Historical Background:
Ordered to throw a defensive line together and block Kampfgrupper Peiper for 24 hours, Colonel Roy Fitzgerald was the first to reach Stoumont. As he deployed his forces around the village, he was surprised to find Battery C from the 193rd Anti-Aircraft battalion already in position. On the morning of the 19th, Peiper attacked through the fog with two columns of tanks and infantry. Peiper’s tanks were overrunning Fitzgerald’s position when Shermans from the 743rd tank battalion arrived along with a motley crew of vehicles from the repair depot at Sprimont. In the Ambleve Valley, Peiper’s Panzergrenadiers had taken Cheneux and repulsed an attack by Para units of the 504th. At dusk, Obersturmbannführer Peiper gave up on his attack and moved south across the Ambleve into more open country better suited for his tanks.
The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. The rest is history.
Briefing:
Axis Player
[Germany]
Take 6 Command cards.
Allied Player
[United States]
Take 6 Command cards.
You move first.
Conditions of Victory:
11 Medals.
The four town hexes of Stoumont form a Temporary Majority Medal Objective (Turn Start) worth 2 Medals for whoever controls Stoumont.
The two town hexes of Cheneux form a Temporary Majority Medal Objective (Turn Start) worth 1 Medal for whoever controls Cleneux.
Special Rules:
Winter Combat (Actions 25 - Combat Cards), Winter Weather (Actions 26 - Winter Weather) and Reduced Visibility (Actions 27 - Reduced Visibility) rules are in effect.
Place badges on the German elite infantry and armor units and Ranger badges on the 4 Allied Para units (Troops 2 - Specialized Units).
Place badges on the one Allied and two German mobile artillery units (Troops 14 - Mobile Artillery).
Supply Vehicle rules are in effect (Actions 24 - Re-Supply). Place a badge on the Allied Half-Track unit (Troops 18 - Half-Tracks).
Place a badge on the one Axis and two Allied Tank Destroyer units (Troops 24 - Tank Destroyers).
Special Weapon Asset rules (SWAs 4 - Special Weapon Assets) are in effect for the Allied unit equipped with Anti-Tank weapons (SWAs 5 - Anti-Tank Gun Late War). Place the proper badge on this unit.
The River Ambleve is frozen (Terrain 47 - Frozen Rivers).
Scenario link
Because it is snowing in Romania 
, I chose to play some memoir 44 winter wars’ breakthrough scenarios. And I started with ‘Peiper at Stoumont’.
For the first game I took the axis side and my opponent took allies. After a fierce fighting for the towns, the end of the game was 11-5.
End photo:
The second game was more balanced, each side had it’s own chance to win. I took
Cheneux but my opponent launched a counterattack with armor and mobile artillery. I destroyed all his counterattacking armor and the mobile artillery thanks to my lucky dice rolls. After that was a little more action in center. But, after that, Allies won by 11-7.
End photo:
So, this is a good scenario like all others from winter wars. It is balanced (I achieved two victories because my opponent’s lack of experience in reduced visibility scenarios) and it has a lot of roads, that make it a very good scenario.
I recommend this scenario to all memoir 44 breakthrough lovers. If you have played this scenario, feel free to comment here your experience.