Green troops can be very frustrating and interesting to use in a PG scenario. Frustrating is simple, these guys disrupt and demoralize at a backfire of a car, interesting because sometimes they can do unbelievable things. This scenario had both for me. But let me start with what the forces look like.

The Americans are a green paratroop unit thrown right into battle against veteran German troops. Morale is low at 7/6 for the paratroops, but they have five plus companies of troops so they can keep the troops pushing on the German defenses. The Germans have less GREN's but they do have a couple of PzIVH's and an AT gun. I don't know what it will shoot at as the Americans have no armor support. For OBA the Americans have the edge with firepower and VT fuses, but there is SSR's that will limit the attacks. For the leaders, my pull followed history with the Germans getting the better lot and the Americans did not get one with a combat bonus. For setup and weather, the Germans have the edge with being able to setup and defend in good terrain as well as limiting movement due to snow.

For the setup the Germans arrange a line of troops across board 22 in the southern woods hexes. The PzIVH's anchor the German right with GREN support across to the north-south road. This has a HMG and GREN with an 9-2-1 LT followed by more GRENs. The other HMG and GREN provide the reserve in the southern town on board 22. The lone AT gun will hide in one of the two towns in the middle of board 22. The main goal will be to hold the town and try to kill a few PARA's to keep the VP lead.

The Americans are setup on board 23 south of the town. They are arrange in a group to maximize leadership and us the road to move as quickly as possible up the road to attack. Keeping morale high will be key to the advance as the Germans will look for quick hits to trip up the advancing troops. But the snow will keep the movement slow.

The game begins with the Germans getting the initiative and try to position a leader to bombard the advancing Americans. But it takes three turns before they are close enough for the SGT to see them. The attacks miss and the SGT is force to move back to the German lines. German OP fire has more effect by disrupting the first Americans to get close. The Americans try to get OBA on the German lines but the Corps artillery is split and the shell miss the German lines. More PARA's move up but are hit by OBA and disruptions and demoralizations appear on the American platoons.

Looking to the German left as the weak point a company of PARA's move to attack the defending GREN's, but they are disrupted advancing up. The Germans move up the reserve HMG to stabilize the line and more PARA's disrupt. The American leaders scramble to recover the troops as well as try to keep some pressure on the German center and right by have some PARA's move up against them. Eventually PARA's are able to get close to the German GREN's on the German left and assualt scoring hits, but some PARA's disrupt. The Germans move up the reserve GREN to help defend. The Americans look to the mortars to cut off the German reinforcements but the shells fall short into the assault hex breaking the PARA's even further. One demoralized unit fails and losses a step as well as the other disrupting. A bad day for the green mortar crews.

It starts to look like the PARA's are stuck, but then American reinforcements destroy the German GREN in the assualt. This forces the Germans to move one of the PzIVH over from the right to the left. The remaining PzIVH is reinforced with a GREN and can defend against the company of PARA's demonstrating on the right. On the left the addition of the armor stops the American assault and the Americans take time to recover units and move up their own HMG's. But German fire still keeps the American PARA's disrupted and demoralized.

But the American luck changes quickly as the novice mortar crews score a big hit that demoralized the GREN's supporting the PzIVH on the left. Failing to recover the GREN flees back to the town and the Americans charge forward with a PARA and HMG. The assault scores a kill on the tanks and the bazooka teams finish it off. This creates a opening in the German left that the PARA's rush through. An American LT with a company rushes through, but the German HMG, force to retire from the left defense, opens fire from the southern town on board 22 disrupting on PARA, but the Americans push on to the lightly defended towns. This action forces the Germans to pull back the other PzIVH and GREN from the right while still holding the center.

The Americans push more units through the gap but German OBA responds with critical morale checks that the PARA's fail. The American leader recover the units and push on but German OP fire stops them again. Soon the lead American LT closes on the middle towns and spots the AT gun, OP fire from the gun demoralizes the LT and disrupts the platoon with them. The last hope for taking the towns is fading fast as the other units are disrupted and demoralize behind.

At this point the Germans look to consolidate the units in the center around the southern town and woods. The American Lt Col. orders and advance when he sees them moving. The get close enough to assault and attack. During three assault each side exchange losses and either can get an edge. German OBA looks to pick off demoralized American units to drive up the VP points and they hit and double demoralize a couple of PARA's and give the edge to the Germans. In the end a German minor victory, but the Americans have shown they may be green but can still fight.