Well, after a few months of struggling solo to learn the game, I settled into the first scenario for "real" after many aborted attempts due to rules fiascos bad enough to stop the game. Playing solo, I chose to focus on being the Americans with the Germans doing what I felt was the best choice in each turn to stop me. The Germans, of course had this uncanny way of knowing what I was about to do, and so I presumed this would hamper me. It did not. I mowed these to dug-in sets of German Grenadiers and guns faster than I can mow my back yard. I began by waiting until my first support team dropped and then we proceeded toward the first town, using the hedgerows as God's own shield. Ordering all to hold fire, I anticipated that the Germans would not move until they spotted me, (in the scenario rules) and so we were able to close nicely before dropping our pants. Within a few turns, we had assaulted them and the first town was ours. Thanks to some really lucky shots from us and some poor leadership on the German side (their Lt. in the first town had the morale of a platypus) we ran them through in time for dinner, with the second town falling soon after. I am so happy that war is this easy and I am sure that when I return from France I will be seen as a hero. I am on top of the world!

(Obviously, I interjected some humor here. My point is that if I was in this battle, it was so misleadingliy easy (thanks to some wonderful dice rolling and I'm sure a misread rule or two) that my imaginary soldiers think they can take on Hitler by themselves. When learning a game solo, it is very easy to get bogged down looking up rules, and this was the first time in the 4 months I have had this game (my first wargame) that I have enjoyed the journey. I intend to replay the scenario again and focus on the Germans, maybe even allowing them a patrol or not digging them in to note the different results.)