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