Die rolls saved the Germans in this one. The Americans had one of the two victory hexes with only four step losses, but the Germans managed to hold onto the remaining victory hex on the very last turn when the only remaining unit there managed to recover from Demoralized instead of fleeing the assault.

This scenario ended up playing in three phases. The first was the American attempt to clear out German forces in the general area of hex 0803. The Germans had placed the guns in town with a Major with a morale modifier of 2, and dug in infantry nearby to cover the approaches. The three steps of patrol units tried to augment that coverage. Initial American units spent time reconnoitering and located German forces. In intense combat the three patrol steps were eliminated, but at the price of two American steps and a 1Lt. A good trade for the Germans! The Americans, with several morale hits, are not strong enough to contest the town, and both sides enacted a bit of a truce while waiting for reinforcements.

The German reinforcements finally arrive, and they become aggressive in trying to take hex 0604 to improve their position. The Americans send a half a step into town to hold it, and both sides begin reinforcing the area as more American troops arrive. The Germans feel emboldened by superior numbers, but the move on hex 0604 with one unit of Gren and 1.5 units of HMG sees the Gren demoralize and run away for a long time. The HMGs cannot assault the town, cannot get a decent direct fire attack on the town, and end up dying to American assaults. Supporting fire from 0803 and two dug in Grens does kill one American step, but the Germans are weakened with the loss of all HMGs. It’s now six steps to three. Both sides settle into artillery and direct fire duels, leading to nothing of note outside of a sore wrist. American arty is abysmal, and will be so for the entire game with one critical exception later.

Finally the main American force arrives. But with two AT units in 0803 the tanks won’t come forward. The Americans do eventually kill the 50mm when it fails a morale recovery while demoralized, but the remaining one stands. The Germans move a Gren unit into town, and have a Gren and 81mm in hex 1101, dug in. Another Gren is dug in adjacent to 0803 blocking the eastern approach. The American artillery finally shines for one single roll in the game, dropping a step on the dug in Gren. That’s the signal to rush the town and dug in position, while more forces, to include the tanks, flank the town and approach 1101. German opfire rips into American units, and while not inflicting any step losses, wreak havoc on morale. The American assaults finally go in, and the Germans hold their own. It takes three turns before the Americans begin overturning German positions. The dug in step falls. Then hex 1101, its Grens demoralized, collapses. But the Germans in town are not only holding, they inflict another step loss on the Americans. Two turns to go, the Americans finally manage a step loss on the Germans, but the tanks will never make it in time to join the assault. The Germans lose everything except the Major, one Lt not in town, a Sergeant in town, one step of Grens, and the 75mm both in town, and avoid the American victory conditions. But with only four American steps lost, the Germans also fail to win.

It was a decent scenario, but never really lured me in. The draw at the end felt like a “kiss your sister” moment. The Germans may have done better being less aggressive in the mid-game, and better American rolls could have forced the issue. But I felt too much slack time between the three phases. In face to face there may have been more action, but without that lure I found myself passing turns quickly to get to phase II. Between phase II and III, the rolls just sucked, and the game stagnated until phase III began.