On our quest to play divisional games, Vince Hughes and I played another 9th SS scenario with the division. After playing major roles in the Normandy campaign and the Arnhem defense, the unit was tapped to support the "Wacht am Rhein" offensive. Although being battered and beat up, it could still fight and was positioned to receive the first actions that would be the counter attack on the bulge. For the Americans it would be the 82nd Airborne leading the attack, whom the 9th SS meet in Nijmegen.

In this scenario the Germans are holding two towns in the south end of the board and the Americans must take the towns and destroy units. The 9th SS must hold the town and inflict as many casualties as possible on the paratroops. The Germans have a good amount of troops to cover both the towns plus armor in the form of PzIVH as well as mortars, including a 120mm beast and decent OBA support. The Americans have more troops with five companies plus PMG's and 81mm MTR's. The big weapon for the Americans is the OBA with VT fuses. This can wreak havoc on the German units if they are caught in the open. Leader selection slightly favored the paratroops with several leaders with bonus and good morale. Overall morale is better for the paratroops than the SS.

Setup had the Germans well entrenched in the towns. Heavy machine guns covered the approaches for the south eastern town and tanks and machine guns covered the road approach on the north western town. SS Grenadiers were positioned throughout both towns with key leaders posed to help whomever needed it. One lone SCHAR was positioned on picket duty on the road junction at hex 0910. For the Americans, they are setup in the woods to the north. Mortars and PARA's to the east of the road, HMG's and PARA's on the road and PARA's to the west of the road. There advance will be down the road as well as through the woods as soon as possible to try to get OBA on the Germans before night falls. After that they will move on the towns and assault the defenders.

As the Americans moved down the road the SCHAR, called in German OBA that reduced a PARA platoon, not a good start for the Americans. But right after the American OBA scored itself a kill and reduced a GREN in the north west town. American PARA's started to fan out into the woods east and west road to find the best approach to the towns as the German fire on the road advance was deadly. Another round of German OBA took out another half of PARA's during this advance. The Americans pressed on with a Major leading a reinforced company of PARA's down the west side of the board. Using the cover of the hills and braving OP fire from the town they were able to position themselves for an attack on the west side of the northwest town. American DF and OBA score a demoralization on the defender and they are forced to retreat after a failed recovery. The PARA's take advantage and capture the first town hex.

More units race in to join the advance on the weakened flank of the Germans. Another town hex is assaulted and locks in German units with their mortars effectively removing there fire. The SS tanks take action to cover the weakening center and they occupy the middle town hex but fail to push the Americans out of it. American OBA continues to cause casualties for the Germans as another GREN is reduced and the town is heavily contested.

To the west the Americans probe the south eastern town with a company, but pull back as the German HMG's show that they are too powerful to attack by a lone PARA company. The Americans setup a line to prevent the Germans from moving to reinforce the north western town. But any movement out of the towns by the Germans with bring the the wrath of American artillery and VT fuses, so the Germans are locked in the town.

Back to the battle for the northwest town, American artillery scores its biggest kill with the loss of the German 81mm MTR and reducing a GREN. In the fire the German OBSTBFR is killed leaving the Germans stunned. American PARA's followup and assault the remnants, destroying them. But the Americans still need to deal with three contested town hexes with quite a bit of powerful SS to deal with.

Meanwhile a SS STBNFR has escaped out of the other town and finds a opening to get to the American mortars. Using the cover of darkness, he gets by the American pickets and move to fire OBA on the mortars. In a desperate chase, he is able to position to get two OBA kills on the mortars before blown up by overwhleming American OBA. But the damage had been done.

The final push on the town by the Americans has the German tanks being the focus of the attack. After weathering the Germans attempts to assault the Americans the PARA's are positioned for the attack. Charging forward with bazooka teams the PARA's are able to take out a 75mm AT and reduce a PzIVH, but with casualties. After some shifting of fresh troops into the attack the Americans take out a full platoon and then finish off the reduced. More American assaults in other hexes take out more SS units, until there are two contested hexes and three American controlled. In the end the Americans are able to get a Major victory for themselves and further deplete the 9th SS of veteran troops.

The keys to success for the Americans were their high morale and large amount of OBA with VT fuses. The morale kept the units fighting even after M1 an M2 checks, while the artillery did the damage as well as kept the Germans from reinforcing one town with units from the other. Although no VT fuse attacks were rolled it keep the Germans at bay.