Author	cjsiam (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Germany
Participants	plloyd1010
Play Date	2023-08-31
Language	English
Scenario	ReWa001

Consider the circumstances! I'm playing Peter...We're using his 4th Ed. Extensions, and using the Double Blind system on Vassal. The Soviets Guards are 8/6....the SS Germans are 7/5....and I(Germans) draw Two leaders with morale modifiers...out of like 10....as Germans...Grimness. FOW of is in effect...(and it mattered)...

I figured that if I tried to hold strong points on the Road--the two towns...I would just be crushed over the 30 turns....So---I tried a strategy of many small threats which I HOPED would cause him to have to reduce, and delay, the size and speed of any major thrust to deal with the potential spoiler attacks to occupy the roads-which were the victory conditions...

Peter efficiently attacked town in the south(no shock..), while advancing west in the to north. The southern town was abandoned finally by Germans to conserve a force threat in the woods south of the town/road...Peter proceeded West on the southern road to then begin dismantling my hidden forces guarding the road ahead (I hate KV-2s).

In the north at this point he was advancing with his main body (about 60% of his forces) along northern road...A few outposts on edge of forests caused him to slow a bit to deal with them...not very much of a bit...They were driven back from woodline by artillery and overwhelming forces....conserving the troops by withdrawing before he could concentrate too much fire, or Assault.

Peter was able to reduce the small force trying to guard the center--but my AT gun surprised his exploratory tank advance...without causing casualties...he then broke off forces to assure a company of infantry dug in just north of the woods to the north were liquidated as a threat to road control..This sapped more energy/attention (HE/OBA) and he killed(or chased off) all but one by end of game--leaving like two companies and tanks focused there for turns...

Coming into the last 10 turns the Russians put together a push into the large western Town to north next to the Road...It was finally abandoned into the woods behind(to West-SW) to conserve troops...live troops can threaten, dead troops don't.

The "last stand" for the North road was a one hex town, one hex from the boardedge which had officer (no mod)+Inf+81mm and a 81mm which was dug in outside/behind the town on the road. In the final turns the mortars, Infantry were able to disrupt the assault on the town---keeping the last road hex and town out of Russian hands....3 out of 4 MCs rolls by the russians were 10 or higher with the 4 attacking units....helped ALOT--I'm burning incense to Dice gods as I type.

In the South after clearing the road all the way to the boardedge---my stopping force being dismantled by KV2 and Arty in like 2 turns....my forces in the southwestern forest tried to distract him and force his attention---they had no officer--and thus no "combat moves" would be possible...with double blind we don't know exactly where he was---so we advanced until we were observed and he shot at us--the point is he stayed in those woods....to the west...

The Southern road has large open area between the Town to the east/with forest and the light woods to the west....By holding a couple companies of Soviets in the eastern woods--mostly unobserved--I was able to Dash out of the woods to try and grab road hexes in last 3 turns....given that movement was -1 for snow that meant 4-6 hexes had to be crossed in last 3 turns....The Dice gods smiled at me and I was able to survive the open field running and take and hold control of one hex on the Southern Road, FOW looked down with kindness as well, ending one of the turns quickly--he mobbed me and shot at me and Artilleryed me and Extended Tank assaulted me....but One unit remained, and the hex was not taken....

NOW---the last hex I had WAS in assault on the last turn (the road to the east of that hex was split on two hexes--it went down the spline--THANKS ARTIST!!...and we had agreed that such hexes always broke to the even---in this case to my detriment...)...

So--According to our final accounting--- I was in control of 1 hex on each of the two roads... resulting in a German Minor Victory....with a loss of 25steps German to 7steps Russian...

Sometimes the Dice just change things....but....such is fate, no? I rated this as a 3 because as the German it is so impossible to win this I think...I think I was very fortunate in some key rolls--otherwise, it would have been over sooner with a Russian Minor at minimum.