panzer Division army lists as Decisive Victory: If one side wins a battle by reducing his opponent’s BR to
Kampfgruppe Peiper zero, and his own battlegroup still has over half its BR total remaining, then
In order to better replicate the actual he has won a decisive victory and gains the bonus campaign points listed
forces deployed by Kampfgruppe for it.
Peiper, there are few extra restrictions
on the lists as they appear in (Special): There is also an additional campaign point bonus for this
Battlegroup Overlord. scenario, see the scenario for details.

During this campaign, the German

lists are modiied as follows:

Infantry Units
• May include a single
KAMPFGRUPPE PEIPER
he mission of 1st SS Panzer Division (Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler) in
Fallschirmjäger Platoon or squad
from the Fallschirmjäger army list as
T Operation Wacht am Rhein was to rapidly get over the Meuse between
Liège and Namur, in the Huy area, utilising the intact bridges that had
a unique choice.
already been identiied by aerial reconnaissance lights over the river. After
an initial infantry-led breakthrough, the division’s vanguard would rapidly
Tank Units
advance through the US rear towards Huy. Then, after establishing a solid
• No StuGs
bridgehead over the Meuse, three fresh SS panzer divisions would take
over the lead and strike north-west to capture Antwerp itself.
Artillery Units
• No Wespe
For its prominent role in the offensive, 1st SS Panzer Division was divided
• No Hummels
into four combined arms Kampfgruppen, each named after its commander.
• No Panzerwerfer half-track rocket
The largest and most potent, to lead the race to the Meuse, would be
launchers
Kampfgruppe Peiper - formed around the tanks of 1st SS Panzer Regiment
• Off-table artillery may only be
and its commander Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper.
105mm
This would be supported by three other units from the division:
Reconnaissance Support Units
Kampfgruppe Hansen, formed around 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment;
• No Armoured Cars (except an
Kampfgruppe Sandig, formed around 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment
SdKfz 234/1 (unique))
and Schnellgruppe Knittel, formed around 1st SS Reconnaissance Battalion.
• No Recce Platoon Commander
These three groups would play a supporting role to the main tank strike
• No mounted Panzergrenadier
force led by Peiper. Each Kampfgruppe would also be allotted its share of
patrol
divisional assets such as artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank units, but only
Peiper would have the panzers.
Engineer Support Units
• No Flamethrowers
For their critical role in capturing the Meuse bridges intact, Peiper’s
• No Bergepanzer III armoured
Kampfgruppe was a combined arms unit drawing forces from many of the
recovery vehicle
division’s sub-units, as follows.
Specialist Support Units
• No Heavy anti-tank guns 1st SS Panzer Regiment
• No self-propelled anti-tank guns Commanded by Sturmbannführer Werner Poetschke (but with the unit’s
• No assault howitzers actual commander, Joachim Peiper, now in overall command). The division’s
• No Tiger Is panzer regiment should have been formed of two tank battalions, one of
Panzer IVs and the other of Panther tanks, but crippling losses in Normandy
Additional Fire Support could not quickly be replaced and the regiment was still below half strength.
• No Timed 150mm Nebelwerfer Instead, it had been reformed as a single composite battalion of four
barrage companies. The irst two companies, 1 and 2, were equipped with Panthers.
• Maximum of Divisional-level The second two companies, 6 and 7, were equipped with Panzer IVs.
Artillery Fire Requests allowed

50

501st SS Heavy Tank Battalion
Commanded by Obersturmbannführer Heinz von
Westernhagen. To make up for the division’s shortfall
in panzers, the King Tiger tanks of the 501st SS heavy
tank battalion were attached to it. This unit was also well
under strength, as its organisation should have included
45 Tiger IIs in four companies, but for the operation
this was reduced to just 14 in three companies. The hills
and forest of the Ardennes region made a poor hunting
ground for these very heavy tanks. Requiring a lot of
fuel and maintenance, Peiper regarded them as too slow
and cumbersome for the needs of his rapid advance and
so initially relegated the Tigers to the rear of his column.
3rd Battalion, 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment
Commanded by Hauptsturmführer Jupp Diefenthal,
2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment formed the basis
of Kampfgruppe Sandig, but one of its battalions
was detached and placed under Peiper’s command
to provide the bulk of his infantry support. Only the
battalion’s irst company was equipped with half-track
carriers, and thus operated towards the forefront of
the march column, while the rest of the battalion’s
companies were carried in trucks and followed on
further behind.
3rd SS Panzer Pioneer Company
Attached to Peiper from the division’s pioneer battalion,
under the command of Obersturmführer Franz Sievers,
the company’s four platoons were split. Two were
carried in half-tracks and two in trucks and on bicycles.
Only the half-tracked pioneers operated in close support
of the lead tanks.
1st SS Panzer Artillery Battalion
The division’s artillery should have been equipped with
self-propelled Wespe 105mm and Hummel 150mm
guns but a shortage of these vehicles meant none
were available. Instead, the Kampfgruppe’s artillery
support, commanded by Hauptsturmführer Ludwig
Kalischko, would be provided by regular 105mm light
ield guns, each towed by a truck. The artillery battalion
had three batteries, each of six guns. Ammunition, and
its resupply, would be the artillery’s major problem
throughout the advance.
9th SS Panzer Pioneer Company
Hauptsturmführer Erich Rumpf’s combat engineering
company operated as an integral part of the panzer
regiment, with two platoons being entirely equipped
with half-tracks whilst the third platoon rode on the
panzers themselves to providing close engineer support
to the tank crews.
10th SS Panzer Flak Company
Part of the division’s anti-aircraft battalion,
Obersturmführer Karl-Heinz Vogler’s three platoons
were equipped with various self-propelled anti-aircraft
weapons. One platoon had four self-propelled 37mm
guns on half-tracks; a second had four quad 20mm lak
guns and the third had three Wirbelwind quad 20mm
armoured self-propelled guns.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Elements of 84th Luftwaffe Flak Battalion
Recognising the threat from the USAAF’s ighter-
bombers, this non-divisional unit was attached to
provide additional air defence during the operation.
Major von Sacken’s weak battalion (not all of the unit
was present) was equipped with 37mm and 20mm guns,
both towed and self-propelled variants.
SS Panzer Repair Company
Obersturmführer Ratschko’s unit provide limited
recovery and repair facilities for the panzers.
SS Panzer Supply Company
Sturmbannführer Unger’s supply trucks had their work
cut out keeping the Kampfgruppe supplied throughout
the mission on the Ardennes narrow, winding roads.
Fuel was critical - there would not be enough - so Peiper
was under instructions to capture and use American
stockpiles wherever he could.
D espite the tank regiment being well below strength,
Kampfgruppe Peiper was the best the Germans
could muster in November-December 1944 and was still
powerfully equipped.
Even after its heavy losses in France, the division had
been reitted in Holland and was again a very good
ighting force. It would begin its mission with 4,800 men
and 800 vehicles. These included 117 tanks (Panzer IVs,
Panthers and Tigers IIs); 149 SdKfz 251 half-tracks of
various marks; 30 anti-aircraft weapons; 18 105mm ield
howitzers and six 150mm self-propelled Grille infantry
guns (part of 3rd Panzergrenadier battalion’s heavy
weapon’s company).
Its manpower was very good with a core of battle-
hardened veterans of Russia and Normandy, many
of whom were also fanatical Nazis. Added to these
were good, if young, new recruits who had arrived
as replacements since Normandy, many of them
indoctrinated Nazi ‘believers’ from the Hitler Youth
organisation. There were also a few foreigners including
some Rumanians and even a few Belgians.
The commanders were all very experienced soldiers,
again mostly hardened (and some ruthless) Nazis that
had all already seen the toughest of ighting on the
Eastern Front and in Normandy.
51
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
BREAKTHROUGH AT
Game Size: Squad
LANZERATH
Situation Report
December 16th, 1944
The Intelligence and Reconnaissance
(I&R) platoon of the 394th Infantry
Regiment, 99th Infantry Division
consisted of some 26 chosen men.
All had trained together for a
specialist scout role before shipping
out to England and eventually
moving on to France. They inally
reached the frontlines in Belgium
in November 1944. Their role, for
which they had extra training, was
in patrolling, observation, map
making and intelligence gathering,
often sneaking into German lines
at night. Sometimes their mission
was to capture and return with a
German sentry for interrogation and
the platoon had men handpicked
Below: The infantry soldier’s lot, a cold foxhole.
A M1919A1 .30 cal machine gun team keeps
a watch on the line. Note the tarpaulin cover
behind, to keep the snow out and some heat in.
52
SCENARIO 1
because they were luent German
speakers. Under its commander,
Lieutenant Lyle Bouck, the platoon
operated under the direct control
of the 394th Infantry Regiment’s
HQ intelligence staff and was not
supposed to be deployed as a regular
infantry platoon.
That was the plan but, as is so often
the way, it would not be so in the
ield. Pressed for men to cover the
99th Division’s large sector on the
quiet Ardennes front, the I&R platoon
was given positions to occupy and
hold on a slope overlooking the
village of Lanzerath. They were now
in a ive mile gap between the 99th
Division and its southern neighbours.
Here, they dug-in to endure the hard
winter nights on the line, just a mile
from the Germans’ own front lines.
The Lanzerath Positions
Holding the line was not part of
the platoon’s regular duties, but
they had their orders and arrived
above Lanzerath in seven jeeps on
December 10th to help ill the gap
in the lines on the 99th Division’s
right lank. The platoon was outside
the division’s oficial boundary and
isolated. To reinforce the positions,
they built dug outs on the slope
above Lanzerath, with grenades
slung on trip wires close to them.
Also, the platoon commander,
Lt Bouck, took a trip back to the
divisional ordnance depot and
cut a deal. Circumventing normal
channels, he traded the platoon’s
booty of German ID tags, medals,
watches, prized Lugar pistols and
the like for an armoured jeep. The
vehicle was not prescribed for his
platoon’s stealthy scouting role, but
the Lieutenant igured its pintle-
mounted .50 cal MG would be a
useful addition because his light
platoon lacked irepower - and it
would also provide the platoon with
some mobility and transport to save

their feet and assist in keeping it in
contact with the units to his left and
right.
Haggling complete, Bouck quickly
drove the illicit jeep back to
Lanzerath and had it dug-in to a
scrape covering the farm track up the
slope out of the village, with only the
.50 cal showing.
The village itself was occupied by a
tank destroyer unit of Task Force X,
from the 14th Cavalry Group, with
four 3" towed guns, covering the road
into the village and back towards
Buchholz and Hünningen. The guns
were, in turn, protected by a small
reconnaissance unit equipped with a
half-track and two more jeeps.
Lanzerath was also the position of a
forward observer team from Battery
C, 371st Artillery, under Lt Warren
Springer, watching the German front
lines from an observation post in a
house on the edge of the village.
The Battle
The platoon’s position, along with
the entire front facing the German
attack, came under sustained artillery
and mortar ire at about 0530 hours of
December 16th. The incoming shells
air-bursted in the trees and shredded
the woods and the ield in front of the
men’s foxholes was torn up by the
shelling, leaving some deep craters.
However, the reinforced foxholes had
strong top cover and only a direct
hit was likely to cause any losses. As
the men hunkered down in their dug
outs, the shells crashed about them
for an hour and a half, but there were
no casualties.
At irst light, the sound of vehicle
engines could be heard coming
from Lanzerarth. It was the anti-
tank gunners hitching up their guns
and withdrawing, along with their
infantry support. The gunners had
new orders to reinforce the defences
at Losheimergraben. Lt Bouck found
his pre-laid telephone lines had been
cut by the shelling but his jeep’s radio
(hidden back in the woods) reached
Regimental HQ, who ordered him to
stay put and hold his sector, despite
being on his own. Reinforcements
would be sent, so they said. Lt
Springer’s artillery observer team
in Lanzerath also withdrew, but
joined the platoon’s positions on the
tree line, along with their own radio
jeep. Two of these four men would
serve as ammo carriers and extra
riles whilst the others remained as
spotters.
Lanzerath was now empty, so
Bouck decided to maintain his own
observation post on the edge of the
village and sent three men forward
to occupy the old position, with
its good views of the approaching
roads. It wasn’t long before German
infantry appeared, marching in
column, weapons slung, obviously
not expecting to meet any resistance.
Up to 500 men, a full battalion, were
counted and the distinctive shape of
their Fallschirmjäger helmets noted.
Lt Bouck again radioed his HQ and
advised them of what he could see
through his ield glasses, only to
be told he was ‘seeing things’. He
replied that his vision was 20/20
and German paratroops were in
Lanzerath in force. He dispatched a
two-man rescue party to recover his
trapped observers, but they couldn’t
get into the village without being
spotted. One observer crept out and
made it back to the lines, whilst the
other two tried to hide in an attic, but
were discovered and captured.
Having paused in the village, the
Germans now started to move out
again into the surrounding ields,
still unaware of the US troops in
foxholes watching them, weapons
trained. The platoon held its ire and
prepared to hit the Germans with a
devastating ambush when they were
in the open and at short range. Then,
a German oficer was warned by a
local girl who was seen gesturing up
the hill in the platoon’s direction. The
previously casual Germans suddenly
scattered and vanished into cover.
Aware the game was up, Bouck
ordered his men to open ire and pin
those Germans down before they
could organise an attack. M1 riles
and BARs rattled rounds down into
Lanzerath - the ight was on.
It took some time, but the Germans
attacked up the slope from the village
at about 0800. Bouck requested
artillery ire, but his small unit was
out of the divisional area and no guns
could respond. The Fallshirmjägers,
however, were inexperienced and
launched a frontal assault, straight
up the open slope from the village,
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
reaching a 4' high barbed wire cattle
fence across the ield, where the irst
wave were cut down by MG and
rile ire. It was a ‘fairground duck
shoot’, one GI later explained. In just
a few minutes, the much-vaunted
paratroops had fallen back to cover in
the village and surrounding ditches,
leaving their dead scattered across
the ield between the woods and
Lanzerath.
Fire was exchanged intermittently for
the next two hours as the Germans
regrouped and then launched a
second direct assault. At 1100, they
emerged again and raced up the
open slope, again the barbed wire
slowed them and again the GIs’
rile ire (now joined by the .50 cal
machine gun from their left lank)
cut them down. Under withering
ire, the paratroops tried to return
ire, often seeking cover amongst
the shell craters in the ield, but the
strong foxholes kept the GIs within
safe, even as rile grenades landed
amongst them (one GI, Private Kalil,
was hit in the face by a rile grenade
which failed to go off).
Lt Springer, the artillery oficer, got
through to his battery and called in
ire. A single bombardment hit the
edge of the village, but soon ceased,
causing no observable losses. The
observer’s jeep was then hit and the
radio destroyed, meaning no more
artillery support would come to the
platoon’s aid. By now, several of the
platoon’s men had been wounded,
but all kept ighting regardless.
Skirmishing and exchanges of ire
continued into the afternoon, but the
US troops were running dangerously
low on ammunition. Without
support, Lt Bouck decided he had no
choice but to pull back. He crawled
from foxhole to foxhole and told his
men to be ready to pull out on his
whistle. Ahead of his withdrawal,
he sent two men back as runners
to try and ind Regimental HQ at
Hünningen and report the situation
at Lanzerath. These two men were
later captured in the woods.
At 1500, the Germans attacked again,
this time pinning the US troops to
the front with heavy ire and forcing
the armoured jeep’s crew to abandon
it and seek better cover. Meanwhile,
more Fallschirmjäger worked their
53
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
US Table Edge
German Table Edge
way around the US right lank and
crept up through the woods. The
Germans thought they were facing
a full strength company and were
surprised to ind only a platoon
holding the woods, with no support
and no units left or right of them.
Several Germans were wounded by
the tripwire grenades as they closed
in. Before Lt Bouck could blow his
whistle, the barrel of an MP40 came
pointing through his dug-out’s
entrance. He pushed it aside, but the
burst of ire hit Private James in the
face, seriously wounding him. The
Lieutenant came out, hands up and
an MP40 was pressed into his back.
The enraged German pulled the
trigger, but the magazine was empty,
and he then pushed the fortunate
Lieutenant away. Other dug-outs
had already been found and the men
forced out. The position had been
overrun and Bouck, wounded in the
leg, felt he had failed, losing his entire
platoon in the process.
Aftermath
One by one, the US troops
surrendered and were led down
into Lanzerath. One man was
dead, Private Queen of the 371st
Artillery. 14 out of 18 I&R men had
been wounded and they helped
the two seriously wounded as best
they could, before being rounded
up into the Cafe Scholzen, where
the Fallschirmjäger had set up their
battalion command post and aid
station. At about midnight, Lt Bouck,
sitting in a corner, would witness
Peiper’s arrival at the command post
and overhear his conversation with
the Fallschirmjäger commanders.
54
Only then did he realise his men had
delayed a major armoured thrust
at the head of a surprise German
offensive. A few stragglers from
Bouck’s platoon made an attempt
to escape into the woods, trying to
avoid the Germans now advancing
from Lanzerath. After a few quick
skirmishes, these men also ran out
of ammunition and surrendered, or
their hiding places were discovered
and they, too, were rounded up.
German losses at Lanzerath were
recorded as 16 killed, 63 wounded
and 26 missing.
Over the next weeks, the US
prisoners would be shipped to
two POW camps, whilst the badly
wounded went to German hospitals,
which saved their lives. The long trip
to the prison camps was arduous,
with little food and their transport
trains were twice strafed by Allied
aircraft.
Lt Bouck and a few others would
eventually be rescued from
Hammelburg camp in Patton’s
infamous March 1945 tank raid,
although Bouck himself was by
then close to death from hepatitis.
Rushed to hospital, he survived, as,
miraculously, did all the other I&R
men. Only much later would their
role in stalling the German panzer
thrust for the Meuse be recognised.
Lt Bouck himself was awarded
the Distinguished Service Cross
(having been turned down for the
Congressional Medal of Honor), but
then worked to get his men’s valour
recognised. It took years, but in the
end every member of the I&R platoon
was decorated for his part in the
ight. Eight DSCs, ive Silver Stars
and nine Bronze Stars for heroism
were awarded, along with a special
unit citation for the platoon for
holding the line for so long against
such odds.
Terrain
The battle takes place on a hillside,
but rather than represent the hill
with small ‘hillocks’, the entire
board could be sloped up slightly.
Failing that, leave it lat and use
your imagination. For terrain, there
is a large pine wood in the south-
west corner, a few of Lanzerath’s
agricultural outbuildings in the
north-west corner, from where a farm
track leads up the hill. There are a
few low hedges with occasional trees
(bare in December) and two barbed
wire cattle fences across the slope.
The open slope has three or four
impact craters scattered about it from
the earlier shelling.
Light Snow: It had snowed in the
area and the ground was covered in
thin snow, which will make the board
look pretty. As they are attacking
uphill, German infantry movement is
reduced to 4" instead of the usual 5".
Barbed Wire Fence: The 4' tall barbed
wire cattle fences across the slope
between Lanzerath and the tree line
were a signiicant impediment to the
Germans. It counts as an obstacle for
all movement, including infantry.
Reinforced Foxholes: Each foxhole
had been improved into a mini-
bunker, with good top cover cut from
pine logs, extra logs for cover to the
front and all well disguised with
cut foliage. The US positions were
hard to spot and resistant to German
small arms ire. To represent this,
the American foxholes are treated as
hardened cover, giving those inside
a 2+ Cover save. This will make each
foxhole a very tough nut to crack for
infantrymen lacking heavy weapons.
Deployment
Recreating this historical action is
pretty straightforward. The game has
three ‘phases’, all mini-battles which
combined to make the day’s action.
You’ll need I&R Platoon’s 20 men,
an armoured jeep and a radio jeep.
You’ll also need a couple of German
Fallschirmjäger platoons, which can
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

be re-used for all three phases of the

battle. GERMAN FORCES
3rd Fallschirmjäger had gained a reputation as a top-rated combat unit
Phase One: The Germans’ irst attack in Normandy, mostly for its long defence of St Lo, but the division was
with one platoon. Deploy the German decimated in the ighting and, by December 1944, had been rebuilt with
forces within 5" of the eastern table new recruits. These were mostly under-employed Luftwaffe personnel who
edge. The Germans get the irst turn, had been drafted in and they had received very little combat training. Their
but all the US units start the game uniforms may have been those of the Fallschimjäger, but, apart from a few
on Ambush Fire, because they are veteran NCOs, the unit’s ighting spirit was not. Their inexperience showed
well aware the enemy is in Lanzerath in this battle and cost them dear as two frontal assaults were repulsed with
and are expecting the attack. Once heavy losses.
the German player gets to within 5
points of his total battle rating, he 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Fallschimjäger Regiment – 84 men
may, if he so wishes, cancel the attack (All Fallschirmjäger units are rated as Inexperienced)
and redeploy for Phase 2. Or he may Phase One Forces
continue until broken as normal. First Platoon
Platoon HQ - 3 men (officer, mortar spotter) (1 BR)
Phase Two: The German player 3 Rile Squads – each 5 men (1 BR each)
now re-deploys, adding a new, fresh 3 Medium MG teams – each 3 men with a MG42 (1 BR each)
platoon to any survivors from the Company HQ
Phase 1 attack. Again, these units are HQ – 3 men (senior officer, artillery spotter) (2 BR)
all placed within 5" of the eastern BR 9, 2 Oficers
table edge. The Germans get the
irst turn but, again, the US troops Phase Two Forces
are alert and waiting for them and Second Platoon
all American units start the game Platoon HQ - 3 men (officer, mortar spotter) (1 BR)
on Ambush Fire. Once the German 3 Rile Squads – each 5 men (1 BR each)
player gets to within 5 points of 3 Medium MG teams – each 3 men with a MG42 (1 BR each)
his total battle rating, he may, if he 2 off-table 80mm mortars (0 BR)
so wishes, cancel this attack and Also add any surviving units from Phase One.
redeploy for Phase 3. Or he may BR +7 added to remaining from Phase One - +1 Oficer
continue until broken as normal.
Phase Three Forces
Phase Three: The German player Third Platoon
now re-deploys, adding a new, fresh Platoon HQ - 3 men (officer, mortar spotter) (1 BR)
platoon to any survivors from the 3 Rile Squads – each 5 men (1 BR each)
Phase 1 and Phase 2 attacks. All 3 Medium MG teams – each 3 men with a MG42 (1 BR each)
these units are placed within 5" of Also add any surviving units from Phases One and Two.
the eastern table edge. The Germans BR +7 added to remaining from Phases One and Two - +1 Oficer
get the irst turn again but the US
troops are waiting for them and all Special Rules Fire Superiority: Equipped with
American units start the game on Extraordinary Valour: ‘Hold to the semi-automatic M1 riles, the US
Ambush Fire. This time, play the last bullet’; those are the orders and infantryman has a serious advantage
game to its conclusion as normal. The the American platoon will follow in irepower over his German
winner of this phase of the battle is them. Roll at the start of each phase counterparts. The weight of ire an
the overall winner. of the battle, and add 2D6 to the US American rileman could put down
BR total. has its effect. US troops with M1
riles count any Area Fire as one level
better than their rate of ire. So, a unit
US FORCES with a RoF of 3, uses the 5-8 band
The I&R platoon is rated as Veteran instead of the 1-4 band for Area Fire.
PHQ – 2 men with M1 carbines (officer) (1 BR)
2 BAR Teams - each 2 men with an M1 rile and a BAR (ire superiority) Grenade Booby-traps: To protect
(1 BR each) their foxholes, the I&R platoon has
4 Rile Teams – each 3 men with M1 riles (ire superiority) (1 BR each) strung up grenades on tripwires
1 armoured jeep with pintle-mounted .50 calibre machine gun, dug-in to a close by. If a German unit attempts
scrape (2 BR) a close assault against a foxhole, the
FAO Team, 2 men with radio jeep (officer) (1 BR) defenders may add a D3 to their rate
3 x 3rd Priority Artillery Requests. If successful, only Regiment or Division of ire for their booby-trap defences.
guns can be requested. The US player only gets this bonus
Reinforced Foxholes for 20 men (these provide hardened cover, a 2+ Cover save) once per foxhole.

Officers: 2
BR Total: 10 (+2D6)

55
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Victory Gains
If the US player wins this battle, then
he has bought more time for the
defenders behind him to prepare.
The US player gains the additional
reinforcements listed in his force lists
for Scenario 2. If the German player
wins, then the US player does not get
the additional reinforcements.
If the US player wins, he gains 2
campaign points. If the German
player wins, he gains 2 campaign
points. There are no extra campaign
points for winning a decisive victory.
AMBUSH AT
LIGNEUVILLE
Game Size: Squad
Situation Report
December 17th, 1944
Once through Lanzerath, Peiper’s
armoured column was inally
underway, making its way along
the main road (in German, Rollbahn)
towards its irst vital objective: the
crossing over the River Ambleve
at Stavelot. 800 vehicles now had
to pass this way and the vanguard
would reach Stavelot only as the rear
was still passing through Lanzerath.
Before irst light, the armoured
vanguard rolled into the hamlet
of Bucholtz Station, brushing past
the few Americans and their aid
station. Next, at about 0500, they
US Table Edge
56
Alternative Forces
Should the players wish to re-ight
this scenario with their own forces,
the German player can select a 360
pt force using the Fallschirmjäger,
Infantry or Volksgrenadier Division
army lists. Before the battle, he must
divide his battlegroup into three
sub-forces of 120 pts, one for each
phase of the attack. He starts with
only his Phase 1 forces, then can add
his Phase 2 forces (with their extra BR
and oficers) and then add his Phase
3 forces (with their extra BR and
oficers).
SCENARIO 2
reached Honsfeld to discover the
Americans still asleep and the village
undefended. The irst vehicles raced
through, leaving the parked light
tanks and armoured cars of the US
cavalry group to be captured by the
following main body, whilst the
column leaders pushed on. 15 US
prisoners were later massacred in the
village.
The vanguard, under Obersturmführer
Werner Sternebeck, but with Peiper
also very close behind, raced on, up
the Ambleve river valley through
Bullingen, Moderscheid, Schoppen,
Ondenvaal, Thirmont and Baugnez,
where they encountered a column
of 140 US artillerymen in trucks
The US player can select a 250 point
battlegroup using the US Infantry
Division army lists. He may take
Defences and can include an extra
Defence for this scenario, the
reinforced foxholes. These use the
rules given above and each dug-
out is large enough to hold a squad
for the cost of 20 pts and 0 BR. The
US battlegroup does not get the
Extraordinary Valour special rule if
the player selects his own force.
This scenario was first published in
Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy
magazine.
coming in the opposite direction.
The surprised American soldiers
quickly surrendered after coming
under tank and machine gun ire.
These men would later be rounded
up and murdered in a nearby ield by
following SS troops in an infamous
war crime that became known as the
Malmedy Massacre.
Around midday, as the massacre
was taking place, Peiper’s vanguard
pressed on - no time could be lost.
It was not until the column leaders
reached the hamlet of Ligneuville,
with its own small bridge over the
Ambleve, that they encountered
any serious American resistance.
Sternebecke’s leading spitzen (sharp
edge) consisted of just two Panzer
IVs and two half-tracks carrying
their supporting pioneers but, just
a minute or so behind, followed the
irst Panther. Sternebecke had orders
to halt at the Ligneuville bridge,
secure it and await the arrival of the
following tanks.
Ligneuville was home to the HQ
of 49th Anti-Aircraft Artillery
Brigade, at the Hotel du Moulin.
Here, Brigadier-General Edward
Timberlake, the brigade commander,
had a narrow escape. On hearing the
Germans approaching, he abandoned
his lunch, jumped in his waiting
jeep and sped away west. Minutes
later, Sternebecke halted his Panzer
IV in front of the hotel, where the

manager was awaiting for him. He
told the panzer commander that the
American general had just left. Inside,
Sternbecke found the general’s
lunch and coffee still warm, his
cigarette still burning in the ashtray.
Sternbecke remounted his tank and
pressed on round the bend, towards
the bridge.
At the bridge, the SS pioneers
dismounted to check the bridge for
demolition charges and suddenly
came under machine gun ire.
Several men were wounded and
the medics came forward to recover
them. The US troops stopped
shooting as the medics worked.
As Sternebecke gunned his tank over
the bridge, Peiper and some of his
staff were entering the village behind
Untersturmführer Fischer’s Panther.
As his Panther made for the bridge,
it was hit from behind by a Sherman
dozer tank and started to burn. As
they evacuated the stricken tank, the
crew came under rile and machine
gun ire from the surrounding
houses. Peiper’s own SdKfz 251/3
command half-track laid down
covering ire into the buildings to
give the tank crew a chance to escape.
Fischer was wounded. The Sherman
lined up its gun on Peiper’s half-
track, but the driver reversed out of
sight just in time. The Kampfgruppe’s
commander dismounted, took a
Panzerfaust and headed off to engage
the Sherman. (The US tank had been
lurking, covering the bridge, and
why it didn’t ire on Sternebecke is
a mystery – maybe the crew weren’t
present!). Meanwhile, Sternebecke’s
lead tanks were engaged by two more
Sherman tanks that had been moving
up the N32 (probably heading to join
9th Armoured Division at St Vith).
Back at the bridge, the ighting
continued. A second SdKfz 251 had
arrived behind Peiper’s and been
hit and set ablaze by tank ire. The
elusive Sherman was then hit itself,
probably by a 75mm shell from a
251/9 that had arrived and moved
into position to engage it. With the
troublesome dozer tank knocked
out, the advance over the bridge
could continue. Sternbecke had also
won his engagement south of the
river: both the other Shermans had
been knocked out. The rest of the
US troops in the village surrendered
as ever more SS men arrived in the
following convoy.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
The Kampfgruppe’s advance paused
in Ligneuville for two hours to
regroup and resupply before moving
out for Stavelot.
Terrain
The battleield is the hamlet of
Ligneuville and its stone bridge.
The Ambleve river runs east to west
across the board with the bridge in
the centre. The river is lined with
dense bushes, scrub and trees. The
village itself consists of 10 buildings,
ive south of the river and ive north
of it, including a church (with spire)
and the large Hotel du Moulin. The
other buildings are cottages and
barns.
A narrow farm track leads west from
the main road, north of the river. A
secondary road leads east along the
Ambleve just south of the bridge. In
the surrounding ields there are a
few hedges and copses. In the river
valley, the ground is lat (it actually
gradually slopes down from north
and south towards the river, but
not enough to be represented on the
tabletop).
57
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

US FORCES GERMAN FORCES

All US infantry are Inexperienced, being rear echelon troops, All German infantry are Veterans
like the 49th AAA’s clerks and staff. Initial Forces (deployed on the road into Ligneuville)
Initial Forces Panzer IV (officer)
Forward HQ – 3 men with a jeep. Must start the game in Panzer IV
the Hotel du Moulin. Jeep is parked outside. SS Pioneer squad, 6 men with a Panzerfaust, demo-
3 Rile Teams – each of 3 men charge and mine sweeper in SdKfz 251/1
2 BAR Teams – each of 3 men with a BAR SS Pioneer squad, 5 men with a Panzerfaust, demo-
Bazooka Team – 2 men with a bazooka charge and mine sweeper in SdKfz 251/7
Medium MG team – 3 men with .30 cal MMG and a 3 Combat Medic (in 251/7)
man loader team
M4 Sherman Dozer Reinforcements (all arrive up the road from Baugnez)
On turn 2
Reinforcements (arriving via the N32 from the south-west Panther G
on turn 3) On turn 3
2 M4 Shermans Forward HQ – 4 men with a Panzerfaust in SdKfz
251/3 (senior oficer)
Bonus Reinforcements (only include if the US player won On turn 4
Scenario 1; arrives with the Shermans) Panzergrenadier squad, 5 men with 2 Panzerfausts, 3
1 M10 Wolverine men with MG42, in SdKfz 251/1
On turn 5
Officers: 1 (including senior oficer) SdKfz 251/9
BR Total: 19 (21 if using the bonus reinforcements)
Officers: 2 (including senior oficer)
BR Total: 23
Deployment
All US troops are deployed anywhere
south of the river or up to 10" from Victory Gains The US player can take 250 points
the river to the north. The only If the US player wins, he has gained from the Infantry Division army lists.
exception to this is the Forward HQ, time for the defenders of Stavelot He may not include any Defences
which must be positioned in the to be reinforced. He gains the extra (there has been no time or warning
Hotel du Moulin, with its jeep parked reinforcements listed in Scenario 3’s to prepare any). Infantry may not
outside. All US reinforcements enter force lists. If the Germans win, then be upgraded to Regulars (these are
via the N32 main road from the west. the US player does not get the extra rear echelon troops). No Additional
The initial German attackers are reinforcements listed. Fire Support can be taken, as this
placed in column on the N32, up to is a surprise attack and an ad hoc
15" from their table edge. All German If the US player wins, he gains 1 defence.
reinforcements enter via this road. campaign point. If the German player
wins, he gains 1 campaign point. If If the US player won Scenario 1,
Special Rules either side win a decisive victory, he still gets the bonus M10 tank
Ambush: 1D6 US units may start the then they gain a bonus 1 campaign destroyer for free and +2 BR.
game on Ambush Fire. point.

‘Get the Hell Outta Dodge!’: The
Brigadier-General has no intention
of becoming a prisoner of war. If he
escapes via any table edge, then the
German player must take a battle
rating counter but the US player
also loses his only oficer (and all the
advantages of a senior oficer) for the
rest of the game.
Time is Pressing: The Germans are
in a big hurry and cannot afford to
be delayed long by these scratch US
units. From turn 5 onwards, if the
US forces have not been broken, then
the German player must take a battle
rating counter at the start of each of
his turns. This continues for the rest
of the game.
In addition, if the German Forward
HQ is wiped out (including Peiper
and Diefenthal), somebody else will
have to take over command from
the dead or wounded oficers. Then,
the US player gets an additional +2
campaign points.
Alternative Forces
If using alternative forces, the
German player can take 350 points
using the Panzer Division army
lists, including all of Kampfgruppe
Peiper’s additional restrictions. These
forces should be split into a D6 units
deployed in the initial force, then one
unit arriving per turn from turn 2
onwards. This can be any order the
commander chooses.

58

CROSSING STAVELOT
BRIDGE
Game Size: Platoon
Situation Report
December 18th, 1944
As darkness fell on December 17th,
the lead tanks of the German column
encountered a small American
roadblock (no more than a handful
of engineers with a bazooka) on
the hilltop above Stavelot, at Vaux
Ricard. The US troops briely opened
ire then quickly withdrew but, not
knowing what enemy positions lay
ahead, Peiper called a halt for the
night. The advance would resume in
the morning.
Part of the Kampfgruppe (its Panzer
IVs and some supporting infantry)
would be split off and advance via
the village of Wanne to ind a back
route to the important bridges at
Trois Ponts without having to cross
the Ambleve at Stavelot. The rest of
the main column would quickly take
the Stavelot bridge, race through the
town and turn west again, continuing
up the main road to Trois Ponts,
where the two groups would be
reunited to press on westwards.
Throughout the night, the Americans
in Stavelot were not idle. Much
activity was noted by the Germans
from their high vantage point, as
lights could be seen moving into and
out of the town. These lights were the
arriving troops of A Company, 526th
Armoured Infantry, supported by
towed guns of A Battery, 825th Tank
Destroyer Battalion, being positioned
to hold Stavelot’s bridge over the
Ambleve, or demolish it.
The plan to blow the bridge failed:
the charges placed earlier had been
removed, most likely by one of
Skorzeny’s Greif teams posing as US
engineers amidst various stragglers
moving through the town. Instead,
some mines were scattered over the
bridge. On the northern bank, Major
Paul Solis, commanding the newly-
arrived US forces, sent a detachment
SCENARIO 3
south, to form a new roadblock on
the road down the hill towards the
bridge. It consisted of Lieutenant
Harry Willyard’s 2nd Armoured
Infantry Platoon, two 3" guns and an
extra 57mm gun. These troops would
be the irst to face Pieper’s dawn
advance.
At 0630, after the Kampfgruppe’s
105mm artillery opened ire on the
town, men of 10th Company, 2nd
SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, led
the way down the hill, followed
by Panthers of 1st Company,
1st SS Panzer Regiment, led by
Obersturmführer Kremser’s own tank.
As the panzers advanced, they came
under ire from a 3" gun positioned
across the valley on the opposite
hillside and Kremser’s tank was
knocked out.
However, the US supporting ire was
not enough to halt the SS advance,
which overran Willyard’s initial
roadblock positions and they, in
turn, hitched up their surviving
guns and quickly fell back down
the hill towards the bridge, ighting
a desperate rearguard action as
they went. Most of the half-tracks
were lost in the retreat and many
of the men scattered. Meanwhile,
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
more of 526th’s Armoured Infantry
(Lt Jack Doherty’s 1st Platoon) had
dismounted (their half-tracks were
parked in the town square) and
occupied the buildings of Stavelot
around the bridge and positioned
another 3" anti-tank gun to cover the
bridge and its immediate approach
along the main road.
Under ire, the survivors of
Willyard’s roadblock fell back
over the bridge whilst the valley
reverberated with cannon and MG
ire. Shells were landing in Stavelot
itself and, by 0800, the panzers and
grenadiers were approaching the still-
intact bridge. First, they rushed it,
but were driven back by US machine
gun ire and the grenadier company
commander, Heinz Tomhardt, was
badly wounded leading the attempt.
Behind the infantry, the irst Panthers
ground down the road making for
the bridge. MG, mortar and artillery
ire kept the heads of the US troops
down as German pioneers rushed
forwards and cleared the mines from
the bridge. Then, Rottenführer Eugen
Zimmerman’s lead Panther swung
onto the bridge, coming face to face
with the waiting US anti-tank gun.
It ired, hit, but failed to penetrate
59
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
the Panther’s frontal armour, whilst
Zimmerman’s gunner also missed
with his return shot. However, his
driver gunned the Panther and
drove directly into the gun, its crew
now already running for their lives.
The following SS panzergrenadiers
were quickly across behind the irst
tanks and began clearing the local
buildings, whilst the Americans fell
back before the assault.
Major Solis, believing the German
objective was a 2.2 million gallon fuel
dump hidden just a few kilometres
north of Stavelot on the road to
Francorchamp, ordered his men back
that way. Fearing the SS men were
right behind him, he then ordered
a small garrison of Belgian troops,
detailed to guard the fuel dump,
to set it alight. Major Solis was
mistaken. Peiper did not know about
the fuel dump (it wasn’t marked on
his map, although other smaller ones
were) and he continued to drive west
at top speed, for the bridges at Trois
Ponts. His following men secured a
narrow corridor through the town’s
GERMAN FORCES
All German infantry are Veterans
Turn 1
Armoured Panzergrenadier Platoon (dismounted)
PHQ – 6 men with a Panzerfaust (oficer)
3 Squads – each 5 men with a Panzerfaust and bipod
MG42
3 MG teams – each with 3 men with MG42
Combat Medic (attach to one squad)
Turn 2
Panther tank
Turn 3
Panther tank
Turn 4
Panther tank
Armoured Assault Pioneer Squad in SdKfz 251/1
5 men with a Panzerfaust, 2 demo charges and
minesweeper
MG team - 3 men with MG42
Turn 5
Panther tank
Turn 6
SdKfz 6 with 37mm AA gun
Battery of 2 80mm mortars, off-table
3 Timed 105mm artillery barrages
Officers: 1
BR: 28
60
streets and his many vehicles began large warehouse next to the southern
to rapidly roll across the bridge and end of the bridge and two buildings
through Stavelot, still under sporadic north of the bridge. The US player
enemy ire. It was a very tenuous cannot win an All Objectives Secured
hold that the SS had on the vital victory.
bridge, a hold that the Americans
would prise from the Germans in a Deployment
few days’ time, cutting off Peiper’s There are a few US troops south
only supply route, but, for now, the of the river, survivors from the
Kampfgruppe’s route west, towards roadblock, and escaping anti-tank
the Meuse bridges, was open. guns. These retreating survivors
must start deployed south of the
Terrain river, but within 15" of the bridge
The battleield is the outskirts of itself. The rest of the US troops are
Stavelot and its stone bridge over the deployed anywhere north of the
Ambleve. The river Ambleve splits river.
the table in half. South of the river are
six or seven buildings, including a German forces arrive on the turn
large warehouse almost on the bridge given via the road down the hillside
itself, and the approach roads to the from the south-east corner of the
bridge. North of the river, are 14 or table. The Germans are attacking and
15 houses and industrial buildings automatically take the irst turn.
along with their yards and trees/
bushes along the river itself. The Special Rules
town is being shelled, so many of the Ambush: 1D6 American units may
buildings are already damaged. start the game on Ambush Fire.
These must be selected from troops
There are four objectives on the deployed north of the river. Troops
table. The bridge (obviously), the south of the river are too busy falling
back (running!).
US FORCES
All US forces are Regulars
South of the River
Armoured Infantry Platoon HQ – 10 men with BAR
and Bazooka (officer) in M3 half-track
Medium MG team, 3 men with .30 cal MG
3" anti-tank gun with 3 crew and M3 tow
57mm anti-tank gun with 3 crew and M3 tow
1 Mineield (must be positioned in the centre of the bridge)
North of the River
Armoured Infantry Platoon (dismounted)
PHQ – 10 men with BAR and Bazooka (oficer)
1st Squad – 10 men with BAR and Bazooka
2 Medium MG teams, each 3 men with .30 cal MMG
Light Mortar Team, 3 men with 60mm mortar
3" anti-tank gun and 3 crew
8 off-table 76mm anti-tank shots
Reinforcements (arriving via eastern table edge, north of
the river, on turn 3)
2nd Squad – 10 men with BAR and Bazooka
Bonus Reinforcements (only include if the US player won
Scenario 2, arriving from eastern table edge, north of the
river, on turn 5).
2 M10 Wolverines
Officers: 2
BR: 20 (24 if using the bonus reinforcements) + Wild
Rumours bonus

Off-table gun: The US have placed a
3" anti-tank gun high to the north on
the hillside overlooking the bridge.
It can target any German unit south
of the river, but not on the bridge,
hitting on a 6. It may only ire once
per turn, but has 8 shots for the battle.
Time is Pressing: The Germans
are still in a big hurry and cannot
afford to be delayed long at the river
crossing. From turn 7 onwards, if
the US forces have not been broken,
then the German player must take a
battle rating counter at the start of his
turn. This continues for the rest of the
game.
Wild Rumours: For US player, see
‘Duels in the Mist’ special rules.
ASSAULT ON STOUMONT
Game Size: Platoon (see special
rules below)
Situation Report
December 19th, 1944
On reaching Trois Ponts, the German
vanguard of Panther tanks came
under ire from American engineers
and an anti-tank gun. What was
worse, the bridges over the Salm
and gateway to the fastest route to
Werbomont had already been blown.
Thwarted, the tanks turned north,
having knocked out the anti-tank
gun, to ind a second route via a
bridge over the Ambleve at Cheneux.
It was a slower, more winding route
that would cost Peiper time. Having
reached Cheneux, the tank column
was spotted by US ighter-bombers
and subjected to long bombing and
straing attacks, with the anti-aircraft
defences called into full use.
Peiper now sent half-tracks forwards
on a reconnaissance to ind the way
back to the main road and secure
bridges over a small stream called
the Lienne to the west. Here, too,
the leaders would encounter more
defending engineers. The bridge at
the village of Neufmoulin was blown
as the irst Germans approached but
a second bridge at Les Forges was
found and used. It was not able to
Victory Gains
If the US player wins, he has gained
time for the defenders of Stoumont
to be reinforced. He gains the extra
reinforcements listed in Scenario 4’s
force lists. If the Germans win, then
the US player does not get the extra
reinforcements listed.
If the US player wins, he gains 3
campaign points. If the German
player wins, he gains 1 campaign
point. If either side wins a decisive
victory, then they gain a bonus 1
campaign point.
Alternative Forces
If using alternative forces, the
German player can take 600 points
using the Panzer Division army
SCENARIO 4
support the weight of tanks, so only
the half-tracks crossed. Meanwhile,
Peiper ordered the tanks to turn
around and return to Cheneux and
head for La Gleize and Stoumont, on
a new route to the Meuse.
That night, the half-tracks east of
the Lienne got lost and were later
ambushed at Neufmoulin. Four
were rapidly destroyed by an M10
tank destroyer and infantry with
bazookas. The others withdrew
back the way they had come via Les
Forges. The route to Werbomont was
abandoned.
Having laagered in the vicinity
of La Gleize for the night, on the
morning of December 19th Peiper’s
Kampfgruppe looked to resume its
rapid advance west. Unable to reach
the Meuse via Werbomont after the
bridges had been blown the evening
before, the route to the objective now
lay on roads further north.
On this route, the irst obstacle
to be overcome was the nearby
hilltop village of Stoumont, now
occupied by US troops in roughly
battalion strength. Peiper instructed
his panzer regiment commander,
Obersturmbannführer Poetschke, to
lead the capture of the village in an
early morning assault to clear the
road west.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
lists, including all of Kampfgruppe
Peiper’s additional restrictions. These
forces should be split into a D6 units
deployed in each turn, starting from
turn 1.
The US player can take 450 points
from the Armoured Division army
lists. He may include any Defences
(there has been a night to prepare
them).
If the US player won Scenario 2,
he still gets the bonus M10 tank
destroyers for free and +4 BR.
Since the German breakthrough,
the Americans had been racing any
available units into blocking positions
to slow the enemy advance.
At Stoumont, the 3rd Battalion
of 30th Division’s 119th Infantry
Regiment, under the command of Lt
Colonel Fitzgerald Jr, had arrived in
trucks on the evening of December
18th to set up the defence, assisted
by anti-tank guns of A Battery, 843rd
Tank Destroyer Battalion and C
Battery, 143rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery.
The battalion’s three rile companies
I, K and L, each reinforced by
support weapons from the battalion
weapons company, were divided.
I Company held Stoumont facing
east, L Company the nearby village
of Rouat, just to the north, with K
company behind, facing south and
west and providing the battalion’s
reserve. The roads were covered by
the 76mm anti-tank guns, whilst in
the village itself two 90mm M1 heavy
anti-aircraft guns had been drafted
in to fulil a stand-in anti-tank role as
well.
One of these guns was lost before the
battle when it and its M3 tractor slid
into a ditch and, in trying to recover
the gun with the tractor’s winch, the
heavy gun became jammed into the
tractor’s cab and could not be freed.
Later in the ighting, tracer rounds
61
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Above: A still from a staged propaganda film of 1st
SS Division’s grenadiers of Kampfgruppe Hansen
after their successful ambush of a 14th Cavalry
Group column on the Poteaux road. Abandoned
American equipment blocks the road.
would ignite the stranded tractor’s
fuel tank, which, in turn, set off the
90mm ammunition stored on board
and the whole thing detonated,
destroying both tractor and gun (this
accidentally lost gun has not been
included in the US forces for the
battle).
Behind the American infantry, the
743rd Tank Battalion’s C Company
was also on the move towards
Stoumont to provide armoured
support for their blocking position.
Peiper’s panzers attacked as the
vanguard Shermans of 1st and 2nd
platoons were just arriving. These
10 US tanks split, with four heading
into Stoumont itself; four heading
into Rouat to aid its defence and two
initially held back in reserve (they did
join the battle later).
62
As part of their defences, the US had
quickly reinforced some buildings
as strong-points and laid two
mineields, one across the main N33
road from La Gleize and the other
across a farm track also leading into
the village from the east. The US
infantry had no artillery observers
attached and so had, for a long
while, no artillery support. Later, an
artillery liaison team did arrive, and
a brief barrage from 420th Armoured
Artillery’s Priests did hit the village,
but it was then too late to halt the
Germans’ progress.
The assault began at 0100 in darkness
and thick fog, with a reconnaissance
probe along the farm track. As the
lead SdKfz 251 approached the
village it ran over the mineield
and was knocked out. Using the
very poor visibility, dismounted SS
assault pioneers began their attack,
iniltrating carefully forwards
towards Stoumont and overrunning
the irst two outlying anti-tank gun
positions in sharp ire-ights. The
gunners and their infantry protection
streamed back into Stoumont to
escape. The pioneers then cleared the
mines from the N33, preparing the
way for the following panzers.
Still in heavy fog and darkness,
the attack paused for the Germans’
supporting artillery to begin its
work. The Kampfgruppe’s only
available ield artillery was its battery
of four 105mm light howitzers as
the rest of the guns had not made
it through Stavelot. And even this
battery was already running short of
ammunition. The guns now began
to shell the village, along with the
infantry’s mortars, sending the
defenders running for cover and into
the basements of the houses. The
barrage was kept up for as long as
the ammunition lasted, keeping the
enemy pinned as the panzers moved
up for the inal assault.
Leading the assault, approaching
along the N33 road from La Gleize,
were Panthers of 1st SS Panzer

most of them were wounded in the
process by small arms ire from the
surrounding houses. The driver lost
a leg and Prahm would later die of
his injuries. The other crewmen hid
in the roadside ditch before escaping
back along the road. More incoming
rounds hit the stricken tank until it
started to burn.
The following panzers, seeing the
irst hit and burning, halted as
the pioneers and Fallschirmjägers
worked their way forward. They later
stormed Doctor Robinson’s house,
capturing a US squad in the process,
and secured their irst foothold in the
village.
Meanwhile, Poetschke demanded
his tanks get moving, allegedly
threatening the company
commander, Oberscharführer Christ’s
own tank with a Panzerfaust if he
didn’t press the attack. Instead of
facing whatever was waiting at the
curve in the road, Christ pulled off
the road to the right, climbing the
slight embankment, and led seven
tanks in an attack across the ields,
aiming to break into town further
along the road, beyond the church.
Here, his tanks began to exchange ire
with the Shermans, both in Stoumont
and Rouat. With three tanks moving
and four covering, the seven Panthers
Regiment’s 2nd Company, in a
scored no kills, but for no losses in
single column. SS pioneers and
return, and the lead tanks (Ropeter’s,
some Fallschirmjägers (still with
Brauschke’s and Knappich’s) used
the Kampfgruppe since Lanzerath)
the farm track to get into the village
advanced alongside and hugged the
near the church. Their cannon and
cover and ditches at the roadside.
MG ire knocked out the 76mm anti-
The irst Panther, commanded by
tank gun by the church and started
Rottenführer Prahm, approached
to rake the buildings. In the lead,
the irst house on the road (Doctor
Ropeter narrowly missed a Sherman
Robinson’s house) as it curved
with two shells, which then reversed
right towards the village church. As
away out of sight. The American
Prahm’s Panther cautiously edged
position was unravelling. Behind
round the corner, it came under ire.
them, the other four Panthers were
still shelling Rouat to suppress ire
A 76mm anti-tank gun positioned
coming from the village and were
by the church scored four quick
later joined by two 75mm howitzer-
hits, all ricocheting off the Panther’s
armed SdKfz 251/9s to support the
front armour. Reacting, it tried to
infantry. During the later infantry
reverse but was then hit from the
attack against Rouat, both of these
left by 90mm shells ired by the
vehicles were knocked out by US
heavy anti-aircraft gun on the other
tank ire.
side of the church. The irst shot
jammed the tank’s turret. The second
Once Rouat was silenced, the
sheared through the tank’s 75mm
Panthers in the ield turned about
barrel close to the mantlet, leaving
and headed into the village via the
it disabled. Unable to return ire,
N33, pushing past Prahm’s burning
the crew abandoned the tank (via
tank (by then, it had ignited the
the turret’s rear escape hatch) but
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
house on the right of the road, which
burned down). They moved up the
N33, unmolested by the last 90mm
AA gun. This dangerous weapon,
located just west of the church,
had been abandoned after a mortar
bomb hit an M3 half-track full of
ammunition and it exploded just 5m
away. The surviving crew ran.
The SS pioneers and grenadiers
were now pressing further into the
village, and their supporting half-
track carriers arrived along the N33,
accompanied by a Panzer IV from
the panzer regiment’s 6th Company.
The Panthers methodically ired a
shell into each house. Three tanks
turned left off the main road and
swept around the church, grenadiers
clearing the buildings as they steadily
advanced into the centre of the
village.
The Americans had been pushed
back north, beyond the church, and
held on there for a while, aided by
heavy tank ire and, inally, some
limited artillery and mortar ire
support. It was too late. Their tanks
began to run low on ammunition
and fuel. By 1000, the order had been
given to withdraw from Stoumont.
Even the last survivors of L Company
and the tanks in Rouat fell back
north to avoid becoming cut-off and
surrounded. The Germans mopped
up the last resistance. They had taken
Stoumont.
The material losses for Kampfgruppe
Peiper had been slight: a Panther and
three or four half-tracks (infantry
losses are unknown). The 116th
Infantry had lost 241 men from its 3rd
Battalion (almost half). Eight were
conirmed dead, 30 were wounded
and 203 missing in action (most
had surrendered after hiding in
basements). I Company had borne
the weight of the losses, with only 24
men to answer roll call on December
20th. All three of the battalion’s own
57mm anti-tank guns had been lost
in Rouat. Remarkably, no Sherman
tanks had been lost (the fog being a
major contributing factor to the poor
gunnery by both sides). All the tank
destroyer battery’s 76mm guns had
also been lost, along with the two
90mm AA guns.
63
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

Terrain The N33 road swings through the vehicles on the road ired at from the
Play the battle on a 6' x 8' table, or village. It is wide enough (just) for north count as obscured. South of
thereabouts. The battleield is the two tanks, but any wreck in the road the road, the battleield slopes way,
eastern edge of Stoumont village and will count as an obstacle. Along the getting steeper down to the Ambleve
the southern edge of Rouat and the road’s northern length to the village, river. It is wooded and too steep for
pasture ields to the west, crossed by there is a shallow cutting into the any vehicles. No vehicles can move
two farm tracks. hillside and a ditch. This does not on the tabletop south of N33 road as
have to be represented, or can be far as the doctor’s house.
Stoumont is a village of 11 buildings, shown with scattered bushes etc. This
mostly grey stone and half-timbered low embankment
houses, with a single church with a counts as an
spire. Around these buildings, are obstacle to US FORCES
vehicles; is hard Forward HQ – 3 men with jeep (must start deployed in
various small gardens with hedges
cover for infantry Stoumont)
and walls. These occupy most of the
behind it (or in Infantry Platoon (Inexperienced, must start deployed in
western edge of the table. The edge
Stoumont)
of Rouat is represented by three the ditch) and any
.30 cal MMG team
buildings on the northern table edge.
Bazooka team
Combat medic
GERMAN FORCES Infantry Platoon (Inexperienced, must start deployed in
SS Assault Pioneer Platoon (dismounted, Veterans). Rouat)
One squad starts mounted in an SdKfz 251/1 .30 cal MMG team
PHQ: 6 men with 1 Panzerfaust (oficer, engineers, Bazooka team
mortar spotter) 2 57mm anti-tank guns
3 Squads - each 5 men with 1 demolition charge and 1 2 76mm anti-tank guns with loader teams and M3 half-
Panzerfaust (engineers) track tows
3 MG teams - each 3 men with an MG42 1 90mm anti-aircraft gun with loader team and M3
2 Panther tanks (must start deployed on the N33) high speed tow
2 Fallschirmjäger Squads. Each squad has 1 3 Fortiied Buildings (3+ Cover save, freely chosen by
Panzerfaust. Both MG teams have MG42s (Regulars) player)
Battery of 2 80mm mortars (off-table) 2 Mineields (1 on N33 road, 1 on the farm track as marked
Pre-Registered Target Point (must be in either Stoumont M on the map)
or Rouat village)
US Reinforcements
German Reinforcements Turn 7
Turn 3 2 Shermans (75mm) (1 officer) (arrive via N33 on
Battery of 2 105mm guns (off-table) with only enough northern table edge)
ammunition for 3 ire missions in the game. Keep a Turn 8
record of how many times the battery ires. 2 Shermans (75mm) (arrive via N33 on northern table
Battery of 2 105mm guns (off-table) with only enough edge)
ammunition for 3 ire missions in the game. Keep a Turn 9
record of how many times the battery ires. 2 Shermans (75mm) (arrive via Rouat)
Turn 4 Turn 10
2 Panther tanks (arrive via the N33 road) (1 officer) 2 Shermans (75mm) (1 officer) (arrive via Rouat)
Turn 5 Turn 11
SS Assault Pioneer Platoon (dismounted, Veterans. Infantry Platoon (Inexperienced, arrives road from
All MG teams have MG42 upgrades, all squads have western table edge)
a Panzerfaust). (Arrive anywhere along the western table Bazooka team
edge) Battery of 2 82mm mortars (off table), only available
Turn 6 from turn 11.
2 Panther tanks (arrive via N33 road) Turn 12
Turn 7 2 Shermans (75mm) (arrive via N33 on northern table
1 Panther tank (senior officer) (arrives via N33 road) edge)
Turn 8 Turn 13
2 Panther tanks (arrive via N33 road) Artillery Observer Team in a Jeep
Turn 11 2 2nd Target Priority Artillery Requests (on success,
2 SdKfz 251/9s (arrive anywhere along the western table each request automatically gets a battery of 4 105mm
edge, north of the N33 road). guns; do not roll communications tests for other
Turn 14 results).
3 SdKfz 251/1s (arrive via N33 road) all are currently
empty If the Americans won scenario 3, then this observer team
1 Panzer IV J (arrives via N33 road) arrives on turn 4, instead of turn 13.

Officers: 4 (including senior oficer) Officers: 6 (including senior oficer)

BR: 63 BR: 68

64

US Table Edge
The pastures between the road and
villages are lat, gradually going
uphill slightly (again, no need to
represent this) but divided by several
wire cattle fences. These do not count
as obstacles or cover (and thus can
be ignored as terrain), but the wire
fences will add to the look of the
battleield.
The main farm track from the north,
around Rouat into Stoumont, is in a
shallow dip in the ground, lined by a
few trees and bushes as well as more
wire cattle fencing. Any infantry on
this track count as in soft cover. It is
too shallow to count as obscured for
any vehicles or guns on the track.
Deployment
The initial German forces are
deployed up to 20" from the western
table edge, unless otherwise stated
(see German Forces).
The initial US forces deploy up to 45"
from the western table edge, unless
otherwise stated (see US Forces).
Objectives
There are four objectives on the
tabletop. The doctor’s house (irst
on the left as the N33 road enters the
Rouat
village), the church, a house in Rouat
and the junction of the two farm tracks.
The US player cannot win an All
Objectives Secured victory, but the
Germans can.
Special Rules
Duel in the Fog: The battle starts in
darkness and thick fog, but it gets
gradually lighter and the fog lifts
throughout the game.
In turns 1-5, the maximum range for
spotting and iring for any unit is 10"
In turns 6-10, the maximum range for
spotting and iring for any unit is 20"
In turns 11-15, the maximum range for
spotting and iring for any unit is 30".
In turns 16-20, the maximum range
for spotting and iring for any unit is
40".
After turn 20 (if the game lasts that
long), all spotting and iring ranges
revert to normal.
Because of the fog, all spotting tests
for aimed ire have an additional -1
modiier until turn 20 of the battle.
After that, the mist has lifted enough
for normal spotting rules to apply.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
German Table Edge
No Air Support: Due to the thick fog,
there is no air support for either side.
All air attack counters drawn count
as 1s instead.
The Fog of War: In the dark and
fog, the ight was confusing and
command and control was dificult.
Although these are larger forces, only
2D6 are rolled for command and
control each turn. Oficers are added
to the total as normal, but this will
help recreate the slower, cautious
pace of the German assault that lasted
over three hours.
Victory Gains
The irst side to lose all its BR is
broken and must withdraw. The side
with BR remaining is the winner.
If the Americans win, they gain +2
Campaign points. If the Germans
win, they gain +3 Campaign points.
There are no bonus campaign points
for winning a decisive victory in this
scenario.
In addition to this, if the Americans
win, then they will improve the
chance of reinforcements arriving in
Scenario 5, Stoumont Halt. Details are
given in that scenario.
65
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
STOUMONT HALT
This historical re-fight compresses two
engagements near Stoumont Station into
one game. The first is Lt Kent’s defence of
the station while the second is Lt Powers’
bold attack along the road when the two
tank columns encountered each other.
Game Size: Squad
Situation Report
December 19th, 1944
Kampfgruppe Peiper had captured
Stoumont, having ejected the
American defenders from the
village in the morning assault. The
vanguard of 1st SS Panzer Division’s
battlegroup now has instructions to
push on westwards, along the river
valley road, through the next small
village of Targnon and beyond, to
seize a potentially useful bridge over
the Ambleve river. The battlegroup
was now very short of fuel and it
was racing against time to reach
the distant Meuse bridges before
the Americans could organise their
defences and block Peiper’s new
route. The leading Panthers pushed
on west, down the road which
descended the hill steeply from
Stoumount, through switchbacks
towards the valley loor.
At Targnon, the road joined the single
railway line, following the line of the
river through the valley. Here, the
Meanwhile, as Powers was heading
US FORCES
(All US forces are Inexperienced)
Initial Deployment
M2 90mm anti-aircraft gun with 4 crew and a 3 man
loader team
M4 HS tractor with pintle-mounted .50 cal MG
Infantry squad (Lt Kent and spare gunners): 3 men
with riles. (Officer)
Infantry squad (spare gunners): 3 men with riles
Reinforcements
M10 Tank Destroyer
M4 Sherman (Lt Powers) (Officer)
M36 Tank Destroyer (Looney)
M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
Officers: 2
BR: 20
66
SCENARIO 5
railway went through a tunnel under
the hillside and then emerged to run
close to the river’s bank. After 1km,
the railway passed the tiny goods halt
of Stoumont Station. North and south,
were steep hills covered in forests.
As the Germans organised for their
next push, the Americans were
reacting as best they could. To block
the valley road west of Targnon, Lt
Leon Kent of C Battery, 143rd Anti-
Aircraft Artillery Regiment quickly
towed his 90mm M2 anti-aircraft gun
into place by the station buildings
with orders to hold the road. With
him, he had 15 gunners and an M4
tractor, equipped with a pintle-
mounted .50cal machine gun. It was
all that was available.
Behind him, at Remouchamps, was
an ad hoc armoured unit of 740th
Tank Battalion with old Shermans
(two were DD tanks – without their
skirts), an M10 and an M36 tank
destroyer rounded up from repaired
vehicles held at an ordnance depot.
This motley collection of tanks was
commanded by Lieutenant Powers
and, once fuelled-up and armed,
they quickly headed east. The
two opposing tank forces ran into
each other on the road just west of
Stoumont Station.
west, Oberscharführer
Ropeter’s Panther rounded
the bend in the road at
Stoumont Station and came
directly into the waiting
sights of the M2 gun. It was
immediately hit, its muzzle
brake torn off and its main
gun disabled. The US gun
crew reloaded and ired
again and again, repeatedly
hammering the Panther until
it started to burn. Ropeter
and two other crew tumbled
out, badly burnt, while two
of his crew died inside.
Behind Ropeter, came
the Panthers of Krüger,
Kauffman and Brauschke
and they slewed around the
irst tank and returned ire. Several
rounds glanced off the Panthers in
an exchange of shells but the anti-
aircraft gun was knocked out.
At the same time, Panzergrenadiers
in a half-track advancing through
the railway tunnel, moved along the
railway line and soon came under
ire from small arms and the US .50
calibre, the M4 tractor having been
driven down the slope onto the tracks.
The SS grenadiers disembarked and
returned ire, but were pinned down
in the ire-ight. Their half-track was
hit and knocked out trying to reach
the road. But, with the AA gun gone
and big tanks advancing up the road,
the US troops soon abandoned their
tractor and withdrew.
Krüger now led the other Panthers
passed the station, whilst, at the rear,
Hauptscharführer Knappich halted
his tank, gathered the wounded
Ropeter from the roadside, laid him
on his engine deck and returned
up the hill to deliver his severely
wounded comrade to the aid station
in Stoumont.
Coming along the other way were
Powers’ tanks with the M10 in the
lead. In the misty afternoon, it saw
the lead Panther irst, stopped and
opened ire. Krüger returned ire
before his tank was knocked out
by a shell that glanced off the road
and into the underside of the tank.
It started to burn, but the M10 had
been disabled too. Powers’ own
Sherman passed the M10 and raced
on, meeting Kauffman’s Panther just
west of the station buildings.
Powers hit Kauffman’s tank with
his irst shot at less than 200 yards,
the 75mm shell glancing off the
gun mantlet and ricocheting down
through the thinner top armour.
Ammunition cooked off inside and
the tank started to burn. Kauffman
died inside it.
Powers then opened ire on
Brauschke’s Panther on the left
side of the road but a shell jammed
in his main gun. He waved the

next tank, actually the M36 under
Sergeant Looney, passed to take the
lead. Looney’s ire hit the Panther’s
cupola, penetrated and killed the
tank commander outright. The driver
reversed away, but hit the roadside
ditch and got stuck. The surviving
crew bailed out and led. Four
Panthers had been lost and the road
from Stoumont was blocked. Here
Powers halted, holding the road and
waiting for infantry support to catch
up. By nightfall, men of C Company,
1st Battalion, 119th Infantry Regiment
were digging in at Stoumont Station.
Krüger’s burnt out Panther marked
the most westerly point of Peiper’s
race to Meuse, an advance which
was now stalled and would never get
started again. The following morning,
the US troops would advance on
Targnon and begin the battle to
retake Stoumont.
Terrain
This game is played on a thin table,
following the course of the road and
railway line. As the steep forested hill
is to the north and the River Ambleve
to the south, these act as useful
natural boundaries. A 6' x 2' table is
recommended.
The Ambleve valley is heavily
wooded. The station has two small
brick buildings and a small goods
yard between them (where the AA
gun was in place). The road is slightly
higher than the railway line, but the
scrub- and tree-lined slope is gentle
so doesn’t need to be represented.
The wooded hill to the north of
the road is steep and therefore
impassable to all vehicles and
dificult ground for infantry. South
of the railway line, are more woods,
beyond which lies the Ambleve.
The road is wide enough for two
tanks abreast, but becomes blocked
if two vehicles are destroyed next to
each other. Otherwise, any wrecks
on the road count as obstacles for
moving past and around them.
Deployment
The AA gun, tractor and spare
gunners should all be placed within
10" of Stoumont station. The anti-
aircraft gun starts the game on
Ambush Fire. Ropeter’s Panther
should be placed on the German
board edge on the road. The Germans
take the irst turn.
BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
Victory
The irst side to lose all its BR breaks
and must withdraw, the other side is
the winner.
Special Rules
US Reinforcements: The tanks are
on the way, and Lt Kent and his men
need to hang on. From turn 3, start
rolling for the arrival of the irst US
armour. It arrives on the road on a
dice roll of 4+. From then on, one
vehicle arrives via the road in each
subsequent turn, in the order given.
If the American player won the
previous battle, Assault on Stoumont,
then they have bought extra times for
Powers’ tanks to reach Lt Kent; they
arrive on a roll of 2+ instead of 4+.
German Reinforcements: The
German reinforcements arrive from
the beginning of turn 2, on the turn
given in the lists. The Panther tanks
all arrive along the road. The infantry
all arrive along the railway line.
Mine Strike Counter: There have they gain +2 Campaign points.
been no mines placed, so the Mine If the Germans win, they gain +3
Strike counter is not used - remove Campaign points. If either side wins
both the counters from the pot before a decisive victory, they gain no bonus
the start of the game. Campaign points.
Air Attack: It is an overcast, misty In addition, if the Americans win,
day - no air support is available for they gain an additional M10 tank
either side. Any aircraft counter destroyer for scenario 6, St Edouard
drawn counts as 1 instead of being an Sanatorium, Stoumont. See that
aircraft. scenario for full details.
Railway Line as Cover:
GERMAN FORCES
The railway line is in a
(All German forces are Veteran)
slight dip and lined by
Initial Deployment
bushes and scrub. Any
Panther G (Ropeter)
infantry squad on the
railway line is in soft
Reinforcements
cover, except for ire
Turn 2:
from another unit also
Panther G (Krüger)
on the line, in which case
SS Panzergrenadier squad: 5 men with a Panzerfaust
they are in the open.
SS Medium MG team: 3 men with MG42
Mounted in SdKfz 251/1
Restricted 90mm AP
Ammo: Not much
Turn 3:
armour piercing
Panther G (Kauffman) (Officer)
ammunition was issued
to anti-aircraft units. Roll
Turn 4:
a D3. This is the number
Panther G (Brauschke)
of AP shots Kent’s 90mm
SS Panzergrenadier squad: 5 men with a Panzerfaust
gun has in the game and,
SS Medium MG team: 3 men with MG42
after that, it must use HE
Mounted in SdKfz 251/1
shells.
Officer: 1
Victory Gains BR: 20
If the Americans win,
67
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
ST EDOUARD
SANATORIUM
Game Size: Platoon
Situation Report
December 21st – 22nd, 1944
With the panzers halted and defeated
at Stoumont Station, the Americans
reinforced the area and dug-in for
the night, with 1st Battalion, 119th
Infantry Regiment sending its C
Company furthest east to establish an
outpost line between the station and
the hamlet of Targnon. It would be
supported by the tanks of 740th Tank
Battalion when they arrived.
In the morning, the entire battalion
had orders to clear Targnon and
then press the attack home to
retake Stoumont. In the night, the
Germans established their own
screen of infantry and MG positions
in the woods around Targnon,
whilst engineers of 3rd SS Pioneer
Company illed a half-track with
Teller mines and grenades and set
about mining and booby-trapping
the main N33 road in ive locations
between Targnon and Stoumont.
They also established positions
on the western edge of Stoumont
and their headquarters in the large
Sanatorium building (variously
referred to in reports as: the Chateau,
the Monastery, the School and the
Castle but actual a large home for
handicapped children run by the
Catholic church). The 260 civilians,
priests, nuns and children still in the
Sanatorium took cover in its large
cellars.
At dawn, the American advance to
retake Stoumont began, and soon
encountered sporadic German
resistance in the woods as the
leading C Company platoons
approached Targnon. The hamlet
was soon brought under artillery
ire, two houses began to burn and
the Germans fell back rather than
ight for the hamlet. By about 1000,
US infantry were in the village and
faced minimal resistance. So far,
the advance had gone well but the
68
SCENARIO 6
next objective, some 2km east up the
wooded hillside, was the imposing
Sanatorium building, standing in its
own grounds and towering over the
western approach to Stoumont. It
had to be taken. In the afternoon, the
renewed US advance soon ran into
dificulty.
Only the twisting N33 road was
passable to the Sherman tanks,
and the lead tank was disabled by
a Teller mine strike, which then
blocked the way for all the other
tanks behind. The infantry waited
for engineers to come forward and
clear the mines and grenade booby-
traps and, for a while, all progress
was halted. By mid-afternoon, they
were cautiously moving again, with
A Company coming up into line
with C Company to the south and B
Company taking the left lank, north
of C Company in the centre. They
encountered repeated small arms
ire from hidden German machine
guns, and called forwards tanks for
supporting ire. The lead tank also hit
a mine and lost both its tracks, again
blocking the way whilst engineers
with minesweepers cleared the road
under 20mm cannon ire. Ahead
of them, Stoumont itself was being
intermittently shelled, targeting
suspected German mortar positions
near the church and half-tracks
spotted in Rouat.
At 1600, a direct attack on the
Sanatorium building was launched
by 119th Infantry’s B Company,
swinging up from the south. The
building and grounds were held by
2nd platoon, 3rd SS Pioneers, who
lost their commander, Oberscharführer
Buetner, in the initial ire-ight and
then quickly withdrew. US infantry
stormed the Sanatoruim, destroyed a
Wirbelwind in the grounds and were
soon inside the buildings, clearing
the rooms. The Germans had already
pulled back to Stoumont, but not
before several SS prisoners were
taken. Another Sherman attempted
to move up to the Sanatorium via
the road but hit another mine, was
immobilised, and was then hit by
anti-tank ire from the direction of
Stoumont (most likely a PaK-40 later
found in a position overlooking the
road). For the third time that day, a
disabled Sherman blocked the road.
Peiper was unhappy to hear that the
Sanatorium had fallen into American
hands. Dominating the hill, it was the
key to Stoumont. Whilst the SS men
held it, they would hold Stoumont. If
the Americans held it, then Stoumont
would eventually fall. He ordered
that an evening counter-attack be
organised to retake the buildings
and establish a fortress position in
it. The man tasked with leading the
assault would be Obersturmführer
Franz Sievers, commander of 3rd SS
Pioneers.
Over the next hours, Sievers gathered
a force of about 75 men from his own
company, 9th Pioneer Company
and some Fallschirmjäger, along
with a supporting heavy machine
gun detachment and tanks from
Stoumont.
They mustered on the northern
road out of Stoumont, the Route de
Spa, before launching a direct and
ferocious 15 minute assault. Tank
ire pummelled the Sanatorium,
smashing holes through the walls,
then infantry, heavily-equipped with
extra Panzerfausts and under the
cover of raking machine gun ire,
dashed in, using the Panzerfausts
to clear rooms as they burst back
into the building. They captured
the lower loor, with the Americans
still holding the upper loors above,
then used more Panzerfausts to blast
holes through the interior ceilings.
In intense room to room ighting, the
Americans within were either killed
or taken prisoner (often wounded).
B Company, 119th Infantry, had
lost all its platoon commanders in
the sudden counter-attack and the
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

German Reinforcements 2
survivors were forced out of the
Sanatorium by 20.30 and regrouped
behind a hedge, just 30m away.

But the Germans hadn’t inished for

the night. At 0200, a second attack,
supported by tank and mortar ire,
struck C Company to the south.
Then, two hours later, a third attack
led by two Panthers swept in north
of the Sanatorium. Using lares
for illumination, the Germans hit
the US lines and broke through.
The Panthers caught a stationary
platoon of 740th tanks on the main
road, behind the roadblock tank,
and quickly knocked out three more
Shermans. The others withdrew. The
Sanatorium buildings had caught
ire in places and tracer rounds were
lying thick and fast through the
night. Everywhere, the positions
of 119th’s 1st Battalion were under
intense pressure. In order to help
relieve some of that pressure, heavy
artillery was directed into Stoumont,
with 155mm shells from 15 batteries
called in to smother the village.
The attacking Germans pulled back
at dawn, but still held the now
reinforced Sanatorium buildings.
The Germans would continue to hold
the buildings, constantly under ire,
until the afternoon of December 22nd,
when they were ordered to pull back,
as Peiper’s Kampfgruppe moved out
of Stoumont and regrouped for its
inal stand in La Gleize.
US Table Edge
The Game
This scenario conlates the see-saw
battle for the Sanatorium into one
game, although the ighting lasted for
over 12 hours through the evening
and night of December 21st-22nd.
It begins with B Company’s attack,
followed by Siever’s counter-attack
and then the second German attack.
Special Rules
Night Fight: Only the initial attack
takes place in daylight, after turn 7
use the night ighting special rules.
No Air Cover: There was no air cover
for either side during the battle. Any
air attack counters drawn count as 1s.
US Reinforcements: If the Americans
won Scenario 5, then add to their
Reinforcements 2, 1 M10 tank
destroyer and +2 BR.
German Reinforcements 1
Deployment
The initial German defenders are
placed in the Sanatorium or within
5" of it, in the centre of the table.
The initial US attackers are placed
within 25" of the south-west corner,
up to 5" onto the table. German
Reinforcements 1 are placed on
the eastern table edge. German
reinforcements 2 are placed on the
western half of the northern table
edge. All US reinforcements arrive
from their table corner, as for the
initial attackers.
Victory Gains
If the Americans win, they gain +2
campaign points. If the Germans win,
they gain +1 campaign point. If either
side wins a decisive victory, then
they gain a bonus +1 campaign point.
There are no other victory gains.

US FORCES GERMAN FORCES

Initial Attack (B Company, 119th Infantry Regiment) Initial Defenders
Forward HQ - 3 men SS Assault Pioneer Platoon (Veteran)
2 Infantry Platoons (Inexperienced) Wirbelwind
2 Bazooka Teams Off-table battery of 2 x 80mm mortars
Sherman Tank Platoon (4 tanks, all 75mm. 1 Officer) Off-table 75mmL46 shot - may ire once per turn for
3 Counter Battery ire missions no orders at any US unit within 36" of German table
edge.
Reinforcements 1 (on turn 4) Reinforcements 1 (on turn 7)
Infantry Platoon (Inexperienced) SS Assault Pioneer Platoon (Veteran)
Bazooka Team Fallschirmjäger Platoon (Regulars)
.30 cal MMG Team Forward HQ - 3 men (Veteran)
Off-table battery of 2 x 81mm mortars 2 HMG-42 Teams
Panzer IV
Reinforcements 2 (on turn 11)
2 Sherman tanks (75mm) Reinforcements 2 (on turn 12)
1 M10 Tank Destroyer (optional) SS Grenadier Squad (Veteran)
2 Panther Gs
BR: 46 (+2 BR with M10)
Officers: 5 (including senior officer) BR: 49
Officers: 4 (incluidng senior officer)

69
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN
LA GLEIZE
THE BATTLE OF SO L’HESSE
Game Size: Platoon
Situation Report
December 22nd, 1944
By mid-afternoon on December
22nd, the SS had pulled back from
Stoumont, leaving no rearguard, and
regrouped in La Gleize, establishing
an all-round defence of the village
with all the remaining troops and
equipment they could muster.
Fuel had almost completely run
out, the last of it had been drained
from twenty half-tracks abandoned
in a local orchard, and gathered for
a small mobile reserve force in the
centre of the village. The Luftwaffe
had air-dropped some fuel but most
had landed on the Americans and,
of those meagre amounts that had
reached Peiper, some were later set
on ire by the constant American
artillery bombardments that now
battered the village into rubble. Fuel
was not the only concern. Small arms
ammunition was also low and tank
crews were requested to surrender
whatever supplies their vehicles had.
Low on fuel, ammo and rations,
Peiper was still sure a relief attempt
would reach him. He could hear the
sounds of battle to the north and
east and thought these were friendly
forces closing on La Gleize. If not,
1
German Table Edge
2
3
4 until a Panther tank (number 201,
5 6
70
SCENARIO 7
then he was still determined his
survivors would ight to the last man.
The SS men dug in all around the
village, with the almost immobilised
panzers covering the main
approaches. The defenders were
still formidably equipped with 23
combat effective tanks and six Grille
150mm self-propelled guns, as well
the infantry’s 80mm and 120mm
mortars. The kampfgruppe was now
surrounded. American troops had
moved up and retaken Stoumont
unopposed and were now patrolling
east to ind the new German
positions. A new attack could be
expected from Stoumont at any time.
To the north and east, Taskforce
McGeorge and Taskforce Lovelady of
CCB, 3rd Armoured Division, were in
place. Their irst probing attacks had
been repelled by tank ire and now
the two armoured forces faced each
other across the hills, sniping at long
range. To the south, the paratroops
504th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne
Division held Cheneux and their
artillery and spotters had a good
view of La Gleize, up the hill across
the river. Part of Peiper’s perimeter
included La Venne, covering the
approaches across the Ambleve
valley from the south. The entire area
was now under repeated 105mm and
US Table Edge
155mm artillery ire and the Germans
(and remaining civilians) crowded
into the cellars or dug foxholes and
covered them with felled trees and
even vehicles. Troops only ventured
out in the brief lulls in the shelling.
The aid post in the church began to
ill up with the wounded.
Pummelled by heavy artillery ire,
the defenders received warning
from their outposts of an imminent
American attack at midday on
December 23rd. The SS men
scurried from their cellar hiding
places to their ighting positions.
Taskforce McGeorge’s armour led
the assault, along the road from
Roanne to the east. The Sherman
tanks advanced, iring smoke shells
into the village, which mixed with
the day’s hazy mist. The Americans
quickly captured a mill at Moulin
Maréchal and the few Germans in
their outposts either fell back or were
captured or killed. The US tankers
then pressed the attack further,
behind another heavy 30 minute
artillery barrage, while some US
infantry remained behind at the mill
to mop-up. Led by the men of King
Company, 117th Infantry (attached
to Taskforce McGeorge from 30th
Infantry Division), the tanks of Item
Company, 33rd Armoured Regiment,
were road-bound as they moved up
towards La Gleize, approaching the
ields east of the village, known as So
l’Hesse.
Visibility badly obscured, the
Americans encountered heavy
resistance here, with both sides’ tanks
iring blindly into the thick mist and
smoke. The US infantry pressed their
attack along a side track, the Chemin
de Miniéves, which ran parallel to
the main road, after it completed
an S-bend around the forest. For
an hour, the two sides traded ire,
commanded by Obersturmführer
Friedrich Christ) arrived and took up
a iring position in the So L’Hesse. It
immediately received incoming ire
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

from a Sherman, which narrowly
missed. The return ire destroyed the
Sherman and seconds later a second
Sherman was knocked out, blocking
the road entirely. With their infantry
pinned down by MG and AA ire
and the road blocked to the following
tanks, the Americans pulled back 300
yards, back up the lane screened by
the forest, and called in more artillery
ire to cover them. Their assault had
failed to break into the village.
Terrain
The battle takes place across the So
L’Hesse ields, east of the village. The
edge of the village is represented by
six buildings. From north to south,
these are:
1. Delvenne House and forge
2. Gregoire House
3. Dumont House
4. Alphonse Boulanger (with a
command post in the cellar)
5. Hankart Cafe
6. Matthieu House
The road from Roanne snakes in
from the east, around a wood. The
narrow Chemin de Minieve track
also approaches from the east, lined
by hedges. The So L’Hesse ields have
a few trees and bushes dotted about
them.
The Americans are approaching up
the hill, but the slope is not enough to
be represented on the tabletop.

US FORCES GERMAN FORCES

(from Taskforce McGeorge) Initial Defenders
Initial Attackers, from K Company, 117th Infantry Forward HQ. 3 men. (These must start in the Alphonse
Infantry Platoon Boulanger)
.30cal Medium MG team 2 SS Squads (Veteran) - each with 2 MG42s and 2
Infantry Platoon Panzerfausts
Bazooka team 2 Panther Gs
2 M4 Sherman Tanks (1 is an officer) 120mm mortar team
Forward Observer Team 2 men 1 SdKfz 251/7
Off-table battery of 2 x 105mm guns 1 SdKfz 251/21 ‘Drilling’ AA
2 x Timed 105mm barrages, both must hit on turn 1, 1 SdKfz 251/9
the end of the preliminary bombardment. 2 SdKfz 251/1s
Reinforcements 2 Fortiied Buildings (the Dumont house and the
On Turn 2 Alphonse Boulanger)
1 M4 Sherman tank (must arrive via the road) ‘To the last Bullet’ +D6 BR
On Turn 3 Reinforcements
Forward HQ, in M4 Sherman (must arrive via the road) On Turn 5
On Turn 7 Panther G (officer) (must arrive on road from north)
M4 Sherman Tank Platoon, 3 tanks (1 is an officer, must On Turn 6
arrive via the road) SdKfz 251/9 (must arrive on road from south)

Officers: 6 (including senior officer) Officers: 2 (including senior officer)

BR: 38 BR: 28+D6

71
 BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

Deployment
This game covers the attack from
about 2.30pm to 3.30pm, as the
American advance reached the So
L’Hesse ields on the edge of La
Gleize.
The Germans are defending and
deploy irst, anywhere in their half
of the table. 2D6 units may start
the game on Ambush Fire. The
Americans then deploy, up to 10"
from their table edge. The Sherman
tanks must start the game on the
road. The US are attacking and take
the irst turn.
Objectives
There are 2 objectives on the table, the
Matthieu House (6) and the Delvenne
House and forge (1). Only
the American can claim
an All Objectives Secured
victory.
Special Rules
Mist, Dust and Smoke:
The village was
shrouded in mist, dust
from the heavy artillery
bombardments and the
Americans also ired a lot
of smoke rounds to cover
their approach. Visibility
was very poor. Throughout the game,
all Aimed Fire spotting rolls have an
additional -1 modiier and all Aimed
Fire (of any sort) is at an additional
-1 modiier to hit. It might be worth
relying more on Area Fire.
Running on Vapours: The German
vehicles are almost out of fuel. Each
time a German vehicle moves, roll a
dice. On a 1, it completes the move
but then runs out of fuel and is
immobilised for the rest of the game.
Note, on a ‘full speed’ order, a vehicle
must roll twice. No BR counter is
taken for this.
No Air Cover: There was no air cover
for either side during the battle. Any
air attack counters drawn count as 1s
instead.
Victory Gains
This is the inal battle of the
campaign, so there are no additional
victory gains to be had.
If the US player wins, he gains 2
campaign points. If the German
player wins, he gains 3 campaign
points. If either side wins a decisive
victory, then they gain a bonus 2
campaign points.
Alternative Forces
If using alternative forces, the
German player can take 600 points
using the Panzer Division army
lists, including all of Kampfgruppe
Peiper’s additional restrictions. It
may include Defences. A D6 of these
units, chosen by the German player,
must start the game as reinforcements
and arrive from the northern and
southern roads on turns 5 and 6
respectively.
The US player can take 650 points
from the Armoured Division army
lists. He may not include any
Defences.

AFTERMATH
The American had La Gleize surrounded, but breaking
in was proving a dificult and too costly task. With their
artillery zeroed-in, they contented themselves that the
SS men were trapped, low on supplies and had no hope
of any relief force reaching them. They could afford to
wait out Peiper’s men in a siege, whilst intensifying the
bombardment. Peiper could wait no longer. Without
fuel, his position was hopeless, so he contacted his
divisional commander to ask for permission to evacuate
La Gleize. At the irst it was refused, the divisional
commander, Wilhelm Mohnke, assured him relief and
supplies were on the way. It was wishful thinking.
There was no route through to La Gleize; the bridge
back at Stavelot had been recaptured and demolished
by the Americans. On the evening of the 23rd, a second
request was made by Peiper and this was accepted, with
instructions to ight their way out east. Again, the order
was not a viable option. The remaining vehicles had
no fuel for an attack in any direction. Instead, it would
require an emergency plan simply to save the men.
Peiper knew he would be unable to take his prisoners
and wounded with him, so he left these under the charge
of the chief medical oficer and American prisoners of
war, with a request that his wounded men be exchanged
for American POWs at a later date. He ordered all the
remaining vehicles blown up or disabled beyond use and
the surviving men to gather for a stealthy night march to
escape the encirclement and make their way back east,
to German lines. In the early hours of December 24th,
the last Germans crept south through la Venne, careful
not to reveal to the Americans they were leaving. With
them, they took ‘volunteered’ civilian guides and a
single captured American oficer, Lieutenant McGown
(he escaped under cover of a ire-ight). In single ile,
the battle-weary SS men made their way down to the
Ambleve river, crossed it on a footbridge and headed
south, then east. Hiding by day under the forest canopy,
Peiper would lead just 770 men, all that remained of his
potent Kampfgruppe, back to the safety of the 1st SS
lines near Wanne. On December 26th, the Kampfgruppe
was oficially disbanded by the divisional commander
and the survivors were returned to their parent units.
On December 24th, the Americans inally moved into
La Gleize unopposed to ind the blasted detritus of the
enemy scattered everywhere amidst the wreckage of the
shattered village - Panthers, Tiger IIs, Panzer IVs, half-
tracks, self-propelled guns, mortars, all badly damaged,
most by internal explosions. The SS wounded were taken
prisoner (and not exchanged) and the former POWs
liberated and either returned to their units or sent to
hospitals to recover irst.

72

DECEMBER 1944, THE
BELGIAN ARDENNES...
With the German army
seemingly on the verge of defeat,
the Führer ordered it to stage
a new surprise attack, aimed
at splitting the Allied army’s
advancing on Germany. Timed
to utilise the winter weather,
Operation Wacht Am Rhein
committed Germany’s last
reserves in an ambitious gamble
to turn the tide of the war.
On December 16th, the offensive
struck in the Ardennes forests.
The unexpected attack would
become the largest American
battle of the war in Europe...
PUBLISHING
• BACKGROUND
A general overview of Operation
Wacht Am Rhein, from the initial
infantry offensive on day one, to
clear the routes for the following
panzer attacks on day two. It
covers; 6th Panzer Army in the
north in hard ighting for the
Elsenborn ridge and the deep
penetration of Kampfgruppe
Peiper. 5th Panzer Army’s drive in
the centre and the surroundings of
St Vith and Bastogne. 7th Army’s
supporting attack in the south.
• ARMY LIST
Designed to be used with the army
lists already published in Battlegroup
Overlord, this book contains a single
new army list, for the freshly raised
Volksgrenadier Divisions, as well as
many new additions to the Overlord
army lists for reighting the battles
of late 1944. It also includes units for
the German disguised iniltration
teams of Operation Greif.
TM
• SPECIAL RULES
New special rules to adapt the
core Battlegroup game to the
winter battleields of 1944-45. The
rules recreate the character of the
Ardennes ighting, with German
iniltration tactics, the morale effect
of their powerful surprise attack
and the winter weather’s limiting of
Allied air support, along with the
snow falling to impede operations
on the ground.
All help to create games with the
distinctive feel of the bitter ‘Battle of
the Bulge’.
• SCENARIOS AND CAMPAIGN
Nine new historical scenarios,
including a detailed narrative
campaign for Kampfgruppe Peiper’s
ill-fated race to the Meuse river.