Historical Background:
The morning of December 19 opened under a thick fog. The stragglers that had been poring back through the Allied lines had stopped coming, which could only mean the enemy was approaching. In the village of Wardin, Team S-2 and Company B of 54th Armored Infantry Battalion had secured the road block and part of the village, while O’Hara’s Armor was in position on the hills to the south, supported by 420th Armored field Artillery. The Germans initially attacked through the woods in front of O’Hara, while their Combat engineers attempted to clear the minefields. But they were soon pushed back and the threat of the minefield remained. They then opted to skirt O’Hara’s position and move in full force against Wardin. Late in the day, the 28th Division command post in Bastogne received word that the Allied forces in Wardin had been wiped out.
The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. The rest is history.
Briefing:
Axis Player
[Germany]
Take 5 Command cards.
You move first.
Allied Player
[United States]
Take 5 Command cards.
Conditions of Victory:
7 Medals.
The 5 town hexes of Wardin form a Temporary Majority Medal Objective worth 1 Medal for whoever controls Wardin.
The 4 road hexes marked with medals are Temporary Medal Objectives worth 1 Medal each for the Axis forces.
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 a badge on the 2 German engineer units (Troops 4 - Combat Engineers).
Place a badge on the 2 Allied Half-Track units (Troops 18 - Half-Tracks). Supply Vehicle rules are not in effect.
Place a badge on the Axis Tank Destroyer unit (Troops 24 - Tank Destroyers).
The Allied player lays out the Minefields (Terrain 29 - Minefields).
The river is frozen (Terrain 47 - Frozen Rivers).
Scenario link
Setup Photo:
In the first game, I played as the Axis while my opponent took the Allies. The Axis began with an assault on the left flank, allowing the engineers to clear the mines before advancing with their tanks. The Allies didn’t respond because they didn’t have any cards for that section. The Axis then played some strong cards and destroyed all the Allied armor on the left. The Allies tried to play a few good cards afterward, but luck wasn’t on their side (I’ll show you more details below). The Axis then launched an attack on a unit in Wardin, destroyed it along with two more Allied tanks, and won the game with a score of 7-0.
End Photo:
All vehicles are destroyed!
In the second game, we switched sides and began the battle. The Axis launched an attack on the left, but an Allied assault in the same sector forced them back—though it didn’t earn any medals. The Allies continued their offensive on their left flank, but their dice rolls were some of the worst I’ve ever seen, resulting in only a single medal.
After a few turns, the Axis regrouped and, with an incredible streak of luck, drove the Allies back, eliminating five units. The Allies tried to fight back, but their terrible dice rolls and unlucky cards left them with no real options. The Axis then pushed in the center and on the right, securing two more medals to win the game with a final score of 7-1. Remarkably, the Axis had three units down to their last figure, but they survived—yet again—thanks to the Allies’ poor dice rolls.
End Photo:
Conclusion: A good scenario like all the others from Winter Wars, but definitely unbalanced.
If you’ve played this scenario, I’d love to hear your experience! How did it go for you?
Some of the allied poor dice in the first game:
Allies played Medics and Mechanics and they wanted to repair an armor unit but look at the result:
Allies played Their Finest Hour. In center axis had two weakened units and just one tank was enough to eliminate them. But again look at the result:
There were infantry units far away in the flanks and these didn’t scored any hits.
There were worst dice rolls in the game 2 for allies but I didn’t made a photo to them.