The Soviets hurry to take up positions in the village before the Germans arrive.

Tonight's game of IABSM: the Zhena scenario from Bashnya or Bust.

The objective for both sides was the crossroads at the center of the village. Knowing that Tigers would be showing up, I decided my best chance to survive the encounter would be rushing up to take positions on each side of the village and flank the Tiger II's as they came forward. This tactic worked great on several Panzer IV's that came up which were quickly dispatched by my SU-85's.

Unfortunately, a pair of King Tigers had managed to sneak up between houses while on blinds and appeared point blank in front of my platoon of T-34/85's. I still managed to flank the Tiger's but it was then that I made my worst rolls of the game and ended up only annoying them.

On the infantry side of things, the Germans stubbornly held on to the church at the center of town. I sent an entire platoon to kick them out and they threw my men back with enough shock to get them all the way to Kamchatka.

I had a chance to place an artillery barrage on the church but my Big Man didn't like the idea of blowing up an orthodox church. But after a second platoon couldn't convince the Germans to vacate the church, I started taking shots at it with my T-34/76's, who were happy to do that rather than locking horns with the Tigers.