I really screwed this one up as the Soviets. I figured I would use all my RKKA infantry as a screen for the Guards as I advanced to engage the Germans, but my opponent didn't cooperate with that. He'd let the 4-2 get close without being fired at, and unleash hell on the 5-2 and 6-1 following behind.

Another big miscalculation on my part was how many tanks I would need to assault the hills. I basically left that whole group that was supposed to exit when the rain started sitting doing nothing for 5 turns. I finally called them up to the front and just when I was ready to blast the Germans off the hill, I had to remove all those pieces from play.

I tried to keep the infantry and armor working together, but the Germans kept picking off the tanks. It was a very frustrating scenario.

This scenario has a Russian force with both Guards units and normal units attacking dug in German forces over a 4 map battlefield. There are some major issues for the Russian commander to deal with in this is scenario he has no OBDa support, if the German player opts not to defend the town on board 37 the Soviet's need to cross a whole board length-ways before getting to any VP hexes, a Thunderstorm can begin from GT 9 onward, this reduces the visibility but also forces the Soviet commander to move a substantial force to the south and off the board. It also reduce the mobility of vehicle units. In my game the Russian advanced on the board the German artillery spotter brought down accurate OBDA on the 120 MTR's which represent the most potent bombardment force the Russians have, having eliminated that threat the Germans sat tight and waited for the Soviet horde to attack. Although the T34's destroyed the STUGS and MARDER units waiting for them they too had losses, the Soviet foot units were suffering lots of disruptions which made it hard to launch a well coordinated assault. The German reinforcements arrived promptly as did the forecast thunderstorms. Also FOW played a part as the first 6 GTs were relatively short. By mid-game the German commander was confident to start launching limited counter attacks. These were fairly successful and pushed the Soviet forces back to the safety of nearby woods and fields. With the rain still hammering down and no prospect of any further gain the Soviet commander called of the attack. I am almost sure their is a good scenario here somewhere but I cant see it, which is a shame. Possibly the Soviets need to wait for the thunderstorm to arrive before before moving across the eastern boards, should the German forces opt to defend the Eastern town then that may assist the Allied cause. As I see it a Soviet player would need a substantial slice of luck to beat a well though out German defense.