The SS Cavalry Division is charged with the task of protecting the flank of a counterattack against the Mars offensive. They have slightly more troops than the defending Soviets but have the task of completely opening at least a north south road and if they want to be devastatingly effective to also clear the east west road. If they had morale superiority or a firepower advantage or even a significant artillery advantage this might be possible but they have none of these. What they do have is mobility which helps but the terrain is awful (mostly frozen swamp, 2 MPs, and a -1 column on DF and bombardment) and heavy snow impedes movement in general (all units have -1 MP).

As the Soviet I chose to defend the crossroads on Board 9 with a company of infantry and the entire complement (3 platoons) of HMGs. In a fall back position on Board 9 I had another company of infantry and the mortar and in the swamps on Board 6 I kept 2 companies of infantry as a reserve.

The SS, seeing that their victory would be heavily dependent on their ability to clear as much of board 9 as possible entered directly up the road on Board 9. Their goal was to outflank the Soviet position and crush the heavy weapons by crumbling both edges of the position. They would then advance on whichever axis appeared promising. This, of course, depended on their ability to crush the Soviets, who, as it turned out, weren't really interested in being crushed with one exception.

The approach to the Soviet line was standard 19th Century. The infantry and heavy weapons were in the center of the line and the cavalry moved to the flanks. A charge on the AT gun which was attached to the Soviet front line proved problematic and 2 step of cavalry were eliminated and then the advance of the center ran into all sorts of trouble. In two turns of assault the SS had lost 12 steps, all to direct casualties. All I could think of was cavalry attacks in 1914. In essence the battle was over by turn 5 although I played it the rest of the way through.

Eventually the weakened SS were able to get some traction and eliminated most of the Soviet front line. The demoralized Soviets were met by their Kommissar (8-0-0) who proceeded to reeducate 5 steps of infantry and HMGs, causing as much damage to the Soviet force as the SS did and providing a much needed ray of hope to the SS as they continued up the north south road to attack the troops left there in hopes of gaining their minor victory conditions.

Meanwhile the two Soviet companies on Board 6 bided their time and on turn 19 burst from the swamps in a movement towards the crossroads which was primarily abandoned by the Germans in their attempts to reduce the last vestiges of the front line while simultaneously reducing the northern company of Soviets. The introduction of this force into the center of the SS position was unstoppable and the Soviets ended the scenario with a major victory.

I give this one a "2", not because it was a lousy scenario but because it has limited options. The SS really has very little ability to affect the Soviets and although my result was heavily influenced by the SS losses early on I see little ability of the Germans to gain any kind of victory. Losses, however, are guaranteed in that, to gain sufficient mass to have any positive outcome the Germans have to stack three in an hex, and often have cavalry in the hex giving the Soviets two positive column shifts. Indeed this was so inviting that several times the Soviet OBA hit assault hexes in order to destroy the SS despite the friendly fire it involved.