Hey Guys,
For those of you who found the Pacific much too hot , my next Learning Campaign
will be set in the frosty mountainous forests of the Belgian Ardennes.
Parkers Crossroads is a poor weather ground slugfest on Dec 22 and 23rd 1944.
...Feldwebel Zander shifted the weight of the MG34 on his shoulder. The weather was frosty and thick mist blanketed the forest path that was what had passed for a road for the last week. Despite the cold his soiled white camouflaged battle smock was damp with perspiration.
Hauptmann Felder was pushing the boys hard. He wasn't sure how far they had trudged in the last week, but he was beginning to feel like he was back in Velikeye Luki. The Kompanie , if you could call it that , was strung out for hundreds of metres along the narrow track. The largely untrained men struggled along , muttering loudly. Felder barely had control of the men. Zander knew that they didn't resemble in the least the Kompanie he had fought with in Russki-land. Some were too old , some were too young , and most weren't trained properly or experienced. Still, they had formidable firepower with their new Stu44 Sturmgewehren , and Machine Gewehren , and now they had two GranatWerfer34s in the Kompanie.
There were rumours that Hitler was harbouring secret weapons for the battles of the new year , but Zander hadn't seen anything to report home about , yet.
He looked ahead into the gathering mist , and the sweat on his brows ran into his eyes , stinging. He thought he saw the drab green silhouette of a panzer at the bend ahead , but that couldn't be ; they had been assured that there were no panzers available to support their advance to La Fraiture. Then he realized that the barrel of the cannon was aimed down the fir tree lined track towards his Kompanie , the heavy MG on the turret began to twinkle in the misty gloom , and the snow at his feet kicked up in little clouds of slush...
OOBs to follow...
Kopfdorfer
Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
-
Kopfdorfer
- Posts: 161
- Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 9:19 pm
- Location: Dartmouth , Nova Scotia, Canada
-
Kopfdorfer
- Posts: 161
- Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 9:19 pm
- Location: Dartmouth , Nova Scotia, Canada
Re: Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
Greetings.
My next campaign will be set in the Belgian Ardennes during Wacht Am Rhein , which later became known as the Battle of the Bulge.
The campaign dates are the 22 and 23rd of December 1944.
The focus of the campaign is , as the name suggests , the battle on the ground for the road intersection at Baraque de Fraiture , north of Bastogne , which was defended for several days by a patchwork of American units , under the command of Major Arthur C. Parker Jr. of the 589th Field Artillery Btn , survivors of the 106th Infantry Division which had been split and defeated on Skyline Drive.
When the Germans started their last offensive in the West on Dec 16 , 1944 , there is no historical argument that the Allies were caught completely off guard. Convincing themselves that the Wehrmacht was done for , and that the end of the war was just a matter of time , the Allies had chosen to disregard what correct intelligence was coming in , and there was precious little of that , and even poorer informational assessment.
The Germans chose their attack to occur in what to the Landsers had become known as "Hitler Weather" , meaning that the weather was so poor that the Allies could not bring to bear their overwhelming superiority in the air.
But "Hitler Weather" would not last indefinitely , and the Germans had quite lofty objectives for the offensive ( even though FeldMarshall von Rundstedt had privately set a more plausible set of objectives for his senior Kommanders than Hitler , and was actively - though privately - pursuing these as his goals for the outcome).
The terrain in the Ardennes is rugged and mountainous , and the few good roads in 1944 tended to travel north to south , with the routes required by the Germans being along the less well developed east to west roads and paths. The weather was foggy and the roads initially icy , but soon turned to muddy quagmires by the travel of hundreds of wheeled and tracked vehicles moving in all directions - some advancing , some retreating , some repositioning.
At first the German attacked stunned the initial American defenders , which included two very green infantry divisions (99th and 106th) posted to the Ardennes for the very reason that the US Command felt that any attack through the Ardennes sector was unlikely , and therefore it was a sound and safe initial posting of these untried troops to get exposure to operational conditions , if not heavy combat. For the first days of the assault , the Germans battered and overwhelmed frontline American units. The 106th Division in particular was bypassed , surrounded and what was left that had not escaped the closing of the pocket on the Elsenborn Ridge had been taken prisioner. Communications were limited and confused. Units fell back and panicked. The US high command misread the initial reports as an attack limited to a few areas , and hesitated in applying corrective measures.
But small isolated American units led by intrepid officers and non-coms held and fought back , in several instances causing casualties out of all proportion to their numbers. The greatest casualty to the German plan , however , was every hour of delay imposed on the fuel thirsty panzer and panzer grenadier units. In this way the weather , the terrain and a few stubborn and tenacious American defenders were to throw off the schedule of Hitler's greatest gamble in the west.
Major Arthur C. Parker Jr was the S-3 of the 589th Field Artillery Btn of the 106th Golden Lions Infantry Division. He and some members of his unit had retreated off the Schnee Eifel ahead of the German assault. On the 19th of Dec , Maj Parker found his little column at a crossroads near the village of Fraiture. Evidence is conflicting as to whether Parker's decision to dig in at the Baraque de Fraiture crossroads was based on his own tactical assessment of the position , or as a result of higher orders. Regardless of the motivation , Parker and the three remaining 105 mm Howitzers of A Bty , 589th FA Btn , along with a few straggling elements of the 106th Inf Division and some unit fragments Parker had commandeered along the way dug in and defended the position for several days.
Our campaign begins on Dec 22. Parker has been reinforced by a number of unit fragments of larger American units probing around in the mist to come to grips with the German attackers. Little flying was done on the 22 , but the 23rd would dawn clear and sunny , the result of a "Russian high" pressure system , and mark the end of the weather as security for the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS.
While both German and US units in the area were plentiful , in attempting to contain the ground action to the road network between Bastogne and Malmedy , I will use some scenario specific campaign design features. Both sides will have sizeable "dormant" units in the vicinity ; they will be present in approximately their historical positions , but they will not be under human player command - rather they will be passive and hold their position , unless engaged by human commanded ground forces , in which case they will be added to the opponents commandable units.
In addition , in order to reflect the historical realities of the battle in regard to available air units which for both sides had to fly significant distances to reach the battlefield, there will be extremely limited ability for squadrons to shift bases. Pilots will for the most part have to fly out of historically allocated bases. (Historically speaking , the 23rd of Dec was the first day since the offensive began that heavy air activity was initiated by either/both sides over this battle area)
This will force certain air units to operate in rear areas ( due to mission length criteria they will not be able to reach over the ground battle area) and limited to appropriate mission types.
Both sides have different , but related objectives.
The Germans must control an east - west road net across the battlefield , and must achieve their objectives quickly.
The Allies (read US Army) have large reinforcements and a large amount of supplies streaming into the battle area. The Allied goal on the ground is to deny the Germans freedom of movement across the central Ardennes long enough to let them starve themselves of supply.
Ground Units will be limited in movement by the poor conditions. Wheeled vehicles will be restricted to the road net , and tracked vehicles will be limited in offroad movement. Only the poor bloody infantry will have the freedom to move through all terrain.
Clearly , the air units have their greatest value in reconnaissance , and in the interdiction and protection of supply deliveries to the front. While the connection between the supply links and the battlefield are not necessarily be geographically close , the effects caused by their successes and failure will be keenly felt.
Ground Units (Broad Strokes)
German
560th VolksGrenadier Division
2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich"
Elts 116th Panzer Division
Fuehrer Begleit Brigade
Elts 1st SS Panzer Division "Liebstandarte SS Adolph Hitler" Dormant
Elts 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Jugend" Dormant
Elts 62nd VolksGrenadier Division
US Army
Elts 3rd Armored Division
Elts 7th Armored Division
Elts 30th Infantry Division Dormant
Elts 82nd Airborne Division Some Elts Dormant
Elts 101st Airborne Division Dormant
Elts 75th Infantry Division RFG
Elts 84th "Railsplitters" Infantry Division RFG
Elts 9th Armored Division Dormant
Elts 28th Infantry Division
Air Units (Broad Strokes)
German
Elts Luftwaffen Kommando West
Elts Luftflotte Reich
III FlaK Korps
USAAF
Elts 9th Army Air Force - Elts of XXIX TAC , IX Bombardment Command , IX Troop Carrier Command
Elts 8th Army Air Force - The 352nd Fighter Group (Blue Nose Bastards of Bodney) was temporarily attached to the IX TAF for this period of ops.
RAF
Elts 2nd Tactical Air Force
Elts No.83 Group RAF
Elts No.84 Group RAF
This is the bones of the Campaign.
Greater breakdown of available units to come , along with more specific discussion of campaign objectives and a few thoughts on campaign specific mechanisms.
Kopfdorfer
My next campaign will be set in the Belgian Ardennes during Wacht Am Rhein , which later became known as the Battle of the Bulge.
The campaign dates are the 22 and 23rd of December 1944.
The focus of the campaign is , as the name suggests , the battle on the ground for the road intersection at Baraque de Fraiture , north of Bastogne , which was defended for several days by a patchwork of American units , under the command of Major Arthur C. Parker Jr. of the 589th Field Artillery Btn , survivors of the 106th Infantry Division which had been split and defeated on Skyline Drive.
When the Germans started their last offensive in the West on Dec 16 , 1944 , there is no historical argument that the Allies were caught completely off guard. Convincing themselves that the Wehrmacht was done for , and that the end of the war was just a matter of time , the Allies had chosen to disregard what correct intelligence was coming in , and there was precious little of that , and even poorer informational assessment.
The Germans chose their attack to occur in what to the Landsers had become known as "Hitler Weather" , meaning that the weather was so poor that the Allies could not bring to bear their overwhelming superiority in the air.
But "Hitler Weather" would not last indefinitely , and the Germans had quite lofty objectives for the offensive ( even though FeldMarshall von Rundstedt had privately set a more plausible set of objectives for his senior Kommanders than Hitler , and was actively - though privately - pursuing these as his goals for the outcome).
The terrain in the Ardennes is rugged and mountainous , and the few good roads in 1944 tended to travel north to south , with the routes required by the Germans being along the less well developed east to west roads and paths. The weather was foggy and the roads initially icy , but soon turned to muddy quagmires by the travel of hundreds of wheeled and tracked vehicles moving in all directions - some advancing , some retreating , some repositioning.
At first the German attacked stunned the initial American defenders , which included two very green infantry divisions (99th and 106th) posted to the Ardennes for the very reason that the US Command felt that any attack through the Ardennes sector was unlikely , and therefore it was a sound and safe initial posting of these untried troops to get exposure to operational conditions , if not heavy combat. For the first days of the assault , the Germans battered and overwhelmed frontline American units. The 106th Division in particular was bypassed , surrounded and what was left that had not escaped the closing of the pocket on the Elsenborn Ridge had been taken prisioner. Communications were limited and confused. Units fell back and panicked. The US high command misread the initial reports as an attack limited to a few areas , and hesitated in applying corrective measures.
But small isolated American units led by intrepid officers and non-coms held and fought back , in several instances causing casualties out of all proportion to their numbers. The greatest casualty to the German plan , however , was every hour of delay imposed on the fuel thirsty panzer and panzer grenadier units. In this way the weather , the terrain and a few stubborn and tenacious American defenders were to throw off the schedule of Hitler's greatest gamble in the west.
Major Arthur C. Parker Jr was the S-3 of the 589th Field Artillery Btn of the 106th Golden Lions Infantry Division. He and some members of his unit had retreated off the Schnee Eifel ahead of the German assault. On the 19th of Dec , Maj Parker found his little column at a crossroads near the village of Fraiture. Evidence is conflicting as to whether Parker's decision to dig in at the Baraque de Fraiture crossroads was based on his own tactical assessment of the position , or as a result of higher orders. Regardless of the motivation , Parker and the three remaining 105 mm Howitzers of A Bty , 589th FA Btn , along with a few straggling elements of the 106th Inf Division and some unit fragments Parker had commandeered along the way dug in and defended the position for several days.
Our campaign begins on Dec 22. Parker has been reinforced by a number of unit fragments of larger American units probing around in the mist to come to grips with the German attackers. Little flying was done on the 22 , but the 23rd would dawn clear and sunny , the result of a "Russian high" pressure system , and mark the end of the weather as security for the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS.
While both German and US units in the area were plentiful , in attempting to contain the ground action to the road network between Bastogne and Malmedy , I will use some scenario specific campaign design features. Both sides will have sizeable "dormant" units in the vicinity ; they will be present in approximately their historical positions , but they will not be under human player command - rather they will be passive and hold their position , unless engaged by human commanded ground forces , in which case they will be added to the opponents commandable units.
In addition , in order to reflect the historical realities of the battle in regard to available air units which for both sides had to fly significant distances to reach the battlefield, there will be extremely limited ability for squadrons to shift bases. Pilots will for the most part have to fly out of historically allocated bases. (Historically speaking , the 23rd of Dec was the first day since the offensive began that heavy air activity was initiated by either/both sides over this battle area)
This will force certain air units to operate in rear areas ( due to mission length criteria they will not be able to reach over the ground battle area) and limited to appropriate mission types.
Both sides have different , but related objectives.
The Germans must control an east - west road net across the battlefield , and must achieve their objectives quickly.
The Allies (read US Army) have large reinforcements and a large amount of supplies streaming into the battle area. The Allied goal on the ground is to deny the Germans freedom of movement across the central Ardennes long enough to let them starve themselves of supply.
Ground Units will be limited in movement by the poor conditions. Wheeled vehicles will be restricted to the road net , and tracked vehicles will be limited in offroad movement. Only the poor bloody infantry will have the freedom to move through all terrain.
Clearly , the air units have their greatest value in reconnaissance , and in the interdiction and protection of supply deliveries to the front. While the connection between the supply links and the battlefield are not necessarily be geographically close , the effects caused by their successes and failure will be keenly felt.
Ground Units (Broad Strokes)
German
560th VolksGrenadier Division
2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich"
Elts 116th Panzer Division
Fuehrer Begleit Brigade
Elts 1st SS Panzer Division "Liebstandarte SS Adolph Hitler" Dormant
Elts 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Jugend" Dormant
Elts 62nd VolksGrenadier Division
US Army
Elts 3rd Armored Division
Elts 7th Armored Division
Elts 30th Infantry Division Dormant
Elts 82nd Airborne Division Some Elts Dormant
Elts 101st Airborne Division Dormant
Elts 75th Infantry Division RFG
Elts 84th "Railsplitters" Infantry Division RFG
Elts 9th Armored Division Dormant
Elts 28th Infantry Division
Air Units (Broad Strokes)
German
Elts Luftwaffen Kommando West
Elts Luftflotte Reich
III FlaK Korps
USAAF
Elts 9th Army Air Force - Elts of XXIX TAC , IX Bombardment Command , IX Troop Carrier Command
Elts 8th Army Air Force - The 352nd Fighter Group (Blue Nose Bastards of Bodney) was temporarily attached to the IX TAF for this period of ops.
RAF
Elts 2nd Tactical Air Force
Elts No.83 Group RAF
Elts No.84 Group RAF
This is the bones of the Campaign.
Greater breakdown of available units to come , along with more specific discussion of campaign objectives and a few thoughts on campaign specific mechanisms.
Kopfdorfer
Last edited by Kopfdorfer on Wed Nov 26, 2014 2:46 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Re: Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
The crossroads in Westfont 44 winter map . The village of Fraiture isn't there & would be somewhere near the ?
WTE_Ikey
The Chimpmeister
Bogan Gamer
The Chimpmeister
Bogan Gamer
-
Kopfdorfer
- Posts: 161
- Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 9:19 pm
- Location: Dartmouth , Nova Scotia, Canada
Re: Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
You are correct Ikey ,
But long since I have built the little Crossroads farmhouses and there is a village the correct distance from the crossroads ( if I remember about 1 km) but in the wrong direction.
Glad to have perked your interest.
Kopfdorfer
But long since I have built the little Crossroads farmhouses and there is a village the correct distance from the crossroads ( if I remember about 1 km) but in the wrong direction.
Glad to have perked your interest.
Kopfdorfer
Re: Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
You're right, the village looks to be about 1 km from the crossroads & NE of it. The placement of village in game is probably not that important to the overall campaign, and yes you have perked my interest.
WTE_Ikey
The Chimpmeister
Bogan Gamer
The Chimpmeister
Bogan Gamer
-
Kopfdorfer
- Posts: 161
- Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 9:19 pm
- Location: Dartmouth , Nova Scotia, Canada
Re: Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
Just a brief update.
I am currently playing with the oobs ( and learning how to use the add forces tool in the SEDCS ).
I have decided to maintain 2 hour missions , with 90 minute flight limits. I will begin the campaign a couple of hours earlier on the 22nd Dec than I originally intended.
I will place the air units at the campaign start during initialization rather than leaving the air commanders freedom to do so. The rationale for this decision is twofold.
Firstly , the DIRECT amount of air to ground support in the Parkers crossroads area was limited ( especially on the 22 of Dec , as the weather was poor for flying) over the time frame for the campaign , and secondly , I want to explore whether I can make air missions outside of the ground battle area relevant in a campaign sense.
Both sides will have a general idea of the enemy's supply routes , and if I design the campaign correctly , whichever side reinforces and supplies troops more efficiently/effectively should have the best chance for success.
The Axis ground forces will have an advantage at the start , but this will erode and reverse throughout the campaign period. Also , there is the possibility for both sides' ground armies of "activating" more enemy reinforcements by maneouvers outside of the historical area of action being depicted. I am very curious to see how this works , as I wanted the commanders not to be constrained to only historical movements , but to realize that in making such maneuvers there was a very real risk of bringing more enemy units into the specific battle.
The Axis air forces will be outnumbered (between 2.5x and 4x) and out supplied , and so will have to be both clever and judicious in order to have a positive effect on the battlefield.
The Allied air units will have to navigate in poor visibility , and find and attack targets efficiently in order to prosecute their missions in the allocated flight time.
As always , feedback is welcomed and appreciated , on the understanding that this as a "test" campaign will not necessarily conform to your conceptions , but is rather a test of whether some of mine can function as elements of an interesting SEOW campaign.
If anyone is already interested in speaking for a campaign role , please do so here.
If you find this an unappealing idea or concept , please also voice your thoughts here - they will allow me to develop better campaigns in the future.
Kopfdorfer
I am currently playing with the oobs ( and learning how to use the add forces tool in the SEDCS ).
I have decided to maintain 2 hour missions , with 90 minute flight limits. I will begin the campaign a couple of hours earlier on the 22nd Dec than I originally intended.
I will place the air units at the campaign start during initialization rather than leaving the air commanders freedom to do so. The rationale for this decision is twofold.
Firstly , the DIRECT amount of air to ground support in the Parkers crossroads area was limited ( especially on the 22 of Dec , as the weather was poor for flying) over the time frame for the campaign , and secondly , I want to explore whether I can make air missions outside of the ground battle area relevant in a campaign sense.
Both sides will have a general idea of the enemy's supply routes , and if I design the campaign correctly , whichever side reinforces and supplies troops more efficiently/effectively should have the best chance for success.
The Axis ground forces will have an advantage at the start , but this will erode and reverse throughout the campaign period. Also , there is the possibility for both sides' ground armies of "activating" more enemy reinforcements by maneouvers outside of the historical area of action being depicted. I am very curious to see how this works , as I wanted the commanders not to be constrained to only historical movements , but to realize that in making such maneuvers there was a very real risk of bringing more enemy units into the specific battle.
The Axis air forces will be outnumbered (between 2.5x and 4x) and out supplied , and so will have to be both clever and judicious in order to have a positive effect on the battlefield.
The Allied air units will have to navigate in poor visibility , and find and attack targets efficiently in order to prosecute their missions in the allocated flight time.
As always , feedback is welcomed and appreciated , on the understanding that this as a "test" campaign will not necessarily conform to your conceptions , but is rather a test of whether some of mine can function as elements of an interesting SEOW campaign.
If anyone is already interested in speaking for a campaign role , please do so here.
If you find this an unappealing idea or concept , please also voice your thoughts here - they will allow me to develop better campaigns in the future.
Kopfdorfer
-
IV/JG7_4Shades
- Posts: 2029
- Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:07 am
- Location: Perth, Western Australia
Re: Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
Kopfdorfer, check out "Rochefort Village (PXR)" in the MP views for West Front 44. It looks ok, but you may want to revise your other photos to remove the bridge icons before you take the shot.
Cheers,
4S
Cheers,
4S
IV/JG7_4Shades
SEOW Developer
SEOW Developer
-
Kopfdorfer
- Posts: 161
- Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 9:19 pm
- Location: Dartmouth , Nova Scotia, Canada
Re: Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
Yes 4Shades I see them ; don't use these images I'll make better ones.
In terms of the bridge icons , what is the protocol ?
Also , what is the possibility of putting new/additional village names on these maps , ie not altering the actual maps , but adding village names for the Mission Planner?
Also , for your interest I am indeed peeling back the oobs a little. Thanks for the advice.
Kopfdorfer
In terms of the bridge icons , what is the protocol ?
Also , what is the possibility of putting new/additional village names on these maps , ie not altering the actual maps , but adding village names for the Mission Planner?
Also , for your interest I am indeed peeling back the oobs a little. Thanks for the advice.
Kopfdorfer
-
IV/JG7_4Shades
- Posts: 2029
- Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:07 am
- Location: Perth, Western Australia
Re: Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
Just disable display of bridges before you take the snap.
If you want to name localities on the map, it can be done either permanently (with lettering on the images) or via SEOW , e.g. using a named control point in the right location, or a persistent pilot report etc.
Cheers,
4S
If you want to name localities on the map, it can be done either permanently (with lettering on the images) or via SEOW , e.g. using a named control point in the right location, or a persistent pilot report etc.
Cheers,
4S
IV/JG7_4Shades
SEOW Developer
SEOW Developer
-
Kopfdorfer
- Posts: 161
- Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 9:19 pm
- Location: Dartmouth , Nova Scotia, Canada
Re: Parkers Crossroads Development Underway
I am inclined to make the notations permanent , as I think they will allow more precise command discussions for planners that way.
Another tutorial for me !
Kopfdorfer
Another tutorial for me !
Kopfdorfer