Counter-Attack at Schmidt*
Revised for V4*
*
Date: November 4, 1944*
*
Battle Type: German Assault vs US Defend*
*
Design: Bill Wilson*
*
*
In November 1944, the U.S. First Army had breached the Westwall
around the city of Aachen.  To facilitate a VII Corps attack across
the Roer River and to the Rhine, the V Corps was to launch a
series of secondary attacks in the forested region south of Aachen.*
*
This infamous forest was known as the Huertgen Forest, and
several U.S. divisions would take heavy losses before fighting
there subsided as a result of the German offensive into the
Ardennes.  V Corps gave the 28th Infantry Division the mission
of capturing Schmidt, a town that controlled routes leading to the
dams on the Roer River and also to a German-held portion of
the Westwall near Monschau.*
*
This mission was accomplished by the 112th Infantry Regiment,
which enjoyed good fortune in discovering a route to Schmidt that
was only lightly defended.  However, what the 112th Infantry did
not know is that in entering Schmidt, they had penetrated the road
march of the German 1055th Grenadier Regiment.  Three German 
battalions stood ready to counter-attack on November 4, 1944.*
*
The German I and III Battalions will assault from the east; the II
Battalion will assault from the west.  A small battle-group from the
116th Panzer Division will support the assault.*
*
Your mission is to recapture the key road junctions in Schmidt and
follow that with an assault on Kommerscheidt to the NW of Schmidt.
Controlling Schmidt and Kommerscheidt will free German supply lines
of enemy interdiction and control the exit from the Kall Valley.*
*
Poor weather has limited the U.S. air force to small forays.  The
enemy may enjoy superiority of artillery fire, but you can expect to
dominate him with regimental and battalion support fires.  We estimate
the Americans have no more than a battalion defending Schmidt.*
*
Unit Abbreviations:*
*
A&P - Ammo and Pioneer Platoon*
Art - Artillery*
Bde - Brigade*
Bn - Battalion*
Elm - Elements*
FB Sqdn - Fighter Bomber Squadron*
FO - Forward Observer*
GR - Grenadier Regiment*
GW - German mortar*
IG - Infantry Gun*
Inf - Infantry Regiment*
PzR - Panzer Regiment*
StG - SturmGeschuetz*
Tk - Tank*
*
Examples of unit designations*
2/1/I/1055 -*
2nd Plat., 1st Co., I Bn., 1055th Grenadier Regiment*
1/K/3/112 Inf -*
1st Plat., Co. K, 3rd Bn., 112th Infantry Regiment*
*
Sources:*
"Three Battles: Arnaville, Altuzzo, and Schmidt" (US Army)*
"The Siegfried Line Campaign" (US Army)*
*
