I had this scenario set up on the wargame table all week, and would stare at it longingly whilst dressing for work every morning. Finally, this morning (Sunday) I was able to find time to play...

Introduction

This is an interesting scenario for the Americans right from the get-go. You've got 3 objectives, and to win you must control 2 at the end of the battle. You start slightly better armed than your German opponent, but he's going to get a nasty group of reinforcements if he can roll a 10 late in the battle.

American Strategy: grab the lock in the swamp AQAP, then rush the town. The last objective is another swamp lock, easily captured but utterly indefensible against the reinforcing horde of Germans, should they arrive. Controlling the town will be much harder in the short term, but if it can be captured we will be even harder to dislodge.

German Strategy: we don't start with enough firepower to hold off the Americans, but we'll sit for as long as we can and hope that the reinforcements come quickly to clean up any mess they may find.

Initial Deployment

The Americans rushed at the center objective, which was only lightly defended by a dug-in reduced HMG and Lieutenant. Swamp cover allowed me to get adjacent to the lock without taking any fire, and I was prepared to blast the hell out of the defending Germans.

The German commander, Herr Shad, surprised the Americans by immediately retreating. In hindsight, he assumed he could win back that objective easily enough and didn't want his other two locations to be easily attacked from the south rather than through the swamp.

The Americans were surprised but quickly regained their composure and mowed down the fleeing reduced HMG platoon. The German Lieutenant had sprinted ahead through the swamp and escaped unharmed.

The first objective - central swamp lock - was in American hands at the close of Turn 7.

Square Dancing with Live Rounds

The Americans gathered their now substantial forces and pushed through and out of the swamp. Using the hedgerows to conceal their movement, they swung far south and then headed north towards the western objective - a town on the edge of the swamp.

At the start of Turn 15 the Americans were in place: 5 x PARA, Colonel, Captain, 2 x 1st Lieutenant were arrayed around the town, all having closed to adjacent hexes the previous turn. They needed to concentrate maximum firepower into one Direct Fire attack, hit the German garrison hard, then assault for the finish. Before that could happen, though, they needed to survive one German defensive direct fire...

Herr Shad waited until the last possible minute and then unleashed a frightful hail of lead at 3 massed PARA platoons:

1. Direct Fire 30 Column
2. DR 3 = 2X result
3. one PARA platoon annihilated, 1 demoralized, 1 disrupted
4. Airborne 1-10-1 Colonel falls in battle (Leader Loss rule), US side is decapitated (R 6.72)
5. Disrupted PARA recovers on the following turn, Demoralized PARA flees to hedges never to be seen again the rest of the battle

Desperation

Forces effectively halved, the remaining Americans realize their final hope is a headlong assault on the town with all their remaining platoons. 90 minutes later on Turn 22 the German reinforcements come bursting through the underbrush.

The Americans are in terrible shape. The middle objective has been abandoned in the desperate fight to win the town, and broken, bloody men are scattered everywhere.

The Dance Ends

Finally reinforced, the German garrison destroys the remaining PARA half-platoon in the town. All 3 objectives are once again German-controlled, and the Americans can mount no meaningful resistance.

Remaining US units:

• 1st Lt hiding in the swamp
• 1st Lt, PARA hiding in the hedges, having just reorganized
• 1st Lt, PARA, reduced PARA locked in hedgerow assault with German reinforcements closing in
• reduced PARA, disrupted and hiding in abandoned town (non-victory hex)

American Steplosses: 5

German Steplosses: 1

Turn 23, Americans Surrender

Shad's Thoughts

Although I knew the Americans would have a tough battle going into this, the chances didn't seem too lopsided. Some better attack rolls, and lower morale check rolls, and this might have gone the distance.

As it stands, I rated this a 4 because I definitely enjoyed planning my attack and playing it out. I think this should be a good solitaire scenario for most players. The Germans take a pounding for the first 80% of the game, so face-to-face might not be very interesting (for one of you!).