There’s a particular excitement with a meeting engagement. I think it’s the uncertainty of how things are going to develop as the opposing sides prepare for battle. Will the fight wind up being small scale and be remembered as nothing more than a nasty little firefight? Or will it be the opening moves of an action far more epic? This scenario has enough size and challenges to make it more of the epic.

The map layout and the victory conditions make this a tough scenario. The two unconnected roads means thinking in terms of two smaller simultaneous battles. Movement is hampered by the spring mud. Both sides also have enough OBA to make being out in the open difficult, and there’s plenty of open space that needs to be crossed. Both sides need to be at their most aggressive and most wily to have a chance at victory.

The Germans decided to rapidly occupy the multi-hex towns in the north, as did the Soviets. Once occupied, the Soviets needed to consolidate and push forward. The Germans opted to move into the woods in front of their two towns, in a position shaped like a shallow horseshoe. Then they would wait. A Soviet attack of any size would have to advance into it at a great price. After the Soviets bled enough, the Germans could consider advancing. Meanwhile in the south, the Soviets occupied the multi-hex town on Map 18. The Germans demonstrated in the south with enough strength to siphon Soviet units from the action in the north.

As the Soviets slowly formed up in the mud, the Germans stayed under cover and directed OBA. Losses and morale problems began early for the Soviets. Although they had superior OBA, they were hard put to bring it to bear. The Germans refused to come out from under cover, making spotting impossible for return fire.

However, Soviet air superiority more than made up for the lack of artillery fire. Their aircraft sortied often and with horrific accuracy, especially against enemy armor.

Tactics on both sides were defined by a marked lack of patience. In the north, believing that the Germans had been crippled by a devastating air strike on its panzers, Soviet armor moved without support to probe German resistance in the northernmost woods on Map 21. Determined survivors and murderous crossfire soon had the Soviets reeling back in disarray. Special commendation goes to the GRENS in those woods that took on Soviet tanks, inflicting losses to the enemy with none of their own.

In the south, the Germans got greedy and overextended their smaller forces. The Soviets shifted air power to that sector, inflicting more losses on German panzers. The one hex village on Map 18 changed hands three times. In the end, the Germans withdrew to their jumping-off line and began to dig in. However, the tactic worked; it kept additional enemy units out of the fight in the north.

The end of the action saw both sides rallying and consolidating their survivors, getting ready for the next push. The toll on the Soviet forces made this an expensive stalemate.

I rated this scenario high not for its slam-bang pace (the mud made sure there wasn’t one!), but rather for the challenges it gave me.