H2H-**Plug a Hole! - The Matrix Games version of East Front II

Plug a Hole! 26 June, 1944 Mike West [10km E of Mogilev]: [H2H] [HISB] [GD] : In the decisive battle of the summer, 166 divisions of four Russian army groups attacked German Army Group Center at six separate points in Belorussia, with orders to sweep toward Minsk. (Operation Bagration) The German plan was to tie down Russian strength with do-or-die stands at four towns: Vitebsk, Orsha, Mogilev and Bobruisk. On June 26th, General Zakharov's Second Belorussian Front and units of the Third Belorussian Front attacked the fortified towns of Orsha and Mogilev, supported by ground attack aircraft of the Fourth Air Army. Two divisions of General Kurt von Tippelskirch's Fourth Army were destroyed and the remainder were falling back in chaos and confusion. Tippelskirch ordered one of his reserve units, the Feldherrnhalle Panzer Grenadier Division to rush forward and plug "the hole east of Mogilev." The division commander, Major General von Steinkeller, promptly reported; "Precisely what hole are you supposed to stop? We've got nothing but holes here." It was going to be a long and bloody day for the panzer grenadiers. "Plug a Hole!" is a Complexity 4 meeting engagement / delaying action that features significant AFV assets, infantry, self propelled artillery, and aircraft (Russian only). Victory conditions are dependent on units destroyed and exited (Russian only). Terrain is ideal tank country with some hills, orchards, scattered woods, and a paved road that intersects the middle of the battlefield. To win, the German must delay the Russian from exiting the map while inflicting Russian casualties. On the other hand, the Russian must advance forward, extract his own German casualties and push to exit his units in order to win. [ALL: N EA: N VV] 121 units total No reinforcements 20 turns 8x ground attack aircraft (Russian) German moves first