On the map above, the Americans in 5 combat teams (shown in blue), each with some armor, some infantry and some artillery came on the two roads at the bottom of the map, driving north along two roughly parallel roads. The American players were:

• Jay Stribling as the overall American commander, led a team made up of whatever could be found around headquarters. This consisted of a light tank company, two armored cars, several anti-aircraft halftracks and anti-tank towed guns, with a few truck-born infantry squads, a battery of 105mm howitzers mounted in half-tracks, and three mobile mortars. Three M-4 Sherman tanks, two tank-dozers and several engineer squads were attached to his force, which operated at the extreme U.S. left flank.
• Robert Whitfield led "Team A" consisting of a company of infantry in half-tracks, a company of "Sherman" medium tanks with a platoon of M-5 light tanks attached from Stribling's light tank company. He also had a battery of M-7 "Priest" 105mm S.P. field guns. "Whit" drove straight ahead for the bridge.
• Simpson Whitfield led "Team B" also of an infantry company in half-tracks, a company of M-4 medium tanks and a battery of M-7 "Priest" 105mm S.P. field guns. She came on one turn behind her father and her job was to add weight to his attack.
• Larry Reeves led "Team TD" consisting of a company of M-10 tank destroyers, with a section of 5 armored cars to scout out in front and a platoon of M24 "Chaffee" light tanks to support the scouting effort. He also had a battery of M-7 "Priest" 105mm S.P. field guns. Larry led the assault along the right hand road and then across the center hill moving towards the bridge.
• David Causey led "Team C" made up of a company of medium tanks, a company of infantry in half-tracks, a battery of M7 "Priest" 105mm S.P. field guns, and like Larry Reeves, he had a section of armored cars. David operated on the extreme American right flank and moved along the tributary of the Seine till he reached the lateral road, then he turned left and drove for the bridge, dropping his infantry to occupy the bald hill on his right.

The German commanders, left to right, Jay Ainsworth (the dashing young panzer leader, and Bill Estes, the canny major-general. The Germans had dug some gun emplacements at the positions marked with red "X"s on the map, and two 88mm guns were dug in on hill 88, but the mobile German armored vehicles were the mainstay of the defense.

Allied commanders, left to right, (seated) Simpson Whitfield, Robert (Whit) Whitfield, (standing) Larry Reeves, Jay Stribling, David Causey.

Game-master, designer of the scenario, and rules guru, Rick Parks.

Abbeville, illuminated by a sunbeam, in a peaceful moment before the carnage.

German reconnaissance forces under the command of Jay Ainsworth attempt to bar the progress of the column on the right hand road. They were shredded by tank gunnery from Whit's forces and the TD guns of Larry Reeves. They fell back only to be obliterated by the American artillery.

Another view of Abbeville. Most German units are hidden because the Americans had not yet gotten any recon elements to within 20" (1000 yards) of them on this hazy overcast day.

The players in action! Left to right, (seated, viewed from rear) Robert and Simpson Whitfield. Jay Ainsworth (blue shirt) and David Causey lean over the table adjusting the positions of their AFVs. Larry Reeves (in cap) looks on while Bill Estes (standing in rear) estimates the range to the American tanks. The game master's elbow may be seen in mid-air between Jay Ainsworth and David Causey.

The reason that the Americans won! A powerful armored column, Team B, commanded by Robert Whitfield plows along the road, paralleled by infantry in halftracks. A similar force (team C) was to Whit's rear, and two equally powerful forces operated on the right flank. The blue squares are "order" chits for the Command Decision rules.

A German motorized infantry company with attached 75mm AT guns, light Flak weapons and some armored transport were hiding on hill 121 till discovered by the M-3 light tanks assigned to "Team B". Massive volleys of 105mm HE shells destroyed the heavy weapons, while the 37mm guns of the M-3 tanks shot up the German halftracks. The German forces fell back to the top of the hill where they were immediately finished off by more artillery fire.

U.S losses in this little engagement were 4 M-3 "Stuart" tanks. German losses totalled 10 half-tracks, 3 AT guns, 8 trucks, 8 squads of infantry and 4 machine guns or flak weapons. The pink-card in the background is an artillery marker.

The massed final German defense consisting of 10 self-propelled AT guns, 15 MkIV tanks stiffened by 6 MkV "Panther" tanks and 6 MkVI "King tiger" super-heavy tanks. The Americans had finally drawn into range and the German tanks knocked out several but the U.S. spotters were beginning to bring down artillery fire on this mass when the game ended.

The Americans had wondered at the relative immobility of the Germans, and found to their surprise that the umpire had decreed a severe fuel shortage. So limited was their mobility, that each German force could only move once during the game, except for involuntary movement due to morale failures.

The American players found their indirect artillery to be surprisingly effective against enemy armore (3 hits on an armed vehicle being sufficient to "kill" it). Both sides believed that the American massed artillery would turn this tight concentration of German armor into rusting hulks after several turns of bombardment.

Another view of long strings of advancing American forces. Blue "order chits" and a pair of dice add a bit of color to the view. These are passing hill 99 on their right and are headed for the saddle between hills 121 and 105. At the close of the game, the head of this column was badly hurt by the tiger tanks massed behind hill 121 and the mk IV tanks in the open area just north-west of hill 105.

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