Neither Road under Soviet Control.

Soviets control 6 boards. (two west, three center, one northeast). Soviets Guards alomst managed to capture a third board on the west side, which would have given them the victory.

Final Casualty Count: 122 – 69

A fantastic epic battle which was undecided until the final turns. The different paths to victory for the Soviets make this large battle interesting enough that I was tempted to play it again right away and try something different.

I think the Soviet Guards had enough power, armour and morale to take the west road if I focused the first 10 turns moving them forward instead of using my activations on the Guards in the northeast. Also, I think clearing seven boards was quite attainable, particularly given the Spanish set up. Had the Soviet regular army focused on clearing out their corner, instead of pushing down into the southeast, this could have been a possibility. Or, again, if only the Guards pushed forward more quickly.

For the Soviets, this was a major logistical feat. The Fog of war really means you need to group and chain your leaders effectively, and keep some semblance of formation. It also means you must focus on what is most important.

For the Spanish, they started too far back and probably should have set more entrenchments on the road and also inhabited some of the middle boards. The reserves should have all pushed forward from the southernmost boards as the German reinforcements could have occupied those towns. As it was, they were forced to reinforce the center boards and the Germans took heavy casualties from the massive Soviet artillery. This was probably the event that robbed the Spanish from getting their 3:1 casualty ratio to win.

All-in-all a fantastic scenario and well worth the time setting up and playing!

Scenario Rating: 5/5. A Monster, but definitely worth playing if you have the space and time.