A small force of SS hold four town hexes while two companies of American paratroopers try to root them out. This is a small scenario but the dark and the existence of key armor support for both sides make this an entertaining play.

The first thing to consider is that for a change the Americans do not have the massive artillery support they often have. The Germans have a good chance to hold on for the short scenario if they can cause some disruption/demoralization of the paratroopers as they approach the towns. It is nighttime with some illumination (2 hex sighting range) which means that the opportunity fire is not quite as terrible as it normally would be. The paratroopers also have an 8/8 morale so they are likely to hang on reasonably well even if they take losses.

The tactics of the situation demand that the Americans advance and assault the StuGs to permit the M18 to advance and get into position to knock out some of the fire support that the Germans have. The initial assaults are very dangerous as the Germans have a large amount of firepower but the paratroppers, even though they take some losses, are able to maintain their morale and tie up the StuGs. In retrospect, as the German commander, I should have moved the StuGs out of the assault hex in order to keep the pressure on the Americans and keep the M18s from killing the support halftracks.

In the end, the Germans permitted themselves to be tied down and eroded away by trying to counterassault in the town. This permitted the Americans to defeat them in detail. A quick scenario but it packs a lot of choices in a small package. Well worth the time. Try it out. I give it a "4". Some slightly different die rolls would have had a very different result. This one is balanced from my play.