This scenario was redone for EFDx as scenario 20 of the same name. It concerns a group of Soviets trying to break out of an encirclement through the lines of Gross Deutschland Regiment. I played it as part of EFDx and had a tremendous time with the Soviets just missing a win. The GD line bent terribly but did not break.

When I sat down for this one I expected a similar rock and roll fight but was surprised when GD managed to keep everything in check. Only three Soviet units made it off the board and one made it by fleeing off the board, not the result one usually considers part of a victory but it made sense at the time. The remainder of the troops were corralled by the repidly redeploying GD and although the morale was similar (8/7 for GD, 8/6 for the Soviets) the Soviets could not break through in any numbers and ultimately fled back into the pocket.

An odd piece that seemed to contribute to the result was that the 8 tank platoons had no leaders. This led to some very odd movement and desperate attempts to get the tanks into the battle by using cover, etc. The lack of leaders for these strong units kept them from having an impact on the battle and left the infantry force to face the vast majority of the GD by themselves.

In reviewing the scenario in EFDx I noted that 3 tank leaders were added to the OB which would have completely changed the scenario and made it much more competitive (much as it played when I played it then).

This one was not without some chances for the Soviets but I feel that a "3" is as high as it can go given the lack of the tank leaders.