The Road to Bastogne

 Pete Panzeri ran another of his operational games for us today, specifically the Bulge. This was sadly delayed from the 80th anniversary of the battle, but today is the day victory was ultimately declared in January 1945. Did we do any better than the 101st Airborne?

Well, we couldn't do any worse than the movie version...

Oriskany Jim livestreamed the game again for Sitrep Podcast, but I have some highlights and a few closeup photos.

The field of operations.

And the field of operations.

The game was run by Pete, who played the Germans on autopilot while the rest of us tried to hold him back. I was voluntold as the overall American commander, with four others as division/corps commanders. The scenario is based on an Axis and Allies variant, and each base represents roughly a battalion, while a single building represents a small town.

A closeup on Bastogne.

Center of the map, under construction with dark sand for the roads.
Note Sam the Eagle in Bastogne, representing the 101st.

American center, with my HQ units (light brown tank
and artillery) at center rear by Clervaux.

Germans pour onto the board.

A typical representation of a "town."

These poor bastards are about to be overwhemed by artillery fire.

The Germans storm onto the table.

The ultimate German objective is the ancient fortress of Namur. On a fifteen-foot table you'd think they'd never make it, but under the rules any vehicle on a road can move as far as it wants - all the way if it likes. The catch is that it can't bypass a defended town on the road. While it can go offroad, it can only move six to twelve inches. This means that the "nodes" - especially the bridges and Bastogne - are critical and even a single base will halt the German advance for a turn. This is why we spread out units and supply markers across the board, although we heavily frontloaded our line. So they got steamrollered, though we bit back here and there (combat and shooting are simultaneous) and blew one bridge.

Example unit of Garritroopers.

American dead pool.

A hapless American glider unit under my command holds
Trois Ponts bridge against a massive horde of tanks for two days.

This massive horde!

On turn 4, they finally get across.

I roll successfully for reinforcements, who come in
on the Nazi left flank.

Air power also turns up.

Intimidating mass of German artillery.

The game ended after turn five (five days) with the Americans having done somewhat better than history - Bastogne was attacked but not surrounded, and I rolled five sixes out of 16 dice for a night raid on the German tank laager... My role was less "leadership" than good rolls for reinforcement, weather, and other force-multipliers. A couple rolls raised cheers from the team. 

Pete's scenarios are excellent participation games. I'm alway happy to join in them.

A couple more photos:

Decoration, and a reenactor in Armored Infantry uniform.

Helmet and M1 carbine.

Next week, the first installment of a 16th century Florida campaign; not sure how much of it I'll post, as there is secret movement andd reinforcement. See you then.