This is the third of five St. Vith scenarios following up the "First Assault" which, in my play, ended up with a disrupted and demoralized reduced regiment of Volksgrenadiers. Here, an angry reinforced battalion (or two two-thirds strength battalions; however one wants to think of four companies) of Leibstandarte panzer grenadiers backed up by elements of their panzer and assault gun battalions runs headlong into a company of foot slogging US infantry and armored elements of the US 7th and 9th Armored Divisions. These elements include a company of M18 tank destroyers.

Germans get initiative on turn 1 and enter the north edge dropping off their truck/lorry-borne infantry just south of the towns and parking their armor in the town LT. The US pushes their armor forward, especially the quick moving M18's. Over the next two turns, US tankers trade jabs (as both sides slowly unveil from their LT positions) with the SS panzer crews whilst the grenadiers push all-out to the south to close with the sharp-shooting US tankers. The US commander is conflicted: clearly, German armor is going to wait at longer range and not engage in open terrain with the deft M18s and M4/76's: yet, they have to make a stand somewhere and they hold a light woods edge. What essentially happened is that the Waffen SS was well lined up such that a single activation moved a hoard of units ... US OF simply got overwhelmed; the Germans gained initiative on turn four; and suddenly US armor unsupported by INF were in three assaults. Some fair rolling on assault columns for the Germans along with a few panzerfaust shots suddenly found the US M4/76 elements smouldering ruins. It was clear the SS obersturmbahnfuhrer in command was simply going to take his time moving south with his armor well-screened.

The remaining US forces then fled southwards hoping to establish strongpoints on the road along the 20-m hill on the southern board. The SS, never known for its march discipline, took a few turns to reorganize, and the swath moved again southwards. US armor just never had much to shoot at - finally, the remaining two M18's went "kamikazi" rushing PzIVH units in a dash for a flanking bonus. Amazingly, one platoon skirted several grenadier platoons (read survived four 22-col DF OF rolls) only to get disrupted (i.e. one step destroyed, the survivor disrupted) by OF from the panzers. The second unit managed to get in a kill on the "type IVs," but to their dismay, the SS held morale. The StugIIIG's were not far behind and the brave M18 that had survived all of the OF shots in its mad dash, was swarmed by shadowy SS-troopers in camouflage.

Determined US attempts at dug-in strong points with an INF or HMG + M16 or M4/105 held well for a while, but the SS simply had to bring up their remaining armor, shoot out the US mechanized units, then move in their infantry. It was all over by Turn 15.

The US did gain a minor victory killing off a tenth German step on the final assault. The Germans had a major victory, however, as the road to St. Vith was now open.