This was one of the few times my opponent and I played nearly to the end of the scenario's turns, since it's usually quite clear earlier in the game whether one is going to win or lose.

My initial decision - not to fight for the town on the German entry board - was, I think, the right one. Any units there would have been sliced and diced with no chance of pulling back to a defensive line on the hill board. So I positioned all my forces, except for a few spotters, on the hill board. The Germans ground forward, as they usually do, but sloppy use of the SPWs allowed my dug-in tanks to inflict high casualties on them. I was surprised that the Germans didn't try to shoot up my tanks to clear the way; instead he concentrated his tanks against my infantry positions and drove the Soviets from the lower slopes of the hill. My reinforcements, again, showed up maybe a turn or two too late to turn the tide.

Although I lost yet again as the Soviet commander, I did manage to delay defeat until turn 17 (of 18), when I lost a Major and all the troops with him in a bungled assault on panzers that became a choice target for his artillery. We had parity (57 or 58 Soviet to 56 or so German) in step losses at the moment I conceded defeat; he had simply taken more of the hill than I could ever get back.