Fields Of Fire: The Bulge Campaign Expansion

Categories: Expansion for Base-game, Wargame, World War II

Mechanics: Campaign/Battle Card Driven, Modular Board, Solo/Solitaire Game

Players: 1

Ages: 12+

Playtime: 300 Min

The 9th Infantry Regiment "Manchus" of the 2nd Infantry Division faced three weeks of grueling combat from December 13th, 1944, to January 8th, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge. This campaign expansion delves into those pivotal days, featuring seven new missions and introducing a new Terrain Deck that captures the forests, fields, and villages of the Ardennes. The counter sheet includes essential units and equipment, such as a U.S. heavy machine gun platoon, Bangalore torpedoes, anti-tank mines, wire entanglements, German tanks, assault guns, Panzergrenadiers, and Volksgrenadiers.

Previously, in Fields of Fire: Volume I, we followed the "Manchus" through the Normandy Campaign. Afterward, the 2nd Infantry Division was swiftly deployed to assist in the capture of the port city of Brest in Brittany, which fell after intense fighting from August 21st to September 18th. With German resistance collapsing across France, the Division moved rapidly to Paris, arriving on September 29th. Their advance halted on October 4th, as they entered the Schnee Eifel region, just east of St. Vith, Belgium, along the German border marked by the Siegfried Line.

The 2nd Infantry Division relieved the 4th and 28th Infantry Divisions by October 5th, securing their position in this strategically important area. Throughout October and November, the "Manchus" incorporated replacements and prepared for the challenges ahead, engaging in frequent patrols but facing no major combat. On December 10th, they began a relief in place by the 106th Infantry Division, completing the transition by December 11th. The Division then regrouped at Camp Elsenborn in preparation for a renewed offensive, set to begin on December 13th, pushing north through the Siegfried Line.

Important Note: Fields of Fire: Volume I (either the first or second edition) is required to play this expansion.