Prummern 2

Prummern 2

Attack on the town and German counter-attack

 This tabletop game that follows directly on from my last with the US troops of the 334^th Infantry attempting to seize Prummern: https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2025/04/prummern-november-1944.html 

I decided to expand the game to include the 9^th Panzer division counter-attack on November 19^th.

History

By mid-morning on November 18, the bunker line in front of the town had been cleared and the hamlet of Loherhof was also firmly in Allied hands. 2^nd Battalion of the 334^th US infantry was in position to move against Hill 101, so everything seemed to be going well.

However aerial observation had spotted a large column (estimated at 4-5,000 men) with tanks and other vehicles coming from Heinsberg, just 8 miles to the north and a counter-attack seemed likely. So Brigadier-General Bolling ordered the seizure of Prummern to go ahead as soon as possible.

The task was given to 1^st Battalion 334^th supported by tanks of “A” Squadron Sherman Rangers Yeomanry (later relieved by “C" Squadron) and Crocodile flame-throwers of 141^st RAC.

Meanwhile 2^nd Battalion 334^th was to dig-in on Hill 101 and around Loherhof to protect the flank of the advance. Tanks from “B” Squadron SRY were to support this defence and assisted the US infantry by volunteering to tow forward the battalions AT guns so they could be emplaced, as the guns own towing vehicles could not move in the cloying muddy conditions! It is noted that this both surprised and delighted the Major Eleazer acting commander of 2^nd battalion who praised the British tankers cooperation. At nightfall the “B” Squadron withdrew to refuel and re-arm, but returned at dawn to resume the general attack.

 The attack on Prummern itself was a tough fight with many entrenchments and each house defended, but by evening most of it was in American hands. “C” Squadron moved up to allow “A” Squadron to withdraw to re-arm & re-fuel. In the early hours of November 19 following a brief artillery barrage infantry from Panzer Grenadier Regiment-10 and several tanks from Panzer Regiment-33, both from 9^th Panzer Division launched an attack against the defenders of Prummern!  

 The game

For a better overview please refer back to my last game based on the November 18 attack on Prummern, the game ended with the Allies holding one half of the table and the Germans still holding Prummern. So this is where this game will start and I re-set my table with Loherhof becoming the jump-off point at one end and leaving more table north of Prummern for the later German counter-attack.

The first half of the game is 1^st Battalion US 334^th Infantry supported by British armour`s attack to capture Prummern. Then once the Germans have been driven out, 1<sup>st</sup> Battalion, now supported by “C” Squadron SRY must defend against 9<sup>th</sup> Panzer`s counter-attack.

 Allies

1^st Battalion 334^th Infantry commanded by Lt. Col. Lloyd H. Gomes

“A” company has taken about a platoons worth of casualties, so “B” & “C” companies will lead the assault

Due to the thick mud only battalion mortars and MMGs have managed to be brought up to the line, the 57mm AT guns have been left behind.

“A” Squadron Sherman Rangers Yeomanry

Crocodile Flame-thrower (141^st RAC)

M10 tank destroyer (“B” company 638^th Tank Destroyer Battalion)

Support

Battery B 326^th US Field Artillery - 105mm howitzers

German defenders

Elements of 183rd Volksgrenadier Division (Oberst Hampfuer)

About 4 platoons plus some support weapons

Support

Battery, II battalion, Panzer Artillery Regiment 102 (105mm)

 Special scenario rules

Mines – there were mines scattered all over, tanks must roll 1D6 each move a 1 results in them hitting a mine (usual dice for effect)

 German ammunition shortages – each time German mortars or artillery fire they must roll 1D6 on a 1 all ammunition is exhausted!

 Table

Looking toward Prummern

B & C companies with armour ready to move off

2^nd battalion dug-in against any potential German counter attacks around Loherhof and Hill 101

In Prummern the remains of 183^rd VG await the storm

The extra bit of table beyond Prummern

1^st Battalion 334th Infantry`s Attack on Prummern

Turn 1 – US artillery zero on the church, causing some German casualties including the sniper in the spire

German artillery and mortars respond

Turn 2 once again the US artillery brackets the church causing more German casualties, one Sherman trips a mine, but luckily survives (maybe the mine was a dud?)

The German reply is ineffective

Turn 3 The US artillery shifts its barrage a bit further into town, once again inflicting random casualties among the defenders

German artillery and mortars continue their ineffective counter fire, but two forward German MG nests open up on the advancing infantry causing casualties. Unfortunately both nests are spotted and targeted by British tankers, the first burnt to cinders by the Crocodile, the second in the churchyard blown to bits by Sherman guns!

Turn 4 further US artillery strikes the town, US infantry from “B” &”C” companies move to engage outlying enemy positions covered by the tanks. The Churchill Crocodile breaks into the orchard and unleashes another burst of flame engulfing a group of fleeing Germans including the FOO from Panzer Artillery Regiment 102 effectively removing their off board fire from the German arsenal!

Unfortunately for the Churchill it has exposed its flank to a concealed Panzershreck team who planted a rocket into the flame spouting monster and knocked it out

Turn 5 more US artillery smashes into Prummern causing more casualties and a morale check among the defenders around the church.

The Shermans supporting the infantry engage German positions as they appear, the Panzershreck team who just knocked out the Churchill are machine gunned, another MG nest is wiped out by cannon fire

Turn 6 US artillery brackets and wipes out the `88

Another MG nest bites the dust curtesy of Sherman cannon fire

It isn`t all going the Allies way – two platoons from “C” company have to make morale checks due to casualties and a brave German officer plants a panzerfaust rocket into a Sherman which blows up!

Turns 7-10 The American infantry take several turns to clear buildings, supported by the British tanks, though these act more in support than leading the charge since what happened to their mates.

German defence is stubborn, but whenever they appear to be holding a tank will pitch and clear the way.

Turn 11 German morale finally cracks. Those at the northern edge of the town flee, others with nowhere to run simply surrender.

American 1^st Battalion HQ group at the church

German night attack

At about 3am on November 19^th tank engines are heard approaching Prummern from the north and this is the prelude to a German thrust by elements of 9^th Panzer to re-take the town.

Allies

1^st battalion 334^th Infantry (less casualties)

“C” Squadron SRY

 Support

Battery B 326^th US Field Artillery - 105mm howitzers

 German attackers

Elements of 9^th Panzer Division

Elements Panzer Regiment-33

2 Kompanies of Panzer Grenadier Regiment-10

Support

Battery, II battalion, Panzer Artillery Regiment 102 (105mm)

 Special rules

 Mines – the US battalion commander has had his men us German mines to mine the road into town

 Monty`s Moonlight – searchlights bouncing light off the low cloud negates much of the darkness

 M10 tank destroyer – if this survived the attacked on Prummern, it can be added to the defenders

The attack

1^st battalion organised their defence with “B” company dug-in on the right half, “C” company on the left and “A” company in reserve. Battalion HQ set up in the church with battalion support weapons mortars positioned central and the MMGs parcelled out among “B” & “C” companies. FOO for the 326^th Field artillery took up position in the church spire. The tanks of “C” Squadron SRY positioned themselves covering all approaches (as they did historically), the M10 was positioned on the far right flank.

The game opened with 3 turns of random 105mm fire from 2 batteries of Panzer Artillery Regiment 102. This artillery caused considerable casualties among B & C companies – C company in particular was badly hit.   

The Germans arrive

Turn 1 The US FOO fails to contact his guns, the Germans advance

Turn 2 the lead Panther is hit by the Firefly`s 17pdr, a 75mm from another Sherman and a 76mm from the M10!

The US FOO connects with his battery and bracket the flanking infantry company, 1st battalion`s mortars join in also!

On the German left, the infantry began to take casualties from C company, the German LMG teams return fire causing casualties, the Panzer IV blasts one house

Turn 3 In the centre the Panzer IV pushes past the burning Panther and takes hit from the M10

The US artillery and battalion mortars once again bracket the supporting infantry company causing more casualties and a morale check!

On the German left a combination of the Panzer IV and LMG teams cause enough casualties to make the US “C” company also make a morale check!

Turn 4 The Germans in the centre badly fail their morale check and break, another US artillery stonk speeds them on their way!

On the left the Panzer IV moves forward machine gunning fleeing GIs, the accompanying infantry begin clearing houses.

Turn 5 The Panzer IV comes face to face with a Sherman, they exchange fire. The Panzer receives light damage, the Sherman burns!

Seeing the collapse of “C” company, “A” companies CO acts and moves forward to stop the rout

Turn 6 “A” company stabilize the situation and stall the German infantry, the Firefly moves from the town square to deal with the damaged Panzer.

Turn 7 The Panzer is toast! “A” company and what was left of “C” company start a counter-attack to drive back the German infantry.

Turns 8-9 see the Germans driven out of Prummern  

History

The German tanks advanced towards the town, two were hit whilst a third struck one of the mines laid on the road. The German infantry proved a tougher challenge and infiltrated the northern part of the town and had to be cleared out the following morning! 

 

 

Prummern, November 1944

Prummern

November 18 1944

This is my attempt at creating a tabletop game base on the US/British attack to seize Prummern in November 1944. In writing this I am not in any way criticising or making any negative statements aimed at other scenarios published about this action – please don`t take offence as none was intended.

History

Prummern the first phase of Operation Clipper, the British attempt to close off the German salient around Geilenkirchen.

Geilenkirchen is situated on the Wurm River, some 20 km (12 mi) north of Aachen. The surrounding area is undulating, alternating between woodland, farmland and industrial villages. The area was crossed by a network of passable minor roads, some major roads and a railway line. The Wurm is the major geographic feature, the salient was a German position on the Siegfried Line (Westwall) at the boundary between the British Second Army and the American 9^th Army. It restricted the movement of Allied forces and was a potential threat.

Due to a critical lack of manpower, it was agreed that the US 84^th Infantry Division (Major General Alexander R. Bolling) would be attached to XXX Corps to assist in the operation. Placing the Americans under British command avoided any problems arising from a divided command. The plan called for the 334^th Infantry Regiment to pass through the troops manning the frontline, advance north-east 2 miles (3.2 km) and take Prummern and the surrounding high ground, east of Geilenkirchen, they would be supported in the attack by British armour.

At 06:00, before dawn, on 18 November, giant searchlights - canal defence lights of the 357th Searchlight Battery, Royal Artillery provided hazy indirect light by bouncing the lights off low cloud (often referred to as Monty`s Moonlight) for the mine-clearing flail tanks from “A” Troop 1^st Lothian and Borders Yeomanry supporting the infantry. These tanks moved toward the German mine field between Geilenkirchen and Immendorf, but, on the wet ground, mud lessened the flails′ effectiveness and so US engineers followed with mine detectors.

After a brief artillery bombardment, the US 334^th Infantry Regiment commanded by Colonel John H. Roosma; advanced through the cleared strips at 07:00 and easily secured the high ground east of Geilenkirchen. When the attack resumed, supported by British Sherman tanks from the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, there was steady progress and the regiment's objectives were achieved by late afternoon.

The 334^th and their supporting armour faced elements of the German 183rd Volksgrenadier Division commanded by Generalleutnant Wolfgang Lange which had been fighting in a purely defensive role around Geilenkirchen since mid-September. Being pushed steadily back into the fortifications of the Westwall, during which time they had also been methodically ordered to launch futile counter-attacks with their already depleted resources to try and recapture lost ground. Attached to the division was XVI Landwehr Fortress Machinegun Battalion who`s men manned the bunkers.

My table

Loherhof farm and flanking bunkers

Hill 101

Prummern

Allied forces

US 334^th Regiment (84^th Infantry Division) commanded by Colonel John H. Roosma

1^st battalion commanded by Lt. Col. Lloyd H. Gomes

With:

Battalion HQ (includes FOOs for artillery support)

3 infantry companies with:

3 x 10-man platoons + support weapons coy (.30cal, 60mm mortar, bazooka)

Close up of a company support company

Battalion support weapons coy with:

81mm mortar battery, .30cal MMG platoon, AT (57mm guns) platoon

Photo includes a composite battalion HQ group

 2^nd battalion (as above) commanded by Lt. Col. James H. Drum (wounded around 10.30am) commanded passed to Major Eleazer (Battalion Exec)

Attachments

“A” & “B” squadrons Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry

Please ignore the Free French decals

“Drewforce” 79^th Armoured Division with:

Sherman Crab (Flail tanks) from “A” Troop 1^st Lothian and Borders Yeomanry

Churchill Crocodile (flamethrowers) from 141^st RAC

AVREs of 617^th Assault Squadron RE (see scenario notes)

 Elements of “B” company 638^th Tank Destroyer Battalion (see notes)

Free French M10 pretending to be an American M18

 Battery B 326^th US Field Artillery

105mm howitzers

121^st Medium Battery RA

5.5” howitzers

German Defenders

1 weak company of XVI Landwehr Fortress Machinegun Battalion manning first line of bunkers with:

2 x 12 man platoons (LMG, Panzerfaust)

Battalion 183rd Volksgrenadier Division (Oberst Hampfuer) with:

HQ: CO, 2IC, FOO team (Panzer Artillery 106), 2 RTO, 2 officers, NCO, 6 runners, Panzershreck team, sniper, medical unit

3 rifle companies each with: 4-man HQ, 3 x 9-man platoons (LMG, Panzerfaust)

Support Coy: 2 x MMG, 2 x 81mm mortars, panzershreck team

Attached

1 x Pak40, 1 x `88

Battery, II battalion, Panzer Artillery Regiment 102 (105mm)

Reinforcements arrive by truck by either northern road after turn 15

2^nd Company Panzergrenadier Regiment 10, 9^th Panzer Division with:

Coy HQ (CO, NCO, RTO, 2 runners)

2 infantry platoons – 10 men each (LMG, Panzerfaust)

1 reduced infantry platoon – 5 men + MMG team 

Scenario special rules

 AVRE`s whilst noted in accounts of the actions around Geilenkirchen I`ve not read of them actually being involved at Prummern so haven`t included them in my game.

 638^th Tank Destroyer Battalion were equipped with M18 Hellcats, I don`t own one so have substituted an M10 for my game

 Mud – the ground is totally waterlogged with areas of deep mud – tanks move off road at half speed due to this!

Tanks moving off road must roll every move to avoid becoming bogged down: 1-2 on D6 results in a stoppage, the next turn a further roll is required to free the tank (5-6 required), but if a further “1” is rolled the tank is lost and permanently trapped!

Wheeled vehicles cannot move off road!

Unmarked minefields – mines and booby-traps appear to have been scattered about without plan. The German defender can place 2 off 4 x 6” mixed low density fields and 3 off fake fields anywhere between the railway and Prummern.

Bunkers can hold up to 6 men and are virtually impervious to all attacks, but defenders cannot return fire if “buttoned up”

Loherhof farm has been fortified as part of the forward line of resistance and buildings provide hard cover with overhead protection

Hill 101 has been partially fortified with trenches (some with overhead protection) and barbed wire

 Sources

Forgotten Battles: The West Wall by Peter Heath ISBN978-7399954-3-0

Rapid Fire! Brothers in Armour by Colin Rumford & Richard Marsh (Valiant Miniatures Ltd)

Brothers in Arms by James Holland ISBN 978-0-5521-7791-7

The Battle for Geilenkirchen by Ken Ford ISBN 0-7153-9208-5

 Web pages:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Clipper

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/operation-clipper-fight-geilenkirchen

https://tankdestroyer.net/images/stories/ArticlePDFs2/638th_History_Complete_-_Reduced_OCR.pdf

Pages 27-31 cover the fighting around Geilenkirken

https://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4013coll8/id/3605/

Pages 2 &3 give brief accounts of the daily AAR from the 638^th TD battalion during the Geilenkirken fighting

 The Game

 The game starts when the Sherman Crabs of the Lothian and Borders Yeomanry finally clear a path through the minefield. They lost several tanks which became bogged down and the heavy mud lessened the effectiveness of the flails so US Army engineers followed and assisted clearing the lanes with metal detectors and lifting mines by hand.

I decided one Crab would lead each column of Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry until they reached the railway line. “A” troop had to cross the entire width of the table behind the embankment (as they did historically) due to their lane becoming so swampy it became impassable.

Turns 2-3 saw the British tanks advance, “A” troop saw what became a regular occurrence with tanks getting stuck, then freeing themselves the next turn – this slowed everything down to a snails pace. “B” troop reached the railway line backed up by “E” company of the the US 2^nd battalion

Turns 4-6 “B” troop plastered the bunker in front of them and “E” company moved forward under their protective fire, they did lose a few men to accurate German artillery fire. “A” troop struggled along behind the embankment, each and every turn saw at least one tank stopped in the heavy mud until finally on turn 6 the lead tank found itself totally immobilized after two consecutive 1 were rolled!!

Turn 7 The bunker in front of “B” troop surrenders, but of course there is another across the road, so they move to engage it! “A” troop and the Crab engage the first bunker on their side of the table with cannon fire whilst "A" company of the US 1st battalion moves forward.

Turn 8 “B” troop and “E” company move to engage the second bunker, pouring fire into it to keep the defenders heads down and buttoned up.

One of the “A” troop tanks supporting “A” company on the other side of the table has a lucky escape when a nervous German misses him with a Panzerfaust at point blank range!

Turn 9 retaliation by the “A” troop tank is swift

Supporting infantry from “A” company storm the building and kill or capture all remaining defenders.

On the other side of the table a “B” troop tank is knocked out by a Pak40 concealed in Loherhof farm

But fire from the other tanks and “E” companies support platoon have finally silenced the bunker.

Turn 10 “A” troop and “A” company silence their bunker, but the infantry come under fire from Loherhof farm

Both “B” troop tanks fire on the Pak 40 (after it hits but fails to penetrate the Firefly) and wipe out the nasty threat

Turn 11 “A” troop and “A” company prepare assault Loherhof farm, both US battalion HQs call for artillery onto Hill 101.

The effects of batteries for 105mm and 5.5” artillery was quite profound

Turn 12 “A” troop shelled Loherhof whilst “A” company moved into the assault

The Firefly of “B” troop together with combined artillery, 81mm and 60mm mortar fire pounded Hill 101 to devastating effect, the Germans could only reply with mortar fire (unobserved and inaccurate)

Turn 13 Half of “B” troop pitches into Loherhof,

On the other side of the farm complex “A” company get a nasty surprise from yet another bunker, luckily a tank for “A” troop is there to try and supress it. Whilst the company launches its attack

Turn 14 “E” company of 2^nd battalion has taken quite a few accumulative casualties (including the company CO) and fails its morale, luckily “F” company has arrived and takes over the attack on Hill 101 – where accumulative casualties have broken the defending German company who abandon the hill.

A Sherman from “A” troop breaks into Loherhof a panicked defender misses it with a point blank Panzerfaust shot (luck was with the British tankers today), US infantry also storm the compound

Turn 15 “A” troop move to suppress the next bunker, “A” company clear the remaining buildings of Loherhof.

British tanks and “F” company move up onto Hill 101

Turn 16 German reinforcements arrive from the north

This seemed like a good place to end. The Allies have control of the high ground over-looking Geilenkirchen which was the objective of this operation. Yes the didn`t have Prummern, but the Germans only have a couple of infantry companies and virtually no heavy weapons left.