I've either been asleep or in church during this conversation. Pardon me for the confusion. There are four US Divisions to the south, a British Division in the north, a German division in the north and undoubtedly a Dutch one also. That makes three Corps sized elements to defend this attack. The US has the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the south defending along the 1K zone, that narrow strip of border separating the east from the west. I assume (99.999%) that the British and/or the Germans have some sort of Regimental sized Recce unit patrolling the 1K zone in the north. I'm not saying that any of us authors is RPing this Recce unit. I am saying that those of you writing as an East German or Russian, you should make contact with these Recce units before reaching the Elbe or Hamburg. They will fight a delaying action supported by Artillery and Attack aircraft. They will not stop you, they will slow you down and it should take 3 days to reach the Elbe. Nothing more, nothing less.