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The 3rd Ukrainian Front (Marshal of the Soviet Union Fyodor Tolbukhin) was advancing northwards to Vienna. Despite Hitler declaring Vienna a defensive zone the commander of the 6SS Panzer Armee SS-Oberstgruppenführer Josef Dietrich decided that he did not have forces to hold the Austrian capital. The Germans however were keen to make the Soviets bleed for their gains, defending staunchly while gently falling back to avoid encirclement.

By this point in the war the Germans were scraping the manpower barrel and many of the units in the field were lightly armed and poorly trained. One of these was the 33 Panzer Ersatz and Ausbildungs Abteilung (33rd Tank Replacement and Training Battalion). It was right in the path of the battle hardened 1st Guards Mechanised Corps (Lieutenant-General Ivan Russiyanov Nikitich). Despite the Soviet forces being depleted after the hard fighting in Hungary the 33 Pz E&A was no match for a mechanised corps. The commander of IISS Panzer Corps SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Bittrich, who was under the 6SS Pz Armee, and in charge of the defence of Vienna ordered the 2SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" (SS-Standartenführer Rudolf Lehmann) to plug the gap

Note this scenario is as accurate as the sources allow, however there is little detail on the day's fighting, so much of what is presented here is educated guesswork. More sources are always welcome.

Only German units start on the table. The 33 Pz E&A Abt deploys in the area indicated by the pink dashed lines. The Alarmheiten are deployed within 6" of points B or C where the roads leave the table. All on table units, including the towed guns, are assumed to be in foxholes (-2 cover)

Most of the forces from both sides enter the table after the start of the game. The table below gives the entry times. Most of the forces enter in column along the roads but some start deployed

Those entering along the roads in column may chose which road to use or use both. On each road the next stand after the first loses 3" off its move. The next a further 3" and so on. It may be possible that not all stands will be able to enter, the rest will have to be deferred to next turn.

Deployed units may enter anywhere between the points indicated and have no movement penalties

No stands can enter within LOS and 12" of an un demoralised enemy. If this prevents entry the stands will enter on the next turn up to 12" from their initial entry point, all stands are now considered deployed. The deployment area will continue to increase each turn until forces can enter out of LOS or over 12" from an un demoralised enemy. The deployment zones will creep up the table edges and around the table corners as they expand

Unit	Turn	Entry Points	Column or deployed
11th Separate Guards M/C Battalion	1	FE	Col
2SS Panzer Aufklärungs Abteilung	3	BC	Col
Forward Detachment 9th GTB	5	FE	Col
Brig HQ, 1 Tank Coy, 1 Inf Coy 9th GTB	6	FE	Col
1 Tank Coy, 1 Inf Coy 9th GTB	7	FE	Col
Panzergruppe SS Das Reich	7	BC	Col
Inf BHQ & Mortar 9th GTB	8	FE	Col
Stabs Kompanie, 2SS Pz Div	8	BC	Col
1^st Guards Mechanised Brigade	10	HD	Dep
I Bataillon 4SS Panzergrenadier Regiment Der Fuhrer	10	AC	Dep

Red lines are roads. They are a 50% tree lined with lines of trees about 12" long. All stands on the roads are considered adjacent to any tree line along it. Any stand touching the road is considered able to close assault a stand moving along the road.

The thick blue line is a canal. It is impassable to all stands except at the bridges.

Thin blue lines are streams. They are tree lined along their entire length. The trees and the stream are considered one obstacle and tree line for spotting purposes. The steams do not impede tracked, half tracked or foot stands, but do cost a BMA for fully wheeled vehicles and man-handled guns.

Black dashed lines are railways they have no game effect. They are a 50% tree lined with lines of trees about 12" long. All stands on the rails are considered adjacent to any tree line along it. Any stand touching the rails is considered able to close assault a stand moving along the rails.

The sandy dotted lines bordering the railways are shallow cuttings. Stand on the railway gets +2 cover against non H class fire from stands not touching the railway

Thin brown dashed lines are ridgelines. They break LOS. AFVs touching at hull down cover bonus (+2) vs fire that crosses the line

Thick brown lines are dykes. They break LOS and are impassable to vehicles and man handled guns. Personnel stands touching may fire over the dyke and get +2 cover from non H class fire that crosses the dyke.

The green areas are open woods. Vehicles and manhandled guns move at half speed within, personnel are unimpeded

The grey squares are stone BUA's (-3 cover). The simple town rules are in effect

The Luftwaffe made a considerable effort in the air, however this was overwhelmed by the support offset to the Soviet ground forces by the VVS. Each side rolls each turn for air support. The Soviets get support on a 5-6 (d6) and the Germans on a 6

For the Soviets roll 1d10 when they get air support: 1-2: 1 fighter, 3-4: 1 Il-2m, 5-6, 2 fighters, 7-8 1 Il-2m & 1 Fighter & 9-10 Il-2m & 2 Fighters. The fighters can be any of Yak-9, La-5FN, LA-7 or P-39

The game lasts 14 turns. At the end of turn 14 roll d10, on a 6+ there is a 15th turn.

The German player may place four roadblocks in the deployment area of 33 Pz E&A Abt. These will either be felled trees across the road or a road crater. When a stand moving along the road touches the crater it must stop. The turn after it may move normally down the road but must use its cross country move rate. The blocks do not give cover

Each side scores a point for each inch its forces have travelled towards the enemy' baseline. Each side scores one point for each their furthest AFV and infantry stand that has travelled towards the enemy's base line. At the end of of each turn measure the nearest AFV and personnel stand, that are in good morale. Measurements are made from the nearest point on the friendly baseline to the front end of the stand. The new measurement only counts if its higher then the previous score for each stand (ie we are measuring the high tide) At the end of the game add the two scores.

At the end of the game Germans are penalised 6 points for each lost panzer or panzerjäger they have lost that has more than a single Soviet stand in good morale north of it.