User blog comment:Urbancommando77/Battle of the Allies: 3rd Shock Army V.S. French Foreign Legion/@comment-25457158-20141013021353

Melee- EDGE: 3rd Shock Army. The machete is sharper. Way sharper. It is also longer, meaning that the soldier using the Machete can reach his opponent, who has a shorter weapon and could not strike back easily.

Close Range- EDGE: 3rd Shock Army. The extra mag capacity of the Tokarev is huge advantage, as well as having a longer barrel, which would probably make it more accurate.

Medium- EDGE: Even. The two weapons are too close to assign an edge, especially given their almost identical Mag capacity and similar round size.

Long- EDGE: 3rd Shock army. The Mosin Nagant has a larger round, and it was renowned for it's ruggedness and durabilty. Not to mention it was very accurate and was used by many famous snipers, most notably in the battle of Stalingrad. It was even used later by other fighting groups like the Viet Cong and even the Israeli Haganah.

Special- EDGE: FFL. It is kind of a strange comparison, to be honest. I guess the coach gun is better at close range, but the French will be defending their camp, and the automatic rifle is a good weapon for holding/defending a position. It can also hold more rounds, giving it an advantage over the coach gun. Moreover, it can be used to shoot through walls and other obstacles to reach an enemy behind cover.

Explosive- EDGE: FFL. While the Molotov Cocktail is useful given the setting of the battle, as it could be thrown into a bunker, tent, or other structure to set it on fire, this is a disadvantage if the Russians were planning on using the camp after capturing it (because if they were planning on using it, burning it to the ground it seems like a bad idea). However, the grenade is easier to throw, more explosive, and is more effective against human targets. As I have already said, if the Russians were trying to destroy vehicles or eplacements, the Cocktail would be more effective. But against enemy soldiers, the Grenade explodes rather than burns, making it more effective.

x-FACTORS: Although the training of the FFL was equal or better than the Shock Army's training, the 3rd shock army were put under extreme pressure and conditions which likely made them more hardened and tough than the FFL. As you said, they often took food from towns they raided, or were starved and deprived. That would probably be pretty toughening. They also fought/trained in hard conditions, including cold Russian winters. However, since the Foreign legion is by definition open to foreigners, that means every soldier is more or less unique and brings something original to the unit, given their diverse backgrounds. They were also trained to work as a team, perhaps more so than the Russian unit.

Overall Winner: 3rd Shock Army

The 3rd Shock army had one more weapons edge than the French. Also, as soviet troops they were routinely mistreated, starved, frozen, and shot at. Russian troops had cold winters, and notoriously brutal battles such as Stalingrad and Berlin. (I am not saying the FFL was not tough). I think this gives them an edge in combat. However, I think this will be very close given that the FFL is defending and the 3rd Shock Army is besieging a fortified camp, putting them at an immediate disadvantage.