Command Ops : Battles for the Bulge : Lommersweiler
The frigid night air sets into the Our river valley and chills the troops to the bone. They’ve endured so much just securing the bridge. The Volksgrenadiers fought tenaciously and almost snubbed the advance. Almost. Now the rumbling of Detroit born diesels echos through the air as the Fourth Armored Division rolls into place. When we last left off my units had finally taken the Steinebruck crossing. Now, weary and worn, they sit on the edge and stare at the elements of the Volksgrenadiers and wonder if they have the resolve. I’ve decided these troops will be in a supporting role for the reinforcements. Once the rest of the 4th AD comes in they’ll hit the flank and move up to Breitfield. I’m not going to sit on my bottom any longer, it’s time to get aggressive..imageframe-2 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
For the moment my current forces are going to hold position and wait the two hours until the reinforcements come. I’ve got a German Mortar Platoon and the remnants of a BN HQ nearby that I might try and remove. Striking away an HQ would do wonders for making up for my headaches earlier on.
Once the reinforcements come in we’re going to move on Lommersweiler immediately. We can rest once we’ve taken the city. The current forces will sweep to the rear of the town and hit the flank while the 4th comes in from the river valley and strikes at the town.
I plan on adding more routing and leaving less to the whims of the commanders. I’ve had a few routing oddities that I need to get rid of, the last thing I need is for a Recon Squad to go parading around the countryside..imageframe-3 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
My two artillery batteries open fire and obilterate the 1st Battalion, 27th Fusilier Regiment HQ. A moment later a Light flak company popped up right on the edge of my mechanized infantry. I might have to seize on this and try to remove that and that pesky mortar platoon..imageframe-4 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
I can’t resist the opportunity. Two units, neither of which is a match for my tanks, right there! So I set the order.
I’m going to test out the combined arms teams. If you attach infantry to armor they will work as a coordinated group and assault in a more efficient form than if ordered separately. This looks like a great opportunity to test it out. By the time this is done the rest of the 4th should arrive and we can lay out the assault. But first, to mop up some support units..imageframe-5 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
Well, that was rather anti-climactic. The group spread into a wedge and pushed to where the Flak Company was. I guess I shouldn’t have ordered that artillery barrage first. I’m going to hold them for now, I don’t want them to stumble into something..imageframe-6 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
Well, maybe they won’t be resting! I had an assault gun company pop up. StuG III G’s! Five of them to be precise. First I’ll level some artillery, then we’ll see how it looks..imageframe-7 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
There we go! Time to push on Lommersweiler..imageframe-8 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
And we hit a wall of StuG. Two companies of Fusiliers popped up to support them. They have completely halted my first line of attack. That actually work OK because the 4th AD are well, kind of stuck. I’m not entirely sure why, so I reissued orders and hopefully they can see it through.
One interesting point was when the StuGs had us blocked about half of that attack group broke off and tried an alternate route to flank the hostiles. Unfortunately they ran into an infantry company! Lets see how that one goes….imageframe-9 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
Finally the 4th AD assaults Lommersweiler and drives out the defenders. Two infantry companies sprint into the open along with the flak battery and a company of AT guns. The attack was slow to start, but once the armor finally grouped up they drove the defenders out easily. It was pretty impressive watching them form into wedges and drive into the town leapfrogging through the fields. I see the armored elements moving into Breitfield the moment the town is clear. Hopefully before nightfall….imageframe-10 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
And finally Lommersweiler falls!
It was rather anti-climactic compared to how much trouble it was getting everyone organized. Once the assault finally moved in the defenders fell, in droves. From what I can tell the 4th lost virtually nothing, while the Germans lost two infantry companies, an anti-tank gun platoon, and a self propelled artillery platoon.
While this was happening my original assault force, the 318th, 35th and 51st, are split in two with one set of units on the west engaging some infantry and finally silencing the StuGs while the east column just ran into a German HQ battalion. So if all goes well they’ll mop up that HQ and continue moving towards Breitfield..imageframe-11 img{border:0px solid #494848;} 
Breitfield was a cake walk. I had originally intended to stop right here and call it a night, but it was so close…
So the Armor went in and smashed into the German Division HQ. Wow, and at the same moment my flanking force caught another Battalion HQ.
About the same moment the Germans snuck in two companies of infantry and are hitting Lommersweiler. For the time being I’ve got a mortar platoon, an AT platoon, and a flak battery holding the city. That requires some infantry support I think…
.imageframe-12 img{border:0px solid #494848;}
One final parting surprise. A recon squad, pushing up on a flank, ran right into a 400 man strong Regimental Base. In the span of an hour it dropped the unit down to seven men. An amazing coup for us, not that much is left of that regiment. So that leaves our forces to assault Saint Vith, and hold on to what we have. It’s been a bloody fight, but things are looking pretty good for the US Army today!The sun rises on an entirely different battlefield. The German regiments are broken, the HQ elements shattered, and the US Armor is rolling into the objective. Through the clouds comes a most welcome sound… Allied Aircraft.
