Set aside all German units with Reinforcement numbers 14 or higher, and place all remaining units in the Axis Force Pool. Delay Box One British Air Support unit. Set aside all British and US units with Reinforcement numbers 14 or higher and place all remaining units in the Force Pool. No Ceded Border Markers are on the map. All Soviet Border Regions are part of their original minor countries at the beginning of this scenario.
Players hold all other cards at the beginning of the scenario.
Remember, you're picking up the action mid-game. But prior to the start of this scenario, the Axis player has been focused on the fact that he only needs one more Strategic hex to get to 3 VPs on the Axis Tide before the No Retreat Marker hits the VP Track. The Axis player has reached that point in the game where he must keep a careful count of German infantry corps in his Force Pool. Breaking down at will and zipping around the map is no longer as easy as it was in the early years. The game ends with a final Victory Point Check at the end of the September-October 1944 game turn.