 At
this juncture the Germans have a bridgehead across the Meuse at Dinant
and can assure themselves that Marche will fall. I have only three
attacks going in this turn - time to be cautious. German troops are
going to clear Marche in house to house combat and over 500 German tanks
are committed to clearing Givet, a town south of Dinant on the Eastern
shore of the Meuse, with a possible threat to US defenders further
north. OKW hopes to establish another Meuse crossing as each one forces
the US to think twice about trying to hold the riverline. 28 Defensive
factors with a defensive ER of 6 have been put into the bridgehead
itself. (A leader is nearby.) A German air has been reserved to
minimally negate US ground support in an expected counterattack at the
Dinant bridgehead which should peak at 3-1(+1) odds.
Broad Strategy: I'm pretty confident of being at the
Tactical Victory level at the beginning of the 24AM turn; careful
attacking should probably also bring me from the current 42 US dead to
48 US dead over the next seven turns. I've 'refused' my Northern flank
and John will probably have to expose some of his Americans if he wishes
to try to push from that direction. (I've found it particularly
important to not defend with the Germans against the Meuse river as that
enables the Brits to get into the fray!) In the South I keep a wary eye
but I should be pretty safe this turn as the US only has one unit that
is threatening to come on-board from that edge.
The battle for Givet commences.. |
 Tom
has summed up the position pretty well. I have to accomplish the
converse of his goals: push his stack back over the Meuse while avoiding
further bridgeheads, avoid losing more units, protect the long length of
the Meuse...
I've scraped together 20 factors of artillery to
bombard the bridgehead at Dinant, which consists of 9SS/9, Fuh Escort,
and an oos 116/16 (fuel shortage). This gives me a 50% chance to shock
the two weaker units. 52 factors then assault, but because it's a mixed
group of Brits and Amis, the combined arms shift is negated by the
Inter-Allied attack shift. 4th Armored with Patton has arrived to join
in this attack and lend a flank drm to negate FE's ER of 6. Not very
likely, but a chance exists to push these units back, or at least
inflict some casualties.
Tom's attack at Givet roughly handled my unit there
(reduced and retreated), but could not cross the Meuse this turn given
the artillery holding the bridge hex. Next turn the clear terrain hex
behind Givet's bridge is an obvious target. It would be nice if I could
blow the bridge in the Germans' faces. |
