This 20-turn scenario starts with 3 and a half US airborne platoons lead by an LTC, a CPT and an LT, attacking a German gun position. The variable German start strength was 3 Gren platoons lead by a CPT, an LT and a SGT. Two of those platoons with the 3 leaders strt holding the two western towns, while the third started alone and leaderless doug in in hex 0307, having had their LT and a 75mm INF Gun destroyed already by naval shellfire. The US LTC is subject to being called away to some other part of the battlefield on or after turn 10. The Airborne troops split up, the CPT leading the 2 full platoons toward the northwestern town while the LTC and LT took the other 3 steps towards where they were told to expect a battery of enemy artillery. Instead, the found only the dug in troops and traded fire. The northwest force moved right into an assault, the results of which caused no damage to the Germans but cost the attackers a full platoon, the other one having become demoralized and fleeing from the adjacent hex the turn before. The surviving US CPT evaded capture and made his way to the woods to the north to regroup the troops who fled there. The LTC and his troops took the worst of it in the exchange of fire at 307, the LTC being demoralized with the single step of paras and dleeing to the town at 0509 while the LT and the other platoon succeeded in moving into the hex with the dug in Germans. With the Germans victory being assured by the 2-step loss, the US fought on aiming for a draw, but the LTC got the message that his presence was needed elsewhere, and assalts were stalemating in both locations. Although the Germans lost a full 4 steps, the still held all the hexes needed for a US draw, and it looked like a lost cause at the end of 13 turns for them to be able to take all 3 hexes, so game called. Good game.

Author	Daedalus
Method	Solo
Victor	United States
Play Date	2022-05-23
Language	English
Scenario	AirR005

The US won the initiative on the first turn and made the most of it. By moving closer to the town in 0509,, the Americans prevented the lone, leaderless Grenadier from occupying the town or moving closer to any its objectives. The rest of the Germans started out of the town in hex 0803 and formed a defensive perimeter out front of that objective. On turn two the Americans occupied the town and setup for a quick strike at the lone grenadier. The Germans sent a leader down to assist the lone grenadier and help it move close to the US and the Americans other objective hexes. The US then decided to take a risk and left the town lightly defended with a reduced platoon and struck out to engage the lone Grenadier. By using a combination of direct fire and Assault combat the lone Grenadier and his leader were eventually destroyed but, the Germans moved up and into the town assaulting the lone reduced para holding the location. Unfortunately for the Germans the reduced para rolled extremely well and caused a step reduction. This bought time for the rest of the Americans to regroup and reinforce the lone platoon. The assault commenced on turn 10 and continued throughout the rest of the game with neither side gaining a significant advantage by the end. The LTC was removed from play on the first turn in which I had to roll. A loss, but, not mission critical. The Germans had a CPT 10-0-2 leader in the town and he provided a powerful morale/recovery bonus to those units. During the endgame I was able to exfiltrate the reduced para who raced down the road to secure the town in hex 0803 and then raced back to secure 0407. For the remainder of the game it was a even match in the town but the German CPT was a difference maker and while the US was able to demoralize units he was able to recover them every time.