Setup is a weird one, as others have noted set up suggests to put armies essentially on top of one another, this is then counteracted by the mine placement that would then be pointless so I changed US to east of xx04. The scenario also states that 6 minefields should be hidden, I put 12 random minefields on the map (half were decoys) and houseruled that when entered I'd flip the random mine counter, if a decoy then it'd be Removed but if mined then I'd draw another set of minefield counters from a cup and place the resulting mines on the spot (unless this proved to be a decoy also, e.g. lousy soviet mine laying).

As for the game, the Soviets were set up in the town with a JS2 platoon dug in just north facing the light woods. To the south I placed the bulk of the artillery, also dug in. The town hid a mechanised infantry reserve and the other JS2 platoon. The reduced infantry platoons were set up in the northern woods also with M3s and the worst lieutenant (0/0) in command.

The US split into 2 main forces on the northern and southern flanks behind the woods and hill respectively and the whole armour contingent sat between the 2 on the road, just at the bottom of the hill, raring to go.

The weather was dry and for the first few turns the US pushed into the woods and the town on the hill. The soviet reduced squads managed to halt the US advance despite their inferior numbers.

The US changed tact and sent their M39s to race around and try and get to the woods west of the soviet held town. Unfortunately the dug in JS2 took 2 of them out with its armour efficiency.

The US in the hill town, deployed the 81 mortar but over several turns it provided nothing but a target for the southern Russian artillery that with every opportunity reduced the town to rubble.

The US couldn't get any heavy artillery support for the first half on the game, meanwhile the Russians were shelling anything and everything they could see, including their own men it would turn out.

The US tried to push in the south, but again a combination of soviet mines, artillery and armour hampered them.

All seemed lost by turn 6 when all of a sudden US artillery showed up, successful fire and manoeuvre tactics by the M29s had outgunned the JS2s (although many of the US tanks were now no better than scrap metal) and the last of the woods was finally cleared. More transports raced west and the main town was now to be attacked from both North-west and East.

By turn 8 the US were in, pushing into the north-western edge and soviet units were disrupted and pulling back to the town centre.

It looked like the Soviets would lose it, but then US artillery support evaporated, the Russians successfully dropped shells in the right places and their infantry rallied.

The US had fought the good fight but mines had stalled their advance, artillery had done little to break the deeply entrenched Russians and 2 underpowered urban assaults showed the US had nothing left to give.

Final score US 16 / Soviet Union 22

It did seem as though the Soviets would walk it but 2/3 of the way through when I was about to call it the US had a reprieve and I had to see how it would end.

In hindsight, perhaps a heavier reliance on smoke and a strike straight toward the town may have been better for the US as opposed to the attempt at a methodical cleaning operation in the woods. The JS2s had a lot of lucky shots (rolled 11 a few times with their AT fire). In the end it was most likely the artillery that won it for the USSR, they had it in spades.

An initially average looking static defence scenario that became a tense nail biter by the end.