Tag Archives: Eastern Front

IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad – Tante Ju!

With the recent release of the Ju 52/3m g4e for IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad, 1C Game Studios and 777 Studios have given digital pilots the chance to fly an iconic, yet rarely simulated German workhorse from the Second World War.  Now, pilots can fly Falschirmjagers over drop zones, carry critical cargo to and from the front lines, and participate in a handful of other mission types that are a pleasant break from the usual intercept, patrol and close air support missions that all of the other aircraft presently in game were designed to tackle. Recently, our  beloved forum denizen, Jarhead0331, joined the Luftwaffe and somehow managed to live to tell us about his first flight in a Ju 52 over the Eastern Front.

Take a look at the following series of screenshots and find out if Jarhead was able to keep his plane in one piece.

Craig H. Handler, 30 December 2016

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TANKSgiving! – Kursk: The Biggest Tank Battle

tanksgivingheaderRefighting Kursk, on-the-go! ~

Michael Eckenfels, 26 November 2016

The Conflict-Series of games on the Android device are great little hex- and turn-based wargames that cover a wide variety of battles from World War II. The developer of these games, Joni Nuutinen, is a solo programmer that creates these games in his free time, and he heavily supports them as well by constantly updating them and listing detailed reports of what he’s done to improve his games.

At 3.99 USD per game, they’re inexpensive and terrific time wasters. To date, I own 19 of them (yes, nineteen), which I’ve purchased here and there over a year and a half or so. As you can tell, I’m fairly addicted to them, and even went so far as to ask Joni several questions and create a Q&A article, which I am currently working on.

Check out his “Conflict-Series” in the Google Play store if you’re interested.

In the spirit of TANKSgiving, I decided to take a deep dive into the Conflict-Series title, Kursk: The Biggest Tank Battle. Can I lead the Germans to victory where they failed historically? Or will I get the German armies shredded even worse?

This game isn’t easy, but admittedly, I’ve played through it more than a few times. I’ve won only one time out of multiple attempts; the Soviets are damned difficult to defeat, especially as they have a lot of tank reserves. Since I control the German forces (and there’s no option to play the Soviet side; in every Conflict-Series game, you play one side only, though Joni has developed more than a few titles that look at a battle from both sides), I have several tough Panzer divisions at my disposal, but not nearly as many as I’d like.

You can find a plethora of information on the Battle of Kursk online, or in hundreds of books available out there. If you’re reading this site, chances are you’re already passingly familiar with the battle and what happened.

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(This map was found at EmersonKent.com, which credits the United States Military Academy Department of History.)

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #97

GARPA! ~

GrogHeads Staff, 30 September 2016

The Russian Campaign, Designer’s Edition (GMT Games / Consim Press)
p500 $42 / MSRP $60

The Russian Campaign is an oft-revered game frequently mentioned among the ‘gold standards’ of classic wargaming.  It’s also been been mentioned with sputtered mutterings that vaguely sounds like “it costs how much?!?!”  Well, here’s your chance to get your hands on your own new, updated, corners-waiting-to-be-clipped copy of the classic.  You get 5 scenarios, counters with both NATO and icon artwork, full color rules & players aids, and 30 years of refinements and improvements to the rules, examples of play, game balance.  Blitz your way over to the p500 page to get your money down.

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Old School Tactical – First Look!

Old School Tactical got into players’ hands at Origins ~

Vance Strickland, 22 June 2016

click images to enlarge

All the goodies, 3 maps, 5 counter sheets, rulebook, strategy guide, 3 scenario booklets, 3 day campaign, dice and charts! 13 lbs of wargaming greatness!

All the goodies, 3 maps, 5 counter sheets, rulebook, strategy guide, 3 scenario booklets, 3 day campaign, dice and charts! 13 lbs of wargaming greatness!

GrogHeads Advanced Research on Projects Advisory #91

A hefty dose of groggy tabletop goodness from guys that are not the biggest publishers out there ~

GrogHeads Staff, 08 April 2016

Moscow ’41. Wargaming on the Eastern Front (Ventonuovo Games)
$15k of $5600, ends 1 May 2016

Scaling down from the theater-wide Blocks in the East, Ventonuovo’s latest offering focuses on the initial German campaign down Moscow. A block-unit and area-movement game, M’41 lets players re-fight the vital campaign that Hitler was sure would knock the Soviets out of the war. The graphics on the block stickers are fantastic, and the colors pop against the gorgeous map. The Germans are trying to seize Moscow as quickly as possible, while the Soviets are patching their lines with a mixture of remnant units and full-strength, but untested ones, leading a tense sequence of probing, responding, and exploiting on the battlefield. Rumble over to their Kickstarter page and help them get to their stretch goals.

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