Author	Bangla (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Draw
Participants	tlangston28
Play Date	2021-02-13
Language	English
Scenario	KRBT015

An excellent game against Tony Langston, which ended 111-110 in his favour. The Soviets decided to defend the hill at all costs, and left the town of Teploe in the north open for the Germans to occupy at their leisure. With the town secure, the Germans split their efforts into two wings, leaving some units in the fields covering the centre in case of a Soviet thrust north to re-take the town. The Germans were probably 2 or 3 turns too slow in getting to attack the large hill in the south, taking too much time to clear the woods on their right, and the smaller hills to the left and right. But once secure, there began a desperate struggle for the slopes of the main objective.

Heavy Russian losses piled up (69 steps by game end) and, as the 16:15 end game approached, the German panzers began to filter through gaps in the line to take some of the hill hexes and the road heading south. Desperate, but timely, manoeuvring by the Guards plugged the gaps one by one, and the Germans had no chance to 'steal' further territory. Another 2 or 3 turns might have given the Germans the victory they sought after, but their earlier slowness cost them dearly.

An excellent scenario, a forward defence by the Soviets would definitely alter the flavour of this action dramatically. The draw surprised both of us at the finish, and highlighted how things could have been different with even one more turn available.