(If you’d like the scenario details, please refer to the Eastern Front book. This merely reports the results)

In Europe, there are many things to frighten and embolden you. Tanks, for example. From the west, a German parade of armor slid down the muddy road, careful to avoid sliding off into the mud and becoming an instant museum. From the south, another, yet much smaller division rolled loudly toward the town. Both lines had as their goal the northeast edge of the town, which would provide cover for the now-revealed Russians advancing from the northern sands. Russian tanks, while slightly quicker today, just couldn’t hit anything but air and ground, allowing the Germans to smile a little as they picked off tank after tank. The Russians employed a lot of crossfire, as did the Germans, but at the end of a short fight (or long one, if you were a Russian today), the Germans held the town with no real threat ever presented. It played out like this: The Russians massed just behind a hill that blocked the Germans, even though they were aware of the Russians’ presence. The Germans stood in a line across the whole end of the town, with the few infantry they possessed hiding out in the line on the extreme northeast. As the Russians moved out, the German tanks pounded them. The Russians had a few very good tanks, and one that was there for comedic purposes, but each time they fired, the gunners apparently closed their eyes, sneezing while they pulled the trigger. Nothing upsets even the calmest commandant more than allergic gunners! The German gunners, however, had eagle eyes and painted the Russian armor with such force that the final tally was that the Germans had one lost division, while the Russians, well, lost. They conceded and the few tanks that were left found a five-speed reverse they never knew they had. It was wondered afterwards if the Russians would have fared better had they rounded the town and run it through while attacking, forcing the Germans to reclaim their lost city blocks and therefore winning the battle. Maybe we shall rewrite history tomorrow.