All the previous day, the battered 104th Grenadier Regiment had fought to deny the Americans the key village of Heistern. Whoever controlled the village also controlled the valley beyond, with unimpeded observation all the way to Langerwehe. “We need Heistern, before we can go anywhere,” officers of the U.S. 16th Infantry  Regiment told their men. On the other side, knowing his regiment would never stand another day’s fighting, shortly after midnight Colonel Josef Kimbacher personally led his survivors against the Americans encircling them to the north.

The German regiment had already been reduced in strength to less than a battalion, and American firepower reduced it further: the Germans left at least 250 dead strewn about the village, and the Americans took another 120 prisoners, including the colonel. Within a few hours the Americans had taken the rest of Heistern, as Kimbacher’s foolish attack – fairly typical for the German forces trying to hold on in the Rhineland – had destroyed the forces that could have held the place.

The pieces provided work just fine. For players wanting a more distinctive counters, volksgrenadier pieces may be downloaded from Avalanche Press or an expanded set may be downloaded from PG-HQ.