More snaps...Briefings....

To misquote Samuel Johnson...When one is tired of briefings, one is tired from far too much little model soldiering. Look I am not trying to convince you for one moment that this is in any way a physically tiring activity (although most of the blokes are gaming, talking about gaming and involved in the process about 16 hours a day!), however it is a mentally draining process at times...And just remember people do this for a Holiday!!

German Command Briefing

 

Despite the serious faces this is actually a good news briefing, however not all of the German ones were. Andrew (standing near the map) is giving a fairly upbeat assessment of the day's play while Philip (standing on extreme right) updates his operational map.

 

The news from this day was linked to the 116th attempted entry into Bastogne. The command team often had to make difficult decisions. Divisions were critically short of fuel, ammo, or replacements (or all three)...116th had been on a charge the day before for wanting to retain the services of 14 Reg (5FJ) and had now completely disobeyed orders in breaking off an attack on Bastogne. The commander had decided to turn north after running into the Glider Reg of 82nd Airborne during the night of Dec 21. The 82nd were dug in and holding the road...116th Panzer was driving on fumes, and nearly out of ammo. The best choice was turn turn back and drive through the rear area of 82nd ( South of Houffalize) and hopefully find some spare fuel... However the Recce Btn found something more vital to the cause...an unguarded bridge in the area of Bertogne (North and parallel to Bastogne)...

 

 



 

While the team brief was going on, Tim (as German 7 Armee Commander), was making some tough choices about the strategic operations of his forces... (yes those are boxes of sweets in the foreground, but that was part of an umpiring ploy to sugar coat bad news, at least it always seemed to be, to me)...

 

However the state of play was that 7 Armee, previously tasked with seizing Bastogne and road networks west of there (Neufchateau in particular), was about to develop it's own mini offensive and bypass Bastogne. 2nd Panzer (also in XLVIII Pz Korps with 116) was also now low on fuel and ammo. Despite dragging a Nebelwerfer Korp formation from the start line, no ammo was ever allocated for the Werfer brigades. 2nd Panzer was to go on the defensive, 116th would hold the bridge at Bertogne and hold on long enough to pass 9 Pz and LVIII Pz Korps (9th SS and 12th SS Panzer) over and on the the Meuse...and of course victory....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



A few odd snaps from the camera ....Houffalize

A variety of happy memories from last week...


Houffalize

Alex (doing his best to look intelligent and unruffled)....This was part of a game where 82nd were holding a vital bridging point at Houffalize. Alex's regiment were dug in around a hill and wood and causing problems to the plucky panzertruppers of 116th who were coming on around the road to the left of the board and dog-legging past Alex to take the exit top right toward Bastogne...at least that was the plan....

Talking of plans the white snow based troops were a regiment of 5FJ who found themselves stranded on the wrong side of the river. In the previous day while some of 116th had been shot-up trying to rapid advance across the front of 7th US Armoured, 14 Regt had yomped steadily across the board in an effort to reach the other side of the river....However the only bridge for miles was at Houffalize..which was held be the Americans. Of course we could have just asked them to let us cross, but where's the fun in that??

And don't be fooled, despite Adam's warm and friendly look, he would have said "No!". However 13 and 15 Regt of 5 FJ must have been keen to get their mate's back, as the launched a simultaneous attack which was being fought on another table, and eventually spilled onto ours. Houffalize fell and sometime on game day 2 (about Dec 21) and remained in German hands for the next 6 or 7 days....

Christmas is coming...

But the Heer is not getting fat.

The first campaign tabletop games have been concluded:

• The opening battles around Elsenborn saw the US rescue their threatened artillery parks, but lose the better part of two Infantry Divisions.  
• The Eupen road stayed firmly shut to the Germans. 
• Houffalize did not fall but was masked and the roads to Bastogne seized. 
• An attempt to seize Malmedy on the march was rebuffed.  

We're now part way through the second set of tabletop games, and these have seen the advancing Germans encounter British opposition for the first time, as well as their regular American opponents.

Under the eye of an Umpire the German (Left) and British (Right) table captains conduct the Recce Game in the area around  Manhay

Once the plotting of Corps/ Divisional Operational Areas and Combat Command boundaries has been done, and Battle Groups have been plotted both sides then deploy their recce forces in a bid to see beyond the enemy front line and give them an informed artillery (and air of the weather permits) fire plan.  The number and type of assets committed to the fight is relevant here. The Germans with their doctrinal emphasis on fighting recce have an edge here, if the area is densely populated, whereas the Allies tend to go with Recce by stealth, so can swarm all over the front.

Sometimes you just have to look at a really big map to know what's important on your table.

At the end of the first set of games the Umpires reassess the situation, adjudicate the supply state of the units involved, update the command staffs and players, receive the orders for the next set of battles and then issue out the force lists, table briefings and terrain notes so the terrain can be rebuilt for the next day's battles.

A table about to be rebuilt, an Umpire hard at work

The main actions for the 22-24 December lie around:

• Diekirchen - in the bottom left of this picture.

The Americans are once again intermingled with the advancing Germans

• Werbomont, where the British meet the Germans for the first time.

Both sides have deployed on the tabletop, the British (left) seem quite relaxed.

• Wiltz and Eschweiler, Wiltz is at the far end of this shot, Eschweiler in the clearing.  The Germans are advancing into shot.

German Army commander in a front line role advances his troops toward Eschweiler

• Bastogne, as the Germans seem quite keen to take possession

Flanked by German players the American seems quite unfazed.

And they're off...

We've done all the map movement and now its down to the tabletops:

• Setting out 6 to 8 gaming tables, varying from 12 x 6 up to 24 x 6, 
• laying out road networks, forests, hills, rivers, settlements, 
• Unpacking the forces and cross checking what's in the box with the OOBs
• issuing rule-packs, national doctrine and table briefing notes to the players, delineating front lines

We've played 6 games for the opening stages of the campaign - the games themselves last two real days and cover three days (and two nights) of campaign time, and the situation, when viewed from either HQ, is fluid.

Wargamers in action! - note the rulebooks being studied, heads being scratched, lips pursed... this is tense stuff

Although the games are all separate there are links between them, so a breakthrough on one table does not result in troops heading off into the void but, rather, reappearing (with a little adjudication from the Umpire team) on a game somewhere else in the room.

Thrusting German Panzer Commanders (Gordon and Andy) consider the  route to Bastogne

Here at Houffalize, it seems to be in American hands, though perhaps not for long.  US troops face attack from at least two directions, and are unable to stop the Germans using the road to Bastogne.

American troops in Houffalize face Fallschirmjager and StuGs (entering stage left)

German Panzers (the greyhounds of 116 Panzer) have cleared a path to Bastogne

This demonstrates the links between the tables, the 116 will leave the area of Houffalize and, after a suitable interval, appear on the Bastogne table.  The American defenders will have some idea of its approach, as they've posted OPs on the approach roads, but for the moment the guys there seem quite relaxed - those nearest the camera are commanding the German assault on Bastogne, those furthest away are its defenders.

Fallschirmjager attempt to divert the Americans' attention from approach of 116 Panzer.

Players assume the major command functions, CinC, Army  and Corp Commanders, making key decisions and briefing/ inspiring the other players.  However that's only part of their job, they also get to run troops on the tabletop. In this case, somewhere near Elsenborn.

German CinC (left) takes an active part in the tabletop game too.

Though, as force commander, one is also occasionally invited to consult with the Umpires as the situation updates itself.  This one seems to be going quite well...

German CinC meets an Umpire for a friendly chat about the war plans.