Kampfgruppe Peiper – The Sanatorium

An Introductory Scenario for BF:WW2

Wednesday December 20th 1944

Scenario written by Richard de Ferrars

Historical Overview
The St Edouard Sanatorium dominates the hillside above the small Ardennes village of Stoumont. It was built as a
refuge for the elderly, orphans and the infirm. For a few terrible days in December 1944, the 250 residents
crammed into the cellars as a ferocious battle ebbed and flowed above their heads. Possession of the Sanatorium
meant control of Stoumont - a village that Kampfgruppe Peiper could not afford to lose.
The Ardennes Offensive had begun just before dawn on December 16th 1944. Kampfgruppe Peiper was the most
powerful formation in Germany’s finest Panzer Division – 1SS Panzer Division (Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler). Tasked
with breaking through to the Meuse and beyond, Peiper had shown ruthlessness, audacity and determination as
his column penetrated over 50 miles through American lines in just 3 days. However, Stoumont proved to be the
high-water mark. A couple of miles west of the town, his troops encountered one road-block too many. The
American 30th Infantry Division had been rushed down from the Aachen sector and was helping to close the net
around Peiper. However, to the north, the lackluster performance of the 12th and 277th VG Divisions had required
the additional commitment of the 12SS Panzer Division (Hitlerjugend) and left Peiper dangerously exposed. Fifteen
miles to the east, a strong attack by elements of the 30th Infantry Division threatened Stavelot, underlining just how
precarious his situation was. His request to withdraw from the Stoumont area towards the rest of the Division was
denied; he was ordered to stand fast and await relief. At this stage, the American forces were concentrated to the
north and west of Stoumont. It was clear to all that control of the Sanatorium was the key to the possession of the
village. An American probe from the north, by TF Jordan (3rd Armored Division), had already been repulsed. The
soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 119th Infantry Regiment belatedly received some armour support and prepared to make
their move. The defenders of Stoumont scanned the woods to the north and west for signs of the next attack. The
Sanatorium had to be held.

Historical Outcome
The actual events represented in this scenario took place at dusk and into darkness. After the failed move by TF
Jordan, the next move by the Americans came from the west. The first assault did manage to seize control of the
Sanatorium but a fierce counter-attack soon re-established the German positions. For two more days the battle
raged around the Sanatorium. Peiper’s men held fast. Miraculously, all of the civilians sheltering in the basement
survived the battle. Ultimately, it was the loss of Stavelot that sealed his fate. KG Peiper was cut off; the defenders
of Stoumont, Cheneux and La Gleize had to abandon all vehicles & heavy weapons and set out on foot. On
Christmas Eve, Peiper led 800 men out of La Gleize into the hills. Amazingly 770 were present at roll call 36 hours
later, once the safety of 9SS Hohenstaufen’s positions at Wanne had been reached.
Scenario Design
This scenario aims to give the players plenty of practice with the core themes in BF:WW2. The playing area is
compact and should be quick to set up; the forces involved are quite small but give each player both armour and
infantry manoeuvre elements. It provides the opportunity to put the game mechanics into practice - spotting rules,
fire, manoeuvre and close combat. It allows both players experience with both attacking and the defending roles.
This reflects the standard German doctrine of using a powerful counter-attack force for an immediate reaction. A
combined arms approach should be well-rewarded but uncoordinated and disjointed attacks should get punished!

Map & Terrain

The playing area is 4’ x 3’
BUS:
All BUS are stone buildings.
The standard BUS size is 40 x 40mm
Woodland:
Dark green trees – underbrush
Light green trees – cleared
Yellow trees – orchard
Roads:
Primary roads - light grey (paved)
Streets - dark grey (paved)
Secondary roads - brown (unpaved)
Roads through woods (including the
exit point) count as a defile (p33)
Fewer leaves are around in December:
- all hedges are treated as low hedges
- the small woodland area south of the
Sanatorium is treated as orchard

The red line indicates the initial German deployment area (see below)
The river is impassable – don’t deploy in the south-west corner!

The slopes were treacherous and muddy. All open ground outside the woods/ orchard is soft ground:
1. Vehicles moving off-road move at half speed and must check bog down every 1” moved (p51)
2. Troops move at full speed

The westernmost 1 foot of the board does not directly enter play and could, if needed, be removed. It is however
useful for the American player for his initial deployment and first move onto the board.

Set-up does not need to be totally accurate but ensure that the edge of woods north & west of the Sanatorium is at
least 9” away from the Sanatorium

The Ardennes Offensive “Northern Shoulder” (To help follow the narratives)
American Player Briefing
“Three tanks attempted without success to counter the hostile tank fire from positions along the road
just south of the Sanatorium. They were greatly handicapped by the terrain, which sloped steeply uphill
from the road to the Sanatorium. Ascent up this slope was impossible due the very muddy conditions
of the ground and the tanks were left on the road. Two of Capt. Berry’s tanks were knocked out in
quick succession. Thereafter all tanks kept west of a house approximately 150 yards west of the
Sanatorium.”
Captain Franklin Ferriss, Historical Officer, 30th Infantry Division

Situation
14:00 Dec 20th 1944, Lt Col Robert Herlong, 1/119th Infantry Regiment, Targnon, 1 mile west of Stoumont
SNAFU – just about sums up this whole friggin’ mess. The last couple of days have been totally crazy. Like the rest
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of the 30 Infantry Division, your battalion has been fighting hard ever since it landed on Omaha Beach on June
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10 ; they have definitely earned the reputation as “the workhorse of the western front”. You had spent most of
October & November in the bitter battles around Aachen and then in pushing the Germans back to the River Roer.
A couple of weeks ago, you had finally been withdrawn into rest areas at Kolsheid to reorganize and integrate
replacements. But on December 16th, boy did that balloon go up! Stories from a few miles to the south rapidly
escalated; “a local German counterattack” became “a strong German attack”, became “a major German
breakthrough”. Without knowing many more details, the next day your men boarded trucks and headed south into
the forests of the Ardennes. The mission was simple – find the German armored columns and stop them.
The day before yesterday, you could sense panic in the air as you passed through the town of Spa, once the HQ of
the Army Chief himself, General Hodge. Ironic that the Krauts probably hadn’t realized that some of the biggest
fuel and ammo dumps for miles around lay in the forests around that HQ. From Spa, the Division’s three
Regiments fanned out to the south, your Regiment heading south-west to some place called Werbomont. Reports
had indicated that a strong German armored column, probably from the crack 1SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, was
making its way along the north side of the River Ambleve. Twice, engineers units had deflected it north by blowing
bridges on the direct route to Werbemont. Yesterday, the fog and clouds actually cleared a bit, allowing the air
force to get into the skies. At your briefing, you were told that large numbers of German vehicles had been
observed in the area around St Gleize and Cheneux. 82nd Airborne was moving into the gap south of you, CCB
from 3rd Armored Division was approaching from the north-west. In this chaotic redeployment, it had become
impossible to keep track of who was going where and, in particular, what armor support would be available.
Basically you had been told to keep hold of anything that you found along the way! In the gathering darkness of
late afternoon, the 3rd Battalion set out towards Stoumont, with instructions to occupy and fortify the village. Shortly
afterwards, your 1st Battalion also moved out towards Stoumont with orders to establish a firm blocking position
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west of the village. The 2 Battalion was held back as Regimental reserve. You’d been up against 1SS
Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler before at St Mortain and defeated them then. You wanted to do more than just stop that
armored column – you all wanted your Division to go down in history as the one that defeated them a second time.
Yesterday had stretched the nerves of your men to the limits. You had set up your blocking position at Targnon, a
couple of miles west of Stoumont, just past Stoumont Station. Firstly, relief as you hard the sounds of tanks
approaching from the east. Sure enough, it was some armor support and you gratefully augmented your meager
AT positions with the tanks of Capt. Berry’s C Company, 740th Tank Battalion. Apparently, Berry’s Battalion had
been back at depot awaiting arrival of new ordnance when they were ordered onto the road. Hence his slightly
unusual command that included Jacksons as well as Shermans. However your relief was short-lived when, at the
end of the morning, you were stunned to see soldiers from the 3rd Battalion streaming back along the Stoumont
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Road towards your road block. Rapidly it became clear that a disaster had befallen the 3 Battalion in Stoumont.
Handicapped by trying to establish their defensive positions in the dark, soon after dawn they had been hit by an
unstoppable torrent of Tigers and Panthers. The AT guns had been knocked in rapid succession and a small tank
force attached to their command had been overwhelmed. They hoped that some of the Battalion might have
withdrawn to the north, but apart from your command, it was clear that there was little else left to stop the Krauts.
Soon afterwards, you again heard tanks on the road – this time coming from Stoumont. Panthers came into view
from around the bend in the road. In a matter of a few minutes, it was all over. Three KO’d Panthers sat motionless
on the narrow road, creating an impassable obstacle. The rest of the German force pulled back towards Stoumont.
Now it was time to take to the offense.
After a debriefing with men from the 3rd Battalion, it has become clear that your first objective must be a building
called the St Edouard Sanatorium. Apparently this building dominates the road into Stoumont. You had hoped to
co-ordinate your attack with Taskforce Jordan (CCB 3rd Armored Division) but their advance from the north was
stopped by tank fire as soon as they left the cover of the forest road. They have made it clear that the road from
the north must be secured before they can bring their tanks into action. Just to make your day, you’ve now been
told the bulk of the available artillery communication equipment & personnel had gone forward the 3rd Battalion.
God knows where they are now. This means that your attack now goes in without artillery support. Great! SNAFU!
Mission
You will have to move fast to get control of that Sanatorium. You have two Rifle Companies at pretty well full-
strength, so you are going to send them up with Capt. Berry’s Shermans. Mind you, those 3rd Battalion men did
warn that the going is pretty lousy as soon as you leave the roads. Although lacking artillery, you can offer them
the Battalion’s heavy weapons in support. The force should be strong enough to secure that Sanatorium and
hopefully allow TF Jordan to move forward and link-up. You’ve been around long enough to know what to expect –
once in there, those Krauts will punch back and counter-attack hard.

Deployment
All units are available from the start of the scenario
They may enter on the west board edge or start deployed in the wooded area within 12” of the west board edge
Vehicles may not start deployed in woodland

Notes & Special Rules

The duration of the scenario is 12 turns and the American player moves first
The American Infantry ME’s are rated veteran.
The American Armor ME is rated experienced
Due to the ground conditions, units may not attempt improved positions during the scenario
On-board Mortars and Indirect Fire
There is no off-board artillery in this scenario but each side has on-board mortars etc (self-observed or called in)
The mortars and may fire 2 smoke missions each (p40) – stoking counts as the second mission.
Self-observed fire does not require a roll on the call-for-fire table (p38)
The American player has one option that allows a concentration (the two 81mm mortars in the HQ ME)
The American player has no options that allow thickening
If a call-for-fire is made by a unit within the same ME as the firer, then this is treated as Organic Fire Support
If a call-for-fire is made by a unit in another ME within the same organisation, then this is Direct Fire Support
What does this mean?
! The Infantry Companies may call in their own 60mm mortar as Organic FS (or the mortar can self-observe)
! The Infantry Companies may call in the HQ 81mm mortars as Direct FS (or the mortar can self-observe)
! The Infantry HQ may call in the HQ 81mm mortars as Organic FS (or the mortars can self-observe)
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× The Armour is not part of the 119 Infantry Regiment and may not call in any of the mortars

Organisation of ME’s
The 50-cal MMG’s may be attached to either infantry company at the start of the scenario.
Manoeuvre elements may not contain a mix of infantry and armour.

American Force (Elements I/119th Infantry Regiment and 740th Tank Battalion)

B Company, I/119 IR (Veteran)

HW Company, I/119 IR (Veteran)
Command (Capt. McBride)
Command (Capt. Strand) x1 Commander US-19
x1 Commander US-19
x9 Infantry (3 Bazooka) US-18
x2 MMG US-23
x1 LMG US-22
Organic Fire
x2 81mm Mortar US-25 Organic Fire Support
x1 60mm Mortar US-24

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C Company, 740 Tank Battalion (Experienced)
C Company, I/119 IR (Veteran)
Command (Capt. Berry)
x1 M4 Sherman 75mm US-02 Command (Capt. Fell)
x1 Commander US-19
x3 M4 Sherman 75mm US-02
x9 Infantry (3 Bazooka) US-18
x2 M4 Sherman 76mm US-02
x1 LMG US-22
x1 M36 Jackson TD * US-31
Organic Fire Support
* Replace with M18 Hellcat (US-04) if you only have the first card-set x1 60mm Mortar US-24
German Player Briefing
“We saw the American tanks approaching. Almost any enemy movement was visible to the naked eye.
With its massive construction, the Sanatorium looked like a fortress. However the walls were being
eaten away by shells from enemy tanks. The panzer men did not want to give up. They continued to
fight bitterly. It was clear to each man: the Sanatorium had become a defensive bulwark. If given up,
the Americans would have it easier in their approach to Stoumont. The Americans assaulted the
Sanatorium’s ground floor. The panzer men withdrew to the upper floors. Bitter fighting, man against
man, occurred. Our comrades threw hand grenades down the stairs to the lower floors.”
Unterscharfuhrer Karl Wortmann, 9th Company Panzer-Pioneer Battalion 1

Situation
14:00 Dec 20th 1944, Obersturmbannführer Joachim Pieper, Chateau Froide Cour, 2km east of Stoumont

But for those damned Engineers. From ashes and ruin, you had watched this superb Division regenerate into an
awesome threat. Furthermore you had been given the honour of taking command of its most powerful
Kampfgruppe. You had listened in disbelief to the accounts of the British defeat a few weeks ago in their attempts
to break through to Arnhem. With a fraction of the force that they had at their disposal, now you were going to give
them a demonstration on how it should have been done. The orders had been simple – race to the River Meuse
and let nothing stop you.
Frustration on the opening day gave way to exhilaration as your Kampfgruppe was finally unleashed at dawn on
December 17th. Those idiotic Fallschirmjäger commanders ahead of you were seeing ghosts behind every tree.
Ignoring them, your column set out and, unsurprisingly, needed to do little else apart from brushing aside
stragglers. Suitably berated, when you passed through Lanzerath, the commander even allowed you to attach
most of a battalion of his Fallschirmjägers to your command! You allowed nothing to slow your momentum and by
the end of that day, you had reached Stavelot, nearly 40km behind the front line.
But for those damned Engineers. The following day was a day of escalating frustration. Your patrols probed the
roads leading west from Stavelot. Repeatedly, American engineers succeeded in destroying bridges, often right in
the face of your advance parties. Despite this, you did succeed in moving another 15km towards the Meuse. But
overall, you had felt frustration as you set up your command post outside the village of La Gleize. More worryingly,
the two companies of Panzer IV’s in your column had become reduced to 5 tanks as fuel tanks were drained to
keep the remainder on the road.
But for those damned Engineers. Yesterday, for the first time, you doubted whether the plan could work. It had
started very well indeed. The Ami’s had tried to block your path just up the road at the village of Stoumont. As
dawn broke, your men struck, and struck hard. Barely 2 hours later, the village was yours (with 200 prisoners) for
the loss of 1 Panther and a few good men. They pursued the retreating Americans along the road heading west
past the imposing Sanatorium but 3km to the west they ran into another road-block. This time, with a steep drop on
one side and a hillside on the other, there was no room for manoeuvre. And the Americans had armour. In the
gathering darkness, three Panthers were knocked out in quick succession and you ordered a return to Stoumont.
To make matters worse, during the afternoon you had expected a sizeable re-supply convoy from the Division.
Scarcely anything arrived and they had brought the news that the Division’s hold on Stavelot was close to breaking
point. Faced with being totally cut off, you had radioed through to your Divisional Commander, Oberführer Wilhelm
Mohnke. He refused your request to move back towards Stavelot and ordered you to hold fast and await relief.
Your Kampfgruppe is now concentrated around La Gleize. You are maintaining forces in both Stoumont and
Cheneux in the hope that supplies will come through to you, allowing you to resume your advance. Stoumont might
not have any damned bridges, but is does have the junction of the roads to the west and to the north. You know
that the Americans have forces on both these roads. By holding Stoumont, you keep them apart and also give
yourself options when the advance resumes. Sitting on the hillside above the village, overlooking both these roads
is the St Edouard Sanatorium. You have left Sturmbannfuhrer Werner Poetscke in charge in Stoumont. Although
the commander of the 1st Battalion of Panzer Regiment 1, he has a reputation for getting out of his tank to berate
his men and lead by example! When you discussed defense of the village yesterday afternoon, you both agreed on
the importance of holding the Sanatorium. Obersturmführer Sievers’ Panzer-Pioneers have been with the point of
the KG since you set out, so it is fitting that they should garrison the Sanatorium. The village itself is held by
Fallschirmjägers and Panzergrenadiers supported by the remaining Panzer IV’s. Poetscke understands that, if the
KG is to survive, as well as holding the Sanatorium, petrol and ammunition must be conserved.

Mission
Your mission is simple - keep control of the Sanatorium. You are conscious of the mounting pressure on your
Kampfgruppe and the necessity to conserve your forces. You have made it clear to Obersturmführer Sievers, in
command at the Sanatorium, that he must hold it at all costs. If he is attacked by overwhelming force, then
Poetscke will try to stabilize the situation. But your vehicles are critically short of fuel. No artillery support is
available – they are short of ammunition and you are conserving this in case La Gleize itself comes under attack.
Deployment
Any German units which are not in a BUS may start in basic improved position (slit trenches) or hull-down
Due to the ground conditions, units may not attempt further improved positions during the scenario
No reorganization or re-attachments are allowed by the German player
Sanatorium Defenders
The Panzer-Pioneer Comp. garrisons the Sanatorium. They deploy anywhere that is at least 5” from the woods
They had not had sufficient time to fortify the Sanatorium and may not claim improved hard cover in BUS.
Other German Forces
" Movement
All other German forces must set up behind the red line and they may not move beyond the red line until turn 7
Only one Panzer IV sets up on board, the other Panzer IV enters turn 7 on the Rouat road (east board edge)
" Firing
The on-board Panzer IV and the units of Panzer-grenadier Company 12 may fire without restriction
Before turn 7, the units of Panzer-grenadier Company 9 may only fire on units that come within 5” of their
positions (no restrictions after turn 7)

Notes & Clarifications of the Rules

The duration of the scenario is 12 turns and the American player moves first
All German ME’s are rated veteran
On-board Mortars and Indirect Fire
There is no off-board artillery in this scenario but each side has on-board mortars etc (self-observed or called in)
The mortars and Light IG may fire 2 smoke missions each (p40) – stoking counts as the second mission.
Self-observed fire does not require a roll on the call-for-fire table (p38)
The German player does not have any options that allow thickening or concentrations
If a call-for-fire is made by a unit within the same ME as the firer, then this is treated as Organic Fire Support
If a call-for-fire is made by a unit in another ME within the same organisation, then this is Direct Fire Support
What does this mean?
! The Panzer-Pioneers may call in their own 8cm mortar as Organic FS (or the mortar can self-observe)
! The Panzergrenadier 9 Komp. may call in their 8cm mortar as Organic FS (or the mortar can self-observe)
! The Panzergrenadier 9 Komp. may call in the 12 Komp. 251/2 or 251/9 as Direct FS
! The Panzergrenadier 12 Komp may call in the 251/2 or 251/9 as Organic FS (or they can self-observe)
× The Panzer-Pioneers are not part of SS-Panzergrenadier Rgt. 2 & may not call in the other mortars or 251/9
× The Panzer IVs are from neither the Panzer-Pioneer Batt. nor Panzergrenadier Regt 2 and may not call-for-fire

German Force (Elements of Kampfgruppe Peiper)

3 Kompanie, SS-Pz-Pioneer Bat. 1 (Veteran)

12 Kompanie, SS-Pz-Gren Regt 2 (Veteran)
Command (Ostuf. Sievers)
Command (Ustuf. Thiele) HQ x1 Commander GE-46
HQ x1 Commander GE-46
x1 Panzershrek GE-51
x1 Panzershrek GE-51
x4 Pioniere (2 Flame, 2 PzFst) GE-47
x1 PaK 40 75mm AT Gun GE-40
Transport x2 Light Machine Gun GE-49
x1 SdKfz 11 Med. Prime Mover GE-30
Organic Fire Support
Organic Fire Support x1 8cm Granatenwerfer GE-52
x1 SdKfz 251/9 75mm GE-24
9 Kompanie, SS-Pz-Gren Regt 2 (Veteran)
x1 SdKfz 251/2 8cm Mortar HT GE-23
Command (Ustuf. Leike)
HQ x1 Commander GE-46

6 Kompanie, SS Panzer Regiment 1 (Veteran)

x6 Infantry (3 panzerfaust) GE-44
Command (Ostuf. Junker)
x1 Pzkpfw IV J GE-03
x3 Light Machine Gun GE-49
x1 Pzkpfw IV J GE-03
x2 Heavy Machine Gun GE-50

Organic Fire Support

x1 8cm Granatenwerfer GE-52
Victory Conditions

American Player German Player

No German units occupies a No American units occupies a

Major Victory Sanatorium BUS Sanatorium BUS

More Sanatorium BUS occupied by More Sanatorium BUS occupied by

Minor Victory American units than by German units German units than by American units

Draw Equal number of BUS occupied by both Americans and Germans

Bibliography & Sources

Kampfgruppe Peiper David Cooke & Wayne Evans
Duel in the Mist Stefan De Meyer et al
The Devil’s Adjutant Michael Reynolds
The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge Hugh Cole
Whole text: www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/7-8/7-8_Cont.htm#toc
www.oldhickory30th.com Excellent site on 30th Infantry Division. Gems include:
" Reports p5 - Daily journal (= war diary) for I/119
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" Reports p7 - Original film of Peiper’s assault on Stoumont Dec 19
" Reports p9 - Account by Capt Strand

Game in Progress

The Panzer-Pioneers hold their fire as the

American forces approach the Sanatorium.
The first Sherman tank to leave the road
pays a heavy price.

Later in the day, the Americans have

control of the Sanatorium. But fresh
Panzer-grenadiers are approaching, with
armour support. Will they be able to hold
onto their prize?