Played double-blind over 5 sessions.

This was prequel for us. This scenario should have first when we started the Ivy Division March, so we made some adjustments. Henry, who is later a captain, reverted to his old rank and marched off the beach again. He did quite well actually, and almost got his Infantry Combat Badge.

I randomly chose my objectives. Getting hexes 0412, 0516, and 1013. Essentially control of the eastern side of the swamp. I tried to drop on either side of the causeway, and just off the railway embankment from the swamp. I timed it so the paratroopers would jump 90 minutes before dawn, with the gliders coming in just after sunrise. The initial drop went well, but my commanding major scattered off the map.

One small group landed west of the causeway tasked with blocking reinforcements the Germans might send to 0412. Meanwhile everyone on the east side gathered and probed 0412 & 1013. 0516 was captured unguarded, but there was a German OP in 0613 (it turned out to be an unoccupied strongpoint). The blocking force and 1013 force gained their positions fairly quickly. The guys tasked with capturing Mandville were driven back in their initial rush by the strongpoint there.

The glider troops were mostly on target, but for whatever reason, my howitzer scattered. Just as it arrived back on the board, it was killed. The blocking force put up a valiant fight but was eventually overrun, and reinforcements got through as I launched my second assault on the town. The German general arrived while the town was being contested and thus met his historical fate.

The German motor column arrived in hex 1210. By then I was in front of the RR bridge ready to put up a fight. The Germans dismounted immediately and moved to the bridge. I met them with well sighted rifle and MG fire. The Germans lost 3 steps, decided that that was the wrong direction to attack in, and retreated across the marsh.

The German S35 arrived and ran for 0613. It was joined by a grenadier from the marsh and later an engineer. While 0613 was not an objective, it was very important for setting up the next attack on Mandville. I invested 0613, blocked Mandville, and waited for the 4th to arrive. Of the Germans were not idle a during this time. As soon as I retreated from Mandville again, the town was reinforced again (but at least I got the strongpoint).

When the 4th finally arrived, they and fair number of paratroopers, blasted the Germans back to the marsh. My Sherman however lost a step in the exchange with the S35. The engineer and a reduced grenadier were again slogging through the muck. My attention again turned to Mandville. German artillery & mortar fire from the west side of the marsh was trying very hard to be a problem.

The massive rifle fire that had worked so well against 0613 was not as effective against Mandville. The Germans had an HMG their that just could not be rattled, and I wasn't causing many step losses. There always seemed to be too many Germans in too good of shape to take the town. As dusk came on again, I decided I just had to go for it. I killed everything in the town, or that came into the town, but that HMG just stayed, and stayed, and stayed.

The game finally ended, after 79 turns of play, with the machine-gun still there, German and American dead all around it. I had lost over 20 (24?) steps worth of troops, including and infantry step and the hit on the Sherman. The Germans were nearly annihilated, only the HMG, a wagon, and the indirect weapons still on the map. It was a very interesting, largely fluid (for an infantry battle), and at the end extremely brutal fight, despite its extreme length.