Well, this one was on my table for 7 months! To say nothing of the fact that I'm finally getting around to writing this up two more months later. My life is so busy that my gaming time gets squeezed into non-existence sometimes. I took quite a few pictures, I may put them up on CSW at some point.

But to the game: Hello, artillery! A scratch force of Americans has to hold two towns ("The Twin Villages") against a literal horde of SS. The one thing in the Americans' favor is a heaping helping of artillery: 5x24 plus 8x18. The task for the U.S. is to make sure the full weight of this barrage comes down on the Germans every turn. Sounds easy, but there are too many Germans for a "just hunker down in the towns" strategy to work. There needs to be some forward deployment to slow down the advance enough to let the barrages take their toll on Germans at the edge of the woods and in the open ground in front of the towns. (Oh, that's the other U.S. advantage, a narrow front of one board.) But there aren't many US units, and, significantly, not very many leaders either. A few too many leader losses and artillery spotting may become a problem.

I'll write a more detailed summary someday, using my pictures, but the gist of it was that the Americans somehow held on for the draw. They were able to disrupt each wave of attacks just enough to hold on to enough town hexes at the end. Had the game gone a few more turns the Germans would likely have taken the towns. There were some epic turns of events in the final few turns, including a point blank Panther assauls on US infantry in the southern town causing a 2X result, followed immediately by an artillery stonk demoralizing the Panthers! The Lt. Colonel recovering from demoralized to good order in one roll only to have his Inf. platoon shot out from under him next impulse. That sort of stuff!

When using the SS in attacks one must accept, somewhat fatalistically, the prospect of huge losses. When the Americans have the size and scope of artillery that they have in this scenario, that expectation must be enhanced. When the area available to the Germans to deploy is restricted to one board and the cover is primarily provided by night rather than trees or towns the outcome is inevitable.

The Germans were not without some success, clearing one entire village and the outlying company of Americans which held the road to the villages. A bold, left hook by the Germans accomplished that much but their losses were such that they had few remaining infantry available to attack the second village and an assault with their armor would be insufficient to dislodge the Americans, especially given the availability of a platoon of M18s which would do much to the PzIVs which accompanied the Panthers.

After the 10th turn the Americans, who started with 2-3 deficit in troops, actually had a superiority of 5-4 in infantry, and retained sufficient armor support to hold the larger village. The availability of 5x24 and 8x18 artillery made this an interesting battle especiallly given the German superiority in armor. Using massed artillery strikes of 72, 3x48 and 32 the Americans shredded the German infantry advance. There appeared to be little else for the Germans but to be comforted with outperforming history, albeit at a tremendous cost.

I remain impressed with the ability of the system to portray such stunningly varied situations. The German attacks into massed American artillery provide a vivid example of the carnage which must have occured. I have heard complaints about PG as a system from advocates of other tactical game systems, holding that PG is just not "bloody" enough. Try out this scenario if you want blood. The losses were numbing to the German commander. I give it a "4" for the ability to provide an insight into the situation facing the Germans.

US ARTY fire caused heavy casualities to German grenadiers but could not prevent German Panzers from destroying US Armor. Spotters in outposts called in fire and eight Pz Gren steps were the first casualities of the scenario. All were eliminated by ARTY fire in the 0630 turn. By the 0715 turn the Germans had lost four more Gren steps but their Panzers eliminated one Sherman unit and one M-18 unit. By 0915 Panzers had destroyed all US Armor. No Panzers were eliminated by US Armor. Two Panzer steps were eliminated by 3" fire and three in assault combat. The Germans concentrated on the south town and took two of the three hexes. By the time the attacks on the northern town took place the Germans had lost so much INF they could not get column modifiers for combined AFV-INF assaults. Control of four town hexes total and two in dispute plus 16vps for destroyed US Armor offset the hugh Pz Gren losses inflicted by US ARTY. US 49vps Ger 57vps. Minor German victory.

Started this game with my son in law, Steve, to get him into the system. He set the Americans up in the center of the main woods near the road in the area of hex 0811, 0911 and 0910, one dug in unit on the hills at hex 1109. He put three platoons in the village near 1006 and two platoons with leaders in the village at 0504. He put one AT gun at hex 0404 and the other at hex 1206. His armor was concentrated in the area of hex 0708. He put one M 4 platoon at hex 0409.

I sent a mixed Armor and Infantry force down the left side of the woods ( German perspective ), a light Armor and heavy Infantry force dow the main road hex 0717 to 0712, and a mixed Armor and Infantry dow the right side. The intent was to push the American center and force the American Armor to fight either the right or left prong. the German main effort was on the left.

The first turns were slow and the Americans picked off a few of my tanks with cross fire bonus opportunities. Steve would fire the tanks first and then the AT guns for the crossfire bonus opportunities. In the center we traded casualties due to Arty fire and then close range fire attack. My leaders showed their true mettle and we pushed the Americans out of the woods by mid game.

When the visibility improved the German tanks destroyed all the American Armor and then eliminated the AT guns. The Germans cleared the village at hex 0404 only after taking heavy infantry losses due to the US Arty. The Germans never took all the hexes in the other village by games end. Minor victory for the Germans. If this was a campaign game the Germans would be in trouble due to Infantry losses.

Author	battlecarrysabot
Method	Solo
Victor	United States
Play Date	2025-04-18
Language	English
Scenario	ElsR007

The initial setup for both sides was a continuation of the previous scenario. The Germans held the southern village with the forces that survived the night, established a mortar firing point and the woods, along with a few Infantry Platoon outposts to the east of the northern village in the woods. The rest of the German forces, including two Platoons of PzIVHs and four Platoons of Panthers, awaited offboard for the start of the operation. The American retained the northern city, the small hilltop, and American reinforcements lay hidden at dawn in the forest to the west of the southern city.

The first third of the operation saw multiple, furious exchanges of anti-tank fire in the early morning hours between maneuvering M18s and two defending Platoons of PzIVHs in the southern town. The M18s lose a Platoon but soften the village enough to enable the American counterattack to proceed. The American infantrymen gain a foothold but falter to morale checks and barely hold the one town hex. The rest of the German forces stream in from the eastern edge, deploying the Panthers in the north with a significant portion of the SS infantry, and a small reinforcement Company Team in the south lead by the PzIVHs. At first, the American artillery is not immediately felt - little effects in the southern town of the course of the first three turns, but completely obliterates the reinforcing German infantry in the south. In the North, the Panthers lead a bold extended assault to tied up American leaders on the hilltop. With no losses to the Panthers from first fire and two Platoons still in reserve, the Germans successfully open two assault hexes and a small path under concealment for the rest of the German dismounts to proceed. The Germans use some of their limited smoke and by the end of the first third the Germans are still in the mix in the southern town and have secured the hill in the north.

In the middle third of the game, the Germans attempt to establish an opening in the northern city. The Panthers lead the way, attempting to tied up American officers through extended assault. These assaults only succeed in part due to a hidden pair of 3-inch guns, which score extremely lucky hits as the extended assaults only tied up two American officers - not enough. The American artillery shifts fire to the north and begins attriting the German infantry as they round the hill towards the town. The Germans suffer casualties, but open two different assault hexes in the northern city. The remaining M18 Platoon maneuvers north to gain LOS on the Panther Platoons. An exchange of fire between the one Panther Platoon not in an assault and the M18 leaves both Platoons reduced and demoralized. In the south, the American infantry finally recover and manage to assault the next German town position under murderous fire. Both the Americans and the Germans are running out of steam in the south, the Americans down to two Infantry Platoons and a MG Platoon. But the defending Germans are in worse shape just two and a half Infantry Platoons and a weak 8-0-0 SS Lieutenant remain. The Germans end the middle third with a lucky artillery strike, eliminating one of the dug-in 3-inch guns.

In the final third of the operation, American local counterattacks and assaults in both villages regained lost ground and almost effortlessly pushed the German SS troops out. The Americans in the northern village forwent their infantry anti-tank weapons, opting to eliminate the Panthers in the conventional assault combat. Any German infantry outside the cities fell into a cycle of receiving bombardment fire, recovering morale, just to be hit with more American artillery. The last American M4 surges toward the demoralized Panther to fire point blank, scoring a 12 and final kill on the German tanks. As the Americans clear the Germans in the northern town, the American attempt a limited counterattack and reseize the hilltop to the northeast, reestablishing the initial defensive positions. In the southern town, the Americans barely secure the final two hexes, surviving near misses from friendly artillery bombardments. On the third to last turn, the last German Platoon is expelled demoralized from the village.

Conclusion: American Major Victory (63 VP to 42 VP)

Author	treadasaurusrex (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Draw
Participants	NBGB
Play Date	2026-01-24
Language	English
Scenario	ElsR007

This was another gamey, 5-session, play-through with the valiant & clever, NBGB leading defending elements of the US 2nd Infantry Division, 741st Tank Battalion and 644th Tank Destroyer Battalion in this 1-map, winter fracas. I led attacking elements of the 12th SS Panzer Division, in a 24-turn battle with variable visibility. Unexpectedly, the Germans drew better leaders, while the GI defenders got a middling set. There we no scout or recon elements for the combined arms SS force, as was the case historically.

We used the FOW (beginning game turn 3), smoke/illum, excess initiative, hidden units (1/3 of the GIs & leaders), tank riders (Germans), efficient unit move & fire (M-18 Hellcats only) and extended assault optional rules. In addition, we tried these four house rules: 1) Road Movement for Mechanized & Foot Units - All FOOT & MECHANIZED units may move on roads at the rate of 1/2 of a Movement Point (MP) per road hex, just like MOTORIZED units, 2) Standardized Movement for Mechanized Units — All mechanized units may move through clear hexes at a movement cost of only 1 movement point (MP) per hex, instead of 1 1/2. Add one to this cost if moving up, across, or down slopes hexes, 3) Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV) Consolidation — Unless prohibited by special scenario rules, reduced 2-step units like tanks, and other AFV units of the same type, nationality, and morale condition may be combined to form a single, full-strength unit. Both reduced units must start their activation in the same hex and be activated by an adjacent – or same-hex – good order, Tank Leader. This action costs both units all their movement points. Remove one of the units, flip the other to its full-strength side and mark it activated, and 4) Voluntary Unit Reduction — Players may voluntarily reduce 2-step personnel units to 1-step (halved) units if they have at least one leader of Major or higher rank among their side’s assigned force. To do so, the unit to be halved must begin the player’s activation phase in the same hex or in an adjacent hex to a Captain or higher rank. The full-strength unit to be halved must be in good order and this action costs all the reduced unit’s movement points. Remove the full-strength unit and replace it with 2 reduced strength units. Mark both — and the leader — as activated.

This rule set provided improved playability, tactical flexibility & simplicity during our fast-paced, play-through.

The stimulating first session (game turns 1-2) consisted of a single, road bound, SS movement to contact in the predawn gloom (visibility 4-6) from the east map edge. This approach morphed into an advance in three columns, two veering northwest and west, through the woods, and one to the southwest. All three came under both OPFIRE and OBA as visibility improved. There were no step losses this session.

Our hard-fought & very costly, second session (game turns 3-6) featured the German’s expanding right flank transforming into a unified, turning & closing movement, aimed at the northern, 5-hex town and adjacent 20-meter hill. The scrambling Americans quickly redeployed to reinforce the threatened, northern sector and continued pouring artillery fire onto the hapless Germans. A series of hastily delivered SS close assaults in the north either collapsed, or were decimated by OBA. The fighting resulted in heavy casualties for both sides, but especially for the vulnerable SS militiamen. Step losses this session totaled 13, and 2 leaders for the SS thugs, and 7 for the defiant Americans. The victory point tally was now: 7 for the attacking Germans, and 13 for the defending GIs, resulting in decreased initiative levels.

The costly & intense, third session (game turns 7-8) primarily consisted of several, long-range AT shots and many – usually productive – American OBA strikes. Step losses this session were an additional 8 for the GIs, and 5 more for the Herrenvolk, triggering initiative level reductions for both sides. The scrambling SS thugs have barely managed to initiate a close assault in the northern hex of the 5-hex town, but at considerable cost. They were able to eliminate the last of the 3-inch AT gun platoons, as well as a unit of Shermans. Updated victory point tally was now: 13 for the attacking Germans, and 18 for the defending GIs.

The high casualty, fourth session (game turns 9-10) featured the battered, SS force tightening its grip on two contested hexes of the northern, 5-hex village. Losses this very bloody session was an amazing, 13 more for the Germans, plus 3 leaders; and only 7 steps plus a single leader, for the embattled Americans. The left flank SS column’s approach was completely shattered by accurate US OBA and OPFIRE. This may have been the decisive session of this play-through, as the massive SS infantry and leader losses, render it darn near impossible for the Axis to prevail, though there is still an outside chance for a draw if the fates shift to favoring the Third Reich boys.

Our extremely costly, fifth session (game turns 11-14) included the first, out-and-out capture of a single hex in the northern town by the badly diminished, German troops, ending a 10-turn, close assault siege. Elsewhere, the last of the remaining US armored units were eliminated by German armor, as part of an overall loss of 17 American steps this session. The cost to the Herrenvolk, was another 6 steps and a leader, bringing the lost leader count for the Germans to seven! In all, step losses were about even in this contest, but the Americans still controlled all but one town hex. The magnanimous American commander agreed to a DRAW in the middle of the 14th game turn, when it was apparent that casualties on both sides precluded the possibility of a either player achieving a decisive victory. In all, there were 7 FOW-shortened game turns of the 14 played.

This was a gamey, fun to play, unbalanced – but accurate – conflict simulation with numerous decision points, in mixed terrain. American artillery superiority told until the Germans closed to decisive range, and even then it was usually lethal. The victory conditions should be rewritten to include specific geographical objectives, including the crucial road junction between the two towns. In spite of its flaws, this scenario deserves a solid 3 in our humble opinions, and a recommendation for both SHARED & SOLO play, with the caveat that the more experienced player should lead the attacking German horde.