This was a FtF Skype game played with Tony Langston over three sessions. Tony was a strong contender with the Germans throughout the fight and came one losses away from winning the game. The scenario proved to be a very good FtF game with both sides needing to fight right to the end. Both sides did have chances to put the game away before the end, but the luck of the roll keep the game going.

This scenario has the Germans attacking the town of Tri le Chesling in the middle of the Bugle campaign as a diverting attack from Manhey. American glider troops held the town against a battalion sized SS assault force. The Americans troops just their own support weapons, HMGs, 81mm MTRs, and 57mm AT guns. There is good OBA support from the division level to try to keep the Germans back. For the Germans, they have a battalion of SS GREN's supported by HMG's, ENG's and StuG assault guns. Mortars and one battery of OBA provide indirect fire support.

The Americans have setup with control of the town and the key terrain to the town. For the defense the Americans have three lines, the first on board 9 that consist of a couple of INF's and leaders, the second line is the main defense line. This line is on the south edge of the ridge on board 10. Here the Americans have dugin INF's and support of an HMG. Just to the east an INF and a hidden 57mm AT covering to American positions and the road. The final line is the town. Dugin INF's cover the advances to the town with an HMG sweeping the open hexes. The American mortars are in the town providing support fire.

For the Germans they begin on board 9 grouped south of the crossroads. They will look to advance up the road to try to push the Americans out of town, or at least eliminate more units than they lose.

The first three turns begin with the Germans slowing advancing against the American pickets on board 9. The Americans slowing move back with the OBA and mortars without effect. The Germans push up the road and surrounding woods with the GREN's, ENG's and HMG's while the mortars setup to provided support. Turn four continue with the same process but the American OBA take the first German casualty with a step loss to a GREN. American pickets moving back are close to being cutoff from the second line, but they are able to work there way through the woods on board 9. They eventually make it back to the second line, but are able to slow the Germans down.

Turn five has the Germans hitting the American second line. OP fire and mortar fire take a toll on the Germans advancing up the southern slopes of the ridge on board 10. But the bigger issue is the failure of morale checks by the Germans. Leaders and units fail the subsequent morale checks forcing the Germans to recover the units the next turn. Turn six has the Germans continuing the advance just to the east of the road. American OP continue the kills and morale checks that force the Germans to stop the advance and recover. But the Germans get their first kill on an American INF and mortally wounding the leading LT.

At this point the Germans are force to stop and recover units before continuing and they bring up the StuG's to reinforce the assault on the hill. At this point the Americans begin to retire the second line to the town and the final line. Renewing their attack after recoveries the Germans push the retreating glider troops, but American OBA scores another kill on the German ENG's. But by turn nine the Germans have closed on the defensive line in front of the town. They get a chance to assault the American's and with a big attack, are able to score a two step loss as well as a kill on the American commanding Major. But the Americans fight back with 81mm mortars scoring a kill on the assault group. Resulting morale check demoralize the leading STBNFR and StuG, slowing down the German attack. Other German units move forward, but American OP fire score morale checks that the Germans fail at key points. But now the Americans are paralyzed for the next couple of turns.

The Germans look to recover the troops and push for the town, while the Americans cannot move. But the Americans are in a good defensive position and will rely on OP fire to keep the Germans back. One American unit is stuck outside of town begins to digin. To the east the Germans have two full strength GREN's begin to advance toward the east side of the town. OP fire from the lone INF, demoralizing one advancing GREN, the second with there leader advance beyond the Americans. German fire into the town, disrupting and demoralizing the American units, but with the town bonus the Americans recover.

American AT fire throughout the battle was sub par. Several 57mm shots on the StuG's missed as well as a crossfire shot. The last big misses were point blank shots on the StuG's missing and giving the Germans a strong assault force to go after the town. But the Germans have morale issues with their leaders. Key American fire keeps the HPSTNFR's and STNBFR out of the action and the OSTNFR's need to lead the fight.

A big push by the Germans to kill American troops results in some assaults on the American positions, but result in units locked in assaults. The Americans take a chance and counter assault a StuG and supporting INF. Hoping to get the bazooka's going against the StuG's the American suicide attack begins badly as the AT teams fail to appear. The low odd's attack just yields a morale check that disrupts the leading OSTFR. The counter attack by the Germans scores a two step loss, killing the INF. The remaining LT escapes into the town, but this leaves the German assault group with a disrupted leader making it tough for subsequent attacks, but a lead in the casualty count.

On the final turn of the game, the Americans even up the casualties with a step loss in a counter assault attack. The Germans make more attempts at killing American units but windup only with morale checks leaving the game with an 8 to 8 tie in casualties. The Americans also hold the town giving them a major victory. But this could have changed to a German minor victory with just one more American step loss.

*As I stated in the beginning this is a very good FtF game, with both sides in the game to the end. A couple of observations about the flow of the game, first there was several points in the game that both sides could put the game out of reach of the other. American AT attacks on the StuG's could have has demoralizing effect. Followup German assaults on successful assaults could have killed more American troops and key morale failures and OP fire keep both sides slightly off balance and having to react to the situations.

One effect that both Tony and I noticed was in the losses. With the Germans they lost 8 steps but only one unit, a 81mm mortar was in the KIA pile, all others were unit reductions. While the American losses were whole units. So when the Americans lost units they lost big and had a large KIA pile off the board. Lastly, morale was the keep to the American victory. German leaders as well as units were disrupting and demoralizing at a higher rate. They would recover but this burn 3 to 4 turns in the game that the German forces were diminished in there attack. This left me with the experience that this game is all about the morale of the troops.*