Author	treadasaurusrex (Soviet Union)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Spain
Participants	sagunto
Play Date	2023-01-06
Language	English
Scenario	BluD004

*This was an involved 5-session, online, play-through with the relentless Saugunto handling the defending Spanish side and me leading the attacking Soviets. As others have noted: the Soviets have penal troops while the Spanish have fanatical leaders in-place, who turn into monsters in close assaults. We used the defense-favoring FOW, plus consolidation, excess initiative, smoke/illum optional rules.

Spanish held the bulk of their forces in the larger town on Map 17. This was a traditional defensive setup with machine guns covering the the western approaches and dug-in infantry on the flanks. A single AT gun unit was in the same town, and another covered the south margin of the town. The Spanish drew a fine set of leaders -- much better than the Soviet draw! There were 9 FOW-shorthened turns to help the Spanish defenders catch their breath between, steadily-weakening Soviet attacks.

A company of Soviets setup in the Barracks on Map 19. Their main force later entered from the eastern map edge. As in other AARs; the Soviet Penal troops led the eventual attack with two battalions of Soviet troops and a company of T-26s moving to contact to attempt to occupy the town. It took the Soviets four turns to fully make contact with the Spanish garrison in this play-through and most of the massive Soviet OBA strikes proved inaccurate, except when shooting at clear hex targets. This scenario requires finesse to get the Soviet attacks properly sequenced, since the morale gods are not on the side of the Commies, and especially not on the side of the attacking penal troops, acting as skirmishers for the onrushing Bolsheviks. Spanish artillery proved deadly if spotted effectively throughout our play-through.

The southern sector featured the Soviets successfully getting into the woods south of the large town. From there, a pair of platoons were able to overcome the resistance of the Spanish 81mm mortar units. Spanish fire from the south side of the large town, dramatically slowed the advancing, by-now-ill-ordered, Soviet Horde. Long-range Spanish AT fire stops the supporting T-26 platoons, in their tracks. In time, the Soviets gain control over southern woods, and the Soviet attack in the north gains ground. In the southern sector, the Soviets were repeatedly thrown back in costly attacks on town hexes and by ferocious fire from dug-in Spaniards. Bt the end of our 5th session, the Spanish still hold the largest town, and the bulk of the remaining Soviet troops are either demoralized or disrupted - and all but two of their leaders had been eliminated. This was a close-run, but fun, encounter in Russia that I think merits a 3, but would benefit from more intensive play testing and a rule rewrite.