Battle Command: The Bulge After Action Report Part 7 — German Turn 4

German Turn 4 – Don’t rest on your laurels.

The Germans draw a decent strong hand, but lack cards for their most important fights, which will be conducted by the 5^th Panzer Army. The US draw a disappointing hand, geared entirely for defence at time when they need to be counterattacking.

Next, powerful German reinforcements arrive in the east, but the US doesn’t get anything this turn. These units can be redeployed to the front lines for the price of a Fuel card, so long as they don’t enter a contested area, but at this point the front line is still close enough for the Germans to use these for off-road movement and initiate combat, so that’s precisely what they will do.

*Turn 4 sees some of the strongest German units enter the fray.*

Before that move however, both sides play events. The Germans use a Force March to move their 18^th Infantry up from St. Vith to Weiswampach, and commit replacements to the 5^th Fallschirmjager in the south. Then, the Americans place two Garrisons down, adjacent to that latter space, and play three Engineers in order to fortify key spaces – the two roadways west of Bastogne, and Vielsalm.

*Both sides commit additional resources to northern flank of the middle region of the map.*

In terms of movement, the Germans commit two Fuel cards and a reserve fuel event to power an attack on the far edge of the northern flank with their newly arrived reinforcements, through difficult terrain. This is couple by thrusts to the south of the salient the Germans have formed in the north, designed to overrun St. Vith with brute force and hopefully start driving back the Americans – or at least tie them down – south of Malmedy.

The attempt on Vielsam fails, although the Germans don’t suffer any step loss (the American combined arms bonus being cancelled out by the fact the Germans also have this bonus). The attack on Hohes Venn goes the same way, whilst the Garrison in St. Vith is destroyed and the US 106^th Infantry there linger on. At Monschau, the US are forced to suffer a step loss rather than retreat.

Further south, the 5^th Panzer Army pushes out from Bastogne to widen their defensive perimeter, with other elements coming in behind to cover the city against counterattack from the north and northwest. US 6 to a German 1 results in no losses being suffered by the 101^st Airborne – the combined arms bonus merely removing the American Fieldworks – and a loss to the 2^nd Panzer.

*The US 101st Airborne fight valiantly.*

In the south the 312^th pull back, then a US SNAFU event card allows them to hold in Ettelbuck by discarding two of the three German cards played, though they have to retreat their infantry. Meanwhile an exchange in Beaufort reduces the German 312^th Infantry, leaving them vulnerable to destruction and a VP – but their attack was necessary for the Germans to be able to pin the US Armor in place, and thereby protect their supply lines.

*German attacks in the south make progress and protect supply lines, but leave them vulnerable.*

The German Breakthrough phase brings more bad news for the Germans – an exchange at Libremont causes another step loss for the 2^nd Panzer, and allows the 101^st Airborne to retreat back to Libin, and an echange at Monschau in the far north (another Panzer step loss). On the plus side, at least the American 106^th Infantry are finally destroyed at St. Vith. Next turn, this will free the Germans to establish a stronger front line on the northern flank. For now, however, they’ve had to thin their lines in Weiswampach and Houfalize in order to protect Bastogne and their lines of supply.