This was a solo effort over the course of several days due to the number of counters and different strategies needed. I was pleased with this one as it required a change of strategy mid-game to get a German win. It also showed how the Soviet's were starting to learn how to slow if not stop the Germans.

With the forces, the Germans have two battalions of grenadiers and a brigade of tanks that is quite the striking force. Infantry, HMG's, ENG's, PzIVe and PzIIIG's and H's as well as OBA.

The Soviets have a descent force as well, but it is fairly static with infantry and guns, no tanks and only wagons to move units. But they also have entrenchments and they are on the defensive. They have a good array of guns 76.2mm, 120mm mortars, 45mm AT's and a BM-13.

With artillery Germans have four batteries of 105mm and the Soviets have two batteries of 76.2 mm and a battery of 152mm. Both will be good enough to support the attack or disrupt it depending on the side.

Leaders favored the Germans with all having modifiers and several with '2' mod's while the Soviets had some modifiers but many did not as well as two 7-0-0 commands. This will affect the Soviet setup as more control will need to given by just a few.

For the setup, the Soviets concentrate on the city of Yelnia. To the west end two reinforced company's hold the edge of the city from any advance from the collective farms to the west. A strong point (entrenchment) to the western edge with the the center of the defense with dugin positions covering the edges of the town. But the most of the defense will focus on the east west road as this is a key objective of the Germans. The Soviets setup the entrenchments with on the road as well as the woods heading south of Yelina. These will cover any flanking maneuvers to the south. These are manned by both 76.2mm AT guns and 45mm AT guns. HMG's are in several dugin spots covering the advances. The mortars and BM-13 are just over the minor river once again covering the road. On board 15, there are several skirmishing units as wekll as leaders to identify and harsh the advance.

The German axis of advance is straight down the road. As a key objective they will made sure they secure the western approaches to Yelina as well as push south to try to capture it. Leading with a mix of infantry and tanks, they move the slower units on the road and the INF's and some tanks to the sides. The advance makes it onto the board in good order, but Soviet OBA fire was locked in on the advance and reduced several units as they advanced. This left the advance with some minor traffic jams, but after a couple of turns they were back moving down the road. The dispatches two companies and tanks to flank to the north part of the large woods. This will take the small town and position to strike the first road entrenchment. To the south the rest of the 10th Panzer will continue to down the road to link back up with northern force.

The advance to the north goes well as the ATR and INF are reduced and destroyed by OBA and direct fire. But now the force comes under fire from dug in troops on the western suburbs of Yelina. A company is needed to push that force back and setup a fire group to begin to reduce it, while the other company advances toward the entrenchment on the east-west road. Discovering a dugin force in front, the company is forced to deploy and tank on the dug-in position. But Soviet fire is starting to thicken up and several units demoralize in the advance. The leading Captain is forced to try to recover but the units are slow to recover.

To the south, the main force engaged another screening force. This force as some units demoralized and slows the reduction of there strongpoint. Eventually the INF and ATR is reduced but now the commands have to deal with the recoveries. But a bigger issue occurs. Soviet AT guns are discovered in the entrenchments in the woods and the lighter PzIIIG's are held back due to some close calls with AT fire. So the infantry is pressed to close while the tnaks move to the south.

German OBA hits the first entrenchment and destroys the 76.2mm AT guns in their redoubts. A second round destroys a battery of 45mm AT's holding the southern end if the line. This creates a large gap that the Germans push a force through. A reinforced company with assault engineers and tanks press try to capture the southern town on board 30. This is key as the east-west road runs through it and the Soviets know it. They have entrenched SMG's holding the bridge over the river. This effectively ties both the southern town with the one to the northwest that has another SMG. Two Soviet INF's hold the southern town. The Germans send the PzIVe and PzIIIH's to advance on the town. They close and begin DF on the southern town while the infantry advance through the woods.

Back to the center the Germans close on the center entrenchments. The last one with a 45mm AT is the first to be assaulted, but not until recovering for some OP fire demoralizations. The Soviets were canny and placed the entrenchments in the woods to maximize the defensive benefits. This works and ties the up German units for a significant amount of time. This was key as the demoralizations were heavy on the advancing Germans. But the Germans were reducing units and this forced the Soviets to pull units from the Yelnia western defenses. Slowing they moved units up to replace the loses, but this was exposing another possible advance. But the Germans, for now, were committed to the road and south of the road advance.

Back to the fight for the east-west road, the German pour heavy fire on the entrenchment blocking the road, but cannot dislodge the INF and reduced HMG holding out. A full company is committed to assault the entrenchment, but as they approach the fortification several units are demoralized and need to recover. Meanwhile a second company trys for the wooded entrenchment just south of the town. They are able to get into the assault with as good force of INF, ENG and tanks, but the Soviets with an HMG, AT and the critical leader are able to pull together a assault factor of 13 which locks these German units in. But this keeps the AT gun from firing and lets the other PzIIG's to get around the strongpoint. But the southern advance should take the pressure off the east-west road attack.

But the southern advance gets bogged down by stubborn Soviet units in the towns. Four German tank platoons pour fire into the town with little effect. It wasn't until the German infantry and engineers moving up are able to assault and dislodge the Soviets. But the Soviet fortified bridge give the Germans the biggest problems. An assault force closes and gets close to the bridge, but the cagey Soviets call down OBA on the bridge. Given the Soviet units are in the log redoubts, they suffer but nothing but a disruption, while the Germans are reduced and demoralized. This further delays the Germans. Eventually both sides of the bridge are taken by the Germans but the fortified bridge holds until the end.

Soon in becomes a parent that the road will not fall with the entrenchments holding strong. The Germans look to the lightly defended western approaches to Yelina as well as moving take the eastern half of Yelina by the exploiting tanks. From the south three platoons of tanks secure the eastern half of Yelina. They setup blocks at the bridges over the north-south river while from the west two platoons of tanks advance around the defenders to the west. German infantry tries support the tanks, but the Soviet defenders are able to stop them from this support. It will be up to the tanks to take and hold the town. The Soviets muster three platoons of INF and HMG to try to stop them. The Soviets push there forces to close and retake some of the towns that the tanks rolled through. But this proves to be too little for the Soviets as tank OP fire disrupts and demoralizes some of the infantry. By the end of the game the Germans hold 24 to 21 advantage in town hexes. With this as well as the 21 to 9 unit losses the Germans get two VC's and a minor victory.