This one has a company of US infantry with mortar and HMG, 3 Stuarts and a 37mm AT gun with jeep transport holding the 3-hex town of Feriana. Germans enter with an infantry company, HMG and Engineer platoon in halftracks and a company of Motorcycle troops supported by a Pz II, a Pz IIIJ, a 37mm AT gun with truck tow, 2 SK-231-8s, a SK-233 and an SK-10/4 halftrack. The US have 24factor OBA, the Germans have none. I set up the US in a horseshoe, with 2 platoons (1 Inf and 1 HMG) and the CPT in the southern town hex, the Mortar in the northeast town hex, 2 of the Stuarts on the southwest corner of the big eastern hill, 2 Inf and an LT on the small hill between the town and the large eastern hill, and the last stuart and 37mm AT gun with one last Inf platoon on the eastern outcrop of the western hill. Everything not in town was dug in. The Germans sent the Pz III, along with one SK-231-8 and the SK-233 and the towed AT gun to the east of the big hill, sending the Pz II to the west of the hill to draw fire from the Stuarts so they wouldn't be able to react to the German force coming up behind them or to the German infantry coming north up the road. This worked and the Pz II took a step loss but shrugged it off. The US troops in town found the German Motorcycle troops to be in range and tore into them, disrupting one and demoralizing another, but not getting much chance to shoot at anything else. The German halftrack infantry skirted the regrouping Motorcycle troops and enveloped the east side of the town while the Mk III made quick work of 2 steps of the Stuarts on the German right, demoralizing one of them. The Stuart step still able decided to head north out of the trap and over to the small hill between the big hill and the town, thinking those infantry guys over there looked sort of lonely. The demoralized Stuart step didn't last beyond the first shots of the next turn. The American left was trying to regroup now on that small hill, the group on the US right was out of range of the Germans in the middle, and the troops in town didn't manage to move until the Germans were on top of them in assault. The brave US mortar platoon held it's hex for 5 turns but the American Captain and his troops perished quickly. The US 37mm AT limbered up and with the US infantry and Stuart, headed for the yet unoccupied western hex of the town. German armor and armored cars decided to keep moving and leave the north side of the board, and in a foolish move by the US infantry on the hill, they left their dug-in hill position to assault the single step Pz II, managing to demoralize it to no loss to themselves. The Stuart step on the hill with them was eliminated by the Pz III when it stopped one turn to shoot before heading north. It looked safe for the force to leave as the Germans looked like they had things wrapped up pretty well. The Motorcycle infantry jumped the US troops assaulting the Pz II and wiped them out over 2 turns, along with their LT. The Germans in town finally killed the Mortar platoon. But the added bunch of US troops who ran to cover that last town hex held on, even after the loss of their own LT (leaving no leaders to call OBA anymore), and exchanged point blank fire into the Germans in the adjacent hexes. A German assault succeeded in surviving their assault on turn 10, but failed to do much damage to the US troops holding out. In the end, a single step of the Stuart, along with a single step of Infantry and the 37mm AT gun, all but the tanks disrupted, held out, contesting the town. Germans succeeded in getting 20 steps off the north edge but did not succeed in taking the town. US troops did not manage to eliminate 10 steps of Germans or be in sole possession of the town. Game ended in a draw, and right down to that 12th turn German assault. Great little game.

Author	treadasaurusrex (United States)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Draw
Participants	waynebaumber (AAR)
Play Date	2022-12-05
Language	English
Scenario	AAAD029

This was a very quick, 1-session play-through with the boldly aggressive, Wayne Baumber, as the attacking Commander of a strong combined arms German Battle Group. I played the defending – and overmatched – Task Force Stark. We ignored the defense-favoring FOW rule, but used the consolidation, and excess initiative optional rules.

The first and only session of this play-through (game turns 1-8) was characterized be a 2-pronged German attack from the south-central and southeast margins of Map 79. The stronger right flank attack made immediate gains by close assaulting and eliminating a Stuart platoon and driving the remaining US troops back on the 40-meter hill mass. The left prong had much less success moving in the open along the road to Feriana. The only German ground troop step losses were to this pincer column -- joined later in Valhalla by a couple of over-eager SPW platoons that attempted to support this advance with a right-flanking move on Feriana. Eventually, the aggressive German right flank pincer attack, collapsed the over-stretched American left flank positions, driving the survivors back toward Feriana, and destroying 4 steps of Stuart tanks in the process.

Final step losses totaled 9 for the hard-pressed American side, and only 4 for the Germans. However, a fair number of German units successfully exited the north edge of the board for a total of 19 victory points.

The Americans threw a remarkable NINE, utterly-futile combat 7-die rolls in this unlucky session. None were thrown by the advancing Germans, although they did throw 4 sevens in close assaults which only effected American morale. By mutual consent, we decided to end the game as a draw during Game Turn 8, as there was no longer the possibility of an outright victory for either side.

This was a poorly-designed and likely, unplay-tested, scenario that rated a generous 2, as there was very little chance of the Germans achieving a major victory without losing more than the required 10 step ceiling. Also, as in other An Army at Dawn scenarios, there was no Colonel Stark to be drawn among the American leaders! Nevertheless, it was fun to play with a challenging and wily opponent.

Author	waynebaumber (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Draw
Participants	treadasaurusrex (AAR)
Play Date	2022-12-05
Language	English
Scenario	AAAD029

Played against old Treadhead as I call him, this small one map scenario has American forces controlling a small town across a road in Tunisia. The German forces consisting of mainly recon elements approach from the south, they have two objectives take the town, and exit units off the north edge of the board. The initial German thrust was against a small outpost pushed out by the Yanks to the southwest of the town, the main thrust would be an advance up the road to attack the town itself. The recon elements were kept off the board initially to safeguard them from any long-range A/T shots. The smaller out post was overrun with relative ease, the town though would prove a much tougher prospect and there where German losses immediately they moved into range. This prompted a rethink from the Grman commander, he ordered the recon to push through on the east of the map board, covered from any shooting by the hills while regrouping to try a flank attack on the town. However, my redoubtable opponent just as quickly also regrouped all of his forces into the town, and after a very desultory attack which cost more German step losses, the Germans withdrew to the east having pushed most of the A/Cars and MTC off the map. With neither side able to claim any sort of victory a draw was offered and accepted on GT10 or thereabouts. The Germans have neither the time or the firepower to take the town, the American player does not have the forces to inflict enough damage (10 steps) or to stop the German units from exiting the board. If the Germans decide to simply charge the town with all available forces, then it is possible that one side could win I suppose and I would think that side would be the Americans unless they neglect to garrison the town with sufficient forces. In our game the Germans lost 4 steps the Americans many more and the German did get 20 exit VP but the town was still in American hands so a draw was probably a fair result. The VC's could be changed slightly or the game lengthened but that would need playtesting something that this scenario should have had before publishing