Kurgarten, Aachen - with Battlegroup Westwall - D-Day to Berlin series game 3

Third in our series of ‘D-Day to Berlin’ games and we get out of Normandy and into the Westwall book, with an Aachen urban assault scenario. US infantry (with alts from Westwall) against Volksgrenadiers (from the Wacht am Rhein list). Roughly based on the fight for Farwick Park (the Kurgarten – not sure why it has 2 names). 

The park and its surrounding buildings. Sauna house in the park.

The Germans would be dug-in holding their end of the park, with 2 Volksgrenadier platoons and their support, including two AT guns, 120mm mortar, HMGs and a single Panther. The US Infantry were an infantry platoon and a combat engineer platoon, supported by a Sherman platoon, an M12 155mm SP gun, off-table 105s, on table mortars, plus change (sniper, supply trucks, forward aid post, PRTP, etc).

After deploying, it was time to get going, with the game starting with a timed P-47 bombing run, which ran directly into heavy flak fire, dodged 37mm flak rounds, but took damage from small arms and MMGs on ambush fire too, and fled. No bombs dropped. I think they were waiting for that.

The US attack would be two pronged, on the left with the infantry platoon, to press up and take the solo building in the park (we called it the sauna building, an objective). They’d have a couple of M4 Shermans with them. The second prong was down the right, KrefelderstraBe I think it’s called, with the combat engineers to clear out the Germans down to the road junction, supported by a Sherman and the M12, to bring those strongpoints down with direct fire. All the while, 105mm shells and 4.2” mortar bombs would try to keep life miserable down the German end.

The first attack on the left ran instantly into trouble, and the Volksgrenadiers caused many pins and MGs picked off the leading squads in the building (apparently I can only pass a 4+ cover save about 25% of the time). The US couldn’t get any weight of fire down on the sauna house, and Germans stayed put, except a 4.2” mortar shell that wiped out a 50mm mortar team with a direct hit.

The US reinforcements arrived on the right as the combat engineer squads, with flamethrowers, moved up, behind the tank and through the buildings. There was a road block, but the engineers would deal with it with a demo charge, but doing so under fire caused a lot of pinning from incoming 75mm PaK HE.

As the Shermans rolled on the German brought forward their own armour, the Panther appeared in the park and its first shot scored a hit and kill on the Sherman (the officer too). Not a good start for the US. Even their artillery was doing little, just a few pins, no direct hits, yet!

So, the grind was on. The US moved up, Shermans hammering HE into anything… including pinning the Panther, phew! The 105s hit the PRTP, which happened to be where the German FOO had taken up position. A direct hit saw him wiped out (bad place to stand).

The Germans FHQ called down their own priority artillery request, using a wire team to get army level support, in 150mm Nebelwerfers. The 'screamin’ mee-mees' hit the end of the park, but after deviation and single squad took the brunt f the explosions, and was wiped out… messy! That could have been far worse. The tanks continued to trade fire at range, and the Panther weather several mortar hits. Over on KrefelderStraBe, the M12 (and dedicated supply truck) moved up behind the combat engineers and Sherman, which was moving to get a shot into the park at the Panther.

At the sauna house, the Germans continued to inflict damage and pinning with MGs and rifle fire… and the US platoon returned mortar fire, and the Germans were winning. The infantry platoon was already under 50%, and the attack here was stalled. Some squads pulled back to avoid being wiped out.

Behind the German fighting front, a resupply horse-drawn wagon rolled in, the Panther would soon need it, but was unlucky to roll over a mine strike (German drawn, but rolled a 1!). It was destroyed, a problem for the panzer. Grenadiers were building up in the buildings and deploying their many MGs to sweep the park. Moving out on it was very lethal (as one BAR squad found out, rushing into a copse but being cut-down).

We’d reached an impasse,  the US were building up the entire engineer platoon to make their move forwards, once the road block was destroyed by the demo-charge. But fire, especially from a dug-in PAK-40 was pinning them, a lot. Then the 37mm Flak opened up and gutted the squad in the road, despite itself being under suppressing fire from the US’ roof top sniper, a nuisance. That return fire against him seemed like an very uneven firefight, but he somehow survived.

The Panther scored a second kill, hitting a second Sherman, but was then pinned by a 'Confusion' marker. When a mortar bomb then scored another hit, the crew needed a morale test and rolled a 1, abandoning the panzer in the park. Pure fluke, but a very welcome one. The M12, safe from the Panther, could now turn on the sauna house, still resisting (somehow, it seemed to be made like a bunker). The M12 began hammering 155mm shells into it and scored 2 structure points of damage, 1 more and it was gone. The Germans didn’t want to run from it, with US teams on ambush fire watching the destruction (and cheering!). By random (bad) luck a 120mm mortar stonk deviated wildly directly onto the M12 and knocked it out.. out of nowhere – what!? Things looked bad, but the counter taken was an Air Attack… but the USAAF didn’t show up. I was still 10 BR from breaking… but thing looked a bit grim.

Next turn (about the 8th or 9th), the US continued to hammer 105 shells down and scored a direct hit on the dug-in PAK-40, which destroyed the gun (and left the crew fine - they must have run for cover). More mortaring saw an MG team in the park finished off, then the last Sherman used its last HE on the sauna house and, with luck, it collapsed. That wiped out the infantry squad inside and the sudden rush of 4 BR counters taken meant the Volksgrenadiers gave up the fight… time to go.

The US had won it, with 7 BR left… so 2-3 more counters in hand, but the Germans had been a bit unlucky, especially in the losing the Panther to a bad morale check, that might have turned it, as well as the US IDF finding its range and hammering them for a turn (about time!)… well ranged in now, best to pullback from that punishment.

So, another cracker of a game, and the series is now 2-1 to the Germans. Next, we’re using the Westwall book again and going for a tank fight; Panzer Brigade vs US Armour down in the Lorriane. The last 3 games have been US attacks, so it’s time for the Germans to come out and fight, and a chance to get more tanks out. 

US end of the park.

German end

KrefelderstraBe, the brown house, an objective midway down.

Timed strike, heavy flak drives it off.

Lurking in reserve.

Moving up, onto the main straBe.

First victim of the Panther, resorting to HE to try to pin it.

First squad up KrefelderstaBe.

The Panther moves into the park and draws mortar fire.

37mm Flak on the roof... and on ambush fire.

Forward aid post, at the back. Handy 5 BR... behind 81mm mortar harasses the far end of the park.

M12 moves up

Waiting for it at the far end, PaK 40, mostly used as an infantry gun, firing HE down the street.