A Hell So Terrible

A Hell So Terrible is a solitaire wargame simulating "Operation Gericht” (Operation Judgement), the German assault on the city of Verdun launched on February 21st, 1916. You take the role of Germany’s Crown Prince Wilhelm (eldest son of Kaiser Wilhelm) in command of the German 5th Army as he attempts to fulfill Falkenhayn’s goal of knocking France out of the Great War through attrition.

The attack on Verdun is envisioned as a stab at the heart of French national morale. Falkenhayn hoped that threatening this iconic city and fortress complex would force France to react hastily and carelessly, thereby compelling its forces to launch suicidal counterattacks against prepared German defenses and artillery kill zones. Falkenhayn anticipated that this sacrifice would be so bloody and demoralizing that it would ultimately drive France from the war.

Thus, you must push your forces forward and inflict as much damage and destruction on the French defenders in front of Verdun as possible and do so before the opening guns of the Battle of the Somme are fired at the start of July 1916. If you cannot accomplish that goal, precious reinforcements, supplies, and heavy artillery resources will be diverted to the defense of the Somme River line, and with that will come an end to the effort to “bleed France white.”

—description from the publisher