Battle of the Bulge, the Untold Victory AAR

[nymet260]

Battle of the Bulge the Untold Victory

(A HoITCG AAR; Based off the events in a match vs 101st)

I like to take the time before I start this AAR to thank 101st for possibly the greatest match of HoITCG I have ever played!


I.The Beginning

The cold winter of 1944 was fast approaching, the allied offensive was a smashing success in France as axis forces were retreating back into the fatherland. All those amazing victories way back in 1940 were lost in a matter of mere months, however our top generals believe there just might be a chance, whether small or not, to overwhelm the approaching allies in one massive counter attack, one giant victory.

In the homeland of Germany at this time, commander Nymet260 stationed at the Siegfried line smoking on his pipe while reading the latest reports when he got a startling call from commander Rundstedt. "Yes sir?" Nymet260 ask with enthusiasm. "You and your 501st army are to report in our bases bordering Belgium, that is all" "But, sir-" before Nymet260 could reply the call ended as quickly as it started. Confused as to why the sudden shift of troops and the abrupt call , Nymet260 still nevertheless had no choice but obey the orders. Nymet260 walks outside his officer building and all the troops stop what they were doing and stare. "We are moving out!" Nymet260 screamed. Nymet260 along with this forces began his march to the German border of the late Belgium country. While on-route his was getting several secret and encoded communications about a large scale offensive, one that nobody has ever seen before, an offensive that will break the allied forces in the west once and for all... The Ardennes Offensive! Now Nymet260 understood the strange quick and short orders, they were to reduce the chance of any radio interception by the allies. Onroute Nymet260 was considering this gathering of soldiers to attack suicide with the massive air power commanded by the allied forces, he knew once the weather improves it would turn into a suicide attack.

Once our forces reached reached the outskirts of Prum, the largest gathering of tanks Commander Nymet260 has ever seen was lining up. An officer approached the shocked commander and gave him a note, after opening it and quickly reading it the officer smirked and said "These babies are yours now" The officer walked off, the note said to prepare to advance towards Belgium within 1 week. one week wasnt a lot of time for Nymet260 to prepare his forces "this is crazy" Nymet260 muttered, but still carried on to do the orders.

Panzer tanks all standing in line, awaiting orders days before the start of the Ardennes Campagin

The day of judgement had finally arrived and with a booming advance the Germans using weather to their advantage push a powerful offensive that caught the allies by complete surprise. Within the first week Commander Nymet260's forces had finally reached his target location of St.Vith in Belgium, with relative ease. Taking out his pipe he walks into town, happy of his swift victory for the Reich, when suddenly a raido officer ran up to him exhausted and terrified. "

"Whats wrong boy? catch your breath"
"Si-si-sir!" The officer bends over with his hands on his knees catching his breathe finally

"Th-th-the 101st army sir!"
Almost immediately Nymet260 froze, and turned his complete attention to the officer. The 101st army is the most feared allied fighting force to all of Germany.

"They are approaching fast sir, an-and the cloud cover is retreating"

immediately Nymet260 turned around and shouted for his officers
"Get our men on battle-stations immediately! I want those tanks ready for battle! Call damn high command I want some wings in the skies, NOW! Move move move!"

Nervous, Nymet260 takes a smoke of his pipe, he knows a battle he is not sure he can win is fast approaching.

101st Troops marching, onroute to St.Vith

(Stay tunned for the next thrilling chapter!)

[nymet260]

II. First Engagements Part 1

Day 1 of battle

"Commander"
...
"Commander!"

Nymet260 finally heard his secretary after having look out at the window towards the horizon.

"A Mr. Hans Loewe wishes to see you""
"Hans Loewe? Well let him in!"

A stock built German officer enters the room.

"Hey Nymet260, sorry about being late, I see everyone is riled up about some 101st attack or whatever"
Nymet260 chuckles
"Your late again Hans, yet you always find something witty to say"

Hans, who is 2nd in command to Nymet260 looks out the window while Nymet260 sits back in his chair flipping through some papers.

"You sure you think you can stop them? We should be setting up trenches nea-"
"That wont be necessary"

Hans looks at Nymet260 confused

"What do you mean not necessary?!"

Nymet260 slow gets up from his chair to walk about in the room

"The 101st would be expecting that, if we can surprise them we just might have a chance at beating them"

Hans gives him a shoddy look

"And how do you propose you do that?"
Nymet260 gives a smirk
"We attack first!"

Shocked Hans slowly begins to reel in and think

"Hmm... Its a gamble, but it could work old friend"

The clanking of tanks slowly moving out of town can be heard in the distance...

"We better move fast my old friend, else they might find out what we are up to..."

German Doctrine

-Meanwhile at allied command near Paris!-

In a dark dim lit room, a shadowy general is sitting at a desk listening to a record. Someone knocks at the door. The general allows the person to come in, its an officer. The officer looks at the general, its hard to make out his face due to the dim lit room. The general turns off the music and relaxes in his chair.

"General, the 101st is approaching St. Vith, our reports indicate that enemy forces are small but well armed. weather is also clearing general air command will allow us to use aircraft. Your orders sir?"

The General sits a bit more straight in his chair, still the shadows of the dark room covers his face.

"Send our aircraft out in large waves. Obliterate their supply lines. Destroy their tanks. Blow those damn Germans outta their holes!"

The officer acknowledges and leaves the room, the silence is broken as the general starts up the record again as he leans back into his chair, back into the shadows once more.

Allied Doctrine

[nymet260]

II. First Engagements Part 2

Day 2 of battle

"Wait a sec let me get this straight, Due to a lack of intel we have no clue who the 101st General is?" Hans questions

"Yup, that's why we call him the "Devil", he's brutally efficient and with him in command, his men never lose" Nymet260 replies

As the two continue to talk a radio officer barges in and interrupts the twos conversation. The officer proclaims dire news that the front line troops as spotting incoming bombers! The officer exclaims they will be here within the hour! Nymet260 asks Hans if the defensive AA emplacements are ready and he was unable to give a straight answer. Quickly Nymet260 asked if the fighters have arrived yet, again no answer. Nymet260 immediately calls all available soldiers in a feeble attempt to defend using only machine guns and rifles as their only hope.

Allied Fairey's bombarding key German supply depots

After several frighting hours the bombardment from the skies finally ends as the planes return home. Damage was wide spread but luckily the allied bombing runs only damaged infrastructure, most of the German supply areas are still mostly intact. Later in the day the first squadrons of Stukas from the fatherland arrived, they were kept on shanty made airfields temporarily nearby.

Han's finally returns back to the office after surveying the damage and all he could tell Nymet260 that this was the first of many bombing runs, and that if we didnt make a move soon, we would be grounded. Nymet260 could only mutter and curse trying to figure out how the allies caught wind of their attack and managed to halt em.

Day 3 of battle

The morning sun slowly rose as the roar of fairey's and B17 engines could be heard slowly lifting off once again from allied bases, on-route to St.Vith on another routine bombing run. Back at the German base camp this time Nymet260 intelligence squad finally got some reliable information and knew the 2nd bombing run was approaching within the coming hours, he made haste to the airfield in order to look for the lead air captain that just came in with another air group this time HE-111's

Once Nymet260 finally reached the airbase, he found Hans already there talking to the air captain. The captain exploded at Nymet260 about sending up his bombers to engage enemy bombers.

"Look I don't give a damn" Nymet260 shouted back "Those planes have guns on them, and we need to take a few of those bastards down before we have nothing left on the ground now do you understand!"

Stunned the captain acknowledge and prepared his crew along with the Stukas to prepare for battle.

The battle was quick, with large sluggish bombers dukeing it over the skies, a few enemy planes went down and we lost a few stuka's but we managed to hold and repel the enemy. The crazy plan succeeded and saving the supply routes, for now that is.

With the night fast approaching Nymet260 calls high command's office questioning when those ME109's will be shipped in, they gave no straight answer. Frustrated Nymet260 slams the phone down.

"I dont know how much longer we can suicide our bombers like this, they will eventually send up serious fighters and then we will be in trouble" Hans said gloomily

A Stuka downing a Fairey during the air battle over St.Vith

[nymet260]

III. The Air War

Day 5 of battle

Commander Nymet260 smoking a cigarette stares at the window. He watches as another wave of He-111 bombers make way for landing at the airstrip near St.Vith, as well as troops cleaning up the devastation from before. Yesterday early morning without us knowing a wave of B17 bombers made way and carpet bombed the entire area, damage was severe on the air base and its making it difficult for our supply convoys to reach our main base. We lost some troops to the bombing but they are still harden as ever.

Yesterday B17 Bombers unleash a fury of bombs in our rear zones disabling supply movement temporarily

Hans enters the room "So it looks like those Allied bombers dont like to work on a timetable eh?" Nymet260 said nothing. "Where are our Me109's!" He muttered. Hans takes a look to see what Nymet260 was looking at "If only our crews could of repaired our Stukas from our earlier engagement they might have been able to at-least taken a bomber down or two" Nymet260 stares back "Unlikely..."

Hans finally tells Nymet260 why he is really here and tells him our forward observer units have located the enemy infantry positions. He believes they are waiting to bomb us out from the skies before they march forward.

"So should we advance? we could take the init-" Nymet260 cuts him off "No, I dont want to leave our tanks and men vulnerable to bombardment!" Hans stares back "And so we let our men all die by attacking or by sitting and doing nothing? I much prefer trying to do something then waiting to die."

Before Nymet260 could retort the air alarms went off "Right on schedule" Hans sneers

The battle went quick, however Due to inexperienced allied pilots a majority of the 29th Fariey Battle squadron was completely wiped out, Some He-111 were shot down by enemy B17 gunners however overall it appears to be a minor axis victory in the end.

By the end of the day the planes were returning home, Han's enters the command office and tells Nymet260 that high command has another squadron of He-111 ready for deployment for our area.

"Those idiots at high command! Tell them we need damn fighters not bombers!"
"Heh, perhaps they love the aesthetics of the He-111 too much" Han's joked, but saw Nymet260 was in no laughing mood and simply acknowledged him and left the room.


Day 7 of battle

"It looks like we are going to need more room for all these He-111's" Hans chuckled.

Another squadron of He-111 made land fall this morning. Nymet260 watches as he stands near the airfield as they touched down then looks back at his paper and calls Han's over.

"I want to get a perimeter Flak defense field down here, here and here"
"Thats a hefty order, but I will see what I can do!" Hans replied

Almost as if on schedule the Air alarm once again goes off, Nymet260 Signals to the air captains to take off immediately, once again another air battle looms in the skies overhead.

Once again inexperience Fairey pilots of the 31st squadron this time were completely wiped out. The air carnage this time was hefty to both sides, but the skilled German He-111 gunners managed well in this fury of battle. Once again almost like clockwork the damaged He-111's return home for their daily repairs, Nymet260 gets more and more nervous each day, the day they send fighters out to obliterate their airfields and bombers, leaving them stranded. Nymet260 slowly walked back to his office to finish some paper work for the day when he heard hans in the next room over shouting

"Commander! We finally patched through to high command, i'v got good news, we got fighters inbound tomorrow!"
Nymet260 finally felt at ease for once.


Day 8 of battle

Massive noise was heard everywhere, grogy Nymet260 awakens from his sleep unsure what the heck is going on. A bit dazed he felt grabbed by someone he didnt know who yet but whoever it was he was shouting at him. Finally after getting his bearings he realized Han's is trying to tell them that an unexpected early morning bombing run is being made and that once again our He-111 pilots are in the sky as we speak but its not looking good for us at all he exclaimed

"So where the hell is the ME-109's we were promised?" Nymet260 questioned
All Han's could do was shrug

Aboard a He-111 called "Lucky" the pilot looks head on at the massive wave of B17's and Faireys "Damn, how many planes do these guys got?!? At this rate we will be down to nothing!"

The first passes go on, several He-111's are being damaged some are shot down. the pilot on Lucky exclaimed "Damn they sure know how to make bombers they B17's dont go down no matter how many bullets we pelt em with!"

As the battle progressed the He-111's even though more experienced couldn't take the damage toll much longer. The He-111 "Lucky" at this point in the battle was badly damaged, the tail rudder was damaged making maneuvers near difficult. He noticed a B17 ready to make a final pass to shoot him down when in the corner of his eye he saw something as if his prayers were heard...

A Me-109 squadron fast approaching to aid the failing He-111's

A radio crew on the ground got an amazing message and immediately reported it to Nymet260 "They are here! They are here!" He shouted, Nymet260 could only smile, "Its time to take back the skies!"

As the battle finally died down, the enemy took substantial loses, all thanks to the newly arrived Me-109 squadron. As the planes touched down the leader of the Me-109 squadron captain Richtofen came up to Nymet260

"Sorry about being late there, there was a pretty big mix up at high command. I dont know how they messed it up but they sure as heck messed it up"

Nymet260 could only smile and reply "It matters no more, let us drink for victory is soon within our grasp!"

-Meanwhile back at allied command near Paris!-

In the dimly lit dark room, the general sits talking on the phone, an officer enters the room. "Yes I-... Yes, yes, of course I will surely attend for the great victories of Montgomery" The general gestures to the officer to wait. "I agree, a great victory, for all of us. Indeed, well good bye" He hangs up the phone.

"General, our operations have been impeded, and worse, it appears they now have fighters sweeping the area"

The general leans a bit forward, but still his face covered by the darkness of the room "

"Continue to proceed with the bombing campaign, if the opportunity presents its self, destroy their planes while they are sitting ducks on the ground"
"But sir, the figh-"

The general slams his hands onto the desk, "I said, continue the operations!"
The officer said nothing more, and left the room. Once the door was closed the general picks up the phone and continues to talk as his leans back in his chair, back into the darkness of the room.

[nymet260]

IV. Calm before the Storm

Day 9 of battle

In the officers club Nymet260 and Richthofen were having a drink. He askes Nymet260 about who is commanding the allied air operations before Nymet260 could say anything Han's jumps up behind Nymet260 scaring him to death!

"The "Devil" put George Hammond in charge of their field air operations, the guy is crazy and a proud bastard thinking everyone else one is a low life" Hans explained. "And where did you ge-" Nymet260 was cut off by Han's before he could ask his question. Hans simply said he had "sources". Hans then soon left the room after sipping a bit of Nymet260's drink.

Richthofen chuckled "You two are almost like brothers, its almost kind of nice to see"
"Yea me and Hans go a long way back. Gosh its nea-"

The air alarms go off in a fury, Richthofen looks up and says "Its show time..." He jumps up and runs out of the building towards the air field. Nymet260 calmly looks down at his drink then gulps it in one shot then leaves the room slowly.

Richthofen radios in "looks like they are getting more serious, we got 3 waves of B17's in bound, we are gonna get hit pretty good but we will try our best." Not long ago Richthofen and his ME109's took flight he was followed by some left over Stuka's. The battle was ferocious, the B17's resisted heavily, an entire squad went down however our Stuka squad couldn't withstand the massive amounts of B17 gunners and most of them went down in flames trying to shoot the B17's down

A B-17 Being downed by Richthofen and his boys

The day ends, we mourn the losses of our pilots but we must continue on. It appears the allied effort is either getting more vicious or perhaps they are losing power rapidly! These are the only thoughts racing through Nymet260's mind.


Day 11 of battle

"It seems as if allied bombing efforts are waning, we should soon take the time to assault the 101st on the ground, where we cannot be matched!" Hans exclaimed, yet Nymet260 expression didnt change. Nymet260 softly spoke about how he still wants to make sure the allied air power is done and left completely before assaulting on the ground

"They have a nearly unlimited number of planes they will nev-" Once more the air alarm goes off. Hans sneers "Jeez how many planes are these guys willing to lose?!"

"This is Richthofen, looks like they are getting more serious now, we got B-24 in visual sight, attempting to engage!" the radio boomed.

The battle went highly in our favor, an entire B17 squad went down and we managed to heavily damaged another B17 squad along with the B24's with minimal losses for us.

Once again back on the ground Nymet260, Hans and Richthofen rejoice their largely successful victory at the officers club. Nymet260 raises his glass of beer and says "To Richthofen and his ace pilots!" everyone in the room raises their glass an yell "To Richthofen!"


Day 13 of battle

Nymet260 takes the time to inspect his tank forces mid-day, Hans is accompanying him. "Soon, Hans these baby's will be rolling all over the allied positions and the battle will be ours!" Hans joyfully agreed. As Nymet260 continued his inspection he heard the roar of not heavy engines but light ones in the sky "Hans whats that? I thought Richthofen wasn't doing any exercise maneuvers today?" Hans looks up "He isnt... Oh god!" Nymet260 felt frozen at what he saw in the far distance, he now understood what that sound was, he raced over to the airfield as quickly as he could.

When Nymet260 got there he was already seeing Richthofen getting into his plane along with other pilots in their fighters to accompany him.
"Richthofen! Get out! There are too many of them we cant win!" Richthofen doesnt budge as he makes his last preparations. Before he closes the canopy he yells back "Ill be damned if I didnt try!" Nymet260 tried a final attempt to persaude him how suicidal it was, but he didnt not listen and took off anyways.

Massive amounts of air carnage occurred that day. The buzz of fighters engaging overhead continued on for what seemed like hours. Everyone manned any small arms they could and assist in downing aircraft during the entire course of the battle. Eventually some of the Fighters broke through and strafed some of the air hangers damaged some of the aircraft but not critically Finally as dusk began to set it, the enemy spitfire's finally turned tails to go back home... Richthofen did not return that day...

Somewhere far off just outside of St.Vith an air commander is looking out his tent when an assistant behind him on the radio exclaimed something. "Commander Hammond, your plan worked ingeniously, im glad to report all enemy fighters that we engaged were destroyed, and we managed to damage some on the ground." Hammond turns around and takes his pipe out of his mouth "I knew it would work flawlessly you buffoon! You didn't need to tell me that! Starting tomorrow I want another run on those hangers, I want nothing flying anymore you hear me!" The assistant slowly acknowledges Hammond and continues to work, Hammond looks back outside his tent thinking to himself of all the glory and medals he will surely earn for his great victory at St.Vith!