The Attempt to Relieve Peiper

During the German Ardennes offensive, Colonel Peiper’s kampfgruppe from the 1st SS Panzer Division had quick victories which had taken them close to the Meuse River bridges but they had completely run out of fuel. The remaining assault elements of the SS Panzer Division launched an attack to reach Peiper’s …

1944-12-21

194

T11

During the German Ardennes offensive, Colonel Peiper’s kampfgruppe from the 1st SS Panzer Division had quick victories which had taken them close to the Meuse River bridges but they had completely run out of fuel. The remaining assault elements of the SS Panzer Division launched an attack to reach Peiper’s stalled kampfgruppe. The main German thrust came at a point south of Trois Ponts on the Salm River. There, a company of the 82nd Airborne Division had established a small bridgehead on the cliffs across the river.

Trois Ponts, Belgium

The Battle of Elsenborn Ridge refers to the northernmost German attacks during the Battle of the Bulge; the area from Elsenborn Ridge itself to Monschau was the only sector of the American front line attacked during the Battle of the Bulge where the Germans failed to advance. The battle centered on the boomerang-shaped Elsenborn Ridge east of Elsenborn, Belgium. In this region, Elsenborn Ridge marks the westernmost ridge of the Ardennes, rising more than 2,000 feet (600 m) above sea level; unlike the uplands further north, east and south, it has been extensively logged. West of Elsenborn Ridge, where the land descends in gentle hills to the cities of Liège and Spa, was a network of Allied supply bases and a well-developed road network. The Germans planned on using two key routes through the area to seize Antwerp and force a separate peace with the United States and Britain. Capturing Monschau, the nearby village of Höfen, and the twin villages of Rocherath-Krinkelt just east of Elsenborn Ridge, were key to the success of the German plans, and Hitler committed his best armored units to the area.

German

American

Scenario Type = Standard