Panzerblitz

This is the box cover of a wargame I played around 1977-78. It was the first wargame I learned to play, and it got me "hooked." I had long been interested in the German-Russian war of 1941-45, and it was fascinating to see how the battles were fought.

Situation #2 was one of twelve battles recreated in the game. It was one of my favorites, as it is very challenging. With limited forces, the German player had to stop three Russian divisions advancing into the German rear.

Another old favorite was situation #4. Historically, it is the latest. Almost all of the battles recreated in the game occurred from July 1943 to July 1944. As the game creators state, it was then that both sides were roughly equal in a tactical sense. Strategically the Soviets had gained the upper hand by 1943. The Germans, however, long retained a tactical edge which the Russians found difficult to overcome. Based on accounts of the fighting at Korsun-Cherkassy in February 1944, I question the idea of tactical parity in the 1943-44 period. Almost invariably, German armored units at Korsun trounced those of the USSR. Tactically, the Soviets may not have equaled the Germans until the time of Bagration--June-July 1944.