Copyright © 2016, HexWar Games Ltd. & Decision Games.
Battle Of Stalingrad is a simulation of the historical events of the Soviet offensive of 19 Nov., 1942 that led to the famous encirclement and destruction of the German Sixth Army in Stalingrad. It is also a simulation of many of the possibilities that could have happened in November and December of 1942 had circumstances been slightly, or even greatly, different. There are many scenarios to describe all of the various major possibilities.
The Game Map: The map portrays the area of South Russia in which the decisive operations of the Battle of Stalingrad (1942) took place. A hexagonal grid is superimposed upon the map sheet in order to regularize the movement and position of the playing pieces.
Various visual aids are provided for the player to simplify and illustrate certain game functions. These are the Combat Results Table, and the Reinforcement & Turn Record Chart, the Terrain Effects Chart and the Order of Battle Alternatives Chart.
Two differently colored sets of playing pieces (henceforth known as units) are displayed. They represent the opposing armies in the campaign, that did, or could have, fought the original battles. The playing pieces are distinguished by type, strength, and mobility, as represented by various numbers and symbols printed on their faces.
Soviet Cavalry are depicted with an armored cavalry symbol solely to distinguish them from Axis cavalry in function. Soviet cavalry move as if they were motorized units (see Sequence of Play). The use of this symbol is not meant to imply any historical difference in equipment, only in their tactical function within the game.
All units carry historical designations, i.e., the historical "name" of the unit that existed in the actual campaign. All of the Axis units are represented by division size units bearing their true historical designations. Soviet units are represented by corps-size units; the designations for Soviet units are those of the historical Soviet armies, plus a letter code. Each Soviet army is broken down into three or more corps-size units; each of these corps units is assigned a letter code (A, B, etc.). It does not represent an actual historical corps, but rather an amalgamation of the various units assigned to the army (divisions, brigades, etc.).
G= Guard unit; Soviet units which received better and more armament and men.
Units with no nationality code are German units. The others are:
Each Game-Turn represents two days real time. Each hex is equivalent to 16 kilometers (10 miles) in real distance.
Battle of Stalingrad is basically a two-player game. Each Player moves his units and executes attacks in turn with the objective being to destroy Enemy units, while minimizing Friendly unit losses. Combat is resolved by comparing the strength-numbers of adjacent opposing units and expressing the comparison as a simplified probability ratio (odds). A die is rolled and the outcome indicated on the Combat Results Table is applied to the units being attacked. (See Combat Results Table for greater detail).
Battle of Stalingrad, is played in turns. Each Game Turn is composed of two Player-Turns. Each Player Turn is composed of three Phases. A typical Game-Turn would proceed as follows:
Repeat Phases 1 through 3 for the Second Player, who uses his own units.
The game lasts seven Game-Turns; at the end of the Axis Motorized Movement Phase of the seventh turn, all movement ceases and the players' performances are evaluated in terms of the victory conditions.
General Rule: During the Movement Phases of a Player's turn, the Player may move as many or as few of his units as he wishes. Each unit may be moved as many hexes as desired within the limits of its Movement Allowance, the Terrain Effects Chart, and the Zone of Control Rules.
Procedure: Move each unit individually, tracing the path of its movement through the hexagonal grid.
(A) Movement is calculated in terms of hexagons. Basically each unit expends one Movement Point of its total Movement (point) Allowance for each hex entered. To enter some types of hexes, more than one Movement point is expended. See the Movement section of the Terrain Effects Chart for a full list of these different "entry costs."
(B) In any given Movement Phase of a Player-Turn, the Player may move all, some or none of his units (with the exception that only motorized units may be moved during the Motorized Movement Phase). Movement is never required; it is voluntary.
(C) Units are moved individually, in any direction or combination of directions. A unit may be moved as many or as few hexes as the owning-Player desires, as long as its Movement Allowance is not exceeded in a single Movement Phase. Unused Movement points however, may not be accumulated from Phase-to-Phase or transferred from unit-to-unit.
(D) No Enemy movement is permitted during a Player's Movement Phase.
(E) No combat (Enemy or Friendly) may take place during a Movement Phase.
(F) Soviet Cavalry units may be moved in the Soviet Motorized Movement Phase.
(G) Units may never enter or pass through a hex containing Enemy units.
(H) In a given Movement Phase, once a unit has been moved and the Player's hand withdrawn from the piece it may not be moved again nor may it re-trace and change its move.
(I) Units may move over different types of terrain-hexes in the same Movement Phase as long as they have enough Movement points to expend as they enter each hex.
(J) A unit may, unless otherwise indicated, always move one hex, even without being able to expend sufficient Movement Points, unless it is moving directly from one Enemy Zone of Control to another Enemy Zone of Control.
(K) Axis reinforcements may enter the map during the Initial Movement Phase on the Railroad line, and move along the rail line up to thirty hexes. They may not move further that Game-Turn. They also may not move into or through Enemy controlled hexes while traveling on the rail line. This is the only rail movement allowed in the game. Soviets do not receive this rail bonus.
(L) Soviet supply units may not voluntarily move next to an Enemy unit, even if accompanied by Friendly units.
General Rule: The six hexagons immediately surrounding a given unit (or stack of units) constitute that unit's Zone of Control. These are semi-active Zones of Control which have an inhibiting effect upon Enemy movement, but do not affect Enemy combat. Hexes upon which a unit is exerting its Semi-Active Zone of Control are called controlled hexes.
(A) All units must expend three additional Movement Points (MP), above and beyond the ordinary movement cost, to enter an Enemy controlled hex from another, uncontrolled hex.
(B) It costs two additional Movement Points to leave an Enemy controlled hex, above and beyond the ordinary movement cost.
(C) If you move directly from one controlled hex of an Enemy unit to another controlled hex of the same or any other Enemy unit, it costs five additional Movement Points (three plus two, as outlined in Cases A and B.
Example: If a German Armored unit were to enter a Soviet Zone of Control in a Fortified hex, it would expend six Movement Points in moving the one hex: three for entering a Zone of Control, one for moving one hex, two additional for entering the Enemy Fortified hex. If the same unit were to leave one Enemy-controlled, Enemy fortified hex for another Enemy- controlled, Enemy Fortified hex, it would expend eight Movement Points (three-plus-two-plus-two-plus-one) .
All effects of movement inhibition are cumulative: in certain situations units may be prevented from moving altogether, due to accumulating penalties. (See Movement, Case J).
(D) If a hex is controlled by more than one unit, it still costs only three additional Movement Points to enter such hex. This is true for all movement costs, e.g., entering a hex with more than one Zone of Control never costs more additional Movement Points than entering a hex with one Zone of Control (including the single hex Zone of Control exerted by an interdicting aircraft unit).
(E) For movement purposes Enemy Zones of Control do extend into hexes occupied by Friendly units. For supply purposes Enemy Zones of Control do not extend into hexes occupied by Friendly units. See Supply Rule. For retreat purposes, Enemy Zones of Control do not extend into hexes occupied by Friendly units.
(F) All Air Units (both Ground Support and Aircraft Elements) and Soviet supply units, do not have Zones of Control. (Exception: Air Units, Case F).
(G) Each hex surrounding a unit is a separate Controlled hex, i.e., the negation of one controlled hex does not interfere with the others being controlled by the same unit.
(H) Any unit with a bracketed combat factor and any non-divisional/Corp units do not have a zone of control. KG units do have a zone of control.
(more than one unit per hex)
General Rule: A maximum of three units of any kind may be stacked in one hex.
(A) Soviet supply units count as one unit for stacking purposes.
(B) The two counters which represent a given air unit (i.e. the Ground Support Element counter and the Aircraft counter) are treated as ONE UNIT for stacking purposes.
(C) Units that would violate the stacking rule when retreating are eliminated instead.
(D) Stacking only applies to units at the end of a Movement Phase, and during the Combat Phase.
General Rule: Units must be in supply to use their full Combat Strength and Movement allowance; if they are not in supply, they are penalized with respect to Movement and Attack abilities.
Procedure: Units are determined to be in supply for movement purposes at the beginning of each Movement Phase, even if they should move out of supply during that phase. Units are determined to be in supply for combat purposes at the instant of combat, i.e., if an attacking unit had been in supply at the beginning of the Combat Phase, but another preceding combat had resulted in the supply line being cut, the unit would not be supplied for its own combat. To be in supply, a unit must be able to trace a supply line to a supply source.
(A) Axis Supply All Axis units have their supply source at the four Railroad hexes on the North and West edges of the map; these are labeled "supply". The supply line is composed of two parts; first, the unit to be supplied must trace a path of hexes (over any terrain) no more than twelve hexes in length to any railroad hex; this railroad hex must then be connected by a rail line to one of the sources of supply by any number of continuous rail hexes. Axis units are either supplied or unsupplied.
(B) Soviet Supply The Soviet Player has three sources of supply for his units, each of which have different characteristics. These are: (1) railroad hexes at the northern and eastern edge of the map, labeled in a similar manner to the Axis sources; (2) Supply units; (3) the east edge of the map.
Supply lines traced to a rail hex must be connected to the rail source of supply by a line of rail hexes, just as the Axis must. The other sources are direct, with no intermediary step as in tracing a supply line by rail.
Soviet Cavalry units are a special case for supply; see Case G.
The Soviet Player has three supply conditions. His units may be supplied, unsupplied, of isolated. These conditions are separate and distinct. The Soviet Player also has three sources of supply for his units, as follows:
(1) If the Soviet Player chooses to trace supply to a railroad, the following apply: if the supply line is eight hexes or less, the unit is considered supplied; if the supply line traced is more than eight hexes in length, and no other source of supply is available, the unit is isolated. There is no "unsupplied" condition from a railroad line source of supply.
(2) If the Soviet Player chooses to trace supply to a supply unit, the following apply: if the supply line is four hexes or less in length, the unit is supplied; if the supply line is between five hexes and eight hexes long, the unit is unsupplied; if the supply line is greater than eight hexes, and no other source of supply is available, the unit is isolated.
(3) If the Soviet Player chooses to trace supply to the East edge of the map, the supply line traced through hexes must be four hexes or less for the unit to be supplied; if no other source of supply is available the unit is isolated.
(4) For all units the condition "unsupplied" supersedes "isolated", and the condition "supplied" supersedes both "unsupplied" and "isolated".
(C) Effects of supply This case is summarized on the Supply Effects Chart. Basically all units may use their full-strength combat and movement abilities when supplied. Axis units when unsupplied have their Movement Allowance and Combat Strength for attack purposes halved (defense remaining normal). Soviet units are similarly affected when unsupplied. Isolated Soviet units have their Movement Allowance halved, and their Combat Strength for attack reduced to zero. In no case does the effects of not being in supply affect the Combat Strength for defense.
(1) the intervention of an Enemy unit, or units;
(2) the intervention of an Enemy controlled hex. Enemy controlled hexes do not interfere with supply lines being traced through a Friendly unit, i.e., the presence of a Friendly unit in an Enemy controlled hex negates the effect. Note that the controlled hex exerted by an Air Interdiction mission does not effect supply lines being traced by rail.
(E) Units may remain out of supply indefinitely. i.e., units are never lost through lack of supply alone.
(F) No "isolated" condition exists for the Axis units.
(G) Soviet Cavalry units trace supply lines of up to fifteen hexes to any Soviet source of supply.
(H) Captured railroads may not be used for supply purposes. Axis units may only use railroads West of their Fortified line inclusive. Soviet units may only use railroads East of their Fortified line inclusive.
(I) Any number of friendly units may be supplied through the same path of hexes. Any number of paths may be traced to supply units in different locations. Supply lines may be traced through any type of terrain and through any number of Friendly units.
Although Soviet units are symbolized in corps-sized units, actually the Russian army had abolished the corps system in 1941. It was not reinstated until late 1943. The reason for this was the shortage of skilled and competent higher echelon officers capable of commanding independent organizations. Divisions were grouped directly under the command of the Army headquarters, which still did not have enough good officers, despite this concentration of responsibilities. To simulate the difficulties of administering these masses, use the following rules.
(A) To be in supply, in addition to the ordinary restrictions, Soviet corps must be within a certain number of hexes of another unit of the same army (according to the unit designations). Obviously, close track must be kept of units' position and especially their unit designations.
(B) Soviet "3-4" corps must be within three hexes of another unit of the same army to be in supply; "5-5" corps must be within five hexes of another unit in the same army to be in supply. These are "Guard" units which were always somewhat better supplied and organized.
(C) This rule only applies to the above-mentioned units; all other Soviet units are free to be in supply in the normal manner.
General Rule: Combat occurs between adjacent opposing units at the discretion of the Player whose Combat Phase it is. The Player whose Combat Phase it is, is considered to be the Attacker; the other Player is considered to be the Defender.
Procedure: Total-up the Combat Strengths of all the attacking units involved in a specific attack and compare it to the total Combat Strengths of the unit(s) in the hex under attack. State the comparison as a probability ratio: Attacker's Strength-to-Defender's Strength. Round-off the ratio downward to conform to the simplified odds found on the Combat Results Table; roll the die and read the result on the appropriate line under the odds. Apply the result immediately, before going on to resolve any other attacks being made during the Combat Phase.
(A) During the Combat Phase of his turn, a Player may only attack those Enemy units to which Friendly units are adjacent. Only those Friendly units directly adjacent to a given Enemy unit may participate in the attack upon the Enemy unit.
(B) Units adjacent to Enemy units are not compelled to attack, nor does the attacking Player have to utilize every adjacent unit if he does decide to attack. Attacking is completely voluntary.
(C) No unit may attack more than once per Combat Phase. No enemy unit may be attacked more than once per Combat Phase. (HexWar Clarification: The exception to this are units forced to retreat into hexes that contain other friendly units that have not been attacked).
(D) An Enemy-occupied hex may be attacked by as many attacking units as can be brought to bear. Conceivably, as many as six stacks of units could be brought to bear against an Enemy-held hex.
(E) Not every unit in an attacking stack must participate in the attack.
(F) Combat odds are rounded-off in favor of the Defender. For example: An attack of 26 Attack points against 9 Defense points would round-off to a "Two-to-One" odds situation.
(G) All German Motorized units when eliminated (except Kampfgruppe), become Kampfgruppe units, and do not retreat. This does not apply to Russian or Axis Allied armor units. German motorized units with a Combat Strength of "six" or more are replaced by '2-8' Kampfgruppen. Motorized units with a Combat Strength of less than "six" are replaced by "1-8" Kampfgruppen.
(H) If, as a result of an attack, a hex is completely cleared of defending units, (due to a "De", "Ex" or "1/2 Ex" result only) then the attacking units responsible may advance into that hex during the Combat Phase. Such an advance may not take place if the eliminated defending unit is replaced by a Kampfgruppe unit (German Motorized units only). This one hex advance does not expend Movement Points.
(I) When units are "halved', the fractions are NOT rounded off.
(J) Defending units that force attacking units to retreat or to be eliminated may not advance as a result of such combat.
(K) Supply units and Air units defend with a strength of "one" when attacked on the ground. They are eliminated permanently if the Combat Results Table calls for their Elimination. They may never participate in attacks.
(L) The Attacker has the option to decrease his attacking strength by stating what he is reducing it to before rolling for combat. All units involved follow the results of the Combat Results Table, at the reduced odds.
(M) The Attacker also has the option to ignore "Defender Retreat" combat results on the Combat Results Table. If "Defender Retreat" is indicated by the Combat Results Table, the result is ignored and the die is rolled again, until a different result is obtained. The Attacker must announce that he is ignoring "Dr" results before rolling for the combat.
(N) More than one Enemy-occupied hex may be attacked by a given attacking unit (or group of attacking units); that is to say, different defending units on different hexes may be treated as the objects of attacks which might be made by a one-hex group of attacking units if the attacking unit happens to be adjacent to two or more Enemy-occupied hexes provided that all attacking units are adjacent to all defending units.
(O) The effects of terrain on combat are not cumulative, i.e., the attacker can never be forced to subtract more than two from the die roll, and one Close Supporting Aircraft Element negates all terrain effects on combat.
(P) Under no circumstances may the units on any one hex be divided and attacked separately, nor may one unit's Combat Strength be divided and attacked individually, nor may only some of the units on any one hex be attacked, and the others on such a hex be ignored.
(Q) A unit that retreats as a result of Combat, may retreat again if the unit or units stacked with it are subsequently attacked and are also forced to retreat. A unit or units that as a result of Combat have retreated, and that are not with other Friendly units that have not been attacked, may not be attacked again in the same Game-Turn.
(R) Kampfgruppen replacing German Motorized units after an attack may advance after Combat.
(S) For the Combat results of "EX" and "1/2 EX" the Soviet Player must, if German Motorized units are attacked, lose units that are equal to or greater then the full , original Combat Strength of such units, i.e., not the units Combat Strength minus its Kampfgruppe replacement's Combat Strength.
De - Defender Eliminated: The defender is eliminated. Any attacking units may advance into the vacated defenders hex(es).
Dr - Defender Retreat: All defending units must retreat one hex away from all attacking units. Any attacking units may advance into the vacated defenders hex(es).
Br - Both Retreat: All defending units must retreat one hex away from all attacking units. Then all attacking units must retreat one hex away from all hexes previously occupied by defending units.
Ex - Exchange: The defender is eliminated. The attacker must lose an equal or greater number of unmodified attack strength points (unmodified for supply or terrain effects) as the defenders unmodified defense strength. Any surviving attacking units may advance into the vacated defenders hex(es).
½ Ex - Exchange: The defender is eliminated. The attacker must lose an equal or greater number of unmodified attack strength points as half of the defenders unmodified defense strength. Any surviving attacking units may advance into the vacated defenders hex(es).
Ar - Attacker Retreat: All attacking units must retreat one hex away from all defending units. The defender may not advance after combat.
Ae - Attacker Eliminated: All attacking units are eliminated. The defender may not advance after combat.
1. If a German Kampfgruppen remains in a defending hex then the attacker may not advance after combat.
2. An attacker may retreat defending units into hexes that may be attacked again. The units that have already been attacked do add to the defence of the target hex.
3. Units may not retreat from one enemy ZOC to another UNLESS the target retreat hex contains friends not participating in the attack.
General Rule: Air units, in a given Game-Turn, are capable of either flying aerial missions or changing the location of their base of operation (by moving the appropriate Ground Support Element in the same fashion as any regular non-motorized ground combat unit). Aerial missions either affect combat or Enemy movement and supply lines, but not Railroad supply lines.
Procedure: Aircraft units may fly aerial missions over specific hexes which may be as far away from the ground support element as the aircraft unit's Range of Allowance permits. The routine of execution depends upon the specific type of mission being flown. Aircraft units are not affected by terrain considerations when in flight.
(A) An Air unit is composed of two separate counters: the Ground Support Element, and the Aircraft Element. These two counters taken together constitute one unit for stacking purposes. There is no limit to the number of Aircraft Elements which may be flying in the "air space" over a given hex.
(B) Only one Aircraft Element may be based in a single Ground Support Element, and only that Aircraft Element having the same identification number as its parent Ground Support Element may be based in that particular Ground Support Element.
(C) When the Ground Support Element is moved, it must have its Air Element in it ("on the ground"). Ground Support Elements are moved in the Initial Movement Phase only (as if they were non-motorized units).
(D) Air units do not require supply to engage in Air Missions.
(E) If an Air unit is destroyed by ordinary ground attack, it is lost permanently. If, however, it is damaged due to an Air Superiority mission, the ground element may move but the Air unit is removed for three Game-Turns (i.e., if damaged on the first Game-Turn, it returns on the fourth Game-Turn).
(F) Ground Support Elements do not have a Zone of Control (whether or not their Aircraft Element is in them). Whenever a Ground Support Element is destroyed or damaged, its Aircraft Element is also destroyed or damaged (immediately, no matter where it is or what sort of mission it may be flying).
(G) n/a.
(H) Opposing Aircraft Elements may fly through each other while in the air.
(I) Aircraft Elements may be used to fly any one of five possible missions in a given Game-Turn (assuming of course that their parent Ground Support Element is not moved).
(1) Close Support (flown during the owning Player's Combat Phase): Aircraft flies to a hex containing Enemy ground units which are to be attacked by Friendly ground units in that Combat Phase. If units are attacking Enemy units in more than one hex, the Close Support mission need only be applied to one of the defending hexes. The presence of a Close support Aircraft Element has the effect of raising the subsequent die-roll of the attacking ground force by two; e.g., if the die-roll were "3" it would be raised to "5". If, due to terrain, the Attacker is forced to subtract two from his die-roll, then the presence of a Close Support Aircraft Element has the effect of negating that subtraction (and the face value of the die is used).
Only one Aircraft Element may fly a Close Support mission in a given Enemy-held hex. Close Support missions are landed immediately upon the resolution of the ground attack. Ground combat results do not affect the Close Supporting Aircraft Element.
(2) Interdiction (Aircraft Element takes-off at the end of the owning-Player's Motorized Movement Phase and is returned to its base at the end of the ensuing Enemy Motorized Movement Phase: i.e., it remains "in the air" over a specific hex during the entire Enemy Player Turn.): Aircraft Elements flying interdiction missions over a given hex have exactly the same effect upon Enemy supply and movement as if a Friendly Ground unit were exerting a Zone of Control in that hex. Just as with ground unit Zones of Control, the presence of an Enemy unit in the interdicted hex negates the effect upon the supply lines (but not upon movement). More than one Aircraft Element may fly Interdiction in the same hex, but this doss not in any way increase the interdiction effect. Interdiction missions are subject to Enemy Interception. Interdiction missions never affect a Railroad supply line.
(3) Combat Air Patrol (Aircraft Element takes-off at the end of the owning Player's Motorized Movement Phase and is returned to its base at the end of the ensuing Enemy Player's Motorized Movement Phase: i.e., it remains "in the air" over a specific hex throughout the entire Enemy Player Turn.): Any number of Aircraft Elements may fly Combat Air Patrol (CAP) in the same hex. As long as Friendly Aircraft are flying CAP over a hex, Enemy Aircraft may not fly Interdiction of Close Support missions in that hex. If the CAP is completely driven off by Enemy interceptors, however, then other Enemy Aircraft Elements may, in the same Player Turn, execute a Close Support mission in that hex and/or initiate an Interdiction mission over that hex.
(4) Air Superiority (Aircraft Elements take-off at the end of the owning-Player's Initial Movement Phase and return to base at the end of the owning Player's Combat Phase.): Air Superiority missions are flown against Enemy Ground Support Elements in an effort to damage them from the air.
Each Enemy Ground Support Element defends against Air Superiority attacks with a Defense Strength of "1". Each Enemy Aircraft Element on CAP over an Enemy Ground Support Element adds "1" to the Defense Strength of the Ground Support Element. Each attacking Aircraft Element has an Attack Strength of "1". Determine the odds of the attack in the usual manner (just as in land combat, rounding off the odds in the defender's favor.) Roll the die once for each Air Superiority attack and determine the results using the Air Superiority Table.
Note that whatever the result of the air superiority attack, there is no effect upon the CAP units nor upon the attacking Aircraft Elements. Aircraft Elements can only be destroyed by destroying their parent Ground Support Elements by ordinary ground attack. (see Case E). Damaged Ground Support Elements may move their normal Movement Allowance.
If there is more than one Ground Support Element in a hex, each must be attacked separately using different attacking Air Elements. In such a case, the attacker first allocates which of his units will attack which Ground Support Element and then the defender may allocate his CAP Air Elements (if any) to assist in the defense. The attacker does not necessarily have to attack all the Ground Support Elements in a given hex.
Ground Support Elements stacked together do not contribute to each other's defense with respect to an Air Superiority attack. Terrain effects do not apply to Air Superiority Missions,
Friendly Aircraft Elements on CAP over Friendly Ground Support Elements are not subject to interception.
(5) Interception (Aircraft Elements take-off, execute mission and return to base at the beginning of the owning Player's Initial Movement Phase, before any land movement takes place.). Only Enemy Interdiction and/or Enemy CAP missions are subject to interception. Interception does not result in the destruction of either Player's Air Elements; rather it has the effect of forcing the Enemy Player's units to abort their mission: for each Friendly Intercepting Air Element flown against a hex containing Enemy Air Elements, one Enemy Air Element is forced to abort its mission and return to base. In effect one Interceptor negates one Enemy Air Element and causes both units to be returned to their respective bases immediately. If an interception mission is flown against a given hex containing Enemy Air Elements some of which are flying an Interdiction mission and some of which are flying a CAP, the Interceptors must first deal with the CAP Elements. After the CAP has been cleared from the hex, any remaining Interceptors may then deal with the Interdiction mission. Aircraft Elements flying CAP over a Friendly Ground Support Element, are NOT subject to interception.
Commentary: The German leaders simply refused to believe that the Soviets were capable of launching a large-scale offensive when they did. Thus nearly all the units in Army Group B were unprepared for the offensive, and a great deal of the Soviet success in breaking through the front so easily must be attributed to this surprise. To simulate this, use the following rules with the Axis Order of Battle options as specified.
(A) The odds in all Soviet attacks during the First Game-Turn are increased, depending on the type of attack.
(B) If all of the units being attacked are Axis-Allied units (Italian, Rumanian, Hungarian), the combat odds are raised two levels, i.e., a "7-1" attack would become a "9-1" attack.
(C) If any or all the defending units are German units, the odds are raised only one level, i.e., an "8-1" would become a "9-1".
The winner is determined on the basis of Victory Points which are awarded for the Combat Strengths of Enemy units eliminated and for capturing and holding certain geographic objectives. At the end of the last Player-Turn of a particular game, play ceases and the Players evaluate their performances on the basis of the Victory Conditions. Subtract the Axis Victory Points from the Soviet Victory Points, and consult the Victory Point Table to award victory.
As we all know, victory comes in many varieties, and what may legitimately be claimed as a current victory is not decisive enough to help one's cause. These different levels measure what each side needed for a certain level-of-victory.
| Net Victory Points | Victory Level |
|---|---|
| -30 or less | Axis Decisive Victory |
| -29 through -21 | Axis Provisional Victory |
| -20 through -1 | Axis Marginal Victory |
| 0 through 9 | Allied Marginal Victory |
| 10 through 24 | Allied Provisional Victory |
| 25 or more | Allied Decisive Victory |
A Line of Communication is traced in the same manner as a Supply Line (to any source of Supply) but with the difference that it may be as long and as devious as necessary.
Scenarios describe the particular forces and reinforcements used in the different situations that are being recreated. Only one situation is truly historical; this situation (Scenario nr. 1) uses the Set-up Map to show the original deployment of forces.
In all scenarios, the Soviet Player moves first. Certain games last only seven Game-Turns, beginning either on 19 November or 16 December. Other scenarios last for 21 Game-Turns, and are called campaign Games.
The chart gives the Order of Battle (i.e. the mix of units that makes up a Player's army) and the Reinforcements (units which appear after the game has started). The top half of the chart pertains to the Axis forces and the bottom half to the Soviets. Listed on the extreme left-hand side of the chart are the various unit types available in the game (identified by Combat Strength - Movement Allowance numbers). Each vertical column on the left of the chart is a separate Order of Battle option (except for Axis Option "C" which is broken-out into three vertical columns). So by reading down and cross-indexing the unit types with the quantity available, Players will be able to arrive at the proper counters with which to start a given game.
On the right half of the chart, reading across the middle and the top, are the Game-Turns. As these Game-Turns occur, Players should look under that vertical column to see if they receive any reinforcements on that Player Turn. The numbers in the columns indicate the quantity of units received. On the Axis portion, the capital letters preceding the numbers indicate the reinforcement option under which those units are received (E, F, G or H). The lowercase letter following the quantity-indication denotes the map-edge on which the unit appears.
Axis Reinforcements arrive from the edge of the map indicated by the code letter next to the unit. n= north, s= south, and w= west. These units may move onto the map in the normal movement manner from the indicated edge of the map, or they may enter by rail movement on the rail hexes indicated by a German cross on the appropriate map edge.
Units must be in supply to enter the game; if they would not be, they may never enter. Thus, if the Soviets have a continuous line of units to Rostov, the units entering from the South would not be able to enter, since they would not be in supply. If units can not enter on the proper map edge (such as if the Soviets have taken the entire north map edge), they may not enter for the entire game. Units may enter into Enemy Zones of Control.
Soviet Reinforcements arrive from the east edge of the map. They come on the map at any time during the Initial Movement Phase of the Player-Turn-of-arrival. The first hex entered upon is counted as the first hex of movement.
The directions of north, south, east and west refer to the approximate directions. For the purposes of these rules, the directions may be realized by considering the Fortified Lines as running from the north to the south.
Units may not be deliberately withheld from the game.
November, 1942: Germany had some 317 divisions mobilized (about 20% of these were German "allied" divisions). Some 74% of these, including most of the motorized divisions, were in Russia. Some one-third of the divisions in Russia were concentrated in Army Group B. To the north of Army Group B the front had stalemated into fortified lines in front of Moscow and Leningrad. To the south of Army Group B was the Caucasus, where the situation was less stable. In this area lay Russia's oil supplies. The 29 divisions of Army Group A were almost Out of supply, but were slowly closing in on the oil centers. Facing Army Group B, whose main function was to guard Army Group A's flank, were some 80 Soviet division-size units, including six full-strength motorized units. The Soviets were building up an even larger concentration for their winter offensive, planned to begin in mid-December. But the Germans had tied up most of their best units in a futile battle for the nearly destroyed city of Stalingrad. On both flanks of the concentration of German units in and around Stalingrad were lower grade "allied" (Italian, and Rumanian) units. The Russians seized the opportunity. Three weeks before they were ready to launch their winter offensive, they attacked. The Soviet advantage in numbers was marginal. But they had an invaluable advantage with regard to position. They had an opportunity to smash through the weak "allied" units and trap an entire German army in Stalingrad. The trap was sprung on 19 November, 1942. The Rumanian units on both flanks of the German forces in Stalingrad were smashed. Within four days, the Germans (some 20 divisions) were surrounded. The German situation, as a glance at the game will show you, was far from hopeless. Because of the relative equality in strength between the Germans and Russians, there was considerable room for a Soviet defeat of major proportions. Russian mobile units, the only Soviet units that could meet the Germans on anything like equal terms, were pushed far out front in order to isolate the trapped Germans. There were enough German mobile units in reserve to, in turn, cut off the Russians. Assuming, of course, that the trapped German units cooperated in a break-out attempt. In the original campaign, this was not the case; the Germans were ordered to hold onto Stalingrad while leaving the relief force to break in by itself. The Germans quickly realized that the available reserves were too weak to break in by themselves. So they waited until reinforcements arrived. The Germans had little in the way of reinforcements available in Russia. It took over a week to concentrate what was available where it was needed. By then the Russians had replaced their exposed mobile units with infantry. In other words, the longer the Germans waited to relieve their trapped forces the harder it became to get them out.
While the Germans pondered this problem, the Russians prepared for their second offensive. Russian reinforcements had been pouring in from the east ever since late October. This concentration was nearly completed by mid-December. This horde of armor and infantry was unleashed on the still reeling Germans, and it was mainly because of overextended Russian supply lines that Rostov wasn't taken and Army Group A isolated. The point, of course, is that the Russians were taking a considerable gamble. The German dispositions in November were insane. They were a result of Hitler's obsession with taking Stalingrad. In the process, it was forgotten that Army Group B's primary function was to protect the flank of Army Group A in the Caucasus. But even with these mad dispositions the Germans could have still crippled the Russians had they reacted quickly enough to the Soviet attack. The Germans didn't, the Russians did, and the rest is history. The Battle of Stalingrad. The turning point of the War in the East.
To make the game more interesting we have added a considerable number of "What If?" scenarios. Some of the more obvious "What If's?" cover the Germans using a more reasonable deployment before the 19 November attack. This, of course, makes it almost impossible for the Russians to win. Under such conditions the Russians wouldn't have attacked. They would have waited until Mid-December for their full-scale winter offensive. This, of course, is another scenario. All the other scenarios are derived from these two variations.
Battle of Stalingrad is, mechanically, quite similar to two of our other games, Kursk and France: 1940. It is, nevertheless, a different Situation and some changes had to be made to reflect the special characteristics of the situation. But other changes were made simply because they seemed superior to the methods used in the two earlier games. This refinement process will continue as this particular game-system is used again.