German set up:

South: Entrenchment in Light Woods road hex 0707 – 2 GRENs. Dug in in Light Woods hex 0609 – Lt and GREN. This slowed down the USA by creating an additional hex to be assaulted, and avoided 3 German combat units being in the Entrenchment hex.

Centre: Dug in in Light Woods hex 0909 – Lt and 2 GRENs. Dug in in Light Woods hex 0809 – Sgt, GREN and HMG. HMG able to fire in support of the southern group. Dug in in Light Woods hex 0910 – Capt.

North: Entrenchment in Light Woods hex 0914 – 81mm mortar. Limiting terrain for USA to observe occupants of the hex. Occupants with DF capability would be able to dominate the adjacent road hex, and retreat to the NE on the last turn to occupy a road hex to satisfy the Victory Condition. Pre-assault hexes for 0707 and 0609 are in range of 0914.

The USA units swept up through the southern woods. The western groups (Capt, HMG and 2 INF; Sgt, ENG and 2 INF) went on a left flanking move against the centre German group. The mortars "unlimbered" in hex 0704, within range of the centre German group. The other USA units moved into 3 pre-assault hexes 0706, 0606 and 0507.

The GREN in 0609 was subject to BF and close range DF and became demoralized, fleeing to join the centre German group.

The USA softened up the Entrenched units in 0707 and after half an hour exchanging fire went in on the assault. After 45 minutes of hard fighting, the last remaining GREN step fled NE.

Meanwhile the USA assaulted the Lt and 2 GRENs in 0909, eliminating a GREN unit and reducing and demoralizing 2 other GRENs which fled north. The assault team (Sgt, ENG and 2 INF) were now adjacent to the German HMG in 0809 (the GREN from that hex had moved earlier to reinforce the assault hex 0909), and under normal circumstances they were well placed to launch an immediate assault.

However, there were only 3 game turns left, so all USA units in the centre of the map moved north in pursuit of the retreating GRENs and towards the entrenched 81mm mortars; leaving the southern USA units to close up to the German HMG.

The northern USA units were able to keep the demoralized GRENs on the run, and away from any road hexes. In the last game turn the German HMG was eliminated, and the German mortars were assaulted. Thanks to the surprisingly high resilience of the mortar crew the USA were unable to demoralize them, but they were pinned in the trenches and unable to reach the road at the end of the game.

Outcome: no undemoralized German units occupied any road hexes, so victory went to the USA.

Comments: Not too much for the German commander to do in this scenario, but the last couple of game turns were satisfyingly tense. If the demoralized reduced GRENs had recovered sooner, the northern USA units would have struggled to keep them away from road hexes.

The USA left flanking movement started one game turn before the German HMG in the centre group opened fire, but I figured that the USA would run out of time to reach and deal with the German 81mm mortars if they held back until the HMG revealed its position.

If the German mortars had been entrenched in a road hex, victory would have gone to the Germans (assuming that the morale of the crews had held up).