Death of 1st Panzer #3, Wittman's Ghost

Eric was the Germans, I was the Soviets. Victory depends on the Soviet player controlling both hexes of Wittburg at the end of turn 8.

OPENING: I deployed in Wittburg with my Soviet Paras, hoping to fend off Eric's Panzergrenadiers and Leopard II's long enough for 1st Tank to arrive from the East. He charged his Marders up onto Wittburg Hill while pounding Talen with HE fire from his Leopards. I cut down an infantry platoon that he'd pushed across open ground, but little else.

1st Tank arrived on turn 2, but was hit hard as it broke out of Eben. Three T-72 platoons were disrupted, then burnt up, from Leopard fire at extended range. He caught several more before they were able to get safely behind Wittburg Hill, then blew up a few more with Milans from his Marders as I reached the hilltop. 1st Tank had taken around 50% casualties by this point without firing a shot.

MIDGAME: The T-72's got their revenge, as they overran his infantry and assaulted (and destroyed) his Marders. With the infantry routed, 1st Tank swept down off the hill to take up a defensive position screening Wittburg. They were protected from his Leopards in Talen, but would be able to hit them with opportunity fire if they advanced. The Germans seemed to have no intention of advancing, however, as they cheerfully reduced downtown Wittburg to rubble with High Explosive fire.

ENDGAME: The Germans destroyed everything in Wittburg, and threatened the more of the same to any survivors who ventured back into it. On the final turn of the game, however, I raced my final three platoons from 1st Tank back into town (two of them exploded en route, under his overwatching tanks). When the third "end-turn" chit was pulled, ending the game,I could boast a disrupted BDRM-2 on the hilltop part of town, and a reduced T-72 platoon with 1st Tank's HQ in the lower part of town. Glorious Victory!

RATING: B+ to A. An interesting mix of units. Fast and bloody. The Soviets have a mortar and an odd little AT gun to complement their high-morale paratroopers. 1st Tank, though down to 8 platoons and a BDRM, is a force to be respected. The German Leopards, once again, completely dominate everything else on the board. They are ferocious opponents, rolling 4 dice out to 18 hexes, hitting on 4's. With an HQ, they roll 6 dice. A T-72 saves by rolling 4 dice, looking for 6's. No contest. At 9 hexes, it's even worse, and at 4 hexes, they hit on anything but a 1. That said, there are only 3 Leopards, and 1st Tank gets a designated formation marker, allowing it to activate as many times as the Germans do. In the end, it was a close game, coming down to a final chit-pull (just like the last game with Aaron!).