German Strategy/Thoughts: Charge, overwhelm and get through as quickly as possible. Soviet off-board artillery can only reach the southern maps, so keep trucks to the north if possible. We can either advance through the north town, woods, centre or south. North town – will slow us down too much. As will the woods. Therefore go for the centre. Infantry to walk beside trucks to avoid being decimated by anti-tank fire. Will send APCs through the woods for protection.

Soviet Strategy: If we can slow the Germans down enough, then it will allow time for the guards to move up and get in their way. Pray. A Lot.

Note: Score will be denoted by (x-y), where x=Soviet casualties, y=German casualties.

The Battle

0700

German advance begins. Soviet AT Guns ineffective against the PzIVHs. Soviets respond with some artillery and moving their T-34s into sight (in the north).

0715 - 0730

Hetzers in the west get first fire and reduce a T-34 platoon. Return fire just fails to penetrate the Hetzer’s armour.

Hetzers fire again and reduce the second T-34 platoon. German infantry advances and the Soviet AT Gun is overrun.

Soviet artillery claims the first German casualty after their AT Gun battery just misses the PzIVH platoon (7-1)

0745

German artillery slams into the Soviet defenders on the north side of the hill. (9-1)

Hetzers advance to the north to line up the demoralized T-34s that failed to rally.

In the far north, the Guards are moving south to intercept the Viking Division.

0800

Hetzers finish off one T-34 platoon as the other routs.

German artillery eliminates the Guard’s 76.2mm in the southeast. There is very little that still threatens the German panzers. (14-1)

0815

Hetzers move into the woods out of sight of the Guard’s AT Gun battery in the northwest.

German infantry moves in trucks and APCs en masse towards the east. They stay to the north out of range of the Soviet off-board artillery. (15-1)

0830 - 0845

Germans make a dash for it as the Soviets move to intercept. The closest Soviets are eliminated by direct fire from the panzers which are protecting the infantry. (20-1)

0900 – 0915

German forces begin to exit to the east. German engineers left in the west are eliminated by Soviet artillery. (23-2)

More Germans exit (total of 17 foot and mortar platoons have crossed the map). The Hetzers are too far behind and are getting ambushed. (They should not have dallied with the T-34s). (25-2)

0930 – 0945

Soviet guards assault the German armour reducing some PzIVH and some Hetzers!

A subsequent assault eliminates the Hetzers in the west. (36-12)

1000 – 1015

German armour exits except for a single demoralized PzV platoon. An SS captain calls in for German artillery, but he is killed by Soviet mortars.

The PzV is assault by guard infantry and eliminated! (38-16)

GERMAN VICTORY!!!

Aftermath

Germans achieved victory in half the allotted time splitting the Soviet forces like an axe. Their key was eliminating all Soviet Anti-Tank guns and driving down the centre between the Soviet sectors.

Scenario Rating 4/5. Taking about 2 and a half hours playtime, this spearhead through the Soviet lines was more interesting than Scenario 2. There are also the "logisitics" to consider and keeping the chain of command through subordinate activation. The thing I also enjoy about these scenarios is even the initial set-up is full of choice and decisions. Making the whole experience enjoyable.

This was a similar scenario to #2 Heading Downstream. The Russians had 2 separate forces again. The first force was a partial regiment of Guards rifle with (2) platoons of RKKA T-34. BTW RKKA T34C at this point in the war are nearly useless against armor efficient SS tanks. Especially when way outnumbered.

Boards 16 and 18 had great defensible terrain and a larger Guards Division with OK OBA. The OBA was only able to be used on boards 16 and 18 so half the area. They set up in a strong defense in the big hill next to where the Germans would have to enter and the other group set up mainly in the town at the west edge of the board.

The Germans concentrated their forces right between the board splits Which put them north of the main Russian defense. This area was held by Russian infantry dugin but only 1 platoon in each hex to slow down any incursion around the hill.

the Germans loaded up with 2 armor units and an infantry with leader in same hex activation against those 5 single Russian platoons. The rest of their forces were behind and some where directly across from the other Russian regiment on boards 17 and 19.

The Germans came across only needing 1 hex before they could assault. By 0715 they were in five assaults and at 30 they wiped out 3 of the 5 Russian positions. The Russians did manage to disrupt/demoralize some units and slow the attack down a little. 8 German armor platoons broke through by 0730 and wreaked havoc in the Russian rear. The Russains saw the writing on the wall and moved all of their units off the hill and in to the gap as fast as they could. This looked like it might work for a while but the ground is open and the German armor plus very strong OBA wiped them out. By 0830 the battle was won. The Germans had already extracted 35 steps and only lost 8. The path was open for the rest of the division to move East and there was only mopping up left.

There was some good fun to be had when the Russians tried to close the gap, but they just didn't have enough of anything.