SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen – Bazooka Town

SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen – Bazooka Town

SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen – Bazooka Town
With Adam Brooker

I really like how the Command Cards allow us to add those interesting formations to our Forces, and one that I saw in Berlin German brought me down a history rabbit hole, and it was the SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen Formation Command Card. This force was previously in the Bridge at Remagen book from the previous version and gives you an interesting force indeed.

This force has the fearless motivation of SS troops but lacked the skill of veteran troops, also they were not well equipped with small arms, so had to scavenge for what they could get, they did not even have enough uniforms or tunics for the troops. This gives you a force that has less weight of fire, but still packs a shed load of anti-tank firepower, both Panzerfausts and Panzerschrecks, and allows you to save a few points for some extras. 

This Command Card Formation also allows you to represent the German forces in the fighting around Paderborn in late March 1945, where the US 3rd Armoured Division got a bloody nose, trying to take what it thought would be an easy win closing up the Ruhr Pocket, and trapping 325,000 German troops in the Ruhr Industrial heartland. They did manage to do this, but it took them much longer than they thought, with many more casualties, and required another two Divisions to clear up the mess.

A battle-scarred Tiger I from SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen

A battle-scarred Tiger I from SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen

Paderborn is a city that had many training schools, and as it was close to the industrial areas producing the tanks and weapons, it was perfect to train troops in using them, like the famous Sennelager Training area. It had been one of the better training schools for German Panzer units during the war and had a good reputation among the German Panzer Divisions.

The US 3rd Armoured Division was given the task of closing the Ruhr Pocket which was the encirclement of Model’s Army Group B, and to do that it had to take the town of Paderborn. The advance leading up to the battle on the 30th of March had been relatively easy, and although they were expecting some resistance from Paderborn, they thought it would be inexperienced troops, with worn-out tanks and equipment and no will to fight. What they got instead was a series of expert ambushes from experienced SS NCOs and Commanders, with a wealth of experience from the Eastern Front, and a taste of Krupp Steel from the frightful King Tiger. 

A diagram showing some of the forces available to Panzer Replacement Force ‘Westfalen’

A diagram showing some of the forces available to Panzer Replacement Force ‘Westfalen’

As can be seen above, there was quite a mix of equipment from the Tank Training schools, with older Panzer III, Panzer IVs, Stugs, Hetzer, Panthers and Tiger I and Tiger IIs, and even a few Panzer IIs… They also managed to pull enough dismounted crew and other infantry together to make up two Regiments of troops, mostly inexperienced but peppered with experienced SS NCOs and officers. The two SS Panzergrendier Regiments, SS Regiment ‘Meyer’ and SS Regiment ‘Holzer’ were named after their commanding officers, both of whom were experienced SS Officers. Meyer from 3rd SS Totenkopf, and Holzer from 2nd SS Das Reich.

Also in the area, rebuilding from months of fighting on the Eastern front was two Companies (2nd and 3rd) of the 507th Schwere Panzer Abteilung, with at least 21 Tiger IIs and 3 Jagdpanthers. The 1st company was still fighting on the Eastern Front with their old Tiger Is. But the Abteilung was very experienced, with it racking up 600 Soviet tank kills since March 1944.

A knocked-out King Tiger from 507. Schwere Panzer Abteilung

A knocked-out King Tiger from 507. Schwere Panzer Abteilung

The whole force was called SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen, led by SS Obersturmbannfuhrer Hans Stern, an experienced officer and Knights Cross Holder. These experienced officers would really help stiffen the young force and helped to lay ambushes for un-wary US Shermans thinking they could just drive through the small German towns, much as they had done before.

There were two battles on the 30th of March 1945 that really gave the veteran US 3rd Armoured Division a bloody nose, one was the in the fighting to take the town of Kirchborchen by Task Force Richardson, which became known as ‘Bazooka Town’, and another was the gutting of Task Force Welborn by the King Tigers of the 507th, and the loss of the US 3rd Armoured commander Major General Rose.

The fighting around Paderborn, 30th March 1945
The fighting around Paderborn, 30th March 1945

The fighting around Paderborn, 30th March 1945

Task Force Richardson advanced early on the 30th of March in an attempt to overcome the Germans who had taken up positions the day before. Parts of SS Regiment Meyer had dug into Kirchborchen and hid ambushing teams of Panzerfausts and Panzerschrecks in the buildings and windows of the town. Sherman after Sherman tried to enter the town, as well as teams of US riflemen trying to suppress the German ambushers. But were stopped cold in a few buildings at the edge of town, with Shermans burning in the streets, and defenders using the German ‘bazookas’ with such weight of fire the veteran troops had not seen before. By 7:30 pm no progress had been made, after a failed flanking attempt to the north, but the vigorous defence had also been expensive for the Germans.

SS Tank Hunter Teams
SS Tank Hunter Teams

Task Force Welborn tried to attack Kirchborchen from the south and initially had good results through Etteln, but as it advanced north from Etteln it ran into the King Tigers from the 507. It lost 7 Sherman in minutes, and by the end of the day they had lost 17 Shermans, 17 Half-tracks and 1 M36 TD. Their division commander Major General Rose was also killed in a possible accident while being asked to surrender. The Tiger IIs reaped a toll, with only the M36 TDs of the 703rd TD Battalion being able to penetrate them. It was a costly battle for the US, but they eventually ground the Germans down and sealed the pocket.  There is a great video on YouTube that describes this little-known battle.

An M36 of the US 703rd TD Battalion

An M36 of the US 703rd TD Battalion
Command Cards Command Cards

The SS-Panzerbrigade Westfalen Battle Group Title Command card above allows us to re-create the fighting in Bazooka town, using the HQ, HMGs, and Mortars from the Berlin Battlegroup, with other specific command cards making up the rest of your force. The Ardennes SS Panzergrenadier Platoon is the base for most of your units, which while 3+ To Hit, and Trained 4+ still gives you Panzerfausts (Limited 2) and the option of a Panzerschreck team. But you will only have MG42/rifle teams, which represents their lack of equipment. I do think this will allow you a great modelling opportunity, mixing SS and late-war Heer troops together to represent the difficulty they had in getting uniforms and equipment.

SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen – Bazooka Town

The other two specific cards are the Scout Platoon and the SS Tank-hunting Platoon. The Scout platoon gives you Spearhead and Scout so you can forward deploy your bazooka toting units, and the SS Tank-Hunting Platoon gives you a deadly tank busting unit, it is 0-1, but heaps and heaps of Fausts and Schrecks! It also brings back the medium base with 2 Schreck teams per base, with 3 teams in the unit, that is 6 Panzerschreck shots and 2 fausts, which will make a great anti-tank ambushing unit.

Command Cards Command Cards

SS Tank-Hunting team with 2 Panzershreck teams per medium base

SS Tank-Hunting team with 2 Panzershreck teams per medium base

I’ve put together a force to represent both the SS Battalion of SS Regiment Meyer at Kirchborchen, as well as reinforcements from the Panzer Ausbildungs Abteilung 11, which was in the diagram above. I’ve used the Tank Training Company Formation here to do that. While it's not going to win any tournaments, it is fairly accurately representing the German forces that the US could have faced in Bazooka town.

SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen – Bazooka Town

The Old Hand rule gives the Training Company platoons within 6” of the HQ’s units an improved 4+ Tactics and with your infantry a 3+ Tactics. I could have just taken 3 Panthers or some Tiger IIs if I wanted to be more competitive, but personally, I like to have more of a themed/historical force. But I do have a formation in this case that will be very hard to break, as it has 2 Formations almost packed out, and all the tools you generally need. Scout and Spearheading units, artillery and lots of infantry to hold an objective!

SS Panzer Brigade Westfalen – Bazooka Town

In this case, your best bet is to take a Defensive mission and let the enemy come to you, making sure to keep your vehicles and units hidden by terrain. Most defensive missions allow you an ambushing unit, which you should probably either make the Panzer IVs or the SS Tank-hunting platoon. The tanks also give you the mobility to attack their artillery which is really the main issue for your infantry.

I hope you have found this useful and it gets you keen to make your own themed force!

Happy Gaming,

~ Adam