In late 1944, as Hitler launched the desperate “Watch on the Rhine” counteroffensive to split Allied forces, the independent 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion was deployed to the northern shoulder of the Battle of the Bulge. Ill-equipped for the severe winter after being ordered to leave their heavy coats behind, the battalion faced frostbite and hypothermia alongside hardened SS Panzer divisions.
Throughout early January 1945, the 551st spearheaded a series of brutal attacks to push the Germans back. The unit endured devastating losses at Herispehe Ridge and Dairomont, often engaging in point-blank bayonet charges against superior firepower. Their final assault on the village of Rochelinval successfully cut off a German escape route across the Salm River, but the victory came at the cost of their commander, Lt. Col. Wood Joerg, and the unit’s cohesion. By the time the objective was secured, the battalion had suffered a staggering 94 percent casualty rate—dropping from 643 men to just 110 in five days—leading the Army to disband the decimated unit shortly thereafter.
This video is a short preview of what we know about MMP’s new HASL (or mini-HASL) focusing on the fighting around Rochelinval in 1945.
Academy Out!
GET TO THE CHOPPA…!!! 
Article © 2026, N. Ulen, S. Rowland & S. Stewart. All Rights Reserved. Copyright & Fair Use Notice.
ASL-Players.net is not affiliated with Hasbro, AH Games, Inc., or MMP, Inc.
Advanced Squad Leader is a trademark of AH Games, Inc.
