All Hell Let Loose: Great War FAQs

Now that we have announced that we are in the final stages of drafting and publishing a new version of All Hell Let Loose covering the First World War there has been great interest from wargamers and lots of questions. We’ve collated the most frequently asked questions and answer them here. This post will be periodically updated as additional questions and answers are added. If you are interested in gaming the Great War then please consider registering your interest by completed a short survey here which will allow us to keep you updated on publication dates.

Now on to the FAQs.

What figure scale do I need to use?

    The rules have been designed primarily with 6mm figures in mind, however they will easily work with 3mm or 10/12mm figures without any needing any changes. 15mm or 28mm figures on large bases can still be used for the game but will require some tweaks to ranges, move distances and area of effects. If, however, these figures are based individually then the game should work just fine as it is.

What base size is used? Do I need to rebase my figures?

    The default assumption is that figures are based on bases 30mm wide by 25mm deep, or 1 1/4” by 1”. However, as long as both sides are based using a similar sized base and some thought about the size of area of effects and zones of control any base size will work.

What does each base represent? What scale of game is being played?

    The game works by using manoeuvre groups, called formations, that consist of units, a stand with figures on it. There is no specific ground distance or duration specified for a turn. Therefore, a formation can represent a brigade, a battalion, a company, a platoon or even a section, with each unit representing, respectively, a company, a platoon, a section or even individual men. The game works at all these levels because of the flexibility of the activation system. Although the game is designed for 6mm figures with a formation as a brigade sized element we’ve played games using 28mm figures at a 1-2-1 scale and had tremendous fun.

How long does a game take? How big a table and how many formations or units do I need?

    As a rule of thumb, players controlling between 3 and 5 formations comprising between 60-80 units can finish a game of 6-10 turns in 3-4 hours. Multiplayer games can take a little longer. Really large, complex battles can be fought over a day or weekend. Games can be fought on small tables of 3' by 4', or on multiple tables of 8' by 6'.

    At Partizan, as a participation game, I guided 4 players who had never played the game before through the battle of Neuve Chapelle, with 5 formations and 83 units on the British side against 6 rising to 9 formations and 58 units on the German side, lasting 9 turns before we called it, in about 5 hours.

How similar are the rules to the WW2 edition of All Hell Let Loose?

    The Great War version uses the same key mechanics and concepts as the WW2 version. Players familiar with the original edition will find that most of the game is very similar. However, the Great War version has a number of expanded mechanics that bolt on to the core rules - specific rules for preliminary bombardment, barrages, fortifications, gas, mines and trenches have been developed. Some elements have also been adjusted to reflect the limited capabilities of a WW1 army. 

How much bookkeeping is required? Do I need detailed maps and written orders?

    We have worked very hard to keep any bookkeeping to an absolute minimum. You just need to know how many units a formation had when it started the game, and how many it has lost. A couple of minor choices such as the location of mines and target points for future barrages may need to be noted but that’s about it. The rules work with an activation roll that determines how well, or badly, a formation performs and consequently there is no need for written orders, command line arrows or detailed maps.

Is it I go, You go?

    No, the game uses a dice out of the bag activation system, although there are specific rules for ‘Going over the Top’ that allow one army to activate a number of formations in sequence.

How complicated are the rules to learn? 

    We have deliberately tried to keep the game as straightforward as possible. There are just 3 main mechanics with additional mechanics that plug in for specific elements that may, or may not, be present at a particular battle. Playtesters usually picked up the basics in their first game and players with a bit of support can often play most of the game after a couple of hours.

Is the game suitable for solo play?

Yes. The dice draw system and the variable activation results mean the game is very suitable for solo play. Players are often forced to react to unfolding events rather than perfectly execute a plan, which helps preserve uncertainty even when controlling both sides.

Does it feel like the Great War? Can the rules handle early war and late war battles?

    The rules support rapid movement and fog of war - perfect for the battles of manoeuvre of 1914 or the Eastern and Mesopotamian theatres. With plugin rules for preliminary bombardment, barrages, trenches and fortifications the western front and other trench battles can be simulated. There are also options that vary the effectiveness of trenches and artillery fire that provide the flexibility to simulate the differences in capability of armies by theatre and year of the war. This allows the same key mechanisms to be used in every battle but for each battle to feel different. Trench battles in the game in 1915 play out very differently from battles in 1918. The game is designed to help you recreate the drama, uncertainty and brutal spectacle of the First world War on the tabletop but without requiring you to go to staff college first.

Is it just about trench warfare?

No. Although trench warfare is an important part of the Great War, the rules are designed to represent the entire conflict. Early war manoeuvre battles, cavalry actions, mobile warfare in the East and Middle East, and the more fluid battles of 1918 are all possible using the same core system. 

Do you provide army lists? Can the rules be used for other periods?

    Yes, absolutely. Whilst we provide some guidance and army lists we have limited this to the main actors in the Great War, and provide only outline information on force composition. There were so many changes and developments and reorganisation of the various nations armies that it’s probable that several books would be required to cover it and consequently we do not have the space to detail it in the rules. 

    The stats for all the different units are very straightforward and easy to adapt or clone. This makes adapting these rules for the other conflicts very possible. These rules should support players wishing to refight the Balkan wars, Greek-Turkish war, the Russian Civil War, the Polish-Russian and Polish-Lithuanian wars. It may also possible to adapt these rules for the Spanish Civil War.

Do you include any scenarios? 

    Yes, the rules include 3 starter scenarios. There is an early war encounter battle, an early war trench battle and a 1917 battle including tanks. All are intended to be played by one player a side and completed in an evening. Each introduces more and more of the rule elements and present a challenge for both sides. We expect to publish a number of additional scenarios to further support players with these rules.

    Once players are familiar with the rules adapting existing scenarios, or developing your own, should be  fairly straightforward.

Is wargaming World War I fun?

    Yes, it absolutely can be fun and rewarding. Whether you are recreating the uncertainty of manoeuvre warfare of the industrial carnage of trench warfare these battles were fought by generals and soldiers with skill and expertise. This game presents you with tactical challenges, dilemmas, decisions and usually pressure and uncertainty.  This game, like the Great War, is a lot more than throwing your soldiers into no-man's-land and hoping some of them survive.

When, and where will they be available to buy?

    We expect to finish drafting and laying out the rules by the end of May 2026. They will then go to the publisher’s for approval. We hope to have them published and available by the Joy of 6, on 28th June 2026. They will be available in hard cover, soft cover and PDF from Wargames Vault.

I will add additional questions and answers to this FAQ as they come in, so it may be worth bookmarking this page.

If this sounds like the game for you then please register your interest here or join our Facebook group.

As always, keep your dice rolling!

Charles Rowntree 

All Hell Let Loose: Great War - coming soon!

I am pleased to announce that after a long period or development and rules writing that a WW1 version of All Hell Let Loose will shortly be published. David and I are in the last stages of tidying things up before we hand over a version to the publisher. We will be running participation games at wargames shows across the UK over the next few months starting with Partizan at Newark on May 17th.

I will be posting more information about the rules over the coming weeks. Today I will limit my post to a very quick summary and high level overview and some pictures of games in action.

We have a very short form to enable those players interested in these rules to register their interest that will enable us to keep you informed on progress and publication. It only takes 30 seconds to fill in and can be found here.

The First World War presents a unique challenge for tabletop wargaming. It was a conflict of enormous scale, industrial firepower, confused command structures, and rapidly evolving tactics. Many rules struggle to capture this without becoming either overwhelmingly complicated or losing the distinctive feel of the Great War altogether.

All Hell Let Loose: Great War has been designed from the outset to balance historical atmosphere with practical tabletop playability.

The rules cover the entire land war from 1914 to 1918, allowing players to fight everything from the open manoeuvre battles of the early war to the heavily fortified offensives of the Western Front, as well as the more fluid campaigns fought elsewhere. Infantry assaults, creeping barrages, tanks, cavalry, gas, fortifications and aircraft all have their place within the system.

At the heart of the game are three core mechanics;

• Activation
• Firing
• Assaults

There are no written orders and bookkeeping is kept deliberately light, allowing players to focus on battlefield decisions rather than paperwork. The activation system creates the uncertainty and disruption so characteristic of Great War command, while remaining straightforward to use.

The rules are intentionally flexible. Players may use a wide variety of figure scales and basing systems, making it easy to adapt existing collections.

Optional “plug-in” mechanics allow groups to decide how detailed they wish the game to become, including expanded rules for preliminary bombardments, artillery barrages, and fortifications.

To help players get started quickly, the book includes sample army lists for the major powers, three introductory scenarios, photocopy-ready counter sheets, and quick reference sheets. The system is equally suited to solo play, smaller friendly games, or large multiplayer club battles.

Ultimately, All Hell Let Loose: Great War is designed to help players recreate the drama, uncertainty, and brutal spectacle of the First World War on the tabletop — without requiring a staff college course to play it.

If that sounds like your kind of game then please register your interest here.

Keep those dice rolling!

Charles Rowntree

The Battle for Arnhem Bridge AAR video

About a week ago I spent a brilliant two days gaming with Dan Hodgson and David Wasilewski in Dan Hodgson’s fantastic and very impressive War Room. We filmed a playtest of a scenario I had written around the Battle for Arnhem Bridge. I have edited the footage for the 8 turns comprising the events of the 17th September 1944 and posted it onto YouTube.

I was hoping to attend a 3 day gaming and historical tour at Arnhem in September but unfortunately this has been postponed due to the various COVID travel restrictions. This was one of the games I was hoping to run and so this was a dress rehearsal.

The game played well but it soon became clear I hadn’t provided the British player with sufficient troops. I have made some other minor tweaks and hopefully next year I’ll be able to take another crack at it with some Arnhem enthusiasts.

Keep the dice rolling!

Charles the Modeller

Modifying unit stats and creating your own

The All Hell Let Loose rule book contains the stats for a range of vehicles and troops for the later war period. We very consciously choose not to stat up every vehicle and troop type for the entire war because it would double the length of the book, take ages to do and incite a thousand flame wars about whether this unit was too powerful vs another. What we have provided is a broad range of unit stats that allow players to use them as a template to build the units they need to fight the battles they want.

Units are divided by type into leg, wheeled, half tracked or tracked. This determines base speed.

Morale and quality is determined by the formation and is in 3 broad categories.

Units have a defence factor. By comparing the various vehicles and troops statted in the game is is fairly easy to determine roughly what any given vehicle should be if you know a little bit about it. These range between 5 and 12, so it’s not that hard to see where your unit falls on that scale!

Units have an attack score, with potentially different values for attacks against infantry than against vehicles. This also comes with a max range, all of which are divisible by 3. Attack values range between 0 and 7.

Finally we have created a range of keywords to describe a unit that apply minor variances. These include open topped for APCs, fast or slow to impact unit movement, optics for long range fire as well as others modifying morale and resilience.

All of this enables players to quickly and easily modify units to achieve the games they want without it being overpowering or daunting.

One of the members of the All Hell Let Loose Facebook group, Charlie Egham, did exactly this and has fought a number of battles set in the early stages of the war in the west set in France in 1940. He has generously given permission to share some of the photos from his gorgeous games here. 

He also uses 2mm buildings when fighting 6mm battles. Go on, give it a try!

Here in Britain we are now counting down the days to a return to the new normal and I hope very soon to be able to get some face to face gaming in for the first time in over a year!

Stay safe, and roll some dice!

Charles the Modeller 

Rules Outline Videos

 

In addition to the game play through I posted earlier I have also uploaded a series of shorter videos looking at individual aspects of the All Hell Let Loose rules. Each video covers a distinct section of the rules and is intended to aid understanding of the game.

This first video discusses how units and formations are used to build armies.

Next I look at how strategic counters can be used.

In this video I outline the order and activation system and rules.

Direct fire, the most common form of attack, is covered by this video.

In the 5th video I look at indirect fire.

The next video outlines the Assault combat mechanic.

In the 7th video I discuss morale, resilience and formation quality.

The next video looks at specialist troop types - engineers, reconnaissance and aircraft.

The final video covers the rally and ambush orders in more detail.

I hope you find these useful. Let me know if anything doesn’t make sense of if you would like to see something covered in more detail.

There are more discussions and information available at the All Hell Let Loose Facebook group.

Keep rolling those dice.

Charles the Modeller 

God’s Own Scale Podcast Interview

The fantastic Sean Clark invited David Wasilewski and myself on to his show to talk about the All Hell Let Loose rules that David has just published. You can listen to us both talking about our introduction to the hobby, our gaming history and the All Hell Let Loose rules. 

If you haven’t found this podcast before I cannot recommend it too highly. Sean discusses 6mm wargaming with different guests each episode, with previous guests including Dan Hodgson of Reveille Studios, Peter Berry from Baccus, Per Broden from Rollaone, Peter Riley of Polemos fame and many more luminaries from the wargaming community. Please give him a listen, subscribe and talk about 6.

Charles the Modeller 

Activation Variations

 

The All Hell Let Loose rules use dice out of the bag to determine the next formation to act. This will be familiar to those who have played games like Bolt Action. Essentially each player places a dice into a communal bag for each of his formations. These are drawn at random and then allocated to a formation for it to attempt to act. I want in this post to talk about how this system can be tweaked or varied to provide more options in a game.

 

Firstly it does not need to be dice. I have used Lego pieces instead of dice. Playing cards could be used as well. However for the purposes of this post I will refer to dice being drawn out of the bag.

 

Multiple dice bags

Useful for larger games this allows multiple formations to act the same time cross a large table. This works best when there is an element of separation between players on the same side, such as a main force and a flanking force. Complications can arise when two formations wish to attack a single enemy formation.

 

Multiple Formations activated

Again for larger games rather than use multiple dice bags each dice pulled out activates 2, 3 or more formations. Some thought should be given to spreading the activity across the table. For example each formation activated must be controlled be a different player, or the HQ stands of formations being activated cannot be closer than 24” to each other.

 

Event Dice

A specific dice is added to the bag to determine when an event happens during a turn. For example the arrival of an aircraft formation, or flanking force. This could also be used for weather events such as a sudden snow or dust storm, heavy rain in a jungle game or fog descending or lifting. This can be varied further with this dice being ignored if it is not the first or second dice drawn out, or placing multiple dice in the bag.

 

Specific Dice

Rather than freely choosing formations to activate each die represents a specific formation, or formation type (tank, infantry, artillery etc). This works better using Lego or playing cards. This will constrain players and is an option instead of using discouraged to reflect poorer battlefield performance, particularly if the troops fought doggedly but were not well coordinated as it will not affect morale tests, for example Russian troops in 1942-3. This is also useful when playing a solo game.

 

Stop Dice

A dice is added to randomly determine the end of the turn. This is known as the Tea Card in the Too Fat Lardies I Ain’t Been Shot Mum rules. Whenever this dice is pulled the turn ends.

 

Short Dice

Normally one dice is placed in the bag for each formation but in this variant one or both sides have fewer dice than their available formations. This is useful where poor command and control was a feature of an army’s performance, perhaps for French troops in 1940.

 

Extra Dice

Additional dice are allocated, generally only to one side in a battle. This is a useful option when simulating a more manoeuvrable force when dummy counters would not be appropriate. No formation can activate twice but this is likely to hand the initiative to that army by skewing the likelihood they will act earlier in the turn.

 

Game Dice

One, or more, players are given a small number of dice that can be used at some point during the game, either added to the bag, or available as interrupts. This can be used when you wish to simulate the impact of a particularly effective general and their ability to red a battle.

All Hell Let Loose is now available from Wargame Vault.

Keep the dice rolling 

 

Charles the Modeller

All Hell Let Loose Rules Playthrough

I have posted a video onto YouTube of a basic playthrough of the All Hell Let Loose rule system. This is a couple of turns of game play with explanation of some of the basic game mechanics. It isn’t a full game and I don’t cover every section of the rules but it’s intended as a taster and simple run through.

It’s my first ever video so let me know what you think in the comments.

Keep the dice rolling!

Charles the Modeller 

All Hell Let Loose Ruleset Available Now!

 

I am absolutely delighted to announce that the All Hell Let Loose ruleset is now available to buy at wargamevault.com!!

The rules are aimed at 6mm wargamers and are designed for European theatre WW2 games and were written by David Wasilewski.

The rules are available in hardback, softback and downloadable PDF.

The game is designed for players to control between 3 and 5 formations each - battalions, regiments or battle groups. These are made up of stands with each stand representing a platoon of about 30 infantry or 4 - 5 vehicles. The game contains a guide for playing at 1-2-1 scale and I used this for my Brecourt Manor game. Basing is 25mm by 32mm but is not crucial we’ve played games with different sized bases without any problems.

All dice rolls us 6 sided dice.

Scale and time are not defined but for bigger scale games consider 1” is between 50 and 100 yards, 1 turn 30 to 60 minutes

There are only 3 mechanics to learn -

Activation controlling movement and actions. Checks result in formations doing very little to sudden bursts of action.

Firing - both direct and indirect comparing dices rolls and situational modifiers with defence factors.

Assault - close quarters firing and hand to hand fighting.

There is no map making or written orders system. Formations can move strategically (faster and with certainty but no combat effect) or tactically (more varied movement and combat effectiveness). We also cater for disguised movement and fog of war.

Turn sequence is determined by dice out of a bag

Smaller games can be completed in 4 hours on a 6 ft by 4ft table

I talk a bit about what we wanted to achieve here and discuss the activation concepts here.

There will be more content on this blog discussing the rules over the next few months and some scenarios for use with the rules.

This facebook group contains more rules information and discussion, please join if you are on social media.

Keep the dice rolling!

Charles the Modeller

Battle of the Bulge - The Twin Villages After Action Report

I’ve posted a number of times about the Battle of the Bulge game we’ve been planning for some time. I’ve covered the infantry, vehicles, trees, the table set up and the scenario. It may be worth having a look at those before reading this AAR.
The game was played over several nights by 4 players with two on each side. I led the US forces with Dave the Designer leading the Germans. Once initial set up was complete I outlined the table terrain and it’s effects. There is a substantial amount of terrain on the table with a number of effects. This had a major impact on the battle, with the difficulties in crossing the main section of river west of Wurzfeld in particular constraining the German battleplan. Height advantage played its part, with the Germans generally disadvantaged all through the battle. The snow was considered light and had minimal influence on the game.

Krinkelt-Rocherath is at the bottom right, Wurtzfeld in the middle and Murringen on the left middle. German forces entered from the left.

Looking down the river valley from the northwest. This section of river to Wurtzfeld was very difficult to cross and impacted the German strategy.

For both sides this was a do or die battle. The Germans had to capture the highest point on the table, effectively requiring them to eliminate the US forces on the table. The US objective was simply to hold on until nightfall. If the Germans failed the US players would win. 14 turns of battle would follow.

  

The key heights above and to the northwest of the twin villages Krinkelt-Rocerath 

The key heights viewed from the German entry points to the southwest looking over Wurtzfeld

After a brief planning session the game began. 

The German battleplan comprised three main thrusts. The first to the east sought to capture the Twin Villages of Krinkelt-Rocherath. The central thrust sought to capture Murringen and Wurtzfeld. The western attack through the woods sought to outflank the US defence but faced a tricky crossing of the river.

The US players view south from Krinkelt-Rocherath

Wurtzfeld in the foreground and the heights above it

The German players view of Murringen with Krinkelt-Rocherath in the top right. 

The woods to the west of the table looking from the American side south.

The US defence was based on strongpoints. US infantry occupied Krinkelt-Rocherath, another battalion held Wurtzfeld deploying a company sized garrison force in Murringen. US armour was held back below the heights near Krinkelt-Rocherath ready to intervene where needed, whilst the last infantry battalion was placed close to the centre in semi reserve able to counter any flanking attack from the west. Considerable artillery resources were held off table with command prioritising support in this battle.

The game began with German forces starting to enter at the southern table edge. Fog, and clogged roads slowed down deployment and it was an hour before all German formations were on table. In addition aggressive defence by the forward US elements forced some German formations to prematurely deploy near to Murringen and on the road to Wurtzfeld. Elsewhere the US defenders waited nervously.

German artillery quickly deploys, but an infantry battalion catches incoming fire from US guns.

In the early stages of the battle it was the central thrust that saw the lion's share of the action. A company of US tanks supporting the defence at Wurtzfeld were uncovered by the suddenly rising fog and quickly discomforted by German tanks and artillery. US artillery spotters seized the chance to disrupt the German advance and the 155’s stonked a deploying infantry battalion disordering a number of platoons and forcing it to seek shelter in the woods.

US tanks attract German artillery fire

German infantry scuttle into cover to escape 155mm guns

Meanwhile the Germans advanced on Murringen where US infantry in M3 half tracks hoped to fight a stubborn delaying action. 

US infantry bravely stand to battle

The Germans relying on weight of numbers attacked quickly. The US infantry was hit by supporting fire before being assaulted by infantry supported by 251s. The US troops fought bravely and although suffering heavy losses gave as good as they got. Pushed back they counterattacked, before being eliminated by the next German assault. Although scattered the US force had hurt the enemy and, more importantly, a single company held up two German battalions for almost 3 hours.

Initial German attacks reduce the defenders

Everything gets thrown in and the US forces are defeated.

Elsewhere the Germans advanced on both Krinkelt-Rocherath and Wurtzfeld moving into position to begin their attacks. 

The Germans thunder towards Krinkelt-Rocherath

German forces mass on Wurtzfeld

German gunners fired on the defenders of the Twin Villages, one notable consequence was that the engineers charged with mining the bridges were so badly shelled they were ineffective for the rest of the game. 

US engineers suffered from German shelling.

US artillery fire, particularly near Wurtzfeld hindered German manoeuvring, as a Volks infantry battalion was caught in the open by the combined fire of 155 and 105mm guns.

Infantry exposed to artillery in effectively open ground being chewed to pieces

In the west the Germans slowly advanced, keeping to the woods.

  

The next phase of the battle was the desperate defence by US infantry in the centre and in the Twin Villages.

US infantry awaiting the German assault in Wurtzfeld

US infantry in the twin villages already under enemy shell fire

German panzer grenadiers and Panzers opened up on Krinkelt-Rocherath, supported by artillery. 

They're coming!

The US troops replied firing back with everything they had, but as the Panzers were outside bazooka range impact was limited. So much fire rained down on the US infantry that their battle line was significantly weakened.

Ineffective fire from the US infantry has minimal impact on the German forces. Where's the artillery fire support?

The Germans despite receiving heavy artillery fire pushed onwards, the panzer grenadiers assaulting supported by their half tracks.

German panzer-grenadiers throw back the US infantry in the twin villages

The attack was a success, pushing the surviving Americans back across the river, although at the cost of breaking the German formation. 

The half tracks may still be there but much of the assaulting infantry didn't survive.

This attack was followed by a panzer assault into the town. The Germans desperately short of infantry and with the clock passing midday were forced to sacrifice tanks for territory. 

Everybody is feeling the pain!

One more push and the twin villages will fall.

They took the ground, broke the American infantry, and then followed up with a charge into the routing GIs wiping another company off the table.

US infantry break

The Germans push on and on hitting the routed infantry

The only forces left to support this attack was another Panzer battalion. It deployed trying to move forward. However the concentration of German forces in the salient left it exposed and US Sherman’s and Wolverines firing from higher ground across the valley supported by heavy artillery fire caused significant losses.

Caught by artillery and tanks out in the open

Ouch!

In the centre across a broad front the Germans advanced, particularly towards Wurtzfeld.  

Artillery fire is hurting the Germans but the US ground defence is weak

The Germans mount a broad thrust fowards

US command and control was poor and the defence unco-ordinated. Whilst the Germans suffered badly from artillery pounding them the US ground forces inflicted minimal casualties. Just as the Germans took the Twin Villages the US forces in Wurtzfeld pulled back and soon after collapsed.

The Germans begin a determined push into Wurtzfeld

That was over quickly! Now on to the heights!

The German advance in the west continued, forcing the Americans to commit their last reserve, an unbloodied infantry battalion. No sooner was this done though it became clear this was an elaborate feint. The full weight of the German assault had been thrown across a narrow front.

Where did they go? That was just a feint!

The US position was now critical. All the villages had been lost, half their ground forces routed and only 1 tank battalion and a raw infantry battalion stood against the Germans. However the US commanders consoled themselves with the fact that the German’s were suffering heavily. Every enemy formation had suffered losses and several were combat ineffective. The battle was not over yet.

The German advance passes the river at all points. Just one more mile to go!

The next blows came on the slopes above Wurtzfeld. Infantry supported by tanks and artillery fired upon the dug in American defenders, grinding them down. 

Only this infantry stands between the Germands and the western side of the heights

The inexperienced troops suffered steady losses and gave ground. The Germans sensing victory threw infantry and tanks into an assault. The Americans, overwhelmed, gave way routing up the hill. The route to the Heights was open!

German tanks, infantry and artillery combine to hammer the US defenders pushing them back.

The Americans can't hold! The heights are open.

At the Twin Villages the few US infantry remaining under command staged a desperate attack against the Panzers. It shattered the infantry but bought time for the US armour to reposition. The Panzers advanced under cover of smoke but couldn’t grapple with the US tanks who pulled back further up slope, with a company providing covering fire.

  

A last throw of the dice for the remaining US infantry

As the panzers push on and on ...

… the Americans fall back

As the Americans tried to consolidate and establish a new battleline, they had only an intact armoured battalion and the shattered remnants of one US infantry battalion, their morale less than shaky, on table. Opposing them were 4 or 5 German battalions, although almost all had been badly shot up. The tank vs tank ratio was about equal, but the Germans were about 50% Tigers and Panthers vs mostly 75mm Shermans. The Germans had much more and better infantry. The US still had significant artillery support although loss of F.O.s meant 155mm support was halved. The Germans were optimistic the Americans phlegmatic. The next turn would determine the result. 

The route to the heights is open - just one US tank battalion stands in the way

US artillery fire caught the Tigers in the centre out in the open and all 3 suffered concussion effects from incoming fire. 

Accurate US artillery pounds the Tiger company leading the attack above Wurtzfeld

The last German infantry formation still undaunted copped fire from 105mm Shermans and artillery. It caused a bloody mess in the troops that had struggled across the river and were being pushed ever forwards without a chance to reorganise and recover. It was too much and they scuttled back across the river.

That has got to hurt!

Next the German Panzers were ordered forward to engage. The prospect of fighting up the slope against hidden Shermans and tank destroyers whilst dodging artillery shells was just too much. The first Panzer battalion routed back, the other retreated.

Retreating and routing the panzers baulk at charging up the hill

The German attack had stalled all across the field of battle! With night less than two hours away the Germans conceded defeat

The state of the table when we called it. German troops retreating, US troops holding the last few metres of ground.

It was just unrealistic in the time left available for them to rally and reorder their forces and push them up the hill against a determined force of US armour. The game had been in the balance for 12 of 14 turns before attrition tipped the scales in the Americans’ favour.

At the end of the game we had a good chat. Everybody had really enjoyed the scenario and game. The result was pretty much in question all the way through. The difference between the sides had been the weight of US artillery. The Germans were slowly whittled down before finding themselves exhausted with ground still to capture.

As the scenario was intended to test artillery and the impact of height I was very pleased with the resulting game. Artillery carried great power but needed ground forces to be able to follow it up and take advantage. US artillery effectiveness had determined the result - in line with my reading of the actual battle. That the result was in doubt for so long was very cheering too!

Hope you enjoyed checking that out.

Roll dice responsibly!

Charles the Modeller