Broke in my Black Panthers set with Scenario 2, “That Big Hill Up There.” The Germans placed delaying forces in a few town hexes, but dug in their main bodies on the 40-meter hexes on the big hill, including both entrenchments.

Early on, the dice rolling was heavily in the Americans’ favor; they seemed to consistently get low numbers on strong columns, while the defenders were getting more than their share of 7’s. Consequently, the towns were cleared by the start of Turn 6 - I had expected them to hold out longer.

Still, the Amis needed to get at least one of their two other objectives (lower losses than the Germans, and control of at least 5 40-meter hexes) to secure victory. As the middle game progressed, and US losses mounted - thanks to the dice starting to even out and the US closing to DF range - this began to look doubtful. (In particular, the entrenchment on the west brow of the hill was particularly nasty, and still under dispute at scenario’s end.)

The first-fire In assault for the dug in and entrenched units added a level of difficulty as the Americans tried to root out the Germans on the high hexes, and there was plenty of morale strain and some loss. But the decisive factor was morale. That single number - 7/6 for the Germans, 8/6 for the US - was the crucial factor. Over the last 8 turns or so, the eastern hilltop defenders gradually fled to the northwestern trees, where at game’s end some had recovered but others were still in trouble.

The Americans cleared the 40-meter hexes on the east half of the hill, and - somehow - pulled back ahead in the loss column, losing 21 steps but killing 24. With all three objectives achieved, it was a Major U. S. Victory.