The Relief of Peiper

The Relief of Peiper

The Germans threw everything they had into one last gamble to rescue Peiper’s trapped Panzers at La Gleize. They failed. American infantry, paratroopers, and armor slammed the door shut, cutting off every road to freedom. Out of fuel, out of options, Peiper abandoned his tanks and slipped away on foot, leaving behind the pride of Hitler’s armored force. The relief never came—and with it died the momentum of Germany’s last great offensive in the West.

~~ General Howitzer

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis  – 4

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Winter

winter

Context:

Historical

Location:

Ardennes Forest

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus the Axis can gain a medal by exiting off the back row

Battlefield:

Winter countryside with trees, hills, and an impassable river

Troops:

Allies – 9 Infantry, 2 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry, 3 Armor

Special Rules: 

1.  Winter Weather – all units can only move two hexes

2.  Blow Up Bridges – Allies can sacrifice one sectional card to blow up a bridge in that section; but they forfeit one Command Card for the rest of the game.

3.  Winter Combat Cards – each side starts with one Winter Combat card, which can be used anytime with the other Command card played. Each time a Recon (sectional) card is played, you can choose one more Winter Combat card.

 

medal allies

🔥 Winning as Allies

1.  Prevent the Axis forces from exiting out the back row!

2.  The Allied Artillery are absolutely critical to prevent the forward advance of the Axis.

3.  If the Axis are pushing hard toward the back exits, you can blow up a bridge in that section by forfeiting a section card.

4.  Eliminating the German tanks is critical so that they can no longer shoot at you across the river.

5.  Don’t forget to use the Winter Combat cards in conjunction with your regular Command cards at every opportunity. They can give you a great competitive edge.

medal axis

🔥 Winning as Axis

1.  The Axis Infantry can make a great push up the center with the right set of cards.  But make use of the forests and towns to advance forward. But you need to cross the bridges before the Allies blow them.

2.  Keep pushing forward toward the Exit hexes.

3.  The left section also presents a great opportunity for a forward assault.

4.  Don’t forget to use the Winter Combat cards in conjunction with your regular Command cards at every opportunity. They can give you a great competitive edge.

Author:

Link:

Capture of Foy

Capture of Foy

By January 1945, the Germans were battered but still fighting. Holding Foy was their last attempt to cling to the Ardennes. The men of the 101st Airborne, hardened by weeks of cold, shellfire, and misery in the woods of Bois Jacques, were ready to finish the job.

On January 13th, those paratroopers charged across open snow under enemy fire and slammed into Foy. They fought house to house, room to room, until the village was ours and the Germans were either prisoners or running for their lives.

The enemy tried to take Foy back the next day. He failed. Once American airborne troops seize ground, they do not give it back.

Foy mattered because it marked the moment we stopped defending and started hunting. The Germans were pushed farther from Bastogne, their offensive was broken, and the road to victory led straight through the Ardennes and into Germany. That’s how wars are won—by attacking, advancing, and never letting the enemy catch his breath.

~~ General Howitzer

8 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 5

Axis – 4

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Countryside – Winter

winter

Context:
Historical

Location:
Belgium

Year:
1945

Theater:
Belgium

Summary:

Objectives:

8 VP’s

There are three Medal Objectives for the Allies, and one for the Axis.

Foy has three sections, Center, West & East.  Each has three hexes and count as a Temporary Medal Majority Objective.  Axis gets one by maintaining possession of Foy Center, but Allies can obtain all three.

Battlefield:

Winter countryside with forests, hills, and a road runnng through the center.

Troops:

Allies – 10 Infantry including 1 Mortar, 3 Armor, 1 Artillery

Axis – 8 Infantry including three Machine Gun units, and one Mortar, 2 Armor, 1 Artillery. There are two Machine Gun units in Foy Central.

Special Rules: 

1.  Nightime Rules – Start with daylight and roll two dice at the end of each turn; Stars increase darkness.

2.  Special Weapon Assets:

– Machine Guns hit Infantry on Stars, if the unit hasn’t moved

– Mortars hit at 3,2,1,1 and ignore terrain restrictions

3.  The river is impassable

medal allies

Allied Strategy:

1.  Big Picture Strategy:  Foy Center presents the best opportunity for attack.  But it needs to be supported by bringing up your forces from both your right and left flanks. Once you bring your Armor in from the left along the road, and move your Infantry and Artillery from the right, then you will be ready to move your Infantry in the center forward to attack Foy Center.

2.  All of your Infantry are Airborne special forces, and therefore can move two hexes and then attack.

3.  Get your Armor on the left into action ASAP. The road will help you to move one extra hex for each unit.

4.  Progressively advance forward your Artillery on the right so that you can attack Foy Center and Foy East with 2D rolls.

medal axis

Axis Strategy:

1.  Big Picture Strategy: The primary battles in this scenario will surround Foy Center.  Bring as many of your forces as you can to support and defend Foy Center. 

2.  You have Armor hidden away in both of your flanks. Move them out and get them into the battle as soon as possible.  

3.  Your Artillery needs to be moved forward at least one row in order to better defend Foy Center.

Battle Reports

1
BR - Foy

Source:  Chicago’s Finest Hour Open

Link:

The Tatsinskaya Raid

The Tatsinskaya Raid

scenario_ColdStream_start

By late December ’42, Paulus’ 6th Army was choking inside the Stalingrad pocket, and the Soviets slammed the door tighter with Operation Little Saturn. They tore through the Italian 8th Army like paper, and Badanov’s 24th Tank Corps drove a steel fist 150 miles deep into German lines. His T-34s rolled right onto Tatsinskaya airfield, smashing up Junkers 52s that were the lifeline to Stalingrad.

The Germans scrambled the 11th Panzer and 306th Infantry to hit back, and they hit hard. Badanov’s tanks took a pounding, but he held that airfield for four bloody days before clawing his way back to his own lines. The cost was high, but the result was clear: the German relief effort was crippled, Stalingrad was left to rot, and the mighty Wehrmacht had been dealt another hammer blow on the Eastern Front.

~~ General Howitzer

VP’s

10 including the Airport Permanent Objective Medal

card

Card Balance:

Allies – 4

Axis – 5

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Winter

winter

Context:

Historical

Location:

Russia

Year:

1942

Codename:

Operation Little Saturn

Summary:

Victory Points:

10 Medals, including the airport Permanent Medal Objective

Terrain:

Winter terrain

Troops:

Allies – Infantry, Armor, Artillery

Axis – Infantry, Armor, Artillery

medal allies

Allies:

1. Your forces have a massive armor advantage over the Axis in this raid scenario.  You need to coordinate your efforts and arrive at the frontlines of battle together.

2.  Your very first challenge is to deal with the Artillery and Infantry hidden in the forest right in the front center of the battle field. Until you deal with them, they will hamper all of your attack efforts.

3. If you can deal with the Artillery quickly, before the Axis bring down their other units, you can gain a couple of medals very quickly, as that Artillery is the key defensive point on this end of the battlefield. But if you do not have the cards and forces to take it out quickly, you will destroy several units during the attack.  [Athafil, Italy]

4.  The airport is a Permanent Medal Objective. You don’t need to stay on the hex, so you can just grab it and then leave to a more defensive position.

medal axis

Axis:

1.  This is primarily a defensive scenario for the Axis. You need to engage the enemy, but if you attempt to battle the massive armor forces out in the open, your forces will get decimated.

2.  Your forces are stuck behind the forests. You need to get them, especially the armor, forward as quickly as possible to support your advance forces which are defending the airport.

3.  The airport is a Permanent Medal Objective for the enemy.  Hold it as long as you can. Make them pay for it with a lot of units.

4.  Your Artillery in the center frontline is your strongest asset. Use it at every opportunity.  

5.  You have many assets stuck in the forests and marches in the back. Get them out as quickly as possible and forward to provide additional attack strength and support with your forward Artillery.

6.  Note that most of your troops in the woods begin the battle in Camouflage mode, where they can only be attacked in Close Assault. However, if they move or attack, you lose your Camouflage.

9
BR - Tatsinskaya

Author: Jdrommel

URL

The Battle of Sokolovo

The Battle of Sokolovo

Historical Summary

8 Medals plus for Axis, the death of the heroic leader

card

Card Balance:

Allies (Czechoslovak)- 4

Axis – 5

Complexity:

3

Conditions:

Winter

winter

Context:

Historical

Location:

Year:

1943

Theater:

Easter

Campaign:

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

8 VP’s, plus special rules (see the PDF).

Battlefield:

Winter countryside with a river, roads, hills.

Troops:

Allies – see PDF

Axis – see PDF

 

medal allies

Allied Strategy:

1.

medal axis

Axis Strategy

1. 

Battle Reports

0
BR - Sokolovo

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Tigers in the Snow

Tigers in the Snow

“Tigers in the Snow”—that wasn’t just a clever title, it was the actual truth of what happened in the Ardennes. Peiper and his SS boys came charging with their big, shiny King Tigers, the heaviest brutes the Germans could throw on a battlefield. They thought those monsters would smash through anything in their way.

But tanks don’t win wars by themselves. The snow was deep, the roads were narrow, and fuel was scarce. Our boys—American infantry, artillery, and tankers—kept hammering them from every side, day after day, bleeding them dry. Those great Tigers ended up stuck in the woods, running on fumes, while our men boxed them in.

In the end, Peiper’s vaunted force had to abandon their precious tanks right there in the snow. The lesson? I don’t give a care how thick your armor is—when you run into Americans who won’t quit, you’ll find out that guts, brains, and relentless pressure beat steel every time.

13 VP’s

card

Card Balance:

Allies – 9

Axis – 9

Complexity:

5 (Overlord)

Conditions:

Winter

winter

Context:

Historical

Location:

Normandy, France

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Normandy

Codename:

Summary:

Objectives:

13 VP’s, including a bridge Territorial Objective Medal.

Battlefield:

Winter countryside with a river, roads, hills, and many hedgerows.

Troops:

Allies – 13 Infantry, 10 Armor, 4 Artillery

Axis – 14 Infantry, 8 Armor, 4 Artillery

 

medal allies

Allied Strategy:

1.

medal axis

Axis Strategy

1. 

Battle Reports

1
BR - Tigers in the Snow

Author:

Days of Wonder

Link:

Battle in the Schnee Eifel

Battle in the Schnee Eifel

Schnee_WholeBoard
The Battle of Schnee Eifel occurred in December 1944 during the early days of the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive on the Western Front in WWII.

The Schnee Eifel, a forested ridge in eastern Belgium, was held by U.S. forces, mainly the 106th Infantry Division. On December 16, 1944, German forces launched a surprise attack, encircling and overwhelming two regiments of the 106th. After intense fighting and lacking supplies, around 6,000 American soldiers were forced to surrender—one of the largest mass surrenders of U.S. troops in the war.

The loss was a setback for the Allies but did not stop their eventual counteroffensive and victory in the Ardennes.

6 VP’s

Card Balance:

Allies – 4

Axis – 6

Complexity:

4

Conditions:

Winter

winter

Context:

Historical

Location:

Belgium

Year:

1944

Theater:

Western

Campaign:

Battle of the Bulge

 Summary:

Objectives:

6 VP’s, plus three Permanent Medal Objectives for the Axis (Turn Start) for Roth by Prum, Auw by Prum and Pleialf), plus a Sudden Death Exit hex for the Axis

Battlefield:

Winter countryside with a hilly ridge across the center, with scattered forests, and a road encircling almost the entire battlefield.

Troops:

Allies – 8 Infantry including two Engineers, 3 Armor (Tank Destroyers), 2 Artillery

Axis – 9 Infantry including one Machine Gun unit and five Elites,  2 Armor, including one Tank Destroyer, 1 Artillery

Special Weapons:  Tank Destroyers, Machine Guns.

 

medal allies

🔥 Winning as Allies

1. Historically, the Allies got routed, so the primary goal here is to protect the permanent medal objectives and the exit hex. 

2.  Get your two Artillery into play quickly and use them as much as you can to take out the enemy.  

3.  Your two Tank Destroyers on the left flank should move forward, in and around to defend the city of Roth by Prum, which is a Permanent Medal Objective.

4.  Your other Tank Destroyer and two Artillery should defend the city of Blelaif, which is another Permanent Medal Objective.

medal axis

🔥 Winning as Axis

1. Historically, the Axis had the largest victory of the war in this battle, so speed and attack are your principle tools.

2.  Get your Tank Destroyer and Infantry on the right flank mobile and engaging the enemy as soon as you can.

3.  On your left flank, you have overwhelming advantage with your four Infantry units, and one Armor.  Use it to overwhelm the defenses at the town of Blelaif to gain the Permanent Medal Objective.

3
BR - Schnee Eifel

Author:

Days of Wonder

Armor_Infantry_Prisoners