The Soviets decided to position a understrength company, composed of the 3 reduced INF, the reduced SMG and the reduced HMG platoons and lead by the weakest LT on hand, as an outpost in the hill hexes (0613 and 0714) to the west of the town. All the other Soviet troops were positioned in the town, with an AT gun in each of the town hexes, where the 3 roads met the town.

The Germans formed a motorized company of 2 INF and 1 HMG platoon, lead by a CPT, ordered to bypass the defenders in the hill hexes on the south side and to reach the town as soon as possible. This company was assisted by the 2 Pz III units. All the other INF and HMG platoons, together with the StuG III unit were tasked to clear the hill hexes from the enemy, while the remaining 2 Pz IV units should bypass the hill on the northern route.

This overall plan to conquer the town was soon endangered, when Soviet Off-Map Artillery caused 4 INF step losses to the German troops advaning on the open ground within the first 5 turns. At this time the Germans were not even nearby the town hexes to attack the Soviet defenders. Meanwhile the German tanks and the motorized INF/HMG units, supported by the German Off-Map Artillery, tried to weaken the Soviet AT gun defense. But they failed. To make matters worse, the AT gun unit in town hex 0509 suceeded to knock out the first Pz IV step, before in turn 8 all the German infantry units, after annihilating the Soviet outpost in the western hill, came in fire range to the Soviet defenders in the town.

On turn 10 the Soviet defense suffered heavy step losses due to intensive combined direct fire from the German attackers. The Soviet defense line in the southern town hexes collapsed. At this moment the Germans hold victory in their hand. But only one turn later the AT gun in town hex 0509 caused the second step loss to a Pz IV unit, increasing the total step losses of the Germans to 8 - a German defeat. 2 turns later this AT gun hit the still attacking, meanwhile reduced Pz IV units for a third time. No matter how agressive the Germans attacked, the Soviet had the town defense bonus on their side, preventing them from total collapse.

On turn 15 an 16 the Germans wanted to regain their honor and put all one's eggs in one basket by assaulting the remaining pockets of Soviet resistance. But it did not help. At the end of turn 16 there were still some Soviet defenders in some town hexes, so that the Germans not only lost due to too heavy step losses, but also did not succed in clearing all town hexes from the enemy.

Bogdanovo is the very first PG scenario published. And this was my first PG scenario I played after nearly 20 years of absence to the PG series. So I thought I should start with this "classic". The scenario's victory conditions are hard to achieve for the Germans. The devastating Soviet Off-Map Artillery in combination with the town defense bonus for the Soviet defenders is in my oppinion a nut too hard to crack within the given victory conditions.

Nevertheless it was an exciting scenario to play, so that I decided to give it a "3".