Bulge: German

“Achtung, Panzers!” Came the voice of Oberleutnant Manteuffel over Unteroffizier Weber’s headset. Weber watched intently through his commander’s vision blocks, and the crew waited poised to react as the Allied Stuart tanks cautiously approached the crossroads. They moved in pairs covering each other. He watched them past in silence, firm in their belief that his crew had camouflaged the massive bulk of the tank so well that the Allies would not detect them.

It did not take long before the Stuarts were satisfied there was no enemy and called forward the bigger Allied Armour. Sherman tanks of every shape slowly started to appear, there were 75mm variants along with the newer 76mm tanks, and even some of the newest “Easy 8” versions.

Weber passed his gunner fire control orders to take out the rear Sherman and then work forward. The other Tiger II in the Zug, Oberleutnant Manteuffel’s, would be doing the opposite starting at the front and moving back trapping the tanks in the centre, the perfect ambush. Weber’s Zug had to destroy these tanks to keep the gap open and allow his and other German divisions, to withdraw. He was going to make damn sure he did!

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The Germans had been in retreat since the Allied breakout from Normandy, finally settling into defensive lines on their frontier. However, the Germans still had fight in them. Four of Hitler’s brand new Panzer Brigades, specifically crafted from lessons learned on the Soviet front, were diverted to meet the Americans in the Lorraine. The brigades were given all of Germany’s latest weapons from Panther tanks to assault rifles and more.

In early December 1944 it seemed, to the Americans facing them in the Ardennes forests of Belgium and Luxembourg, unlikely that the Germans would attack. On 16 December that illusion was shattered when the might of German Sixth Panzer Army smashed into the thinly-held US lines. The Germans led the assault with elite units of 1. SSPanzerdivision, 2. Panzerdivision and Panzer Lehr.

More was to come. On 31 December Hitler launched the last German offensive in the west, Operation Nordwind. German divisions along the Lorraine front attacked into the old French Maginot Line where the Americans had dug in. With many of their reserves sent north to face the Ardennes offensive, the Americans were taken by surprise.

INSIDE YOU WILL FIND:

• Background on German Army and Waffen-SS forces on the Western Front from September 1944 to February 1945.
• Instructions on how to build a Panther (late) Brigade Tank Company, Panzer IV Brigade Tank Company, Brigade Armoured Assault Company, Brigade Armoured Panzergrenadier
  Company, Brigade Panzergrenadier Company, Tiger II SS Tank Company, Panther (late) SS Tank Company, Armoured SS Panzergrenadier Company, Tiger II Tank Company, Panther (late) Tank Company, Armoured Panzergrenadier Company, Volksgrenadier Company, Jagdpanther Tank-hunter Company, and Jagdtiger Tank-hunter Company.
• A Painting and Basing guide.
• Peiper’s Charge Scenario.