A last in a series of Operation MARS campaign featuring the Soviet 37th Motorized Division vs the 1st Panzer Division. This last one has the 37th counter attacking after the last of the Nikitinka Station. The Soviets must overrun the German defenders and get off the south end of the board. The Germans must stop them.

For forces the Soviets have the numbers in infantry and tanks, including SMG's, T-34's, and monster KV-1's. For fun they have thrown in 3xBM-13's for a total bombardment attack of 60 firepower. The Germans face them with a adhoc force that includes PzIVF2's 75mm AT guns, armored cars and ENG's. There is a bit of OBA for both sides. Snow makes a difference again reducing movement. The Germans have the setup, being able to place most anywhere on the boards.

For my play, the Germans concentrated on the town on board 2 and the woods on board 6. AT and AA guns were hidden, the tanks, IVF2 and 2xIIIH setup on the road between board 2 and 6. The rest of the INF, ENG, and HMG's are in the woods and town. Leaders were better for the Germans with a 10-2-1 and a couple of 9-1-1's

For the Soviets, they start off board, concentrating on the middle to try to break through between the town and the woods. The board edges were well covered and with the amount of units would become a traffic nightmare. A small groups of units did setup to advance to the west of town to try to keep the Germans covering it in place. Artillery and mortars were positioned to enter on board 6 and move into the woods and setup there to provide support fire.

The first 4 turns had the Soviets moving on board in the center and moving south to engage the Germans. The Germans moved some of the troops covering the east edge of the board back toward the center as well as threatens the Soviets artillery setting up in the northern woods on board 6. German OP fire and OBA scores disruptions and demoralizations that start to break up the Soviet advance. Turn Five begins with Soviet OBA and 120mm mortars score the first kills while German 81mm mortars draw Soviet blood. At this point the advanced Soviet units start to engage the Germans in the east side of the town on board 2. Two turns later the fight gets very bloody with exchanges of losses in the town as well as the German panzers hit by Soviet T-34's. Heavy assaults in the town lock up Soviet units but they soon turn the tide with the T-34's.

But the Germans look for the soft side of the attack and find it in the T60s advancing behind the first troops. PzIVF2 and AT guns take a toll on the T60's as well as bag a T-34. But the Soviet assaults continue and the take most of the east side of the town. KV-1's finally make it forward through the heavy snow and support fire destroys several German hold outs.

The KV-1's last move out of the road to the east and position to hold the center of the board. But the snow make it tough to move with there MP's down to 2. For all units the snow slows them down keeping them to just 1 or 2 hexes per move. In the town the Soviets press to get to the south side and open a corridor to units to move 3 or more hexes to the south.

Germans to the west side of town are torn better firing at the Soviets advancing south to the west of town and reinforcing the defenders to the east. But Soviet tanks and HMG's block the German counter attacks. But Fog of War would come to the rescue to the Germans. Turns 9 through 15 end very early only 10 activations before the turn ended. This stranded many Soviet units to the north of the town. German fire kept them disrupted and demoralized and effectively put them out of the fight.

But a group of T-34's T-60's and infantry with a couple of leaders moved south to try to get off the board. German initiative has drop and the Soviets have the edge and this will allow them to keep there troops moving even though they are stretched out across the board. The Germans have a 75mm AT gun on the hill south of town to slow them as other units from the woods moved south to block the Soviets. The 75mm tried to take out some of the advancing tanks but was demoralized and abandoned leaving the south side of the board open for the advance. German infantry and tanks tried to move to block but the tanks were hit by AT fire and OBA. But the Soviets were not well off either. OP fire and OBA was disrupting the advancing infantry. Then the snow and and Fog of War teamed up again to slow down the Soviets. Two more early FoW rolls keep the last elements of the Soviets from get them off the board.

In the end the Soviets did get 15 steps off the board but well short of the 25 needed. The Germans needed to keep less than 12 steps off the board, so the game was a draw. In general, I would say a decent scenario, there is one typo in the book referencing board 8 rather than board 2 and 6. There is also a newer version of this scenario in the Red Warriors supplement that I may try later.