My opening strategies are for the Battle of the Bulge or Bitter End scenarios.

The Initial German Deployment and situation. The German deployment at the start of the game is the historical deployment. It is set pretty much to do the broad front assault to open up the lines from at least Spa to Bastogne. The key elements are: 1. The US 106th starts surrounded. 2. Axis is set up to try and open up the three central roads Losheim-Malmady, Bleiale-St. Vith and Clervaux-Bastogne. It is done mostly with infantry for the surprise attacks.

Key points to consider for any strategy you choose are :
1. There are actually only 5 PZ Divisions.. These are the only units I call "fully competent" to lead the assault. They are the only units strong enough to reliably drive allied units out of their defenses and the only ones that inflict many casualites when the Allies counterattack. Because of how combat results work they will also take most of the casualties. There are 28 pips in the 5 PZ Divisions and only 1 more armored pip in the 150th PZ. That's it. Once you loose about half of them the offensive will come to a standstill. Use them wisely.

2. The only infantry divisions which have the strength and position to be useful for offense are the 26th VG, 5FJ (4 pips ea.) and the 3FJ and 12VG (3 pips ea.). These have enough strength to take a few hits and paired with panzers can inflict some damage. Alone they can only take on the weakest allied units or be used to defend a position or pin an allied unit. I call these units "minimially competent" as they have enough strength to defend or support an attack.

3. The rest of the German starting lineup of 8 infantry units are what I call "incompetent". The 119IN has three pips but will rarely be a key factor in the game. It can be used to attempt to pin the 4th US IN but it is still only a support maneuver. I call these 2-pip VG units "incompetent" because they are simply too weak to attack and on defense they can only delay. They are not able to stop even the smallest of Allied attacks for long. They simply prevent the Allied player from running through German lines or keep Axis supply lines and flanks guarded. It takes two of them to form a real defense. However, they are just under half the starting German Army in number of units.

So, the key to any German offense will be where you choose to commit your panzers. Any flank that needs to be held needs at least the larger infantry divisions. So here is how I would analyze the open in terms of strengths and weaknesses:

A. German Strengths:
1. Position: Allied units are in weak positions except for the very edges of the board (Monschau in the north and Beaufort-Echternach in the south)
2. 5 Panzer divisions ready to go verus only one scattered US Armored Division.
3. The special rules of surprise attacks and the artillery bonus in the eastern areas.

B. German weaknesses:
1 Only half the units are useful (competent and minimally competent) for offense.
2. Time is limited. The Alled army grows very quickly with fully competent units.
3. The units are not well concentrated for attack. You will have to do this on your first day, the 16th, This is different from most any other battle where units usually start strong and concentrated.
4. The 16 Dec. confusion-congestion rules make this day only about half as long as the other days. You can get as little as four moves which severely limits how much you can reconfigure the German positions. This is rather unfortunate because it is the only day with an attack bonus for the German. If you spend a lot of moves reconfiguring rather than attacking you lose it for the rest of the game. As you will see, this is the single biggest factor in choosing any of my strategies. It can kill both the northern and southern strategies, at least the way I prefer to play them.


Here are a few helpful considerations as you evaluate the game as both Allied and German.
1. German starting pips : 60 almost half are in 5 armored units.
2. Allied starting pips: 25 but all in good defensive terrain. German strength is about 2-1.
3. Total German pips in the game 99, 114 with the OKW.
4. Total Allied pips in the game: 143. By the 22nd, the Allied army should begin to exceed the German army in size depending on losses.
5. Allied airpower and initiative on the 23rd.
6. Allies draw supply from three side of the board, the German only one.

Any German strategy that wlll achieve an offensive win will have to wrap up before the 23rd. You either have the Meuse victory or the Allies are on their last legs and so far behind that they will not recover the win before the 28th.

I will add that the German has another small goal on the way to the win. The big win is to cross the Meuse but failing that you really need to at least get to the Meuse long enough to get the OKW reserves. They are three fully competent units that will be vital to helping you hold on when the Allied army starts pounding your lines around the 23rd. It is worth taking some risks to get these units. They arrive full strength able to either reinforce your offense or launch devastating counterattacks in defense. Throw any one of them in with a VG and they can hold a position. Most of the time you will win the game on points and the OKW reserves help you get or keep points. .

My opening strategies aim to do these two things, win a large point/exit victory crossing the Meuse and at least obtain the OKW reserve while scoring big. Not doing either of these gives the Allied player the edge, particularly in the Bitter End scenario.

The Northern Strategy is my current favorite one to play. It is difficult but exciting for both sides. It will have two to three very large battles, as a rule and will tend to be a big win or a narrow loss.

The Northern Strategy (NS hereafter) has the goal of steamrolling through the route of SPA-Verviers-Liege. You will almost always get the Stadtkyll-Ouffet route along with it. It is a high risk-high reward strategy. You will likely win or lose the game by the 20th,

The strengths of this strategy are large. At start your two best SS PZ divisions are already here. You have two decent infantry divisions in place (3FJ, 12VG), no rivers to start and artillery support to Malmedy. The King Tigers are ready to roll.

The other advantages of this route are distances to the Meuse. Distance = Time and time is never on your side. If the distances are shorter you need fewer days to get to the objective and there are fewer areas/spaces to take. Once you capture Eupen, which should fall on the 17th apart from bad luck the terrain is actually not terrible to fight through. Spa is not bad, Verviers is tough but not any worse than other spots on the board. Behind Verviers is the clear terrain of Herve. Your reinforcements, especially the powerful units on 19 Dec. will come in here and can be in position for combat the next day! This is what attracts me to it. With some luck you can be at the Meuse on the 18th. Then the reinforcements of the 19th will add the first OKW reserve unit. This means the 2SS PZ, the 9SS PZ and the OKW reserve 10SS PZ will arrive simultaneously in Stadtkyll. That is 18 armored pips already concentrated. When this happens your Allied player will likely be having a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach while hitting the panic button and screaming for more reinforcements. It is not common but does happen.

Given the powerful forces that can and do arrive in the north and start in the north it is a strong strategy that will pressure the Allied player and have both of you watching the RNG/dice rolls with sweat on your brow. There will be very large battles, usually in Verviers. In fact, they can rage for three full days, winner take all.

There are several weaknesses to this strategy as well. It also happens to be where most of the Allied reinforcements enter. It is many of their best units including the 7th and 3rd AR and the elite 1st IN and 30th IN. That is including the 2IN which is likely still alive in Monschau Of the 40 pips in reinforcements the Allies get before the 22nd, 27 of them will come in right on top of your offense and they can enter a contested space without combat! They will appear in position to fight in Verviers or a single move will have them in position. This is the risky part for the German. As you will see, this strategy also likely gives up Bastogne. If you do not take Spa or Verviers you are in a worse spot than doing the historical offensive. You have no points but St. Vith and the casualty points may be low on the Allied side as you will see. Additionally, when this works there are always significant losses in the early panzer divisions.

Here is how this stategy begins. Notice the screenshot from the surprise attack move. What I do is drop either the 3FJ or 12VG back to Stadtkyll with the 1SS. The purpose of this is to prepare a powerful assault on Elsenborn and the 99IN. The usual attacks in Losheim, Bleiale and Clervauz go forward, too. From the screenshot you can see that I have had a good start, including clearing Losheim which often does not happen with a single infantry division attack. Whether or not you win Losheim will not change this attack.
[previewimg=8065744;sizeThumb,floatRight;NS Ideal 17th.jpg][/previewimg] 1. The 2IN Inf. will be pinned in Monschau. 2. The 1SS and 12SS are in Elsenborn 3. As many PZD's are concentrated in St. Vith, as possible. Sometimes you only get two or even one if the 16th goes short. They can move north to Malmedy or west to Houffalize. 4. Two divisions are able to contest Bastonge from Lullange. 5. We got lucky with an early commando drop to pin the 10thAR in Arlon! This rarely happens but when it does you have the possibility to take or contest Bastogne, Spa and Verviers in a single day! When it does not happen you rarely will get a chance to take Bastogne. One of the tips to executing this strategy is to NOT do the Elsenborn attack first. See if the Allied player will move CCB back to Trois Points or even Spa. For the Allies, if you see or suspect this strategy you want to move to Eupen and hold it at all costs. The NS cannot work without Eupen. It is done and then all the SS PZD's in the north now have to route around OR they may attack Eupen and possibly get stuck. You will have armor defending it. The trick as German is to be sure you have two impulses left on the 16th to both take Elsenborn and then move the 12SS in while pinning the 2IN in Monschau wih the two remaining VG divisions. These moves must occur ending with two SS PZD in Elsenborn. The two things that severly hamper this tactic are a short Dec. 16th or the 2nd IN in Monschau knocks out both VG divisions or even 3 pips which can leave it free to reinforce Eupen later. If the Allied player happens to leave the 102Cav there or you attack early this is more likely and a problem. The setup for this strategy is key. Pin the 2IN in Monschau wih VG and concentrate
The 16th is vital and here is where the setup for this strategy occurs. The more turns you get, the stronger it gets.

Let's look at a possible result from all our moves on the 16th. Here is a 95% ideal situation at the beginning of the 17th:

1. The 2IN Inf. will be pinned in Monschau.
2. The 1SS and 12SS are in Elsenborn
3. As many PZD's are concentrated in St. Vith, as possible. Sometimes you only get two or even one if the 16th goes short. They can move north to Malmedy or west to Houffalize.
4. Two divisions are able to contest Bastonge from Lullange.
5. We got lucky with an early commando drop to pin the 10thAR in Arlon! This rarely happens but when it does you have the possibility to take or contest Bastogne, Spa and Verviers in a single day! When it does not happen you rarely will get a chance to take Bastogne.


One of the tips to executing this strategy is to NOT do the Elsenborn attack first. See if the Allied player will move CCB back to Trois Points or even Spa. For the Allies, if you see or suspect this strategy you want to move to Eupen and hold it at all costs. The NS cannot work without Eupen. It is done and then all the SS PZD's in the north now have to route around OR they may attack Eupen and possibly get stuck. You will have armor defending it. The trick as German is to be sure you have two impulses left on the 16th to both take Elsenborn and then move the 12SS in while pinning the 2IN in Monschau wih the two remaining VG divisions. These moves must occur ending with two SS PZD in Elsenborn.

The two things that severly hamper this tactic are a short Dec. 16th or the 2nd IN in Monschau knocks out both VG divisions or even 3 pips which can leave it free to reinforce Eupen later. If the Allied player happens to leave the 102Cav there or you attack early this is more likely and a problem. The setup for this strategy is key. Pin the 2IN in Monschau wih VG and concentrate the two SS divisions in Elsenborn. Then get as many of the other panzers to St. Vith as possible.

In any case, we end up with a 95% ideal setup in the screenshot..

So our Axis forces are set up nearly perfectly. Let's look at how the first attack goes. The first attack is ALWAYS Eupen. You must attack before the Allied player puts a strong unit there, most likely retreating the 2IN. Any competent unit will pretty much end your NS. Here is one game:


We have eliminated the Cav unit and exploited to Spa. I like to keep the elite 1SS in Eupen because we may assault Verviers eventually and I will need every edge like the elite status. The 12SS may be on defense and elite only matters on attack. There is another option I use sometimes and it is to not exploit at all. This is when you have decided to attack Spa on the 18th from Malmedy as we will see in a moment.

So let's see how the 17th ends and the 18th begins:
Here is the beauty of this setup for the German player. It is not obvious to many Allied players, especially new ones. The key to the 18th is in Malmedy. What the Allied player will obviously see is the potential 3 division attack on Verviers which is decently defended. The 12SS in SPA is a minor threat in Spa with the 7AR sitting in Stoumont. They are similar strength, both armored and Stoumont gives an extra pip on defense. What is not as obvious, especially to a rookie player is the danger sitting in Malmedy. Here are three ways to play this as German.

1. The two PZD's in Malmedy can move north to attack Verviers. You can move the 12VG to Trois Ponts but that may be a virtual suicide. It can further block movement though and sort of pin CCB. If he moved it would give up Trois Points for free! If the German attacks Verviers from Malmedy the next two impulses are for the 1SS and 116PZ to move thru Spa to attack the US 7AR. This is a much stronger attack and has a small chance of retreat but a better loss ratio than attack from Spa. This leaves Verviers pinned or retreated and the 7AR pinned or retreated and the German still has the 12SS in Spa afterwards to use. If either battle goes well for the German he can do a second or attack or the ideal is a beat up US unit retreats to Herve and the 12SS pounces. You could potentially exploite Across the Meuse to Liege! Check! Your move Allies! The key for the Allies is to watch and decide where the all-important 30In will go.

2. You can do a direct assault from Eupen to Verviers. You have an entire 16 pips, 7 elite armor versus 8 US pips, 4 elite infantry. Most likely you will start a two-day battle that will rage but you have a small chance to take it which will do wonders for position and VP's. The US cannot reinforce and there is no off-board reinforcement who gets to sneak in for free on the 19th. (I think it is a quirk in the rules that reinforcements can enter a battle without combat unlike a unit on the board). The next move would probably be to move the two Malmedy PZD's into Spa to attack the next turn or you could try and cross the river to Trois Points with any unit in Malmedy and send the other two to Spa. the 12SS is still free to help at Trois Points or engage the 7AR. Not bad. You must do this attack first or the US can reinforce Verviers making it virtually impossible to take.

3. You can go straight at Verviers from Eupen first. Second hit Trois Points and then pin the 7AR with the 12SS. I think this is the weakest option and would at least leave out a fight of the 12SS vs 7AR. Put the other two PZD/s from Malmedy there and wait till the 19th to attack. A three-PZD attack will generally be better even if the US reinforces.

I will end the strategy here as the permutations get to be many. In the game I was using as an example, the German player did take Verviers on the 19th and hit the retreated survivor with the 12SS exploiting into Liege (still occupied by the US 30IN). Three solid victory point cities in hand, Spa, St. Vith and Verviers and a unit on the Meuse to release the OKW reserve. Victory is possilbe as the powerful 19 Dec. reinforcements arrive, as well. Bastogne is contested but will probably not fall.

The Southern Strategy is actually quite fun but can go awry in many ways. The fundamental goal is to take the all-important Bastogne crossroads and then exploit south using the relatively open terrain west and south of Bastogne and circling up to Givet, Dinant and Marche. Generally, if this works you also get the Houffalize easi-west route, too. Whereas the Northern Strategy is a direct straight punch at the head, the Southern Strategy (SSt) is a left hook to the body.

Generally, the best route is Clervaux-Bastogne-Marche. With some luck you can actually get to Marche on the 18th before the airborne divisions. Another option is to circle around farther south through Neufchateau and Bertrix but that is a long route and usually a supporting attack.

The advantages of the Southern Strategy are:
1. You can almost always get Bastogne on the second move and it is worth 2VP's per turn. With St. Vith's 1VP you have a nice base of points. You actually have enough points to win the game depending on losses over time! This is an excellent tournament strategy.
2. The terrain is much better for fighting once you get through Bastogne. Most of the spaces/areas are more open as you go due west or NW.
3. You have many more units than the Americans in this sector who necessarily concentrate on the short path in the north. It is easier to flood the sector and bypass strong defenses up to the middle of the game, even if it is slow.
4. Only one Allied reinforcement comes from the south at Arlon. All others arrive form the North and West and will take a couple turns to get to this sector.

This disadvantages are:
1. It is a LONG path to VP's after Bastogne. You can reliably get to Bastogne, Martelange and even La Roche but it gets very difficult after that. The road network is not your friend and drives you crazy. Marche-Dinant and St. Hubert-Rochefort do not connect. Neither do Dinant and Givet which almost always gives you headaches and makes you spend extra days as the Allies gain strength. It is easy to get off track following the roads and small Allied units from Bastogne.
2. The US player can delay and harass you from the north if you have not tied him up in those sectors. Even if no US units are in front of you it will take three to four days to get to Dinant.
3. The Allied player can probably defend Arlon which will pose a serious flanking threat. Even if he loses that the new entry point at Herbeument or Sedan will pose a threat. It is good terrain for the Allied player's counterattack later in the game, too.

I do this strategy for fun. Against human players it is easy to get lost following the roads or small Allied units in all directions. Against AI it has a decent chance and is still fun. The main problem is the time-distance factor. Without some luck you simply cannot get pesky Allied units out of the way, overrun or blocked and still make it to the Meuse before the fateful Dec. 22nd reinforcements. However, let's take a look at how it might start.

Let's look at a fairly good but realistic opening starting at the beginning of Dec. 17th,
The key points here are that the German player has Lullange and the SS PZD's have moved south as far as possible. Interestingly, the commando raid came early and I chose to freeze the 4IN to try and keep it out of the battle. It is best if you can pin it on the 16th but there is rarely time. This opening has set up two important attack routes through both Houffalize and Bastogne.

Here are some of the sequelae with minimal comments. This is how a Southern Strategy could and should go. The next two attacks by well positioned panzers open both the Bastogne and Houffalize roads.
I chose to exploit the panzers in all directions, partly because I need to cover/block the 10AR in Arlon. Now the 18th is well set up.
The 19th is where the strategy peaks. Time to go for it.
The key attack. BTW, it goes rather badly for the Germans inflicting zero casualties.
Going to the 20th, if at first you do not succeed, bash your head against the wall, again.This time it works. In Bulge you might have to fight a multiday battle in an area to win. Bring your best units.
The 21st shows the Germans stretching for the Meuse. The tension is high here as you know large Allied reinforcements will soon arrive and you need the point cities and OKW reserves by reaching for the river. Notice the German units positioned in St. Hubert. They moved there in case Marche did not fall as a work-around or flood tactic originally mentioned. This will prove important as the 82ABN is not well positioned in Rochefort.
All goes reasonably well as we start the 22nd with the arrival of the British. But the Germans still have one turn of initiative left and no Allied airpower, yet.
The Allies have fought for every inch but this is the situation starting the 23rd. The Germans have breached the Meuse, hold the point cities of Dinant, Givet and Marche (Along with Bastogne and St. Vith) and are in great position to defend their gains with the help of the OKW reserves. This is about as good as it gets.
In this game the German won an early victory on points by the 25th while fending off attacks from Patton in the south and Monty from the north. The left hook to the body has worked.

The historical strategy or something very close to it is what most players will open with. If you are new to the game you will quickly figure out the basic attacks as German and also your basic defense options as the Allied-American player.

Here are the German advantages to the historical strategy:
1. Your units are already in starting position. If the Dec. 16th turn turns out to be a short day you probably still get a decent start and you are in position to continue it on the 17th, just without the surprise bonus. St. Vith will not hold as it historically did.
2. It is a centrist strategy which allows you to change direction as you see fit. Your panzers are going roughly through the middle of the board. You can shift one or more north or south as you see the situation develop. You are not all-in on any part of the board/battlefield.
3. You can sort of flood the zone and make use of superior numbers. With the casualties the Allied player suffers on the first day there should be a hole in the lines in one or more places.
4. If you succeed in the center you can defend your flanks with rivers and difficult terrain reasonably well.

The weaknesses are:
1. You are not concentrated for maximum punching power anywhere but you can do it on the fly if not bogged down.
2. This is the historical plan that failed. If you follow the plan to the letter it will likely fail. But most players will adapt depending on battle results and opportunities.
3. The plan can go well down the middle of the map and score no points but St. Vith. You need something on the flank, most likely Spa or Bastogne to have some points before arriving at the Meuse, just in case.
4. It is the easiest strategy to block as the Allied player, particularly if you fail to concentrate a few panzer units for power.

For the historical strategy you need not reposition anything. Basically, you are going due west with all the units you can move. The Allies will see what units survived and attempt to get in your way, cause incremental damage to your best units and delay while their army grows. They will either concentrate at key points or they will try to contain you at the periphery kind of like a balloon expanding with the pressure your units provide. The Allied reinforcements are stronger on average than your units and can inflict a lot of damage as you cross rivers, woods, and towns.

So, the principle I work by in Battle of the Bulge (and Moscow) is, "It is easier to seize than take." This means if you get a chance at some important open ground it is easier to take and hold it than drive American units off of it. So, if you can maneuver the Allied player out of a position it may be worth it as you save your strength for the inevitable critical battles that will occur. If you fight hard for everything your strength will disapate quickly and time will run out.

So here is a typical opening. This is a pretty standard situation after the surprise attacks. Lostheim, Clervaux and St. Vith are occupied or open


This is the situation on the morning of the 17th. The German player is concentrated and ready to launch the main attacks, now. Essentially, all units will move due west.


The key points are:
1. Elsenborn has been taken and the 99IN eliminated.
2. The units in Malmedy have concentrated and have three directions available, all across rivers. Usually one of these will be open but none will have a strong unit.
3. The units in St. Vith are concentrated and aimed for Houffalize or can divert north or south if desired.
4. The most important attack in my mind is the German force in Lullange ready to take Bastogne. Because the German moves first, he usually gets one shot at Bastogne before reinforcements arrrive and make it extremely difficult to take.
5. The 352VG has infiltrated Beaufort which takes the 4IN out of the game for a turn or two.
6. The American defense is bending but not breaking.

So the key attacks are Bastogne which goes very well
And the important attack by 1SS at Trois Points.
The rest of the moves go well and we have this situation at the start of the Dec. 18th turn.
This is a pretty ideal situation. The key points are:
1. The Trois Points-Bastogne north-south road is open which is valuable for moving units and will be valuable late in the game when Allied counterattacks start in earnest.
2. The three central east-west routes are open for exploitation.
3. The Americans defensive balloon is expanding to maximum capacity.
4. The German player already has two nice point cities, Bastogne and St. Vith and Marche can be seized with the first move for third point city!

I will leave it here as the variables are numerous. This is pretty much an ideal situation. In many games the German can quickly seize Spa but then often has to defend it from strong Allied reinforcements and counterattacks. As I stated in the Northern Strategy, most the U.S. reinforcements arrive on the north edge of the battle. If you are not serious about fighting in this area it may be best to leave it alone and use the river to defend your northern flank.

Some version of the historical strategy is what most people use in the games I have played, but I rarely use it. It is not because it is ineffective, I just like to mix it up and catch players off guard, if possible. One nice thing about the historical is that if you capture key road junctions you can change where you want to strike reasonably rapidly. You want to avoid getting boxed in behind the Ourthe River and will need to watch for opportunities to push across and force a crossing.

For anyone new to the game, this is absolutely the strategy to use until you learn the rules and game mechanics. It is a bit easier to execute, gives you options and has few downsides.

I put this in as a fourth option for the German player. It is as much a tactic as a strategy but it can drastically affect the early play so I put it as an option because it can help with the game.

The basic idea is that this game is won on points, not on victory cities specifically. You get points for getting the cities but there is no requirement to get even a single one. You get points by several means:
1. Exiting the map
2. Having units on the far side of the Meuse
3. Holding key towns like Bastogne and Spa
4. Eliminating Allied units.

The first two are very difficult, occur later in the game and will be hard to do against a decent Allied player. However, the last two are far more under your control and the best opportunities are early in the game. This is where you are strongest relative to the Allied forces and have the most advantages. Destroying a single Allied infantry division is equal to holding Bastogne for two turns or Spa for four days! Do not underestimate the value of taking time to perhaps pursue that weakened unit.

This strategy will work best against an Allied player who likes to fight forward and works rather well against AI, which always fights forward, usually trying to rescue the 106IN in Schonberg. The reason is that it keep Allied units in the areas with artillery advantage, fewer terrain advantages and close to all your units including the slowly lowly VG units. The VG are weak and slow but they can add to the power of a panzer unit and absorb some losses.

As the German player with this strategy you have decided that you will prioritize eliminating Allied units to gain points. Realistically, you are going to pursue gaining city points, as well. As such you could do any of the prior strategies with this in the background.

So, let's take another look at the starting positions:
The map is full of opportunities but the basic ones are in Losheim, Bleialf and Clervaux. That is three points that should be yours on the suprise turn under most any strategy you want to pursue. It is the first full day, Dec. 16th where you might begin to veer off from traditional strategies.

Let's look at a deviation from the standard opening. In my surprise attacks I chose to move the two VG units from Schoenberg to Stadtkyll. I want to thoroughly eliminate the 99IN in Elsenborn. In turn I give up the surprise attack in Bliealf. The 112In isn't going anywhere so it will be there for the 16th.

To gain maximum points you might take the 1SS and attack Elsenborn. If you have done my Northern Strategy the 1SS will be paired with either the 3FJ or 12VG which is ideal. It increases the odds of completely eliminating the American 99IN. You would also want to take the entire Gemund force and attack Monschau. Personally, I might wait an impulse or two to see if the 102Cav moves back to Eupen. It is much easier to eliminate the 2IN if it is alone. If not, it is likely to become a two day attack which is not all bad but eats time. Here is what the early attacks might look like:

You want to attack Vianden with either one of the two units in Clervaux of even the 2PZ in Dasburg. You can also try to do it with one of the small VG units in Kruchten. That would be a low odds attack. However, most of your options for destroying units will come in the south. There are a lot of weak Allied units and the strong ones will be scattered and may open to attack if you can concentrate a few units. So, let's look at the situation in this game after our attacks and moves. We are in good position with the front cleared of Allied units from Monschau down to the river at Krutchen. However, we have not moved very far forward. So, we will spend the 17th concentrating and moving forward. The key attack will be in Eupen and I chose to use the 1SS forces from Elsenborn. I want the best odds of clearing Eupen as it can be tough to take. You could also attack from Monschau and either is good. The attack goes well and you get the situation starting the 18th. Notice that the Germans have concentrated in the north around Spa-Eupen and a central attack through Houffalize. I present the major attack and the resulting start on the 19th. As you can see the attacks go well and we have a sort of north-center strategy going and are in good position. Bastogne will not fall quickly but we have a good chance at victory. At this point in the game, the Max Destruction strategy begins to look like most any other game. You can stay focused on eliminating units but the Allies are getting stronger so capturing point cities and being careful not to lose your own units-points rises up as a stronger consideration.

As I said before, this is as much a tactic as a strategy but it does alter how you open the game. It works really well against AI and so-so against Allied players who will be active in saving units while impeding your advance. Give it a try as a variant for fun.

Battle of the Bulge necessarily revolves around the German plans. As such, the Allied player has to be in a reactive mode through the first half of the game. I would actually argue that he is in a reactive mode the whole game as even his counteroffensive will revolve around what the German player has done and how the German army is positioned.

Having said that there are some imperatives I will suggest for the Allied player.
1. Never give up an important position or point city unless forced to. This is more important in Bulge than Bitter End. The truth is that the German player can win the game with just three points in cities, e.g. St. Vith and Bastogne. If the German player can take Bastogne or the Spa-Verviers cities early and inflict 15 to 20 Allied casualties they can garner enough points to win. Because of this the Allied player cannot give up cities easily or early. Make the German player force you to give them up either through expensive direct assaults or lengthy maneuvering. Time is your friend and if the German player doesn't take Bastogne till late it probably means he has diverted many forces and even stopped his forward momentum. With a little luck you might get it back quickly. The only time to retreat is when staying and holding will cause casualties and lose the position anyway. If your unit will end up surrounded or eliminated AND lose the position anyway it is probably wiser to retreat...although not always.

2. Use the river rules to your advantage. Germans can only cross rivers when they start adjacent to one. So, even the smallest of units can stop a Panzer Corps if there are two spaces to the river. For example, if an entire German Panzer Corps is in Trois Points they cannot move straight into Ouffet if even a one pip unit is there. There must spend a day in Werbomont first and then attack a single unit across the river the next day and hope it survives. So, a single well placed Allied unit can stop or delay a panzer corps two days. Put another way, given six moves (three units times two days) only a single unit will have an attack in two days. The rivers are the German players single biggest nemesis and the Allies' single biggest friend.

3. Defend the flanks north and south the hardest and force the German into the center and the natural pocket created by the Ourthe River. There are no city points here and the river is your defensive friend. It also buys time. If either of your flanks fall the German player gets to work outside of your early river defenses. For example, the Elsenborn-Monschau to Verviers-Spa to Herve have no rivers till the Meuse and a short distance. This allows the Germans to push two and three unit attacks every turn with a short distance to the Meuse. If Bastogne falls there is only a single river at the La Roche-Sibret border and the liklihood is that this route will be open early in the game and undefended. Never give up Eupen or Bastogne without a fight if you can help it. If you studied my North and South strategies you know that you cannot keep these spaces apart from very good luck if the German player is organized and determined. What you usually can do is hold one or the other. Since the German player needs to concentrate to fight hard for one flank or the other he probably cannot take both if you are watching carefully, but he can take one almost assuredly. Then you at least know where the big fight is going to be. Against the historical strategy down the center you actually have a good chance of holding both flanks with careful moves and decent luck. Fortunately, 90% of the players I play against choose a version of the historical strategy.

4. Use the edges of the board. You can get supply from three edges, even behind the historical German lines. Maybe the 4IN gets stuck on the south edge but the German player has to keep units in position to contain it and cannot move them west towards the main battles. In the north, you can hold out and even get reinforcements behind lines or directly into the battle without combat if you are in Verviers! It is a kind of loophole in the rules. The most common uses are when the German player takes Bastogne and you can choose to defend Arlon for future reinforcements or try to get in front of his westward advance. It is similar defending Verviers.

5. Use only the amount of force necessary to hold something. It is nice to pile up a couple units in a space and make it an impossible fortress but odds are something else is un or underdefended. You actually want the German to attempt some low odds attacks from unfavorable positions and cause casualties. This will pay dividends for you later in the game. Even if the German player makes the Meuse, if his forces are battered and weakened you may scoop up a lot of points in your counteroffensive as they randomly run out of supply and are exposed.

6. WATCH FOR THE LIKELY GERMAN COUNTERMOVES! This is the biggest difference between rookie and veteran players. You see a small German unit alone or even a tempting empty space and you take it, only to get hit with a large counterattack the next turn. As a veteran German player I will very often leave a tempting place weak or even do a weak attack to invite an Allied response. The reason is usually that I want the Allied player to move out of a strong position or my offense is stalling and I am trying to break the impasse. Usually, I have a counterattack force that is not readily obvious. I will even move backwards to take advantage. Remember, the German player gets points for eliminated units, too. I will add that this point applies to the German player later. However, the Allied player usually does not many extra units for counterattacks or surprises early in the game.As Allied player try to have an armored division available to strike that Panzer unit crossing the Ourthe early. Hopefully the panzers lost a pip or two crossing and you will knock a few more off with a sharp quick counterattack.

7. Use maneuverability to your advantage. The road system sucks for the Germans along with the terrain. Over half the German army is unmotorized infantry which can only move one space with or without roads. After the 20th mechanized units will randomly go out of supply making withdrawals tricky and sometimes expensive. Allied units can move rather quickly even if on the outside of the "bulge". They are all motorized for strategic movement purposes. This can allow you to grab a key defensive position early and later to concentrate and attack before the Germans can respond. A wise German player senses the time when he has to go on defense and has positioned units accordingly. However, many refuse to give up the offense easily and end up in bad positions that are hard to withdraw from. That is often me, by the way.

9. Enjoy the counteroffensive and use combined arms. Your units on average are much stronger than the German units. Putting an armored unit with two infantry can take on the strongest of German defenses. It is tempting to form an all-amored corps with some elite units and use it as an unbeatable pile driver but it limits your options. Only one at a time can cross a river and you dilute other attacks you might make. If the German player has done well you will need to attack and threaten mulitiple areas at once. Given the German army's limited maneuverability it is very difficult for them to defend against multiple attacks for long.

Battle of the Bulge is a well balanced game where it is guaranteed things will go wrong. You will win a battle you should have lost and lose some you should have won. You can easily get stuck in a three day battle for a position you needed to take in one. You will find your forces a day's march short of where they need to be and as the German player you will find your key panzer unit out of supply at the very moment you needed to attack or even withdraw from a space.

All of this I feel is very realistic even though it makes me say bad words at times. In the end it forces you to really plan several moves ahead, consider alternatives as things go wrong and exploit any and all opportunities you have when they are there. In 24 hours that opportunity will likely have evaporated.

It makes for a tense game for both sides and is never a walk over between evenly matched players. Each side must make use of it's strengths and minimize it's weaknesses. Time is actually not a friend of either side. It just changes sides along with the initiative. Very often the game will come down to one side having points and running out the clock. I have had many PBEM games come down to the points scores on the very last turm of the game.

In the end, this is what we play the games for. We want some tension and an always changing puzzle that must be solved. No two games in Bulge will ever be alike and for me that keeps it interesting and makes it a long term winner.

I hope my insights and strategies have given you something to think about, even if you disagree. If you are new it will give you some useful tips to get started, especially when you play live on PBEM which is dramatically different from an AI game. For veterans, perhaps you have seen some strategies and tactics that are new and interesting to give new life and possibilities to the game for you.

Watch for me online. i go by NapoleonBonaparte in games. I virtually always post open challenges for anyone and everyone. If you can best me especially as the Allied player you are either in the 90th percentile in luck or you are probably in the top tier of skilled players. I will let you decide. Cheers, fellow gamers!