Eastern Front: Operational Battles (2021)

Eastern Front Operational Battles Quad features four standalone games on the Eastern Front in WWII at an operational level. "Pincers" and "Operation Fredericus" (1942), and "Orel Salient" and "Operation Rumiantsev" (1943).

In May of 1942, portions of the Red Army were to attack the German 6th Army, as mandated by Stalin. This was to be a pincers type attack, enveloping Kharkov. The Germans coincidentally were planning an assault in May against the salient which formed the southern base of the Soviet May offensive. The Red Army struck first, and five days later the German attack commenced. These double offensives are what are covered in “Pincers” and “Operation Fredericus”. As the German Zitadelle offensive of 1943 was winding down, the Soviets launched a major attack of their own on the northern part of the Kursk area. Then on August 3 the Soviets attacked the southern part of the Kursk area. “Orel Salient” and “Operation Rumiantsev” cover these actions.

Eastern Front Operational Battles use the same basic rule set in all four games as one would expect in a quad game. The rules are accessible and straight forward for playability, and at the same time, all aspects, such as movement rates, combat outcomes, and so on, are based on historical analysis. All of the games play at the operational level. Units are mostly regiments/brigades and divisions in the 1942 games, and divisions and corps in the 1943 games.

Product Information:
Complexity: Low/Medium
Time Scale: 1 day per turn for 1942 games, 2 days per turn for 1943 games
Map Scale: 4 miles or 6.4 km/hex for 1942 games, 6 miles per hex for 1943 games
Unit Scale: mostly regiments and divisions for 1942 games, mostly divisions and corps for 1943 games
Players: 1 or 2 (best with 2)
Solitaire: High
Playing Time: 2 hours

Game Components:
4 Maps (17x22" each)
2.5 Countersheets
4 Player Aid Cards
1 Rulebook
1 Playbook