Stalingrad
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Version: 1.00 (May 2008) Engine: Battlefront Turns: 50 AI or PBEM: PBEM Only Author: John Schettler Download: Stalingrad |
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Setting:
In
mid-September 1942, after driving to the outskirts of Stalingrad the Germans
launch their first major assaults to take the city. In the center, the 51st
Korps shock group composed of 71, 76, and 295 infantry divisions surged
towards Mamayev Kurgan. In the south,
the 48th Panzer Korps of Hoth’s 4th Pz Army sent the 29th Motorized, 24th Panzer
and 94th Infantry divisions against the suburbs of Yelshanka and Kupersnoye.
After promising initial gains by the Germans, Chiukov landed reinforcements
in the nick of time, bringing 13th Guards, 92nd Naval Marine Bde and the 95th
Rifle division across the Volga to try and halt the German attack. The bitter
street fighting that ensued has fascinated historians and researchers ever
since. (Not to mention game designers.) And in this expansive battle players
will see just how brutal urban warfare can be, with casualties mounting,
battalions withering away to company strength, ammunition shortages, and key
terrain features changing hands as each side feeds in new units. All the
major Victory Point objectives are labeled in red: The Tractor Factory,
Barricade Works, Red October Plant, Lazur Chemical Works, Mamayev Kurgan, Red
Square, The Grain Elevator, the Rail stations and many others. In
this battalion/company scale battle, the entire city from Rynok in the north
to Kupersnoye in the south is presented, covering all the action from Sept 13
to the battle for the factories in later October with fifty turns of one day
each. Beyond this, the Beketova Bridgehead region is also mapped south of the
city, and Shumilov’s the entire 64th Army is deployed on its historical
positions, offering additional objectives in a “Little Stalingrad” option on
the lower Volga. This was the only way to adequately portray why Hoth was not
able to bring the full force of his Army to bear on the city from the south.
Shumilov was also tasked with the planning of a major counterattack to help
relieve pressure on Chiukov’s beleaguered army. There
are 13 full German divisions and over 30 Russian formations modeled on this battalion/company
scale, with a unique approach in crafting the board based on an accurate
digital map that was then textured in
Photoshop. With this number of units, the command control formation editor
was altered to make each formation a Korps, with up to six divisions in the
lower level slots. A
host of new units types are included in the countermix: Infantry guns, Heavy
Weapons “Schwere” companies, MG companies, Russian ATR companies, German
Mobile Flak modeled as combat units for heavy support fire, and a wide
assortment of different tanks, Stug and sIG support vehicle types, with new
counter artwork. Rather
than splitting the assault in the south and the battle for the factories into
separate smaller scenarios, (because of assault timing decided by the German
historically), I opted to create one large integrated battle, with units
established on the Sept 13 start line as Chiukov takes command. The Germans
begin their historical southern attacks, and I throw a grudging bone at
history by freezing the Orlovka salient sector for 2 to 3 turns. But
thereafter, the players are free to operate freely, planning the attack and
defense of the city as they see fit. An extensive ferry system, including
pontoon bridges allows Russian reserves to be deployed to the west bank, and
the Battlefront OMAs permit some shifting of units to different map sectors. Conclusion:
The
struggle for the city became an obsession for Hitler, and served to
eventually consume the bulk of two full German Armies, marking the turning
point for the war in Russia. By denying the German Army mobility, and
offering a battle of attrition in the sewers, streets and factories, the
Russians bought valuable time to build up powerful reserves that would be
unleashed in November’s “Operation Uranus.” The resulting battle pocketed
over 300,000 troops, shattering the front and sending the Germans into a
desperate defensive retreat that was only stabilized by the genius of Eric
Von Manstein in the spring of 1943. This was the battle that broke the back
of the German Army in southern Russia in 1942. Germany was never able to
recover from the disaster of Stalingrad. But can you prevail where the
Germans failed? Installation: Download and run the zip file and
unzip all files into a ../Scenarios/Stalingrad/ folder under your main Battlefront
Scenarios Folder. Start Battlefront up, and you should see the scenario
listed under the Stalingrad Battleset. Test
your will as much as your skill when you dare set foot in “Stalingrad.” About the Designer: John
Schettler has been
an avid simulation gamer for over 25 years and also designed professionally
for five game companies over that time. His ten published board game credits
include Clash of Arms Games award winning title “Edelweiss” and he has also served as a scenario
designer for Talonsoft’s popular “Operational Art of War” series, and
numerous other titles. John’s opinion of Battlefront?
“Simply the best simulation game engine ever designed for the computer.” |