Kursk: Operation Zitadelle is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971. It was the first wargame to simulate the Battle of Kursk, the large tank battle during World War II.
Kursk: Operation Zitadelle is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971. It was the first wargame to simulate the Battle of Kursk, the large tank battle during World War II.
In July 1943, the German summer offensive in Russia, "Operation Zitadelle", ran into a strongly entrenched Russian tank army near the city of Kursk. Nearly 1400 tanks and assault guns were involved in what became known as the largest tank battle in history, resulting in the destruction of almost 300 tanks on each side. Although the Russians withdrew, the battle was the final strategic offensive that the Germans were able to launch on the Eastern Front. A month later, the Russians launched a counteroffensive that marked the beginning of the slow German retreat back to Berlin and the end of the war. [1]
Kursk: Operation Zitadelle is a two-player wargame in which one player controls German attackers and the other player controls Soviet defenders.
The game box contains:
Like most wargames of the time, Kursk starts each turn with alternating movement and fire. However, Kursk emphasizes the power and mobility of tanks by giving all mechanized units a second movement phase to allow for a breakthrough after successful combat. [2] So the first player has three phases: [3]
The second player then has the same three phases, completing one full turn, which represents 2 days of game time.
This move-fire-move process, called the "Kursk system", was used in many subsequent SPI products during the 1970s, including The Game of France, 1940 ; Turning Point ; Destruction of Army Group Center ; The East is Red ; El Alamein ; and The Moscow Campaign.
Each player has air units represented by two counters, one for the actual aircraft, the other for ground support. Counters are assigned permanently to each other, and neither can operate without the other. During a turn, the player has two options: either the pair of counters moves as a unit on the ground, or the air element flies but then the ground support counter cannot move. One of five air missions can be fulfilled: [2]
If the ground support counter is eliminated, the air support unit is withdrawn from the game as well. [2]
The game includes two historical scenarios with programmed unit placement and reinforcement, and four hypothetical "what if?" scenarios with free unit deployment. Every scenario is six turns long. [2]
Kursk was designed by Sterling S. Hart and developed by Jim Dunnigan, with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. It was published by SPI in 1971 as the first board wargame to simulate the Battle of Kursk, and was one of only a handful at that time to simulate a single battle rather than an entire campaign. The game was offered in both a plain white box with a red title ribbon, and a "flatpack" box with traditional cover art and an integrated counter tray. [3]
In a 1976 poll conducted by SPI to determine the most popular board wargames in North America, Kursk placed a disappointing 173rd out of 202 games, indicative that five years after publication, it was considered out-of-date. [4]
Ten years after its publication, Eric Goldberg revised the rules completely, and the new edition was published by SPI in 1980 with the new title Kursk: History's Greatest Tank Battle, July 1943 . [5]
In Issue 32 of Albion (September 1971), Don Turnbull called the game system "A most satisfactory set of play mechanics, which make play straightforward and interesting without being too complex and drawn out." However, Turnbull noted the similarities to SPI's 1918 published in 1970, commenting "There is little that is new here. Kursk is the result of a well-tried formula being cleaned up, re-shuffled slightly, and applied to a new game situation with new and interesting air rules." He concluded that ownership of both games was not necessary, saying, "I would recommend Kursk to those who have not got 1918; they might buy both, of course, but would probably stick to Kursk alone. Those who have 1918 — well you are getting very little more in this game." [2]
In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming , Nicholas Palmer noted that Kursk was a popular game in the early 1970s, "but has slid since more advanced simulation techniques for tank-dominated conflicts have been developed." [4]
In The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training, Martin Campion was impressed by this game, saying "Kursk shows clearly the hopelessness of the historic German offensive and the growing but still very imperfect Russian offensive power in 1943." [6]
Looking back at the game ten years after its publication, Steve List thought that Kursk "was not an outstanding game, but has hung on as a 'lower-rated' one for quite a while." [7]
The 1980 edition of Kursk was a finalist for a Charles S. Roberts Award in the category "Best Twentieth Century Game of 1980." [5]
Battle of the Bulge is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill (AH) in 1965 that simulates the World War II battle of the same name. General Anthony McAuliffe (ret.), who had been commanding officer at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, was a consultant during the game's development. The game proved popular and sold more than 120,000 copies, but was dogged by criticisms of historical inaccuracies, and was finally replaced by a completely new edition in 1981. A third edition in 1991 was released as part of the Smithsonian American History Series.
Drive on Stalingrad: Battle for Southern Russia Game is a board wargame originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1977 that simulates Germany's 1942 campaign in Russia during the Second World War.
Kursk, subtitled "History's Greatest Tank Battle, July 1943", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1980 that simulates the 1943 Battle of Kursk during World War II. The game proved popular, reaching the top of SPI's Bestseller list, and was well received by critics.
Barbarossa: The Russo-German War 1941-45 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that simulates the conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front of World War II. This was only SPI's second game produced during a preliminary round of "Test Series" games, and proved to be the most popular. Despite the title, taken from the German operational name for their initial invasion of the Soviet Union, the game covers the entire Eastern Front campaign from the German invasion in 1941 to the Fall of Berlin in 1945.
Destruction of Army Group Center, subtitled "The Soviet Summer Offensive, 1944" and often shortened to DAGC, is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1973 that simulates Operation Bagration, the June 1944 Soviet offensive during World War II that shattered the German line and marked the start of Germany's long retreat back to Berlin and the end of the war.
The East is Red: The Sino Soviet War is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1974 that simulates a hypothetical invasion of Manchuria and North China by Russia using 1970s armaments.
El Alamein: Battles in North Africa, 1942 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1973 that simulates the final four months of the North African campaign during World War II.
Korea: The Mobile War is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that simulates the Korean War.
Lost Battles: Operational Combat in Russia is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971 that simulates hypothetical combat situations set in the Soviet Union during World War II.
MechWar '77, subtitled "Tactical Armored Combat in the 1970s", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates hypothetical tank combat in the mid-1970s between various adversaries, using the same rules system as the previously published Panzer '44.
The Moscow Campaign, subtitled "Strike and Counterstrike Russia", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that simulates combat near Moscow during World War II.
Napoleon at Waterloo is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971 that simulates the Battle of Waterloo. The game, which features simple rules, was designed as an introduction to board wargaming, and was given as a free gift with each subscription to SPI's Strategy & Tactics magazine.
1918, subtitled "Operation Michel: March 21–30, Germany's Last Chance in the West", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1970 that simulates Operation Michael, the final German offensive on the Western Front in which they tried to win the war or at least force peace talks before American soldiers started to arrive on the Western Front in force. The game was well received by critics, but did not sell well.
Anzio Beachhead is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that simulates the Battle of Anzio during World War II, when American amphibious forces landed at Anzio, seeking to open a second front in Italy. The game was designed as a supplement to the larger and more complex game Anzio that had been published the previous year by industry rival Avalon Hill.
East Front is a board wargame published by The Control Box, Inc. in 1976 that simulates combat on the Russo-German Front during World War II. The game had unusual hexagonal-shaped counters rather than the more traditional square counters.
Tannenberg is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that simulates the Battle of Tannenberg on World War I's Eastern Front. The game was created by game designer Jim Dunnigan as a companion piece for Avalon Hill's Western Front wargame 1914, also designed by Dunnigan. Although Tannenberg could be played as a standalone game, rules were included to combine it and 1914 into a two-front wargame. Nine years later, Tannenberg was completely revised and republished as a free pull-out game in SPI's house magazine Strategy & Tactics to promote SPI's upcoming release of The Great War in the East. The second edition was also sold as a standalone game.
Normandy: The Invasion of Europe 1944 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that simulates the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy, and the six days that followed as the German forces tried to prevent an Allied break-out. A second revised edition was published in 1971
Breakout & Pursuit: The Battle for France, 1944 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that simulates the breakout of Allied forces from Normandy during World War II, and their subsequent pursuit of retreating German forces.
Von Manstein: Battles for the Ukraine is a board wargame published by Rand Game Associates (RGA) in 1975 that simulates combat in southern Russia and Ukraine during World War II. A revised and expanded version titled Panzerkrieg was released by Operational Studies Group in 1978, and then by Avalon Hill in 1984.
Turning Point: The Battle of Stalingrad is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that simulates the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II, and the factors that led to the encirclement and destruction of Germany's Sixth Army.