In this scenario, an advancing column of the Italian CSIR runs head on into a Soviet blocking unit. The Italian has to exit 16 steps of combat units off the east edge of the playing area. Failing that, they have to control all of the east-west road and hex 1004. The Soviets have to control hex 1004, and either control one hex of the east-west road or permit no more than 8 Italian steps to exit to the east. A draw is also possible in this scenario. Hex 1004 is important as it is the only elevated point in play. The Soviets have stationed an artillery observer on this hex, calling in the off-board artillery (3 X 10 batteries). Per the Special Rules, hex 1004 is the only hex from which an observer can call in OBA.

Another quirky Special Rule is that the truck-borne Italians cannot take their trucks off the road. It's too muddy for them to use open terrain. In addition, the Italians have a motorcycle company that can drive through the mud at a cost of +1 MP per hex travelled. I sent the truck mounted infantry to the north of the road and the motorcycles to the south.

The Italians entered play in their pre-determined columns while the Soviets moved west. As the two forces came closer to each other the Soviets began spreading out into an extended skirmish line centered on the road. On contact, battle broke out across the board and evolved into a general melee. The Soviets managed to get the first shots at the Italians and made the most of their opportunity. They managed to inflict enough damage on the Italians that they had to fall back and reorganize. Meanwhile, the motorcycles took the south flank and were stopped cold by a Soviet infantry company.

After spending several hours in hard combat the Soviets took the worst of the fighting, losing 9 steps against the Italian loss of 3 steps). Eventually the Soviets began a fighting withdrawal to the east. However, their sacrifice was not in vain. Even though the remnants of the Soviet army were either Disrupted or Demoralized, the Italians were so disorganized that they cannot fulfill any of their victory conditions. The Soviets thus gained a minor victory by holding hex 1004 and controlling the east-west road on bosrd 5. That board is the easternmost board in play.

They fighting was fairly intense and the issue was in doubt for most of the game. I called this one at turn 14 (out of 19 possible turns) when it became apparent that a Soviet Minor victory was inevitable. This one was interesting and forced me to re-think the optimum use and reuse of the humble truck fleet. I was a bit slow in bringing the trucks back into the line to permit the renewed Italian advance. My delayed remounting of the trucks was only one factor in the Italian loss. The primary factor was the almost fanantical Soviet resistance.

If this scenario had another hour or two I might have been tempted to reorganize and rally the Italians. As it was, the reorganization would have ended about the same time that the scenario ended.