Situation North and East of Bastogne at the end of turn 5 (click to enlarge)

Turn 5 marked the end of the first half of the game, with the peek planned withdrawal of German units and with the arrival of most of the remaining reinforcements. So, at the end of this turn – and with only minor changes coming in turn 6, the units deployed in the field would remain mostly the same until the end of the game.

The American turn was mainly focused on plugging the hole in Victory Route B between Neffe and Bastogne, on consolidating the position SE of Bastogne, trying to give up a fight in Bastogne, and deploying units along the Western part of Victory Route C.

But the artillery hegemony was for now silenced, and most of these goals failed to hold past the German turn.

His turn started with the withdrawal of KG Coch and KG v. Fallois, earning the German player one VP (added to more two for being at Bastogne) for the first, but clearing a significant number off units and triggering the need to replace the presence in Bastogne.

New reinforcements entering North were split in two, reinforcing the Northern tip of the front East of Bastogne and trying to put more strength in the North-South movement of the German units, and the other half threatening American units in the Northern field around Bastogne.

Reinforcements entering East, some good attacking units, were deployed to start cleaning up the East end of Victory Route C of American units pockets that remained, wile replacements entering from the South, essentially low valued unites, were spread to try and hold crossroads and key points West and South of Bastogne.

By the end of the turn, as mentioned, most of the American objective faltered: the German position in Bastogne was still strong (consolidated in two hexes), the front line East of Bastogne was still pierced and the remaining positions along VR C were feeble.

Situation South of Bastogne and at Bastogne at the end of turn 5 (click to enlarge)

Situation East of Bastogne at the end of turn 4 (click to enlarge)

Turn 4 saw the American player further try to consolidate a front ranging from Noville to Neffe, fitted with tough 2-4 and 2-5 units, several of them stationed in woods. Together with this effort, and following the mistake in turn 3 that granted the German player the keys to Bastogne (earning him his first two victory points this turn from the fact), an American push was tried in the South-East of the village, by retrieving dispersed units and by focusing firepower.

The German player started its turn with the programmed removal of units from badly battered KG v. Bohm, earning him zero victory points. But heavy reinforcements were on the way, entering zones F, E and G. Reinforcements entering zone G, essentially KG Kunkel, where deployed to try and consolidate the positions at Bastogne and its surroundings, and to try to spread out along the several roads and tracks and make American terrain evolution harder (particularly the push coming from the South-East). Also, adding up to previously available units, to make a cluster of artillery South of Bastogne, in range and ready to pound into the city. Remaining reinforcements entering other zones were mostly artillery, that was massively deployed this turn along the front East of Bastogne, and used to try to help piercing it benefiting for the woods effect on the opposing units.

Situation at Bastogne at the end of turn 4 (click to enlarge)

The bet on artillery, using the newly arrived units, and a push in spending artillery points payed of for Germany. By the end of the turn the East of Bastogne Line was pierced, allowing exploitation capable units to progress behind the American line. Several American disorganized units could be found along the entire line, particularly at its extremes, in Bastogne and in the contingent of the South-East push.

Artillery points barely running out in the German side were accompanied by heavy casualties in the American side.

Apparently the German troops arrived at Bastogne to stay.

Situation at Bastogne at the end of turn 3 (click to enlarge). Germans severely disorganized, but still managing to secure hex 28.15 of Bastogne. Also notice the German control of the South of Bastogne routes.

Turn 3 was basically a heart pounding roller coaster.

The US player chose to reinforce the center of his front East of Bastogne, consolidating a line between Noville and Neffe and using the stream as a natural defense. Also, he tried to retreat the remaining units along Victory Route B back into his line.

He also pushed to consolidate a strong presence on the portion of Victory Route C East of Marvie and surroundings, in a strong effort to hold the East→West advance of the Germain troops.

But a terrible mistake was made. The US player positioning choice inadvertently ignored the Turn 3 reinforcements of the German player, and left the whole network of tracks in the South East end of the map up to the Bastogne-Remonfosse road clear of American troops. By the end of the Germain Road March, Kampfgruppe von Fallois (that had entered play as a reinforcement through Entry Area F) was at the gates of Bastogne, with limited opposition and with units positioned securing a clean route for future reinforcements.

Being caught off-hand, the US player tried to minimize the damages with a massive barrage, that left him with but a few artillery points, but the mistake was consummated, and by the end of the German turn Bastogne was broken into.
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Situation at the end of turn 2 (click to enlarge)

Turned 2 marked the massive deployment of the US units, building some defense lines essentially North of Bastogne.

Major deployments were made securing the Longchamps-Bastogne road, the Noville-Bastogne road – with particular emphasis on occupying and holding the woods barrier east of the road -, and some scattered units were set nearby Bastogne, particularly in the East, West and North.

US units that started the game deep into the front up to Longvilly started retreating and occupying key points along the way to hold the German advance along Victory Route B, namely the crossroad village of Mageret and the crossroad village next to a stream of Neffe.

As for the German turn, it started with the deployment of Kampfgruppe Coch. Basically most of the panzer and other high attack value exploitation capable units were split into two spearheads: one aiming at taking Noville, and a larger one aimed at clearing enemy units along Victory Road B and pressing at the center of the enemy front. The rest of the units took the back and scatered along the Bourcy-Bastogne railroad and along the stream shore between Benonchamps and Mageret.

The powerful units along Victory Road B, along with some artillery support, managed to clear most of the units up to the vicinities of Mageret, amassing a substantial number of enemy casualties and using the exploitation capabilities to position for an impeding attack on Megeret, for now held by a meager engineering company and some arty units.

Only a flimsy (that will prove to be fierce) SNAFU company managed to stay in and hold Longvilly in the Germain back, aided by the difficult terrain combination of village and stream (doubling defense and halving attack).

Advance near Noville was not so successful, and for now the turn ended in attrition in and around the city.