Ok, I took a month to finish this one, actually a little over a month. This wasn't because I have been too busy but because the darn thing was so good it was hard to finish. There were so many choices and so much going on that it was hard to immerse myself and just drink it in.

A regiment of SS plus a full panzer regiment go up against a full regiment of RKKA infantry backed by a full AT detachment and reinforced midplay by two companies of T-34s. The Germans are charged with controlling a road, controlling the towns, exiting units and avoiding losses. In the final analysis I found it too tough a task for the Germans despite their morale advantage and general air superiority. I say general air superiority because at times the Soviets will sneak some planes through to contest things.

The Soviets set up in three lines. An annoying force in the first line. A much more serious force in the second line divided into a north and south section, each hidden in the fields off the road with AT guns entrenched along the road. And then a final strong line anchored in the large town controlling the road on the final mapboard. Given their low morale and high German firepower, massive losses are expected by the Soviets so unpressured areas are expected to transfer troops to the pressured areas as soon as possible.

The Germans decide to ignore the obvious challenge to move in a broad front and instead opt for an overwhelming push on the southern edge of the board (nothing initially magical about the southern edge, it may have been because I sat there, turns out to have been brilliant as the Germans were able to use the large hill on the final mapboard as a marshalling area before assaulting the towns.

The assault seemed to have gotten off well, causing 16 step losses in the first sex turns and destroying the annoying first line of the Soviets. I say, "seemed" to have gone well since the Germans lost 14 steps and 1 tank step during the same period. These losses would come back to haunt them. They were the result of multiple artillery strikes (the BM-13s, mortars and 76.2s) and some vicious opportunity fire.

The Germans had mounted a battalion of SCH in halftracks to release at the right moment, presumably after the Soviet second line was breached. The losses through turn 6 demanded that the German have more oomph in the attack so the battalion was released from reserve and promptly hammered by the 76s and 85s while still mounted resulting in six more step losses in short order. Add to that a lucky shot by a 45mm and you can see that the German losses were going to be too high to meet the criterion for victory.

Meanwhile on the north end of the second line a battalion of SS went up against two companies of Soviets in the fields. Although this attack started well it stalled and the Soviets went on a counterattack. This freed up some infantry to reoccupy some entrenchments previously held by 76mms and establish a strong presence along the road out of the main attack axis of the SS troops.

At this point the Germans had a +1 on initiative. In the remaining 12 turns of the game the Germans were able to gain the turn initiative only three times. That, combined with early FOW rolls left a very disorganized mob of Germans advancing. This mob then had to divide in two to deal with Soviet tanks in the small town and in the woods to the northeast of the large town and the large town itself. By the end of turn 19 with only the small town, and one hex of the large town free of Soviets (despite the neutralization of the T-34s) and plenty more Soviet units where they came from, the Germans conceded the victory to the Soviets. They had driven a hole through the Soviets 8 hexes, to 10 hexes wide but could not even get to all the Soviets on the road nor those town hexes in the north end of the large town.

While clearing either the road or the town was theoretically possible the German will was broken at that point. Losses for the Germans totalled 42 steps plus 6 tank steps and 5 leaders. The Soviets suffered worse, losing 53 steps, 11 tank steps and 10 leaders but had blunted the SS in this sector and put a huge delay in the attack. The only victory condition which would be met was exiting units, the remainder were clearly out of reach.

This one was a blast to try out. In a way I am glad to be playing the Kursk scenarios now rather than earlier. Without the experience that I have had, the larger scenarios would have just seemed, well, unmanagable, rather than challenging. I will have to go back and replay at least one of my early plays (Soltsy the Prelude) which had a lot of units but I clearly played it poorly. I can't see giving this one anything less than a "5". But take your time - if you go too quickly you will miss some of the blended flavors!