Road to Jülich scenario avail. at Depot

[Dook]

Version 2.1 of my scenario "Road to Jülich" is available for download at the Depot. More details below:

Title: Road to Jülich, version 2.1

Location: Roer Plain, Germany

Date: 22 November 1944

Time: Day

Weather: Overcast, Mud

Type: Allied attack

Length: 35 turns

Accuracy: Semi-Historical

Best played as: Two player or Allies vs. AI (stick to default setup)

By November 1944, the Allied Ninth Army had begun planning for an offensive intended to drive deep into the heart of Germany. The XIX Corps, consisting of the 2nd Armored, 29th Infantry, and 30th Infantry Divisions, would make Ninth Army's main effort to seize a crossing of the Roer River, the last water obstacle before the Rhine. Their target - the town of Jülich.

Two obstacles stood in the path of XIX Corps. The first was the weather. Rain fell every day but two in November, turning the ground to mud and limiting the cross-country maneuvering ability of Allied tanks. The second impediment was the defensive scheme devised by General der Panzertruppen Hasso von Manteuffel, commanding the Fifth Panzer Army. Von Manteuffel's plan combined the villages west of the Roer into a series of defensive arcs protecting Jülich. Defenders in each village constructed defensive positions in built-up areas, laid mines, and converted dominant terrain features into strongpoints consisting of foxholes, machine gun nests, and anti-tank positions.

When the offensive began on 16 November, Maj. Gen. Charles Gerhardt, the commander of the 29th ID, planned to exploit what he believed to be the defensive system's weak point by sticking to open terrain and isolating the villages in his sector. Gerhardt's hopes were soon crushed. The Roer Plain's open terrain, the poor ground conditions, and the stiff resistance of Generalmajor Peter Körte's 246th Volks Grenadier Division made advancing across exposed ground deadly. The villages surrounding Jülich would have to be taken, one by one.

After a slow start attributable to the ill-conceived initial strategy and a reluctance to employ armor due to the muddy conditions, the 29th ID began to roll on 18 November. Over the next four days, troops of the 29th penetrated the outer two rings of Jülich's defenses and reduced its defenders to tatters. The advance threatened not only to destroy VGD 246 but also to disrupt the upcoming Ardennes offensive, in which it was to participate.

By 21 November, the 29th ID was only 1.5 miles from the Roer. Gerhardt urged his regiments on, expecting a German withdrawal. War, like life in general, does not always live up to expectations.

This scenario depicts an attack by elements of the 29th Division against a village on the Roer plain in November 1944. It was inspired by a map in a 12th Army Group Intelligence Summary depicting German plans for the defense of the villages protecting Jülich. The units involved are historically accurate, although the exact numbers and deployment are not.

If you play it, please take time to review it. Thanks.

[ August 30, 2003, 08:53 AM: Message edited by: Dook ]

[KG_Jag]

The link is still broken and has been for several days.

[Admiral Keth]

Sincerest apologies. Link fixed.

[KG_Jag]

Thanks Admiral! That leaves only the link to the CMBB operation "To the Vistula" that is need of repair. It's been out for about the same amount of time.

[Dook]

Thanks from me too Admiral. Just another example of why the Scenario Depot is top notch.

[klapton]

Admiral, when will you add an Overall rating? I am not reviewing scenarios anymore, because I had to tweak a bit the scores on Briefing and Replayability to get a result that reflects my feelings.

[MDA]

I played through (as allies v. AI) what is probably an earlier version (downloaded on August 13?) and ended in a 47-48 draw. That's about what I'd want from a good scenario the first time I play it.

The gun on the hill overlooking town and the late appearance of some armor was a nasty surprise. My first tank over the river got plinked, and the Priest behind it was lucky to escape.

I really liked having to actually *use* my engineers to clear minefields.

I was a little surprised I did not encounter *any* germans on my side of the river. Probably difficult to do in a semi-historical scenario without getting them killed. You could place green or conscript troops in ambush (preferably supported by one or two of the guns from the city side of the river) at points where it would be convenient for them to retreat back across the bridges or fords(unless there's some way to script a retreat that I'm not aware of, I haven't fool around with the editor much).

Hidden greens or conscripts might attack from ambush, then quickly break and flee across the river, simulating an ambush and retreat? This would ruin the historical bend on your scenario, though. Its a fun and challenging one as is, in my not so expert opinion. I'm just throwing out something I may have done differently.

I hear lots of talk on these boards about defense in depth and having fall-back positions for your troops to retreat to - but since I don't design scenarios, I have no idea whether you can effectively simulate it with the AI in a scenario.

Did I mention how much I liked *using* my engineers to clear minefields?

[Dook]

Thanks for the comments. You probably played v. 1.0. Without giving away too much, your suggestion has already been more or less incorporated in the revised version available at the Depot. Thanks again. Glad you enjoyed it.