U.S. Turn 1 — Hold the line!

The US player has very little to do on the first turn, but there is one big decision they need to make. Will they continue to stand and fight in Marnach, or pull back? The advantage of staying is that it means the Germans will be unable to supply combat operations to the south. If the Elite 26^th Infantry were to cross the Clerf River to attack Wiltz, they would automatically go Out of Supply (OOS) and lose a “step” (strength point) at the end of the turn, because there’s no way for the Germans to trace supply past Holzthurm. Supply in this game is traced simply through a chain of friendly-controlled spaces (and note controlled – they can be contested). Without a bridge, though, you can only trace supply over a river border into the single space adjacent to that river.

The attack on Wiltz is therefore most likely stalled until the Germans clear Marnach, because the Germans are unlikely to risk being unsupplied, as their next-shortest supply routes will take time to establish. The first option would be supplying through Lullage, requiring a further path from Bucholz through St. Vith – so taking control of three spaces. Their second option would be via Echternach, and then somehow through Ettelbruck – requiring them to wrest control of at least three spaces. And given how poorly the initial attack in the south went, that seems unlikely!

However, with no Garrison in Marnach the US would be exposing two units to a powerful attack by staying there, given Fieldworks are removed at the end of the turn (they are considered to be manoeuvred around), and the Germans could mount an attack of 7 against 3. Therefore, the US player decides to withdraw to Lullage, given they can guarantee having Fieldworks there, and the Germans can’t currently supply there. Fieldworks and Bridges can be constructed in contested spaces at the start of a turn through the play of an Engineer card, but there’s no guarantee of drawing one).

Beyond that they dress their lines slightly – the 102^nd Cavalry moving south to allow the Americans to take full advantage of the +3 defensive terrain modifier in Elsenborn, and Fieldworks being constructed in Weiswampach. The southern flank remains static.

And so ends the first turn. The Germans had average luck in the northern half of the map, and poor luck in the southern. Given the simple opposed die roll combat system, the game allows for a lot of variability in how the opening plays out, and thereby a lot of replayability. Here the scene is set for the Germans to push along their main axes of advance, but the southern flank is likely stalled.

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Next Week’s Article: German Turn 2 – Schwerpunkt.

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