Okay, apparently the real life Soviets learned some lessons from the earlier fighting, I did not. This is a scenario where points are given for eliminating units of the other side and the Germans gain points for exiting units from the board, while the Soviets get 10 points if fewer than 10 German steps exit the board by the end of the game. The Germans have a dozen SCH platoons, 3 HMS, a Marder III and a few StuGIIIGs. The Soviets have 7 SMG platoons riding 6 T-34s and an SU-122, and some T-70s. Both sides have off board artillery, with the Germans possessing a bit more. This is a short, 1 map, 12 turn scenario.

The first couple of turns were just positioning. The Germans advanced from the north, mostly hiding in fields, while the Soviets did the same from the South. First blood came on turn 3, when a T-34b took out a step of StuGs. On turn 4, the same unit took out a step of SCH as the Germans began advancing across the open spaces. This was pretty much the high water mark.

On turn 5, a T-70 platoon that had come out of cover was eliminated by StuGs. Another T-34 and the SU-122 destroyed another SCH platoon and, unfortunately for the Russians, was able to be spotted by a Marder which promptly destroyed the T-34s. While the Soviets were putting a dent in the advancing Germans, their cover was being blown, and the Germans were coming into contact with higher morale and local numerical superiority. Add to this the 1 range of the SMG units, and things were not going the Soviets way.

On turn 6, the Germans killed 1/2 of the killer T-34b platoon, while the Marder took apart another platoon of T-34s. Fog of War ended the turn before the leading Germans could advance. At this point, the Russians had lost 14 steps (counting tanks as 2 steps) while the Germans had lost 5, which wasn't terrible, since the Germans weren't close to exiting. Then came turn 7. Close assaults by the SCH took out 2 more platoons of T-34s, who just couldn't stand up to the swarms of approaching SS men. The lesser Soviet morale (these were RKKA troops, not Guards) was beginning to show with increasing numbers of demoralized units. The Germans were now advancing on a broad front and pushing for the board edge, but were again brought short by Fog of War.

Turns 8 and 9 were fairly quite, but the Soviets were running out of troops. By the end of turn 9, the casualties were 25 for the Soviets and still 5 for the Germans. Turn 10 was very bloody. More Soviet tanks trying to take out the infantry were exposed to return fire from the Marder and StuGs, who were sitting outside the effective range of the Soviet guns. The SMG troops were too thinly spread to stop the wave of SCH, however they were able to at least delay them long enough that none of them could make it off the board by the end of the game. Unfortunately, the casualty count at the end of turn 10 was 36 for the Soviets and 8 for the Germans. Even adding in the 10 points for not getting enough Germans off the south edge, the score was 36-18 and the Soviets were just about out of troops and conceded the scenario.

This is not a bad scenario, I think my tactics as the Soviets were not the best. The biggest thing I believe I should have done was fire by echelon. Every time a Soviet tank exposed itself it was vulnerable to being picked off by the superior German armor. Instead, I think having 2 lines so the spotted units could hide again while others replaced them would have helped limit casualties. This was made challenging by having only 4 Soviet tank leaders for 10 tank units, and it could have helped. Also, perhaps defending farther back in the fields, so the Germans had to get very close before being able to fire might have helped. Given how quickly this one played, I might give it another shot sometime. I do think it would make a very good PbSkype/PbEM scenario.