This scenario is likely a tough one for the vastly outnumbered and lower morale Soviets no matter their initial dispositions. In this case, though, the Soviet player opted for a strategy that set up only a small blocking force at the bridge whilst keeping most of his force in the two towns and a field that lay beyond (East) of the major river. I think the player had hoped that a defense in depth might obviate the points lost via the bridge.

The small blocking force at the bridge was cleared on only three turns. The first two German OBA rolls were 2d6 = 2 and 2d6 = 3. A Soviet armored platoon was likewise quickly destroyed by essentially a battalion of PzIIIs. In fact, the Germans cleared the way to the bridge so quickly that a secondary force, containing the SPW251s; the HMGs; and the ENGs were out of location (this had been a force sent to secure a river crossing had the bridge been held longer (I though perhaps the Soviet player might have tried to rush up reinforcements and wanted the long-range HMG/SPWs to keep the opposite back clear).

Once the Germans streamed across the bridge and moved to position themselves to take the first town to the N. of the main EW road (and set a blocking force towards the Soviet units in the town and fields to the east) that Fate under whom lies the destiny of die rolling shifted chairs. Suddenly, every German artillery die roll was 2d6 = 6; 7; or 8. Fourteen AT rolls (in a single activation) at "even" resulted in only a single Soviet armor step lost. The Soviets picked off a PzIII G step and two PzII steps from their dug-in or town-based armor or AT guns. It took several turns for the Germans to get their forces oriented and all of that SPW/HMG fire power into a good line behind their infantry so as to begin to wear down those defensively set Soviet units.

Finally though, a few good OBA rolls and the DF wore down the Soviets who began that horrible erosion of multiple morale failures and subsequent step losses. The Germans swept into the first city. Soviet reinforcements arrived on Turn Nine.

At the end of Turn 10, the VP score was Germany 58 (including twelve points for well over twenty-five steps east of the river) to Soviets 16. We decided to call the game at that point as the battle was a foregone conclusion.

Certainly this scenario showed that a defense in depth approach was untenable for this situation. Presumably, the Russians would be better served by a vigorous defense of the bridgehead keeping only a minimal force behind the river to cut-off/engage any bridging attempt.

Perhaps the goofiest result was an assault on Soviet mortars that had been hidden in a woods (an interior woods hex). The Germans had sufficient force/modifiers to be on the 30-col; the (two) Soviet mortars on the 1-Col. So, the Germans roll 1d6 = 2 (step loss + M2 checks) and the Soviet a 1d6 = 6 (for an M). Of course, the German leader (morale = 9) is disrupted along with an INF unit). I might have cried if the PzII also in the assault also failed. I was trying to imagine "mortars firing over open sights."