Scenario 24 Action at Balberkamp
Scott B
ACTION AT BALBERKAMP
SCENARIO 24, CRESCENDO OF DOOM
AFTER ACTION REPORT
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
German industry was heavily dependent on the import of iron ore from the northern Swedish mining district, and much of that ore was shipped through the northern Norwegian port of Narvik during the winter months. Convinced of the threat posed by the Allies to the iron ore supply, Hitler ordered Operation Weserübung to secure it.
After the German operation failed to achieve a Norwegian surrender within four days, they then pushed northward from Oslo to establish their lines of communications. The Norwegians were blocking them but losing; ill-equipped for the task. Into this the British 148th Brigade was sent, understrength and equipment straggling behind. They assumed their position at Balberkamp, and came under heavy machine gun fire from a small flanking German ski patrol. On 22 April they joined the Norwegians in retreat to Tretten. There they met with disaster, a large number of troops and officers taken prisoner.
'A difficult job; in a strange land, in frost and snow, with dark, thick woods in all directions. It might be difficult enough for us—for them it was infinitely worse.'
-- Jenson, Colonel Jörgen on the British position: Krigen paa Hedmark
A month later Germany would invade France and secure the Lorraine mines rendering the invasion of Norway, and all of the 148th’s sacrifice, moot.
RESOURCES
“Action at Balberkamp.” CRESCENDO OF DOOM. Baltimore, MD: the Avalon Hill Game Company, 1980. https://storage.googleapis.com/archivesqlt/CAJ00024A.pdf
Balberkamp is also spelled as Balbergkamp.
Google map Balberkamp coordinates.
T.K. Derry. The Campaign in Norway. Page 105-http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Norway/UK-NWE-Norway-7.html
Ziemke, Earl. The German Northern Theater of Operations 1941-1945. Department of the Army Pamphlet No 20-271.
https://history.army.mil/html/books/104/104-23/CMH_Pub_104-23.pdf#page=79
Wikipedia. Norwegian campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_campaign#Campaign_in_eastern_Norway
Wikipedia. Operation Weserübung.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Weser%C3%BCbung
VICTORY CONDITIONS & SPECIAL SCENARIO RULES
The German player must trace a continuous road from the south edge to the north edge, neither occupied nor adjacent to any unbroken Norwegian or British squads.
Note the Germans enter from the south (top) of the boards.
The road bottle-necks at two locations, 4Q8 to 5Y10 and 4U8 to 4U3 and is a natural focal point for both sides.
INITIAL PLACEMENT AND GAME TURN ONE (top is south)
German comments
The initial Norwegian positions are in the road blocking the advance northward (to the bottom of the boards). They will have to be moved out of the way and destroyed. This has to be done quickly as delays will allow the reinforcing British to block the road further north. The general plan for the Germans would be to unmask the Norwegian positions, attack and encircle them. After they have been dealt with, the faster German units will press on to interfere with the British.
It was obvious that the Norwegian 37L ATG would either be in the center or right wing of their positions. The left wing would likely be where one of the HMGs would be. The solution had to be a quick strike by the mobile forces to the left. They are small but powerful. This attack would be a huge risk. A bold move by those mobile forces will be needed to achieve a quick collapse of the defense along the forest road. The infantry would be along shortly to follow up on the results. I decided to attack up close and take the risk.
Norwegian comments
The initial placement covers open ground to slow the German advance. The Norwegians will fall back toward board two. The Germans can form 16+ Fire Combats and we don’t intend to stick around for that.
The German’s bold use of his PZKW I forces a withdrawal and opens the way for the Germans. The Norwegians retreat with a malfunctioned HMG, leaving behind two broken 4-4-7s.
It is the dream of every SQUAD LEADER - armor adjacent to infantry in woods. The boldness of the Pzkw I placed him in jeopardy of immobilization. The squads need a four or less and newly introduced rule 119 allows the HMG to immobilize on a ‘4’ (‘5’ with the leader). The four squads have a 33% chance of immobilizing, assuming a PAAMC morale of 7 and a little better when the leader assists. The HMG with a leader has a 28% chance should the squads fail.
Of course, the dice goddess is the ultimate judge of one's assertiveness or fool heartedness and she sided with the Germans in this encounter. Just to be spiteful, she malfunctioned the HMG and immediately gave the Germans a few ‘4’s and ‘5’s that the Norweigens so desperately needed. Sometimes I wonder why I play this game.
GAME TURNS TWO THROUGH FIVE
German comments
The Germans have taken a lot of risk on the first turn and gotten away with it. On these next turns it is important to move as many of the infantry into the fight as possible. The Norwegians must be driven back off the forest road and surrounded in the woods. Good shooting leads to a collapse of the Norwegian defenses on the southern edge of the woods. The ATG unmasks itself to the far right and begins firing with no results. The Germans have to get behind them.
Norwegian comments
Someone is not going to be in the war for much longer.
The Norwegians fell back at a cost of six 4-4-7s (including two captured) and three 3-4-7s lost while making the German pay only one Scout and a few ticks of his watch. I can only hope the British arrive soon.
GAME TURN SIX
German Comments
To the South (top), the bulk of the German infantry had the Norwegians pocketed. They can not reach a blocking position in the village to the north. The Panzer I is assisting the infantry with the Norwegians. The Germans have them just where they want them and the only question will be how much it will cost to remove them from the board.
In the North, the Flanking Company enters the board first and heads for the Chateau. They will use the woods and orchards to cover their advance. The halftrack, squad and 9-1 leader take up position on the hill to interfere with any British moves. It turns out the British get to the board right after the Germans and move to block all the exit roads.
The German strategy now will be to prevent movement from east to west or back. Doing this will isolate the defenders on any one road. Once that is done, the Germans will need to mass on one set of defenders and eliminate them. They will have to protect the road between the hills on Board 2 as well. The Flanking Company is perfectly positioned to attack the western road. This will require that the Chateau be captured.
Allied Comments
The Norwegians (not shown) will be eliminated in the next turn or two and then the bulk of the German main force will move north (toward bottom).
The flanking Germans cut the road to the one road bottle-neck on board two so the British are left defending all three road-exit hexes. Let the Germans come to me, time is my ally. The best the British can hope for is a few entrenchments before they arrive.
GERMAN TURN SEVEN THROUGH TEN
German comments
The Flanking Company now centers on the Chateau and adjacent buildings. Off this map view, the Panzer I sets up hull down to harass the defenders on the second floor of the Chateau. The halftrack lands its infantry and moves to a hilltop firing position. Their job is to interfere with the eastern road defenders and prevent them from moving west. The rest of the Germans are moving as fast as they can along the road from the south after eliminating the Norwegians.
The Germans set up a killer stack upstairs in the two story building south of the Chateau. Then the 9-2 leader takes a platoon and advances through the orchards to the hedge. They risk it all in the face of withering fire from two British positions and survive (1 squad KIA, 1 squad broken). This is just the opportunity that the killer stack needs. They quickly break up the defenders they can reach in the Chateau. The 9-2 leader/squad return fire and break the British platoon in the adjacent building. Additionally, the Panzer I begins breaking other defenders on the Chateau’s second floor.
All of this clears the way for another platoon led by a 8-1 leader to rush into the ground floor of the Chateau. The 9-2 leader follows. They quickly organize into an assault up the staircases to clear the building.
With that, the road north is open. The boldness of the Germans won the day, but the risks taken were intense.
British comments
It is a big map board but only the chateau matters. If it falls, the British stand no chance of controlling the roads. The Germans are pretty good at breaking the British and keeping their morale desperate; only two good order British squad left in as many turns. The next fire phase there are none and with them goes any hope of an allied victory.
AFTERMATH
German comments
Like most asymmetrical force scenarios, one side must defeat the other within a timeframe. In this case, the Germans must fight the allies and the clock. A slow methodical assault will likely not be successful.
To accomplish this, the Germans must quickly eliminate the Norwegians. Then, they have to trust that the Flanking Company can get to the northern board quickly and check the British. Hopefully, the Germans in the south can finish their job and double quick march to British positions. There, the game will be decided.
If the British get to the board first with time, they can quickly move, reach and dig into a good position. It will take a lot more time to move them once that occurrs. The British target would be to block the road between the hills.
In this game, the Germans won the race. Sometimes it comes down to “getting there the firstest with the mostest” - N.B.F.
Allied comments
I am not disappointed with the Norwegians, they are not Finns. Their failure to immobilize the tank on turn one set the tone for the entire scenario. They withdrew slowly, with broken units routing off to irrelevance or capture. They did not hesitate to throw their bodies in the path of the advancing Germans, and that bravery has my respect.
Undoubtedly, this is how the British got their stiff upper lip. Ordered into an untenable position and exhausted from the march while their allies retreated to the rear. The game was already decided before they arrived on the board.
DESIGN FOR EFFECT WITH NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
The three nordic scenarios (22, 23 & 24) really show off the designers' use of national characteristics to tell the story of the early war period. They skillfully use this to emphasize a nation's abilities relative to a particular adversary, time frame and location. While the 4-4-7s and 4-6-7 remained constant throughout the series, they represented armies that saw drastic changes in training, organization, experience, morale, technology and environment during the course of the war. Don Greenwood is able to capture these differences through national characteristics and let the player feel the inability of the1939 Russians to defeat the numerically inferior Finns, or the efficient combat abilities of the professional wehrmacht that made them the best in Europe during 1940.
The first two in the trio are Finnish scenarios that give the player an over-valued opinion of nordic combat abilities against the disorganized, poorly-lead and poorly-trained Soviets of the 1939 Winter War. Greenwood deliberately overstates the abilities of the Finns (self-rally, moral, firepower, and ski mobility) so that a few can outperform the Russians. It feels like the Russians are weak, brittle and immobile, accurately reflecting the historical deficiencies in the Russian army during that period. The Russian player truly fears going into the woods, and is immobile and outmaneuvered by the ski mounted Sissi.
This overstated nordic opinion quickly tumbles when facing the capable 1940 Wehrmacht, with the representation of the Norwegians troubled logistics, hastily mobilized reserves and inferior equipment expressed in game terms as few leaders and support weapons, weaker squads and a broken morale of five. The Norwegian player might initially think his troops are up for the task. However, contact with the enemy’s higher firepower, longer range, better cadre and armor will quickly dispel any illusion. The most he can do is hope for the early arrival of the British reinforcements.
CRESCENDO OF DOOM’s close knit scenarios tell a story of the early war years more vividly than any narrative. Unlike prior gametes that were an unrelated jumble of locations, dates and actions, these follow the sequence of the events, taking the player on a staff ride of the early years in europe. Starting with Poland and the north, following Rommel through France and finishing in Greece right before Operation Barbarossa. Here the designer’s national characteristics work very well in emphasizing the combatants' relative strengths and weaknesses as the scenarios play through this period of the war. One could easily skip over them with their Pzkw Is and TKSs. However, you would miss out on a very immersive experience and companion to your historical reading.
Monty Jasper
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