Pertinent house rules: Double-blind, fast mech & efficient AT/AA. We choose this scenario, partly because I wanted to play a linear progression through the war, and partly because it looked good for double blind play.

German setup and observations: Motor/mech units will have difficulty crossing the river (8.3%/2.8% chances per attempt), so I will need to force the bridge. There is a small infantry block dug in behind the bridge. The village on board 3 has 2 OPs in it (for perhaps more than a company and support?). The town on board 2 has only 2 OPs, which is deceptively sparse. There is also an OP on the hill watching almost everything I do. I am more than a little concerned that the center of the board 3 village is 4 hexes from the bridge/river.

I weight my motor/mech units in the center and South., and put 2 companies of infantry to the North, behind the woods. With foot units having a 42.7% chance of a successful crossing attempt, I intend to use the Northern infantry force to flank the village if things bog down. Otherwise the plan is to bombard, assault and blitz around the village. The infantry can kill the AT guns I am worried about.

Opening moves, German: The bombardment of the infantry block begins with a dismal performance. My infantry begins to move up, tanks follow, the Northern infantry moves through the woods. As my center infantry approaches the bridge, I start receiving indirect fire from the Russian field guns. Just as my infantry reaches the bridge, my artillery (finally!) hits the infantry block effectively (I was having bad dice rolls before). The Russian infantry in the block gets off a shot and is demoralized by artillery fire, as I rush across. The Northern infantry just reaches the river.

The village, German: German infantry presses the village, finding some garrison infantry and the block survivors. The AT guns I was worried about before are nowhere to be seen. Infantry (including an assault team) moves up to the edge of the village. Armor moves to the South of the village, by the woods, to provide fire support. Mechanized infantry rushes into the woods and deploys to prevent a counter attack from that direction. A Russian infantry platoon is observed running from the hill to the town. More armor and my AT guns work their way through the Eastern edge of the woods and onto the Southern plain. Northern infantry begins to cross the river.

Reduction of the village proceeds at a good pace. The panzer grenadiers in the wood prepare to make a sweep, initially led by the halftracks. The lead halftrack moves forward and is fired upon by a Russian AT gun. The halftrack survives and, with a second chance at life, retreats back to the infantry. The Northern infantry is mostly across the river at this time.

Tanks and armored cars move across the Northern plain. Russian infantry is seen in the Northeast corner of the town. The panzer grenadier company, sweeps through the woods, encountering a reduced infantry company and the AT battery. In a brief firefight, they are eliminated.

On to the town, German: The armored cars begin to scout the plain North of the town, observing HMGs with infantry support in the North-West corner. Infantry emerging from the woods find an AT gun, with infantry support covering the South side. Some more Soviet infantry runs from the hill into the town before my advancing infantry can cover the gap with fire.

Under ongoing artillery fire, my forces prepare for set-piece attacks into the town. Infantry advance in the South to engage the AT gun, before revealing the tanks. In the North PzIVs deploy as a group and begin blasting the defenders.

Breaking in, German: Infantry and artillery fire eliminate the AT gun, allowing a tank/infantry team to assault the defending infantry. Infantry with halftracks assault more infantry in the Western-center. At this point the Soviet artillery is revealed. This revelation results in a burning halftrack and a reduced tank. The Northern advance is momentarily broken-up by fire from the HMGs, no steps are lost, but recovery takes a couple turns.

The reduced tank does not escape from the artillery. At this point I have lost 5 steps in value, all in steel. With the artillery revealed and AT guns dead, tanks cautiously move through the Eastern part of the town, with a small infantry force close behind. Infantry finally assaults the North-West corner. The South-West side is mostly cleared in successive assaults. PzIIIs find the T-37s, trap and kill them.

The end, German: With the town's perimeter collapsing, and being forced into a decreasing pocket, the Soviets resign.

Parts of the Soviet strategy worked well. Part was a little too cute. The infantry block in the village was a good idea, and delayed me by about 4 turns. Splitting the AT guns, was intended to catch the German armor in a crossfire. The sweep through the woods put an end to that. I was concerned about exposing my flank just such fire.

Playing double-blind I would expect that creating an inverted hedgehog in the town would be the best Soviet plan. I would have stacked the mortars with the field guns, but that is of minor value. Still the Soviets need all the help they can get.