Dragon’s Teeth:
Scenario Preview, Part One
By Mike Bennighof, Ph.D.
March 2024

Back in 2010, I allowed myself to be talked into a serious error, re-printing the pieces for the long out-of-print Panzer Grenadier: Battle of the Bulge rather than those for a new game. We ended up with far more than we needed, and they’ve been in their sealed cartons ever since. They still look good, and some time back I laid plans to use them in a new game.

Panzer Grenadier: Dragon’s Teeth is that game. It’s based on the Siegfried Line campaign, when the U.S. V and VII Corps fought their way through German border defenses between September and December 1944. We covered these battles in a series of small scenario booklets, but those drew on many games and books for maps and pieces.

For Dragon’s Teeth, I re-designed 32 of them to use just those Battle of the Bulge pieces, and the Winter Wonderland maps (since there was snow on the ground by the end of the campaign, and the winter maps are just unspeakably cool). The result is a very fine game pitting American troops against the German Army (the Armed SS militia didn’t fight in this campaign), one in which both sides have to at some point attack and defend (the Germans weren’t ready to concede the Americans a foothold on German soil).

Dragon’s Teeth follows our story-arc format, with chapters and battle games to link the scenarios together. Let’s have a look at the first chapter.

Chapter One
Across the Border
On the afternoon of 11 September 1944, Sgt. Warner L. Holzinger of the 5th Armored Division’s 85th Reconnaissance Squadron waded across the River Our at the head of a five-man patrol, becoming the first American soldier to set foot on German territory during the Second World War.

The rest of the American First Army followed, with their first objectives the capture of the ancient Germanic capital of Aachen and penetration of the West Wall (known to the Americans as the Siegfried Line), the pre-war concrete and steel fortifications along the German border. The Americans had pursued the crumbling German armies across France and Belgium, with fuel supplies their primary concern.

Third Armored Division crosses the Siegfried Line.

An assault on the fortified West Wall would be a very different proposition; it would require massive amounts of artillery ammunition. And while these had been shipped to Europe, much of it still lay in dumps near the ports where the shells had been unloaded. The artillery rounds would have to be brought up to the front, and that would take time.

But as German resistance grew stronger to either side of First Army’s two right-wing corps, intelligence reports noted that not a single division-sized enemy unit had been encountered. It was distinctly possible that the Germans had thinned out their lines in this sector, which would allow an American advance.

Courtney Hodges of First Army, urged on by his subordinates, agreed to allow his V and VII Corps to try to slip through the West Wall before the Germans could bring the fortifications into working order and man them with troops. They would perform a “reconnaissance in force,” and if they failed to break through, then First Army would switch over to a carefully-prepared, set-piece offensive.

Scenario One
Outskirts of Aachen
13 September 1944
Nazi propaganda minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels had promised to turn Aachen into America’s Stalingrad, but Gen Gerhard Graf von Schwerin of the 116th Panzer Division, charged with the city’s defense, did not agree. On the 13th of September he drafted an appeal for the humane treatment of all civilians, and issued instructions to hand it to the first American officer entering the city. He expected that to happen the next day, but the Americans had other ideas.

Conclusion
If the Americans had stuck to their original plan, they would have entered Aachen almost unopposed on the 14th. Unfortunately, Gen Clarence Huebner of 1st Infantry Division had convinced his superiors that an urban assault would be too costly, and received permission to encircle the city instead. Heavy fighting developed to the south of the city, and the Americans made slow progress.

Notes
We lead off with an intro scenario, one with just one map and just a few units on each side, and no special rules or exceptions. The Americans have a lot more force, whichis good, because they have a lot to accomplish.

Scenario Two
The Breach at Monschau
14 September 1944
Seeking to penetrate to the Roer River dams, the U.S. VII Corps first had to widen the break in the German “West Wall” fortifications at Monschau. A battalion from the 60th Infantry Regiment, reinforced with tanks and tank destroyers, had the task of taking the ridge from the hastily-assembled German division holding the sector. While the West Wall positions – here called the Scharnhorst Line - were known to the Americans, unknown to them the German division command had assigned its only experienced troops to the sector.

Conclusion
The American attack met heavy fire from well-concealed German fortifications, and without tank or air support they could not break through the Scharnhorst Line. Lt. Col. Lee W. Chatfield pulled his troops back as night fell to await reinforcements and try again the next morning. The German Army had been shattered during the summer, but now that it fought on German soil a new determination was evident.

Notes
It’s a small scenario, a set-piece American attack with an infantry battalion backed by considerable artillery against an extremely well-armed and well-positioned German defense. This is going to be a tough one for all involved.

Scenario Three
Local Counter-Attack
15 September 1944
The 47th Infantry Regiment had pushed farther into Germany than any other Allied unit and almost through the Siegfried Line. They had hit little resistance on the 14th, and the next morning they were clearing out the last pillboxes along the line when the Germans unexpectedly attacked.

Conclusion
During the night, the previously passive Germans had decided to change tactics. Scraping together what little armor assets that could be made available, they took the fight to the Americans. One prong reached the field kitchens where Technician Fourth Class Clarence (Ed) Combs took a break from his cooking to knock out a German assault gun. The 47th rallied and surrounded the villages of Vicht, Mausbach and Schevenhutte.

Notes
This is a bigger scenario, with the Germans on the attack with numbers on their side; the Americans are not prepared for this but they do once again wield serious artillery superiority (this last is pretty standard for this campaign) and they get a surge of reinforcements to try to clean up any German advances.

Scenario Four
No Time to Lose
15 September 1944
With three of the best American divisions — 1st Infantry, 9th Infantry and 3rd Armored — steadily chewing through the West Wall defenses, the German command became desperate to stop them. “Ninth Panzer Division armor will attack the enemy,” raged Friedrich-August Schack, commander of LXXXI Corps, “and throw him back behind the West Wall. There is no time to lose.” Accordingly, the badly-depleted panzer division moved out to confront the Spearhead Division, itself rapidly losing its own strength.

Conclusion
The German ambush worked well, as the small battle group shot up about half of Task Force Lovelady’s tanks. The German army commander, Gen. Erich Brandenburger, was not impressed, finding that the division command had no idea where its forces had deployed. The defeat of Task Force Lovelady had come more or less by accident, and Brandenburger fired both Maj. Gen. Gerhard Mueller of 9th Panzer Division and his chief of staff – but failed, in turn, to appoint a replacement, allowing the division’s organization to deteriorate still further.

Notes
This is one of those odd scenarios that crop up in Panzer Grenadier games; some players really like them though I myself cling to the old-school ways. In this case, the Germans have laid an ambush for the overly-aggressive Americans. Since the players know that, there’s a chance of avoiding disaster. But only a chance.

Scenario Five
Homeland Security
16 September 1944
Nazi Germany poured vast sums of money, concrete, steel and labor into its “West Wall” defenses, but even the stoutest fortifications are useless with no one to man them. When the  U.S. VII Corps began its attack on the first belt, known as the Scharnhorst Line, in some places the Landesschützen or “homeland security” battalions simply ran away rather than fight. But when they reached the second fortified zone, known as the Schill Line, the Americans found a very different situation.

Conclusion
After several days in which they displayed little fighting spirit, the Germans finally rallied to try to hold their fortified line. Hidden anti-tank guns knocked out half a dozen Shermans, and the Americans called in infantry reinforcements. Fighting raged among the pillboxes for the remainder of the day before the Americans finally broke through and declared the West Wall breached.

Notes
The Americans are on the attack, against a well-fortified German line manned by less-than-enthusiastic defenders. The original scenario drew on pieces from all across the Panzer Grenadier line, so this is a new one with a more rational approach. Despite the poor quality of the German side, the weather’s bad and the Americans face a shell shortage.

Scenario Six
The Scharnhorst Line
16 September 1944
With repeated infantry assaults failing to break the German position, 9th Infantry Division finally sent help from its attached 746th Tank Battalion. The West Wall’s designers had recognized that this point, where the Scharnhorst Line bent to follow the German-Belgian border and a road crossed the ridge line, would be a natural target for any attackers. The well-sited and well-built fortifications could not be broken by infantry alone, but this time the Americans were bringing all of their many advantages to bear.

Conclusion
This time, American firepower made a difference and they managed to take Hoefen, one of the towns along the ridgeline. But elsewhere the German defense remained firm despite the commitment of tank, artillery, and air support. The Siegfried Line was living up to its reputation, and allowing the Germans time to recover from the disastrous losses of their retreat across France.

Notes
I had to cut this scenario down for Dragon’s Teeth, as the original drew pieces (mostly markers) from many games. It’s a straight-ahead frontal assault; the Americans get plenty of artillery to blast their way clear and the Germans have none to shoot back.

Scenario Seven
Buffalo Attack
16 September 1944
The German 12th Infantry Division, known as the “Wild Buffaloes,” had been destroyed in Central Russia in July 1944 and re-built in East Prussia. In the early morning hours of 14 September, its troops and weapons began to board trains for the Aachen area, on the express order of Germany’s Supreme Leader. The division had a full 14,800 men including seven infantry battalions, nine artillery batteries and a full anti-tank battalion. Their arrival early on 16 September excited the local population, who eagerly answered the call for civilian buses, automobiles, and mail trucks to rush them from their railheads to the front to attack the advancing enemy.

Conclusion
The Wild Buffaloes ejected the lead elements of the 1st Infantry Division from Verlautenheide and halted all forward progress there. They then pushed on to the Siegfried Line near Munsterbusch where the 9th Panzer Division had been holding out in their pillboxes. This division fielded only a few hundred combatants at this point, but Army Group commander Walther Model fired the division commander, Maj. Gen. Gerhard Müller, after just two weeks in command and placed the remnants under 12th Infantry Division until they could be withdrawn at the end of the month to be re-formed. The Wild Buffaloes had fought well, and would frustrate the Big Red One at Verlautenheide for another week.

Notes
We have a scenario drawn from another part of this attack in Spearhead Division, where the Buffaloes encounter the 3rd Armored Division. Here, it’s a pretty evenly-matched infantry fight, a brawl between two good and reasonably well-equipped formations.

Scenario Eight
The High Ground
16 September 1944
The Wild Buffalo Division couldn’t merely improve their defensive positions at Verlautenheide, as this would still leave their left flank open all the way to Zweifall. Therefore, a battalion was sent south to establish contact with some holdouts from the 9th Panzer Division still resisting at Stolberg. But instead of stopping once they’d made contact, the Wild Buffalos kept heading southward. That led them directly into the Americans who were attempting to secure the high ground around Weissenberg.

Conclusion
The Germans promptly put paid to the American effort to secure Weissenberg, and were glad that cloud cover had prevented enemy airpower from interfering with their own efforts. But the Spearhead Division wasn’t through with them just yet.

Notes
It’s another fortified line, with the Spearhead Division mounting a tank-heavy assault on the defenses. The Germans get plenty of reinforcements, and they’re going to need them, with this many American tanks rampaging onto the battlefield.

You can order Dragon’s Teeth right here.

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Mike Bennighof is president of Avalanche Press and holds a doctorate in history from Emory University. A Fulbright Scholar and NASA Journalist in Space finalist, he has published an unknowable number of books, games and articles on historical subjects. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife and three children; he misses his dog, Leopold.

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