The Americans and the Germans duke it out for the Almighty's favor. Players: 5 Set Up: Forces deploy either on-table or off-table as indicated in their orders. The Americans do not have to enter all their troops on the first turn. Artillery: Each turn during the artillery phase a single 105 mm HE round will land At random on a roll of 6 on a d6. Each side is supported by an 81 mm mortar off table. Support can be requested on a roll of 5 or 6 on a d6. The reinforcement groups should be written on index cards. If a unit's request for reinforcements is granted, that player should draw a card at random. Troop Quality: The quality of each unit is indicated. Recon Team Special Rule: The American players should be made aware that the player playing the recon team may ask them if some of their figures are from 3rd Platoon. They may only answer yes or no. American Reinforcement Cards 5 Rifle/ Green 2 SMG, LMG/ Green Jeep w/ LMG carrying new company commander/ Green Bazooka Team/ Average Flame-thrower Team/ Average M5 Light Tank/ Average Starting Position: Western table edge German Reinforcement Cards 5 Rifle/ Average 5 SMG/ Average MMG/ Average Flame-thrower Team/ Veteran Kettenkrad w/ 75 mm IG/ Veteran Stug. III/ Veteran Starting Position: Eastern table edge AMERICAN FORCES Recon Team of 3rd Platoon Objective: Locate and rejoin 3rd Platoon Forces: Recon Team/ Average (3 Rifle, 2 SMG ) Starting Position: Enter at the NE corner on turn 1 Special Instructions: When in base contact with other American troops you may only ask if they are from 3rd Platoon. You may not ask where 3rdPlatoon is. When you have rejoined 3rd Platoon you will assume command of the unit and complete its objective. If you succeed in joining 3rd Platoon, its troop quality becomes Average. Zumbruski's Rangers Objective: Capture 2 German prisoners and escort them to the rear. Forces: 2 Ranger Teams/ Veteran (Each: Jeep w/ LMG; 3 SMG, 2 Rifle) Starting Position: Can enter from the SW corner or the NW corner on turn 1 Elements of B Company, 214th Infantry Battalion Objective: Clear a corridor to the bridge Forces: 1st Platoon/ Green (6 Rifle, LMG, 2 SMG) 3rd Platoon/ Green (3 Rifle, LMG, Bazooka) Combat Engineer Platoon/ Average & M3 Half-track w/ HMG, 5 Rifle, 2 SMG, Flame-thrower, Bazooka Support Platoon/ Average (M4A1, M8 Greyhound) HQ/ Average (Jeep w/ LMG, 3 SMG, 2 Officer) Starting Position: Enter anywhere along the east table edge on turn 1 Special Instructions: The corridor must be a road with no adjacent building in enemy hands. All Bazooka Teams have 3 rounds. GERMAN FORCES SS Sondervernichtungsabteilung Loengren Objective: Kill the US Company commander Forces: 2 Sniper Teams/ Elite (Each: Sniper, 2 SMG) Starting Position: Anywhere Schutzenregiment Walkirie Objective: Occupy and hold center of town Forces: 2 Panzergrenadier Platoon/ Veteran (Each: 4 Rifle, 4 SMG, LMG, Panzerfaust, Satchel Charge) Support Platoon/ Veteran (2 MMG, Panzerschreck, Pak 38, Sdkfz. 251) Starting Position: Near the east table edge Special Instructions: One building may be booby-trapped. Mortar support may be pre-sighted on one spot on the board. It must be requested as usual. The Panzerschreck has 3 rounds. Gott mit Uns Play Test The three American units each had a very different game. The lost recon patrol entered the table, immediately stumbled onto the German anti-tank gun and its protecting half-track, and went to ground in a ruined building. B Company unwittingly drove their company commander into the German snipers' killing zone on the first turn and got him whacked in short order. The rest of the company had a tough slog through town against the determined panzergrenadiers. In a series of bad breaks the Sherman was knocked out by a satchel charge, the flame-thrower man was "shot down in a blaze of glory", and the half-track was pasted by the German panzerschreck. By the time the one survivor of the recon team met up with the rest of the company, there was no 3rd Platoon to rejoin. Zumbruski's Rangers, on the other hand, had huge success in true "Rat Patrol" fashion. They careened into town and saw the German snipers shooting the crap out of the company command. They quickly surrounded one of the buildings, subdued two of the pesky Krauts, and high-tailed it out of town down some railroad tracks, neatly completing their objective. In the end, the Germans had the upper hand with the survivors of B company isolated and pinned down in the middle of town. WWII Street Fighting Introduction Scenario One: Stalingrad Shuffle Scenario Two: Gott Mit Uns Scenario Three: C'Est La Gruyere Back to MWAN #115 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com