The Germans have fought their way into July 11th, a tough struggle all the way. Advancing up the "Obian Highway," they quickly took the lightly defended first VP building, with the Russians regrouping according to plan around the remaining two. Here the defense held firm, inflicting serious casualties, until a German sniper broke a critically placed squad. The Germans poured through the resulting gap, the defense suddenly collapsed, and the attackers achieved victory on the last turn. Meanwhile, the Russians had dug in to the heart of a "Hotly Contested Town." German attempts to outflank this compact defense led to furious action. Russians lost 2 tanks to air strikes. The German left lost 2 tanks and some infantry to mines and an AT gun, but punched through; their right lost a tank and was held up by MG and a light mortar, the center slowly grinding forward. Russian reinforcements arrived but failed to halt the German left hook. Under cover of OBA smoke the attackers overran the center, and the Russians broke. The defenders lost all their tanks and most of their infantry; the winning Germans had one mobile tank left. In "Renewed Pressure" the counterattacking Russians got off to a bad start by launching a human wave against an apparently weak sector, only to have most of their infantry lashed by a HMG fire lane. Only 4 squads broke through at first into the village, but as the defending center crumbled Russian reinforcements pitched in and rallied squads rejoined. The attackers bit deep, until German reinforcements blocked the way. After a seesaw fight the Russians earned 22 VPs, yet needed 26. Most ferocious of all was "Place of Honor," where elite meets elite: SS vs. Guards Airborne. This one was incredible. Air and artillery strikes took out a tank and some infantry, and then the German sledgehammer armored assault crushed the Russian left and pushed into the center, while losing 2 tanks to AT guns. It looked like the Germans were on the verge of a clean sweep, but then Russian snipers massacred a vital fire base--HMGs, best leader, mortar halftrack--Russian OBA with unusual accuracy smashed the armored spearhead, and counterattacking KVs gave as good as they got. The Germans fought into the depths of the village, where fortunes swung back and forth. Finally the Russians simply ran out of men and machines. The SS had achieved their geographical VPs. The defenders had left only 2 squads, one AT gun, and a KV with a broken cannon. Their sacrifice was not in vain. The Germans, having lost the majority of their armor and much infantry, had exceeded their casualty cap. Russian win.