The Battle of the Bulge
Flames of War Campaign
The Aero "Battle of the Bulge" Flames of War campaign
"In mid-1944, it looked as if the war in Europe was coming to an end. Hitler was on the run; the Allies had triumphantly regained Paris, as well as Casablanca and Naples and Rome. After five hard years of war, Allied soldiers were breathing easier -- even stopping to enjoy dances and parties.
Hitler, however, had one final card to play. In December 1944, he struck back with a counterattack that has come to be known as the Battle of the Bulge -- the single biggest and bloodiest American soldiers have ever fought -- in which nearly 80,000 were killed, maimed or captured in an infernal test of courage and endurance."
- PBS American Experience
The Campaign
The purpose of our campaign is to provide a story, a framework and a scoreboard to our monthly FoW games. The campaign may appear like a game in itself, but is more like a role-playing experience of higher command. The deciding factor in the campaign will be the tabletop games of FoW. While the FoW games will be influenced by the campaign in scenario and available units, they will still be fair, balanced games per the rulebook. That way everyone who shows up to play FoW will find a fun, fair scenario regardless of their interest in the campaign.
So far there are eight roles to play in the campaign. Not all are equal. Some will have more to do early on, some later, some not much at all.
- Allies
- Twelfth Army Group Commander - Gen. Tim Keenon
- Commands many assets & strategic reserve troops
- First Army General
- Commands US First Army
- Third Army General - Lt. Gen. Adam P. Hammer
- Commands US Third Army
- XXX Corps General - Lt. Gen. Jonathan Ahmadi
- Commands British XXX Corps
- Axis
- Army Group 'B' Commander
- Commands many assets & strategic reserve troops (& begs Hitler for support)
- Fifth Panzer Army General - General der Panzertruppen Joselito "Sepp" Santo Tomas
- Commands German Fifth Panzer Army
- Sixth Panzer Army General - Oberstgruppenfuhrer der Waffen SS Anthony von Tedesco
- Commands German Sixth Panzer Army
- Seventh Army General - General der Panzertruppen Frank Marton
- Commands German Seventh Army
The Battles
The main limitation on the Flames of War battles is troops choices. As battles are generated by the campaign, the players will have committed certain units and assets to the field. Those assets will determine what troops and support choices are available for use.
Battle One - December 16, 1944
Played 29 August '09
This battle featured the attack of 2nd. Panzer Division on the 110th Infantry USA. The scenario was "The Big Push" with these modifications: Total Air Superiority was removed due to bad weather and Fortifications were reduced. A river divided the German deployment area and was bridged by engineers. Infantry had infiltrated during the night and deployed as normal, while armored units were required to cross at the bridge.
The defenders were a 1250 pt. US Rifle Co., "Love" Co./110th Infantry played by Jon A. and Wil van L.. The delayed reserves, representing CCR/9th Armored Div., were a 1250 pt. US Tank Co. led by Will J..
Alex G. and Frank M. led 2500 points of panzers into the assault. Finding the woods and less natural fortifications too daunting, the order was 'Student body left.' Pioneers bravely disarmed the mines and barbed wire while the tanks swept around the flank. The fighting was fierce with the first of Will J.'s tanks - 76mm Shermans - blunting the attack at the cost of their own lives. Valiant defense was not quite enough to keep the Germans from their prize, but a strong last-minute counterattack meant they could not keep it! On turn seven the Germans were finally forced back.
The brave defenders have held out here, but have they only put their heads in a noose? Fighting rages all up and down the front, have our boys stayed past their welcome? Find out Saturday, September 26!
View them all at Frank M.'s Gallery
18 December 1944 - Operation Stösser
Originally planned for the early hours of 16 December, Operation Stösser was delayed for a day because of bad weather and fuel shortages. The new drop time was set for 03:00 on 17 December; their drop zone was 7 miles (11 km) north of Malmedy and their target was the "Baraque Michel" crossroads. Von der Heydte and his men were to take it and hold it for approximately twenty-four hours until being relieved by the 12th SS Panzer Division, thereby hampering the Allied flow of reinforcements and supplies into the area.
Just after midnight on 17 December, 112 Ju 52 transport planes with around 1,300 Fallschirmjägern took off amid a powerful snowstorm, with strong winds and extensive low cloud cover. As a result, many planes went off course, and men were dropped as far as a dozen kilometres away from the intended drop zone, with only a fraction of the force landing near it. Strong winds also took off-target those paratroopers whose planes were relatively close to the intended drop zone and made their landings far rougher.
By noon, a group of around 300 managed to assemble, but this force was too small and too weak to counter the Allies. Colonel von der Heydte abandoned plans to take the crossroads and instead ordered his men to harass the Allied troops in the vicinity with guerrilla-like actions. Because of the extensive dispersal of the jump, with Fallschirmjägern being reported all over the Ardennes, the Allies believed a major division-sized jump had taken place, resulting in much confusion and causing them to allocate men to secure their rear instead of sending them off to the front to face the main German thrust.
Today's scenario (24 Oct 09)
Today's scenario will represent the struggle between the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division et al. and the forces of Operation Stosser - van der Heydte's paras and the infamous 12th SS Panzer Division. The exact scenario will depend on who brings what on game day.
