Surrounded at Kleinehausen - with Battlegroup Fall of the Reich - D-Day to Berlin series, game 7

The last scenario, with 800 points of US attacking 800 points of defending Germans in the Hexenkessel scenario. The Germans had dug-out (a bit) in the village, occupying the buildings and the orchards, with some a SiG-33 and a Panzer IV in reserve behind. Their force was, roughly: a Panzer IV platoon, a Jagdpanzer IV, a Volksgrenadier platoon and an ad hoc platoon of auxiliaries, an on-table SiG-33 dug-in, some timed 80mm mortar strikes, a Pz 38(t) AA tank and a single Panzer II ‘mini-Tiger’ as the unique obsolete tank (from the Bagration book).

The US, attacking, would be by a veteran (but not war weary) infantry platoon (with an extra squad added), a Sherman platoon (2 x 76mm) with a Sherman Jumbo added, a M36 Jackson battery (rare outing for them), a sniper and the on-table battery of M7 Priests, plus spotters and an combat engineer squad in their M3.

Conducting the attack, with units arriving random would prove hard, its difficult to have a plan or even decide on the best route forwards, all you can do is make the best of it and see what the dice throw up. The defender’s problem of being all but surrounded was very different and a fun change, the hedgehog defence makes protecting your armour difficult, and you’re an obvious target for the IDF, all in one condensed area. 

US approaches. Germans in hedgehog, facing out in directions.

All set-up and 3 objectives placed, it was time for the US to get on with reducing this pocket. It would not prove easy. To start with, the attacker is out-gunned, so the US hung back, traded fire at range with the armour, Sherman vs Pazner IV (classic), all missing or glancing at these ranges, and some infantry crept forwards. I’d have to wait and see where the main attack could develop as reinforcements moved in. This they did, the infantry arriving on the right, but the Jacksons were dispersed, one to each side. This actually worked out OK, as their fire caught the German armour in the flanks, with one M36 scoring a Pz IV kill and the Panzer II (first game blues) in one order (lucky double tap). But it was isolated without infantry support. Infantry fire was traded around the small orchard to the right, MG-34s from the building pinning down US as they tried to use reserve move to rush across the open fields. A P-47 timed strike dove in, but 20mm AA fire caused it to pull out before it could drop its bombs into the village - drat, can’t work every time though.

The SiG-33 was hammering away (busy loader team) with a spotter somewhere in the buildings call in the fire to pin the US infantry, with the occasional direct hit inflicting loses on the infantry as they arrived (150mm hurts). Eventually, the US M7 Battery arrived, behind the woods, and could open fire. Now life in the village became significantly more unpleasant!

A probelm the US faced, apart from the firepower coming out the village, was ammo. They had one resupply truck, which was dedicated to support the M7 Priests to keep the artillery going. The M36s were very spread out and running low, although one scored a kill on another Panzer IV. The Shermans were running out of AP and took to using HE for suppressing fire into the armour (trying to stop the Jagdpanzer IV firing) and buildings. Bins would run low, and by the end of the game every tank and SP gun was out of all ammo… MGs only then.

The US managed to push two attacks forward, on the right, at the small orchard, the infantry moved up and the combat engineers disembarked to assault the pinned down kriegsmarine troops holding it, wiping them out. In return, they drew heavy MG and 150mm SiG fire and got pinned down too, with another BAR squad wiped out by a 150 hit (ouch). The Jumbo tried to help out, MG-ing up the buildings, as it had fired off all its ammo at the last Pz-IV (but survived a couple of direct hits to the front - yes!). The M26 with it, also out of ammo, was now a single MG sitting on ambush fire, and firing into the buildings anytime an MG-34 opened up… in which it proved pretty handy, until the jagdpanzer IV finally hit it - kaboom!

To their left, the rest of the infantry had had an easier time getting across the fields, and supported by their .30 cal MG teams fire, managed to assault and clear the first building. This provoked a sudden response from waiting volksgrenadiers, on reserve move, which rushed up and them and assault them back, wiping them out and retaking the building. Back and forth firing would see the GIs unable to close in again, even when an M36 Jackson rolled up to aid (it still had some AP rounds, but no targets worthy of precious ammo). It was caught out by another reserve move, as a panzerfaust-armed panzerjaeger team bicycled out, then jumped off their bikes and loosed two rockets into it, easily KOing it. US casualties were mounting, one Sherman 76 was hit by the last Pz IV and KO’d too. Removing pinning was proving costly. US was running out of stuff.

The lurking last Pz IV was then KO’d in return by 105mm HE raining in, and also got the German supply horse-drawn wagon… a blow, as the Jagdpazner was now low and had to be careful. The last of the German armour was the 20mm armoured AA Pz38(t), and it risked having a go at a distant M36 from cover, but even a Jackson’s armour was good enough to defeat 20mm rounds at long range. The return fire immobilised the 38(t) (now did it not die?), but the tank destroyer was now empty. Ammo, I need ammo!

Short on shots, hammering away with artillery was all the US had to offer, but the Germans were dug-in (a fortified building, dug-dug and mortar pit) so it wasn’t doing too much. The attack had stalled, and the Germans then drew the Endkampf counter, gaining more BR (in all, with their scenario bonus, ‘to the last bullet’ and Endkampf, they gained +13 BR in this game). They weren’t going to break, and so US had to pull back to re-up the ammo. The Germans had held out.

It was a solid win for the defenders, still 20 BR from breaking (with the +13, so just 7 really!). We’d have to get the USAAF on-call and bomb Kleinehausen flat instead! That ends our 7 game ‘D-Day to Berlin’ series, 4-3 to the Germans in victories (if that matters), it’s been fun to work through the different theatres and use different scenarios and forces and special rules (and models). On to something else now, yet tbd.

Kleinehausen village, before the Germans move in.

Jombo approaches from the US 'right', a fierce close quarters fight for the small orchard (just head) would follow,

Lurking panzers, Jagdpazner IV behind a road block.

On on the other sdie, the 'big orchard'. Both these panzers would be taken by a single M36.  The supply wagon behind was wrecked by artillery fire later.

Move up. Sherman leads infantry past the wrecked Tiger (an objective marker).

Bombs 'not' away! P-47 seen off by AA fire.

Jumbo, a real survivor this time (very un-Sherman like).

Priests on call... we agreed these would count as 1 unit for arrival, as it would be odd for a battery to split up all over the place.

Sneaking paznerjager team, bicycle to victory, a reserve move, then jump off, and let a M36 have it. Drat! But nicely conducted counter-punch. Be wary of men on bicycles bearing rocket launchers!

Jagdpanzer, it just can't hit... resupply behind, on the way.

Combat engineers take the small orchard in a close assault.

Troublesome SiG. with a hard working loader team and knack for rolling a direct hit!

Reserve Panzer IV moves out, but gets spotted and KO'd by an M36 Jackson. Nice to have a bigger gun for once (Germans get own medicine).

Still not got into town, and not going too any time soon (the volksgrenadiers in there have many 'fausts). The US armour is down to MGs only. Infantry largely wiped out.