This scenario turned out to be a rollover for Germany, mostly because the terrain effects on movement chart shows 1.5 MP for clear terrain for mechanized units. My opponent and I only noticed that on the third or fourth turn, and it proved the undoing of the Soviet forces. My Tigers were no longer only partially-mobile behemoths spewing anti-tank fire but only getting half-way across the board. Usually you could never count on Tigers getting anywhere near the opposite side of the board during a 14 turn scenario. But in this game, they were a real threat to the Soviets in terms of the victory conditions.

The Soviet positions were laid out well, and tried to create a killing zone in the middle of the playing area, by putting the AT guns along the sides and using the minefields to create a kind of funnel to crowd the Germans in the middle. But the Germans' airplane every turn proved especially useful early on- they cleared out two of the three guns before the 5th game turn. Clearing the entrenchments and town wasn't without a few casualties, but the German initiative modifier stayed at +4 until about the 8th turn. By turn 10 the Soviets had just about nothing left to stop the German advance. Even the Tigers were only two or three moves from possibly exiting the board.

Again, seeing through the fields and onto the hills completely changes the complexion of this game. Having played with rule set 3 for so long, it is difficult to adjust tactics and strategy.