Having reviewed Matt and Daniel's AAR for this one:

Soviet Set-Up: 2xSMG + ENT + LT hill 0612; Mine(1) hill 0513; 45mm + KMG hill 0512; 2x82mm hill 0511; INF + ATR + LT hill 0412;

ATR + Truck hill 1015; HMG+INF+LT town 1010

INF + 45mm + KMG town 0605

SU-122 + SMG field 0404 (“reserve”); INF + LT field 0403 (“reserve”)

INF + HMG + Cpt + ENT hill 1004; INF + FLM+ Maj + ENT hill 0804; Mine (1) hill 0905; 2x76.2 hill 0902; 2x76.2 hill 0903 (with 8-1-0 LT to combine); 2xKMG each 1002 + 0802 to cover artillery.

Elements of the Eicke panzergrenadier regiment set up in eastern and western attack groups. The latter has the 4xHMGs and accompanying SCH; whereas the former contains the majority of the SCH and the two StuGs. Each group has one ENG platoon.

Early Stalinist artillery fire is ambivalent: DIS two of the 81mm platoons, but a friendly fire attacks kills a step of ATR holding the south-eastern hills. Turn five is decisive for the Waffen-SS. Two sequential '12' rolls for soviet morale leaves the forces holding the 1010 town DEM incredibly also the 10-1-1 leader. Compounding this, the Germans roll a '12' - different set of dice (a red set for the Soviets; a green set for the Germans)! - on the 11-DF col kills an SMG in the western entrenchment and the leader there (also 10-1-1) suffers a casualty. So both "strong point" of the Soviet "front" fall quickly.

The following turn, however, the Soviet artillery part gets into action obtaining a 2X result on the 42-col (using a 8-1-0 leader to combine along with self-spotting bonus). On the following turn, they DEM a 2xSCH stack.

By turn 9 (of 30) however, the SS control the 1010 town and the SW hill complex. Germans have taken five step losses (some in assault; another by OF) and the Stalinists 16.

The SS push forward 4xSCH along the Eastern Board edge and have the OBA now pummel the Russian 76.2mm park. The 81mm mortars and soft-skinned units now move up to "holding" positions on the captured hills and town. The SS have a sufficient force to hold/pin the 0605 town/0404 field Soviet units from the hoped for counter attack.

The Soviets fight well for the two entrenchments on the 0903 hill (major objective). Unfortunately, the SS could simply envelop at range once the artillery was finished off and roll for five turns until a "lucky" DF result weakened the holding force.

The Soviets did kill 11 steps by game end earning themselves a Minor Victory, but the Germans held all of the hill terrain for a Major Victory with remaining Soviet DIS/DEM in the NW fields or bottled up in town 0605. The Germans might have been able to take the major NE hill with fewer step losses had I been willing to risk a few more rounds of softening DF, but to satisfy any VC, the Germans had to have sole ownership of that hill area ... so, better a Major vs. Minor than risking no Victory at all.

I rated this a 4 mainly from the structure of the attack/defense problem. Perhaps this one is better as a solo game as a Russian player might feel underwhelmed with limited freedom of action.