Author	treadasaurusrex (Spain)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Spain
Participants	Tankodactyl
Play Date	2023-02-04
Language	English
Scenario	BluD012

This was a 4-session play-through with Tankodactyl leading the rapacious Soviet hordes carrying out their well-armed night raid. I led the defending Spanish trying to hang onto the goodies sent from home. We played with the FOW, excess initiative, smoke/illum, consolidation optional rules. Both sides drew middling leaders. There were 7 FOW-shortened turns in this scenario. A frustrating, combined total of 16 combat 7-die rolls were thrown. Both of us were saddled with orders of battle that lacked tanks. More penance paid to the PG demigods . . . .

The Soviets approached along 3 separate axises, of which their column approaching from the west was repulsed by heavy fire and minefields in the first 9 turns. From the east, the process was repeated and this attack was spent by the end of game turn 11. Their central push did far better than the flanking movements, and this column's close assaults were the most successful of the 3 prongs.

There were so many Spanish minefields, that the attacking Reds were forced to stand in them as Spanish artillery cascaded down upon them. All three attacks were fiercely contested and bloodily repulsed by the end of game turn 16. The Spanish counter attacked successfully several times, each well-supported by their mortars and OBA, so only a single entrenchment was occupied & looted by the godless, and hungry, Bolsheviks.

Others have described this one in greater detail, so I will close by saying that the Red Army lost more than 60% of their infantry strength. The Spanish line bent big time, but did not break. Their counter attacks were inevitably successful thanks mostly to the lower morale of the Soviet Horde. There was a Soviet senior leader decapitation on during game turn 13, which caused a ripple of chaos through the remaining attackers. The final result was a clear -- but costly -- Spanish victory by the end of game turn 18, when my esteemed opponent threw in the towel.

I give this interesting - but seriously unbalanced in favor of the defending Spanish side - a generous 2. Too many minefields in this one for the Soviets to overcome in their raid! Only 1 of the 10 randomly-selected minefields was a decoy in our ferocious play-through.