After three weeks of slogging it out with the Soviets in the suburbs and edges of the city, the Germans gain crucial ground. Launching a series of devastating assaults from Mamayev Kurgan, they have unhinged the Soviet defenses, reached the Volga and seized the supply source for the entire southern wing of the 62nd Army. The Soviets are in crisis. Only a swift counterattack around Red Square can save the isolated units. The rest of the city braces itself for the next German attack as the fate of the battle hangs in the balance.