Section Leaders:
Fionn Kelly & Madmatt

Riesberg

German – Riesberg
Setup to Turn 5

German Commander - Robert Hall (Tomcat)
German Movie Password - redbmw

Initial Deployment

You can certainly win Riesberg playing US simply by careful shelling of the town while avoiding exposure to the likely hiding places of the two German Flak 88 guns. So I am determined not to lose my German infantry by having roofs collapse on their heads and I am equally determined not to let my US opponent know too easily exactly where my forces are located.

So I am going to try something a little different. Whether it works or not will remain to be seen. Playing German, you have about 100 less troops than the US and the 2 Flak 88 guns are your only really big, heavy firepower units. I am going to try and frustrate my US opponent into making mistakes. I am going to place all my troops, wherever possible, within the outer perimeter of the buildings of Riesberg and hide them either in inner buildings or in heavy woods. My US opponent is bound to shell those outer buildings and I hope I will really confuse him when he does not find anyone at home. Also, I do not want my troops opening up on the US attackers too soon, thereby giving their positions away to the Shermans. With the expected heavy shelling response such premature firing will undoubtedly invoke, all German units will be targeted on very close ambush markers.

I have decided I am not going to protect my right flank directly and to withdraw B SMG Platoon plus associated Panzerschreck unit into the protection of the town perimeter to concentrate and strengthen its defenses. I anticipate my US opponent will go looking for this platoon in the fields surrounding the town and will hopefully become very cautious and frustrated when he cannot find them. In any event, the US should only advance carefully and slowly on that flank and I have the Flak 88 to protect it. Unfortunately, the set up positions do not allow me to place B Platoon within the town itself, but just outside. I hope to bring them into town on turn 1 without them being seen.

Though I do not like the default ambush set up alongside the road by C SMG Platoon, I am going to leave it in place with slightly altered positioning as there does not seem anywhere better to deploy them within the set up areas allowed. The rest of C SMG Platoon is being withdrawn from the outer buildings to the cover of some heavy woods where I am hoping their foxholes will be undetected until the US are within close ambushing range. There seems to be reasonable LOS from these heavy woods when the US forces advance to the first line of houses. These two squads should be well protected in the woods so I will have a good ambush position to surprise the advancing US forces. But I am unhappy they are out of command radius of the Platoon Commander.

My sharpshooter I am leaving as the only unit in the church since that building has good LOS forwards to the edge of the map and I should be able to withdraw him fairly easily once he becomes spotted.

The two Flak 88s I am leaving in their default locations as I cannot find anywhere with better LOS and likewise the 81mm mortar on my right flank. My left flank 81mm mortar I have decided to move closer to the town, keeping it in the woods, but I am not too happy with its new placement and simply cannot find anywhere with better LOS. I want the 81mm mortar to have good LOS to the road leading into town, which it does have in its new position.

The machine guns gave me the greatest difficulty placing. As I said earlier, I want to take them out of buildings so my US opponent will not know where they are. The MG42 HMG in the 2-storey wooden VL on my left flank I am moving alongside the 2 C Platoon SMG squads in the heavy woods. Again, I especially do not wish to leave this MG42 HMG in the perimeter wooden building since it is probably one of the first buildings the US forces will shell. The second MG42 HMG from the forward right 2-storey wooden building I am relocating to the heavy woods just in front of the main stone building with my Company Commander. The Panzerschreck unit originally with D Platoon, I am relocating to the same location to protect against any central US Sherman advance. These two units will then be within command radius of the Company Commander. My third MG42 HMG I am forced to leave in the stone building with my Company Commander, but I am quite happy with this location as the building is not in direct LOS to any advancing Shermans.

D Platoon of Volksgrenadiers I am withdrawing from the front row of houses and placing them in the group of houses just behind on my left flank to cover a US advance through the front line of houses or the road.

When my reinforcement Platoon arrives, I intend to use it to protect a possible left rear flank attack from the US through the woods, or as I feel necessary at the time.

Caption: Initial German deployment positions within Riesberg itself. A Flak 88 gun and an 81mm mortar unit are stationed on the hill to my right rear flank (not shown).

During the following discussion of the turns, the first paragraph will generally discuss the Orders given to my troops, any tactical thinking behind them and the state of the battle as seen from the German perspective. The second, and any additional paragraphs, will generally discuss the Action phase of the turn plus my thoughts while watching the movie.


Turn 1

The only movement orders I give for this turn are to B Platoon to crawl to their hiding places in woods within the town perimeter. The only other orders are to make sure everybody else, with the exception of my sharpshooter, is set with close ambush markers which I spread liberally throughout the deployment area.

Oh no! Just about the worst possible start. B Platoon crawling into the town is spotted and now has 2 Shermans shelling it and has taken 4 casualties already. Maybe I should have "run" them into town to move them through the danger zone quickly, but I thought crawling was supposed to make them very difficult for the enemy to spot at long range. My plan for my right flank has probably already been rumbled! You live and learn. My sharpshooter has taken a long pot shot at a Sherman and forced it to button, but I doubt he will have killed the Tank Commander (TC) at that range. Maybe I should have hidden the sharpshooter too at the beginning. Expect to be shelled in response next turn!

Caption: Trying to crawl into town, B Platoon suffers casualties from long distance Sherman HE rounds.

Turn 2

I decide I must bring B Platoon the remaining short distance into town very quickly, so their orders are changed to run and then crawl the remaining distance once they have the protection of some buildings or ground features. No other orders are given this turn while I wait to determine where the US is going to make its main advance thrust.

B Platoon now runs into the protection of some woods without further losses and then crawls into the woods in front of the rear right stone building. It is eerily quiet this turn. I can see some US units advancing on the far right map edge but nothing else happening. My sharpshooter takes another shot at a TC right at the end of the turn. I am sure he will be spotted now, poor guy!

Turn 3

Apart from crawling B Platoon, this time hidden from the Shermans, into their intended hiding places in the woods near the outer perimeter of the town, again I am just going to sit tight this turn and watch where the US may be advancing. 

Yes, a platoon of infantry is moving up my right flank but I cannot see much other movement. My sharpshooter has been spotted as a couple of Shermans are shelling the church. Must move him out of there quickly. Looks like he may have killed the TC last turn as the Sherman remains buttoned. I do not see the other 2 Shermans yet, but I presume they are moving up my left flank otherwise I think I would have spotted them.

Turn 4

Time to withdraw my sharpshooter into a safer location. I think I'll deploy him into the stone building to the right of the Company Commander where he should still have good LOS but be protected a little better from Sherman HE rounds. No other orders planned.

Ha! The shelling of empty buildings has begun in earnest. Managed to withdraw the sharpshooter successfully. Unfortunately, the sharpshooter did not take out the TC as the Sherman has unbuttoned this turn. I see a tank place-marker for a 3rd Sherman on my left flank. One disadvantage of not having units in forward buildings is it is difficult to see exactly where the enemy is deploying.

Turn 5

My reinforcement E Platoon of Volksgrenadiers has just arrived and I'm deploying them in the woods to the left of my central Flak 88 as originally planned to protect that rear left flank. At this stage it looks like the US is advancing on both the left and right flanks of the map and avoiding moving up the middle, so I must protect that left flank and rely on the mortar and Flak 88 to protect my right flank.

What is that Sherman shelling now? Looks like some woods, but I do not have any troops in that patch thankfully. Has he realized my plan is to keep everybody outside buildings? If so, he could quickly shell all the few spots of heavy woods within Riesberg and destroy my defensive positions very quickly. Spot a place-marker for the 4th Sherman coming up on my left. That's to be expected, he has split them 2 and 2. Nothing coming up the middle that I can see as yet as the 2 central Shermans are staying put and shelling Riesberg from afar.

Movie Files

German Turn 1
German Turn 2
German Turn 3
German Turn 4
German Turn 5