Four of five for the St. Vith mini-series (only St. Vith: the fall to go!).

This scenario was a bit of a challenge playing solo given that there is a hidden unit criterion, specifically the US M36 unit which, in no small part (along with initiative) is the key to this encounter. Also, just a meta-game warning: the Germans have sufficient units to "sweep" the board looking for the hidden M36 (they can go empty, unit-unit, skip two, unit-unit and cover the board width so that the hidden M36 in LT could be flushed out). I chose not to pursue that approach. I did play the Germans as being perhaps being alerted by intelligence that the new American tank destroyer had been deployed. So the PzIVH's were very cautious.

Note: winter fields played as per Winter Soldiers rules: as open terrain as far as LOS/LT, but with movement as per "fields."

US set up for Board 25: 2xINF dug-in at 0702 (guards western edge) and 2xINF in 0608 holding the crossroads. The M36 was dug-in and hidden at 20-m, lightwoods 0307. US set up for Board 22: 57mm dug-in at "field" 1006; HMG dug in at 0701 (guarding the exit hex); 2xINF in town 0809.

The US plan was to hit the German armor as it passed southerly, essentially from "behind" by the M36 (and possible cross fire bonus from the 57mm).

Turns 1-6: Germans attack/clear board 25 of the two US blocking forces using a weaker group to the west and the stronger down the N/S road. Germans had lost four steps (US OBA was wicked) whilst the US lost seven. The lieutenant leading the last US INF on the western edge dug-in position won a DSC disrupting a PZIV-H platoon, the German leutnant; and demoralizing an entire platoon of Fuhrer Escort troopers. The panzers were so flummoxed that they required four turns to recover morale. Their story is that they took an hour to bury with honors the brave American lieutenant.

What was really interesting is that a reduced US INF unit fled from the defensive position holding the crossroads, but, due to the Heer dispositions around it, had to flee right towards the lurking M36! The Germans sent a platoon/ldr after it expecting to drive it off, but they recover morale. So there was this odd exchange of fire within 400 yards of bristling armored death. Eventually the US platoon did get demoralized, and fled to the SW and (I reasoned!) the German unit returned back to the road (just not adjacent to the M36's, of course) figuring that their comrades in the western battle group would deal with the fleeing Americans.

The Heer major commanding was smarter than his brigade commander. There had been no sign of the vaunted US armor, but before him stretched about 1000 meters of open terrain with a few scattered villages. His operations officer reported some strange goings on with the panzer platoons to his west. It seemed literally an hour before he could begin his simultaneous advance southerly emerging both out of the western light woods and down the hill along the main road. He could see from his 40m vantage that the US had a roadblock set up at his objective, the western road branching off about 2000 meters away to the south.

The panzers having advanced about half way through the open terrain when all hell breaks loose for the two platoons advancing along the road. Tanks exploding violently and no muzzle flashes from anywhere ahead! A grizzled Heer veteran oberfeldwebel commanding a platoon of the western forces had his head up out of his turret: he heard the low blasts arising from his left -- too close and too low in pitch for his comrades. "Achtung panzer! Biegen sie links ab!" The 75L48 was a fine gun, but the Americans were at higher elevation; dug-in; and at a range of 1200 meters. Fire!

In game terms, the US shooting was actually rather poor with no shot getting a full unit kill. After three turns. the M36 platoon was in flames, but fifteen mark IVs were burning along the N/S road and the remnants of one platoon were fleeing off to the east.

This was the US's one shot. The remaining panzers and grenadiers could regroup and, save for some distressingly accurate American artillery, take out the remaining US holding forces (2xINF + 1xHMG). Eventually, the Fuhrer Escort forces exited five tank steps and thirteen steps of infantry for a clear (major) German victory.

NOTE: Had the US gotten initiative on the turn following that in which the M36 opened fire (the panzers having moved previously) and/or had the US gotten in a full unit loss, the story might have been different. As it was, the two PzIVH platoons were shooting at a net +1 vs. the dug-in/higher elevation/range > 5 hexes) ... they rolled (net), 8, then 9, then 10! (sigh of relief); then 4. The US even made the morale check, but then missed the return fire! Turn after, step exchange and it was all over.

Somehow the play was lost for this one. Germans won by bypassing the Americans in the town. The scenarios needs somemore to the VC's to keep the Germans coming toward the towns, easy win for them.