The Strategy Game Studio SGS – Battle of the Bulge

SGS Battle of the Bulge is a game simulating the great World War II battle fought between the German army and the Allied forces – mainly American – in the months of December 1944 to January 1945.

Scale

Game units are represented at regimental or equivalent level (brigade, group, Combat Command…), with some variations according to country and troop type. Command units are at corps level, and there are also a number of specialized battalions (heavy armor, reconnaissance, engineers, etc.), garrison and defense units. Air forces, essentially fighters and fighter-bombers (operating directly on the battlefield, while bombers generally operate at much greater depth), are represented on the scale of the British Wing, the American Group or the German squadron (Geschwader), with a variable number of aircraft ranging from 50 to 150.

It should be noted that, in the spirit of the game, a unit engaged on the map never represents the totality of its forces, but simulates a series of missions and sorties in a given zone. Similarly, ground units never actually attack “en bloc” on the ground, but more often than not via one or more local sub-groups deploying combined assets and support elements.

Balance

Neither side is favored, and both have solid forces and are equally interesting to play, albeit at a different tempo.

The German player has most of his trump cards in hand at the start of the battle, and some, like his heavy armor, are particularly powerful. He also has a few surprises in store as the game progresses, and must make the most of them to outflank the American forces whenever possible, or find himself pinned down and outflanked with deadly threats on his flanks.

The Allied player is rather weak at the start, but can afford to give ground and can be sure of numerous reinforcements in the future, as well as powerful air support as soon as the (more or less random) good weather returns. However, the Luftwaffe, although outclassed, still represents a threat not to be overlooked. Similarly, certain communication nodes whose collapse would be too advantageous to the Germans, and which would be difficult and costly to recapture, must be defended with the utmost energy. They could be the key to the whole battle. Who said Bastogne?

It covers the great German counter-offensive “Wacht am Rhein” (Guard on the Rhine), later renamed Herbstnebel (“Autumn Mist”), which began on December 16, as well as the Allied counter-offensive which began around Christmas and continued throughout January.

As the German player, you have at your disposal the 5th and 6th Panzer armies, as well as the 7th Army, i.e. over twenty divisions, reinforced to the maximum of the German war economy and human reserves at the time. Your objective is to launch a vast surprise offensive, breaking through the thin American defensive lines in the Ardennes to seize key positions along the Meuse as quickly as possible, destroying as many Allied forces as possible before your meagre supply stocks run out. A real race against time! Such a result would already represent a major feat, destabilizing Allied plans in the West for several months to come. The final phase of Hitler’s plan to capture the port of Antwerp appears totally unrealistic and is not represented in the game. Only the forces actually engaged in the battle are represented. The 15th Army covering the German right wing, as well as the American and British forces deployed in Holland and in the Aachen sector being represented only in the abstract.

As an Allied player, your initial forces are meagre (essentially the four divisions of VIII Corps of General Bradley’s 1st Army scattered over a 120-kilometer front), but reinforcements will soon arrive from everywhere, notably Patton’s 3rd Army and the reinforced British XXX Corps sent by Montgomery. You must resist the initial German onslaught and delay its advance as long as possible while you gather your ground and air forces. Then you can move on to the counter-attack. The final objective of the campaign is to recapture all the lost ground and return to the initial situation, or even, if possible, to drive a wedge into the fortified line of the Westwall defending the Reich’s western borders to achieve a major victory.

The scenarios

The heart of the game is represented by the complete “Battle for the Bulge” campaign, which, on the scale of one day per turn, is spread over 45 turns, from December 16, 1944 to January 30, 1945, with turn 0 representing the night of the 15th to the 16th, allowing certain operational decisions to be taken and simulating the surprise effect of the German offensive. Other scenarios are already planned to vary situations and game times. Some will be implemented directly on release, others in future free updates. These include :

Wacht am Rhein: free alternative campaign (45 turns), with freer placement of initial forces and the absence of the initiative gauge. For a wargamer’s challenge stripped of certain special rules and allowing for a wide variety of situations.
The Siegfried Line: 2nd phase of the Battle of the Bulge (30 turns). This campaign scenario covers the Allied counter-offensive in January to regain lost ground up to the Westwall defenses, nicknamed the “Siegfried Line” since 1939.
Herbstnebel: shortened campaign (16 turns) covering the German offensive phase only (December 16-31). In reality, this phase ends when the German “momentum”, represented in the game by an initiative gauge, is broken (historically around December 25, 1944, i.e. around ten game turns).
Objective Liège: short scenario (10 turns) centered on the 6th Panzer Army’s sole offensive on Monschau and the Elsenborn heights, as well as the failed breakthrough attempt by Kampfgruppe Peiper (responsible for several massacres of American prisoners and Belgian civilians, notably at Baugnez and La Gleize) on the Amblève river.
Nuts! The Siege of Bastogne (8 turns): scenario covering General McAuliffe’s resistance around the town of Bastogne, encircled by three German divisions, until the position was cleared by the arrival of Patton’s armored troops (December 20-27).

Estimated playing time

From 1 or 2 hours for the shortest scenarios, much more for the longest campaign, if the player takes the time to observe the situation, plan his operations properly and articulate his forces (stacking rules, in particular, can cause severe and unexpected bottlenecks, and thus prevent your best units from fighting as you had planned, for lack of space to do so. Conversely, a neglected “hole” in your front line can have disastrous consequences. In short, simple “counter-pushing” is particularly inadvisable if you hope to win, on either side.)