Yesterday Simon and I finally got to play this classic which he had lovingly resurrected. A die roll determined I would be the Germans.
End of Turn One and the Germans have captured their first victory location.
The left flank is cleared in Turn Two.
Turn Three sees the majority of the German forces on the map.
The flanks of the Soviet front have been surrounded.
Turn Four sees a pocket start to form...
The Soviets have rushed units to the front,
but the Panzers are free.
Turn Five sees a major pocket created.
The Soviet armies will be destroyed
leaving them without enough troops to defend Smolensk.
At this point we ended the game. The Germans had taken a few unnecessary losses as they didn't appreciate they could retreat as an option in the attack. The Soviets had over stacked the front and needed to spread out more to reduce the risk of being surrounded. It is a delicate balance.
I had last played this game in the 1970s!
One of my favorite games. I usually play it once every two or three years.
ReplyDeleteIt was a joy to play (winning of course helped), but I am looking forward to playing it again. Hopefully in a few weeks, not years.
DeletePoor old Soviets :(
ReplyDeleteFantastic map and counters.
I hope you both play a few more times.
Simon did a fantastic job of recreating the game, less so playing the Soviets.
DeleteI certainly hope we play again (after I read up on Soviet strategies).
I was thinking about your comment about retreating the Germans instead of taking losses. I think actually it better to fix the Soviets by taking the losses. Retreating the Germans lets the Soviets reorganise their lines. Just something I considered after my game a few months ago. I often retreated the Germans but this did let the Soviets move more.
DeleteGood point. The second German mechanised move can be used to re engage. I agree it is best to pin the Soviets and thereby control the battlefield.
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