The Germans are holding the town of Manhay with 5 steps of SS grenadiers, an HMG platoon and 2 mortars with a Captain, 2 LTs and a Sergeant, with reinforcements of 1 Pz IVH platoon and 1 Grenadier platoon lead by another LT. US Paras strike in strength with 7 Para infantry platoons, 2 HMGs, 3 mortars, 2 Shermans, lead by a Major, 2 Captains and 3 LTs and have OBA of 3 18 factors, to the Germans single 16. Night with a visibility of 1 hex means everything getting in close and risking enemy fire and OBA friendly fire in this short 10-turn fight. The US start on the hill on board 25 and have to cross the open fields to engage the town. The SS were set up with a Gren and HMG in the forward town hex 0909 with an LT, 2 Grens and an LT in 0810, a single Gren and a Sgt in 0808, the Mortars in 0709 and the Captain in the middle of town at 0809 where he could direct everything as needed and take charge of any of his units personally if needed. The US split into 2 elements to encircle the town while the Shermans moved down the roads and stopped just outside of town to start firing into the town in hopes of killing something and moving in to take a hex. The flanking forces moved in and engaged quickly in assault with mixed results. Initially, the Shermans joined a Para platoon to take the 0909 hex easily, and paras assaultede 0808 and eliminated the platoon there, but the troops in 0810 held on and gave more than they took, even though they lost their leader in just a few turns. The surviving Sergeant moved accross town and took over leading the 0810 troops, assisting a full platoon and a reduced platoon and holding out to the end, inflicting morale failures to the US attackers turn after turn but doing little permanent damage. On the other side of town, with one mortar platoon lost, the other one held on to the bitter end. The final reinforcement arrival came on turn 10, with the Grens mounted on the tanks making a dash down the road to try to take an unoccupied town hex. The US Major with 2 Paras got in a good op fire shot as they went by and eliminated the grens, but the tanks made it into the town hex. In the end, the US controlled more town hexes than the Germans, but the Germans still held enough to prevent a Major US victory. 10 steps of German casualties to only 1 US, but there were more demoralized US troops milling around in the dark than German. Great game.

A short, small, and quick scenario (trying to get my sergeant's stripes before Spring Break is over). US paratroopers assault an SS-held town. Scenario is entirely at night; the town is rubble: thus, sighting range is 1; DF & BF attacks reduced; and units must use entirely of movement to enter a town/rubble hex.

Thus, "softening up" of the entrenched SS was difficult, but to hold a majority of town hexes, German units were set-up only one per hex. The US tried a two-pronged attack from east and west (armor here). The usual vagaries of opportunity fire; US M4 platoons disrupted by a single gren; but finally US weight of force attains the day. The PzIVH arrives on turn four, shoots up a step of M4; then gets bogged in an assault (what, didn't see those noctural troglodyte paras in the square next door?).

By game end, US held four town hexes, contested one. Germans held two, contested one. US minor victory.