We welcome you to join the 25th Anniversary Tournament with Combat Mission Final Blitzkrieg.To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Matrix Games, players will fight for a coupon prize pool. The amount of money will be given based on your final placement:

• Top 1: $60 Coupon

• Top 2: $50 Coupon

• Top 3: $40 Coupon

• Top 4: $30 Coupon

• Top 5-7: $20 Coupon (each position)

• Top 8-10: $10 Coupon (each position)

Round 1 - Breaking the Line

9 January, 1945

The 42nd, 63rd, and 70th Divisions had recently arrived in Marseilles from the United States after being cannibalized in the spring and summer of 1944 for replacements to be assigned to divisions currently in theater.  The intent was to leave these three divisions in reserve until July of 1945 when they could finish absorbing replacements for the troops previously stripped from the divisions and to complete the standard twelve-week large scale maneuver phase of training.  

When Patton's Third Army was redeployed to help in the fighting during the Battle of the Bulge, General Dever's Seventh Army was forced to cover parts of the front that the Third Army had previously held.  As a result of this shift the Seventh Army was forced to deploy the 42nd, 63rd, and 70th divisions into the front line, but because the divions were not ready to fight as fully formed formations yet the individual regiments of these divisions were parceled out to serve under the command of the various veteran divisions who were already in the line.

The 242nd Infantry Regiment of the 42nd Infantry Division has been assigned the task of defending Maginot Line fortifications in the areas north of the Hagenau Forest with the 1st Battalion being deployed east of the town of Hatten.  A German attack began in the pre dawn hours this morning.  A and B companies are defending Maginot Line positions located just to the east of town while C Company is being held in reserve in the town itself.

Round 2 -  Die Patrouille  

0735hrs 18 December 1944

Two days ago the Germans mounted a surprise attack, and have pushed swiftly westwards. Out forces at St Vith are in danger of being outflanked to the north and south.

Round 3 - Lanzerath Ridge

The early morning shelling finally stopped at 0700.  The artillery started before dawn and kept going for several hours. Most of the shells exploded in the tree tops.  Between that and the reinforced foxholes with overhead cover meant that the shelling caused no casualties.  However during the shelling, the forward telephone lines were severed. Now the only communication with the 394th regimental headquarters is by radio.  Lt Bouck, Private James, Sargent Slape and Corporal Creger went back into the village of Lanzerath to setup an observation post so they would know when the Germans arrived.  It did not take long to spot the lead elements of a German attack approaching the village.  The village observation post was abandoned right away – our fight will be along the ridge line. Shortly after returning to the platoon’s dug in positions, bringing along the artillery observer Lt. Springer and his men the Germans were seen in the town.

PLEASE NOTE - DO NOT ABANDON OR SURRENDER OR CEASEFIRE DURING A ROUND OR ELSE THE SCORING BECOMES INACCURATE.

Special instructions:

Before joining the tournament, please take a moment and carefully read these instructions that are specific to all Combat Mission Tournaments.

Something has been added since the last tournament. There is now a feature that can be added to a tournament called "Use Turn Reminder". Hopefully this will help is a player falls behind in their turns.

• Please do not sign up for this tournament if you are not sure that you will be able to play all of the battles.

• Because of the way that Combat Mission’s original “play by email” system works, both game files have an in-game field for password protection of the file. This field should be left blank. For the US side the password has been selected before the battles were sent and that field is to be left blank. You can use a password for the Soviet side but it isn’t needed because the Tournament feature handles protection from cheating without using the in game system.

• The Tournament will have you playing 2 individual battles where you are playing both sides of the same battle. If you get into the game before your opponent, you will see 1 game turn to play. If your opponent has gotten there first then you will see 2 turn files and each turn thereafter should have 2 files.

• Once a tournament begins you will receive the files in the "Saved Game and PBEM"; drop menu under Automated PBEM++ In Progress. You will receive email notifications when your opponent has sent you turns.

• You will need a Matrix user name and password to play any tournament (or PBEM++ battle). If you don't have one already you can get one here: https://www.matrixgames.com/login

Sign up now either through the game or here: https://www.matrixgames.com/tournaments