Germans have a large force of 19 Volksgrenadiers, supported by 4 mortars, 4 HMGs, an Engineer, a 75mm AT gun with wagon tow, 2 SS Panthers and 2 SS Pz IVHs, and strive to kill US troops, take town hexes and get units off the west edge of the board. US has 9 Paras, 3 PMGs, 3 mortars, 2 57mm AT guns with trucks to hold any hexes at least 4 hexes west of the east edge of board 24 and/or any hill hexes on board 25. They may get reinforcements of a para company of 3 Paras and a PMG in trucks on or after turn 6, and an M-36, also on or after turn 6. I set up the initial Para battalion in the town, the AT guns on the north and south hexes 0809 and 0807 to try to catch the Panzers at some point. The 3 Mortars and 3 Para platoons set up in and adjacent to the town hex on the ridge south of town where the mortars can support the town, the two mortars to either side of the town hex dug in. As the German, I split the Volksgrenadiers into two forces, using the woods to north and south to move with some screening until they could attempt to assault the town. The SS panzers moved by road and then around the south side of the town with the goal of heading for the exit victory condition, netting the Germans 16 points before the US could try to bring in the reinforcemens. The Germans took a lot of casualties, but did manage to assault into 3 town hexes with enough force standing by to keep those assaults moving, and the Paras just began taking casualties when one of the AT guns and truck were destroyed in assault and the Germans grabbed an unoccupied easern town hex. German casualties in the end were so close in number to the exit force that, with the US holding firm in 3 town hexes and the Germans in 1, the rest contested, that at the end of time available, the difference was only 2 points, a draw. Another hour of play time, and it could have gone either way, but unless luck really shifted, German casualties were going to continue to accumulate faster than US. Great little game.

A enjoyable Skype game with Vince Hughes over several sessions. The scenario has the German Volksgrenadiers bolster with SS tanks attacking American paratroops hold the line on the Salm river. The Americans have better morale, slightly better OBA and setup. The Germans have the numbers and tanks, but have a lessor morale. This should up quite early in the match.

The American setup has the paratroopers setting up in the town with a few troopers outside the town as pickets. The German advanced moved on board in north eastern edge of board 24. Using the cover of the woods and hill they moved forward to attack the town. American OBA draw the first blood knocking out a platoon of GRENs. The German numbers prevail and they are able to move to the eastern edge of the town and assault. In a bloody battle, the Germans are able to take a town hex and hold it for most of the game. American paratroopers look to counterattack and in one move are able to knock out a SS Panther and PzIVH.

At this point the Germans slowing start to move through the woods to the west in an attempt to get off the board. American reinforcements move to try to block the advances and a game of catch and mouse, with the troops occur with the OBA being the "cat". Both sides take loses driving up the step lose count. Slowly advancing the Germans find holes in the American lines and get GREN's close to the edge and finally off the board. But the casualties mount for the Germans as well as disruptions and demoralizations. But in the last few turns of the game several key OBA attacks helps the German bring the game to a draw.

This game played over Skype as a head-to-head with Alan Sawyer. Picked by him from what was then, the new Winter Soldiers offering, this would be our first dive into the book.

For both sides there appears a real-toughie decision. The Americans need to defend a town at the front end of the battle but also stop lower moraled Volksgrenadiers and some SS Armour from exiting. This is over a board where their total of 16 Para & HMG platoons will be stretched SOMEWHERE ! The Germans meanwhile face 8/8 moraled US Elite, but must consider attacking the forward town, tying down the enemy and sending off prescious resources to exit over two board. They too will need to GIVE somewhere.

In our game, there was just one '2' moraled leader and that was the US Lt.Col. That added to the '8' morale proved priceless and one felt that the Volksgrenadiers needed one too so as to perhaps prosecute their attack on the town with more vigour and elan. That said, I think the overall lack of '2' leaders probably made this the game it was. Who knows ? So whatever the result here, leadership may swing other players games in all directions. Heres the report

Setting The Snowy Cold Scene

Here we had America’s elite. The Band of Brothers, the Paratroops. High-moraled and well-led with decent OBA to call on. Facing them were averagely led uncertain and inexperienced Volksgrenadiers. Their morale was acceptable of course, though not up to the US Paras levels. They were however backed by four platoons of SS tanks.

Stick Or Twist ?#

Both sides faced a conundrum. That being, how many troops to dedicate to the inevitable ensuing town battle at the forward part of the battle area and then, for the Americans, how many troops to place further to the rear area to block a German bypass. For the Germans it was, how many men if indeed any, should they use to simply push past the town and continue the surge (towards Antwerp !) The Germans decided to use their local numerical advantage. They had planned to make a concerted effort on the town but only in order to capture parts of it therefore concentrating the minds of American forces there. Once the Americans were drawn in, they would attempt then, to bust through the weakened rear US lines, whilst tying down the main force of Amis with a residual force. There were two potential problems with this: a) Timing – Go too soon, and the Americans have time to redeploy and spoil the breakthrough or. b) Over commit to the attack on the town and leave themselves too few resources to send across the Salm. Either way, despite these ideas, the German command was still vacillating between which one of the two objectives to make their primary. Town or breakthrough? This would eventually lead to a delitory start to the German battle and would last around two-thirds of its duration.

"Vorwarts" And "There-a Comin' Sarge"

The attack kicked-off at 0815 hours. The 62nd VG streamed forward from the east, some heading towards the town, but most toward the better cover of the fir-tree woods. Towards these woods went the German MG teams as well as Grenadiers, whilst the tanks supported by a platoon of engineers and some grenadiers advanced carefully on the town. The Americans here were being directed by Lt.Col.Mendez, an officer of supreme confidence, a confidence that he was also able to transfer to his men. In the opening 45 minutes exchanges, the Paras were able to account for around 3 steps of grenadiers advancing on them which caused some disruption and disorder and that in turn hindering any hopes of a fully coordinated German attack. These Grenadiers could really have done with an inspirational leader of their own as they also struggled to remain cohesive under heavy battery and mortar bombardments too.

Germans Success And Disaster

By 0930, the German pains began to finally realize some enemy casualties. Their OBA and MG/Small arms fire was slowly reducing American resistance on the most easterly section of the town as well as some dug-in positions just outside. Concentrated German MG fire coming in on the town from the north side, although troublesome, could have been more effective than it was. This was then followed by the SS tanks entering the town and securing its perimeter with some Wehrmacht infantry support. Before 1000 hours (turn 8), the SS tank commander decided that his beasts would press further into the town. Once again, with infantry support, the small attacking group advanced, but this time met with disaster. The Paratroopers here had used the buildings well and proved elusive targets thus losing very few troopers. In return, they cut down the German infantry trying to encroach in their sector, and then, using bazookas and the cover of the town fell-on the now unsupported two tank platoons, knocking them all out within fifteen minutes. What was left of the German effort here retired back into the already held section of the town. Casualties in the battle had been high, 9 American steps against 20 German step equivalents including 4 tank steps ! This had been personally directed by Mendez and it was to him that the stubbornness of his men could be attributed. Fighting around here would continue throughout the rest of the battle, with the Germans desperately holding a small part of the town from within, whilst outside of it, using their distant MG teams to harry American efforts to throw out the remaining ‘Krauts’ stubbornly clinging on in there. At this stage of the battle, the Americans looked to be winning comfortably.

To Antwerp !

But whilst the action was hottest in the town, the Germans had finally mobilized enough of their men, around 4 companies of Infantry and the remaining 2 platoons of tanks to start heading west, toward the Salm River with few American forces in their way at all. The dilly-dallying of the German command was finally over. And as they pressed forward, the Americans frantically sent truck-borne infantry and a rather frightening looking M36 SP platoon to thwart this German thrust. What followed in the pines and firs was a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, with both sides dodging the other whilst simultaneously using OBA to hinder the opponent’s movements. Overall, the Americans were unable to muster enough defenders as, with hindsight, too many were left in the town battling quite a few fewer Germans.

Americans Hold Their Lines

By 1115 hours the first contingent of Germans was completely through and away from the Paratroopers lines, and by 1130 hours (turn 14), just over a company of them had made it away. Fighting finally concentrated on this perimeter and for the next hour, the Germans struggled a lot more to push forward. Especially so their tanks as the M36 was causing mischief and getting some lucky escapes itself. In one episode, it took an opportunistic round of shots at a section of Panthers darting across a clearing, only to leave themselves seemingly at the mercy of a PzIV platoon located in the light-wooded area. Amazingly, the M36 platoon commander spotted these and was able to get a jump on the enemy and escape before enemy shots came in.

Never Say Never !

By 1230 hours, the end-game was set up. Still fragments of much reduced German troops clung onto the one section of town, but were under serious pressure from the Americans in terms of numbers and firepower itself. Outside the town, American platoons were trying to place the German MG’s under serious fire as well as a German AT platoon. Whilst a good idea, the Germans were in no mood to roll-over here and continued to fight equally aggressively. At the western end of the battle, the Germans were queuing up to try and exit away and off, whilst American paras and that M36 platoon continued to hold them back, albeit, only just. German OBA to this point had overall been poor, but we were about to see what would happen when an experienced Major called it down. Seeing the M36 holding a position with his guns trained on the exit road area, he decided to call in the batteries for a strike on the M36’s for there was absolutely no other choice available. Well, it might have been a long-shot, but the OBA fell down RIGHT on target and annihilated the whole platoon of M36’s (snake-eyes). The road was now open for exit and those Germans waiting by it rushed forward to do so. In all, another 4 platoons of Grenadiers exited along with the two platoons of SS tanks.

The Paras Feel It Slip#

At the town, in response to this bad news, the Paratroopers pushed out and finished off the remaining German soldiers in the town. However, they allowed some other weary disrupted Volksgrenadiers to escape and this was coupled by some heavy and very accurate German mortar and OBA fire that over 30 minutes extracted another 3 American casualty steps. When it all ended, the result could only be judged as a draw. Given the tenuous German position up to and into 2/3’s of the battle, this would seem like a win for them as a major defeat had looked on the cards earlier on for the Volksgrenadiers. Conversely, for the Americans, given their winning position so late into the game, the desperate German grab of a draw in the last 3 turns must have felt like being handed a defeat ?. In summary, too many Germans had made off, but the Americans held all the town. Americans 44pts, Germans 41pts. DRAW

I finally gave this a '4' rating and that was due to the writing up of the game .... It was very exciting. As a 2-player game, it has to be tried because I think there are many variants in this one meaning there will be many different battle-types come from the same scenario

This scenario was played solo in one longish session. I chose this scenario because Vince and Alan, my two prime FtF opponents have played it and I could also use my newly purchased winter wonderland boards. The game situation has the German forces entering from the east trying to cross two boards for exit VPs or take towns hexes for VPs, enemy step losses also gains VPs, facing them are highly motivated Para's from the 82nd division. This poses two issues for both the attackers and the defenders, as the German player do you try and take town hexes or sweep around them and head for the edge of the board, as the US player do you hold the main town which is just 6 hexes from the enemy start line or do you spread out and try and block the enemy exit points. In this game the German went for a mixed strategy of using the HMG's and ENG with GREN support to try and take the main town with the Armour and Gren platoons moving North and South of the town and exiting the board to the west. The US para commander decided to hold the town with the vast majority of his force and hope that reinforcements and artillery could slow the German rush to exit to the west. Like Vince and Alan's game the only +2 morale leader was the US Col who held centre spot in the town. In effect both plans worked, the German armour with its accompanying GREN companies bypassed the town and brushed away the few US units sent to block them and exited the boards fairly easily though with some losses due to Artillery fire however the attack on the town stalled quickly with heavy losses. The US forces held the town easily but could not prevent the exiting of all the German armour, the reinforcing single platoon of US TD wisely decided not to engage the Panther's but scuttled into the safety of the town where its MGs helped in turning back the final German assault on the town. As I was playing solo I did not keep track of VPs until game end so I was not sure of what the final result would be, on counting up I found the US had 36 VP's to the German 34 VP's so the result was a draw. This is an excellent scenario apart from the main battle for the town their were small skirmishes all over the map as the small US forces tried to stop the exiting German units. The choices at the start of the battle are very important for both sides and the wrong choice could easily see a overwhelming victory for ever player. Well worth a 4 rating.

US troops set up in large town with an 11-1-2 Lt Col in the center of town aiding everyone there. Other US troops set up in the small one hex town and in the woods on the western board. The Germans tanks entered first and advanced adjacent to the town. They were able to eliminate the 57mm ST gun but after that the tanks and the other approaching German infantry had great difficulty effecting the American units on the town. Eventually the Germans stacked a tank with two infantry units and began assaulting the Americans. The Germans had more units to support the assaults and eventually whittled the Americans down but in two hexes the intrepid Americans continued to hold out. On turn 6 the GI's received all their reinforcements and they immediately moved to the eastern edge of the western woods. The M36 eliminated a step of PzIV's, but was destroyed by the Panthers before they could move. At the start the Germans had also sent roughly one company toward the southern town, but American defenses were stiffer there and they were never able to put up a good attack on the town. As the game wound down, the low German morale meant they had lots of disrupted and demoralized troops, so much of their turn was spent rallying. As the game petered out, the GI's still had units being assaulted in one hex of the large town while they controlled the small, one hex town. The Germans held the other six hexes of the large town and had a large advantage in units killed. It was a major German victory. Not a bad scenario, but it would take quite a lot of skill and luck for the American to prevail.