Advance to the Moselle

Advance to the Moselle is the first in a series of WWII game modules based on the TOCS (Tactical Operations Command System) double-blind system, consisting of three phase-line scenarios and one campaign scenario during the Lorraine Campaign near Nancy from September 4th through September 15th, 1944. Players assume the role of Commanding Officers and are tasked with accomplishing their mission objectives in order to fulfill the victory conditions. Players, during alternate Operational Impulses, spend OPs, which are a form of military logistical currency, to activate units. Through unit actions, which are purchased through the spending of OPs, each player's forces will attempt to gather intelligence, seek battle, build defensive strongpoints and choose from an extensive set of ground, air and naval actions that can be combined in a multitude of combinations to achieve their desired goals. Each player's perimeter is updated whenever an action affects it, such as performing reconnaissance, moving or attacking.

When playing using the TOCS game client, each player will only see their own playing pieces representing HQs, Companies, Batteries, Vehicles Platoons and Asset counters, and will not see the enemy counters. The TOCS system provides all online services needed to play the game against opponents world-wide or face-to-face at the same table.

The AttM game module supports fighting battles using the CRT table provided, as well as resolving battles using the optional MASL rules. MASL is an alternate combat method which scales TOCS battles down to ASL scenarios and maps the combat results back into the TOCS system. Players do not need to own the ASL series in order to play any TOCS WWII game module.

Game Scale

Scenario 1: Advance to the Moselle

The US 3rd Army has been sitting within the Meuse River bridgehead for the past two weeks gathering supplies from a tenuous supply line stretching back to the Normandy beaches. With barely enough supplies, the Field Order was drafted to advance to the Moselle, which is the last river line before the West Wall along the Rhine River. It is anticipated that the race across France will continue to the German border, but the first step will be to force a river crossing across the Moselle River. As part of the Lorraine Campaign near Nancy, the American 80ID must advance to the river, force a crossing and establish a bridgehead and put in place bridges so that the advance can continue. Minimal German opposition short of the Rhine is expected, other then delaying actions, roadblocks, minefields and blown bridges.

Scenario 2: Mopping up the Moselle

Upon realizing that the German Army is no long in headlong fight and that they intend on holding the Moselle River line, 3rd Army Headquarters has drafted a Field Order to secure the lines and to mop up enemy units this side of the Moselle River and to find suitable areas to cross. Corps Headquarters has reassigned additional units to be under 80ID control, to assist with the operation of clearing the area to the river and linking in with neighboring divisions upstream and downstream.

Scenario 3: Breaching the Moselle

The continuation of the previous field order is to establish a bridgehead of sufficient depth, construct bridges and affect a breakout and following exploitation. Corps Headquarters has assigned additional units to perform the breakout and exploitation phases, assuming the 80ID can create and maintain the prerequisite bridgehead. Once the Moselle crossing is secure, the next major objective will be the Rhine River and forcing the West Wall before the Germans can maintain it in strength.

Campaign Scenario: Advance to the Moselle

As the American Commanding Officer, you must force a crossing of the Moselle River, establish a bridgehead, build bridges that can support follow on units, breakout and exploit. The Corps Headquarters has reassigned several units to be under the direct control of the 80ID and additional units for the breakout and exploitation phase.

As the German Commanding Officer, you must defend the Moselle River line at Metz and Nancy. Army Headquarters has determined that this line offers the best chance of slowing down the American advance that has raced across France, only to be slowed due to logistical supply problems. Now is the time to ‘stand and fight’, so that the West Wall can become the formidable barrier is was intended to be. Every day you delay the Americans, allows the German frontier to be better defended, the Reich is depending on how well you can perform this holding action. The Americans must be held at the Moselle River.

The campaign scenario links all three battle scenarios and includes two ‘rest days’ that the American player must insert to refit units and stockpile supplies and OP points.