[Imp]

Firstly it seems despite a vision of only 32 most woods hex can be seen through so 100m is common engage range in the woods. Because of this & reasonble size clearings vehicle support is not a probem. Ignoring rifle grenades as front hit is acceptable.
CF> 231 still has maxim in view so takes out 2 men before it moves to safety, the other squad has disapeared into the smoke & I am not risking more hits on lead squad as he is now 4 men down. Remember several squads started the battle 1 or 2 men light & this could have gone better.
Move him over behind E building but recieves fire & is now 5 men down, it came from a 2nd squad in N woods so 2 M3s & 231 route both of them.
Am now becoming worried arty fire could finnish off some of my units.
Another squad & 231 search for squad that ran & lose a man in the process as he recovered but send him running.
Next one goes down road entering a single tree hex to wait for smoke to clear but recieves fire from a squad & maxim so pulls back
Now I know why the AI was dropping smoke I am walking into him but there is a small gap in it & can fire on maxim from top of centre woods. Squads enter followed by armour & we lose a couple more men. The most southerly squad has brass ones it takes 3 tanks & a squad to get him to move.
Thinking we are clear M3 moves towards position to take on maxim & is assualted, fails & sent z fire at its hex but can't spot him. Situation ends with him & 4 runners in the woods, another squad was also found in the clearing & persuaded to run but this is provin quite costly.
SF> things go better here ther is a 150m corridor in the smoke scout spots squad sniper pinns then scout routes.
A squad is also detected by the treeline & forced to run by MMg & squads, seems like he is alone.
Vehicles move out some enter Central woods in position to check clearing & possibly cut off runners in, ATGs heading this way to.
Other units enter smoke so we can at least move forward in force.
NF> In the woods pursue 2 squads CF routed killing one & units move up to clearing, seems clear & HT enters spotting a squad so withdraws. M3 moves to position so it can attack but does not as max move.
On the flank 231 routes the other scout my scout kills him moving onto earth so has a good view, sees another scout which MMG takes on.
Now several squads move out the one furthest North loses 2 men to another scout & maxim bit of fire ends up with 2 scouts running one is down to its last man.
The maxim is untochable grass & earth block view, turns out 231 that died was on grass so had a view. I need to get my MMGs on or risk vehicles to ATG that is out there as maxim is out of squad range.
Begining to think the AI has a flank move pretty well covered, 1.5km to NE 2 T-35s are visible, SE in front of town are 2 T-26s.
Its catch 22 situation take on the flank with problamatic LOS, sense says let them come to me but if I do not expand my front his arty could have a field day on my densely packed forces.
Take a gamble squad fired at by maxim places smoke the treeline extends another 200m NE so truck moves & makes it. More transparent trees but squad unloads anyway grass blocks LOS to the North. More squads & sniper move up in hopes they can get in range of ATG but I am reminded of the last game when it had a dozen guns covering the flank. Some units press into woods & tanks move to position to go either way.
Normal game this turn 4 & I am winging it the plan has turned to pooh.
Cancel 1 rocket strike as thinking might get town in sight was ambitious. Targeting it & short range rockets plus 155s at flank blanketing the area, with luck might hit something & dust will be welcome.
I am actualy worried about Soviet arty as units started damaged & while the besst defence is to keep moving this could leave me very exposed.
AIT> No arty yet they lost a couple of men we didn't but tank was damaged before squad was routed, mortar drifted off target in woods & killed one of my trucks in another friendly fire incident.
T5
NF> Both scouts move NE to good vantage points, locate 2 squads, maxim & 45ATG there has to be more than one. MMG gets on some grass & pinns the maxim followed by a couple of squads by the woods firing at max range vs a squad. Due to there position most of my squads will need to move through the treeline to fire sniper goes first as he can stay in trees, routes maxim & pinns nearest squad. Squads move forward & both sides end up losing about 3-4 men, 2 more maxims are found. We now have some targets so FOO moves out & shifts fire.
In the woods tank routes squad but only has 2 shots, I am hoping it started damaged & rifle grenades did not do that, need to take care of this tank.
Troops kill the squad & we are nearly at woods border, transparent trees are causing probs one of my squads is exposed & sees a squad midway between woods & the village.
MMG by the road enters building & losses 2 men to 2 squads opposite. M3 goes after the one with RG then 231 helps out, one is routed so MMG chances his luck both are running.
Smoke has drifted meaning cannot get a shot on maxim, 80 mtr is landing behind it so move into position but recieve fire from a squad in front of woods, get him running for no loss this time.
Another squad moves towards C woods seeing 37AA gun, he dives into wood & chases sqaud that assaulted M3. Grass means we can attack the AAgun safely so 2 M3s kill it moving to position for maxim if smoke clears.
Central woods> things go better here kill a squad 2 runners exit & one remains but it seems empty clearing has been checked. The dip behind is just over 500m long but only 150 wide & a couple of units make it in using remaining smoke cover. At the end of the turn as LOS seems clear HT moves into. Find spot I picked is not that good as has a reasonable view out of, squad unloads recieving fire from a maxim & DSHK HMG 300m away in depresion just East of trees, places smoke. In the woods moving up but again transparency is a problem. ATGs unload but could take a couple of turns to get position, FOOs in there to.
South of these woods squads in smoke find a squad unnoticed & kill 5men. Those moving to treeline find another hardy chap, it takes 2 M3s flak & a squad to put the persuaders on him. M3s move back behind smoke, I am trying to figure out what to do with my vehicles but risk running a HT to very South of depresion (trees between it & HMG) as scout finds limited LOS. It makes it as does an M3 but it recieved fire from a T-26 somewhere
A thought dawned on me part way through, at the moment I am not doing much better than trading men, I cannot afford this last battle was an attack to & seem to remember he lost 1400 men. I only have 900, 800 after casulties so even a 2:1 ratio will leave me in big trouble, need to do better.
AIT> Decide to smoke out T-35s adjust rockets & target area around road plus 2 HMGs in the depression. I am using a lot of arty here & purposely did not buy more ammo supply so have to think about if I want rockets to keep firing.
Soviet arty starts up 6 81mtrs & on board 122s one in road area but rest to far back.
Only exchange is on the flank we lose 2 men they lose 3 2 to a great shot by my scout. Another maxim & squad join in rockets get 2 ATGs but have little effect on the rest just pinning update further next report.
At the road get a lucky break during retreat smoke has cleared & squad & MMG fire at runner as he enters AAguns hex killing 3 & making it abandon, now thats a result.
T6
NF> Find another squad so we have 4 squads & 4 maxims 2 scouts, 1 of each is running, also 2 crews running.
MMG kills 3 forcing another maxim runner.
Sniper God Bless him takes 2 squads & a maxim out of the picture.
2 more squads kill scouts.
Last maxim is hidden from most by dust so squad fires at last ready squad routing but sniper 150m away makes him pay, 2 down.
Scout routes sniper & squad moves adj to kill, further fire kills a maxim but another one opens up from just North of the village by the T-26.
Now things get a bit hairy most units in N woods are not ready though 3 squads engage near the road, helped by 2 m3in s the last of the smoke they send 3 squads & a maxim running.
The other maxim need to take a gamble as its pinned squad moves out he is exposed but risk the shot & send running.
This leaves area near road clear, we need to move fwd this is were arty is coming so squad moves resulting in this situation. will use R followed by numbers to signify route status.
North of road 3 squads + maxim all R nearby, further away like 500m maxim 82mtr 2-T-26
On or by the road 6 squads & maxim all R, 2 BT-7s
Very slightly South of road another 4 squads 2R & an AAgun, T-26s
Move ATG up have a gap in my view but further South 2 squads maxim 4 assorted BTs.
Its time for the armour to play but the AAgun is a pain it covers best positions to attack from & will suppress.
2 tanks that can in N woods & 1 from centre have a go at 2 N T-26s & a BT-7 destroying one T-26 but all other shots miss.
Finnish moving squads in woods one has to place smoke as HT ends up exposed.
2 Squads by road decide to get abit gung ho taking on AAgun under fairly heavy fire, MMG moves up to help even more fire & 2 more BT-7s spotted, grief not sure this was sensible. 3 AA crew killed its running but we lost 3 or 4 men to.
2 M3s just S of road take on T-26s killing one.
Now I am running into flank shot issues which I hope high grass will prevent, it does but T-26 damages M3 so withdraws.
M2 risks it killing a BT-7 & ducking back, 231 does the same.
I am exposed to more than enough possible ATGs for one turn.
Central woods squad moves into N end of depresion under fire & places smoke, HT & truck follow then transparent trees catch me out Pioneer in truck losses 4 men to a squad ouch. M3 has ago at HMGs in depresion but no luck.
At the South find another squad & my squad sends running, keep afew others running the find another squad about 500m further back plus 3 T-26s, my squad takes a lot of fire so smokes.
Bit of a problem here smoke is about to go & I am unsure of places from which I can target T-26s. have a nasty feeling due to grass will have to get close enough that they hurt & thats without a half decent ATG kicking in.
AIT> That was a bit tense, firstly misjudged pulling back trucks lost 4 & a bike to arty, got a couple of men as well.
North arty pinned most of my force & maxim got 2 men, we probably got about the same.
South not a lot happened.
Middle the dogs of war were let lose 2 Soviet tanks died a 3rd possibly damaged, the AAgun is gone as are several squads & a maxim.
The highlight was probably the squad & HT in the depresion taking on both HMGs & winning big time.
We have one nearly dead squad by the road who took serious amounts of fire, thought he was a gonner but MMG rallied & helped save him.
Luckily the Russians are bad shots thought 231 was safe but took a fair amount of fire all missing, there are at least 3 45ATGs out there that I have not spotted, targeted tanks as well. 2 76 ATGs which I have spotted only scored a couple of hits one M3 is really messed up.
I think area directly in front of the village is clear of ATGs & most fire came from South end of the woods or between both villages.
Could well have been more stuff a lot happened we did win the exchange but I am being made to pay.