Drive on Kharkov: Gallop, Star, and the Backhand Blow 2027

Drive on Kharkov is a Standard Combat Series (SCS) game covering the Soviet twin offensives, Operation Gallop and Operation Star, as well as the German counter-offensive (von Manstein’s "Backhand Blow") that ended the Soviet winter offensive of 1942-43. Intended to cut off retreating Axis divisions in the south and capture Kharkov and the Donbas region, Operations Gallop and Star initially met with good success. However, the hasty nature of the offensives coupled with a poor supply situation slowed progress, and the Axis forces recovered and finally unleashed a counteroffensive that retook substantial ground and set the stage for Kursk, the last Axis offensive on the Eastern Front.

The game covers this pivotal post-Stalingrad dueling offensives at the operational scale. Each turn represents 2-3 days. Each hex is 5 kilometers wide. Soviet units are generally brigades and regiments with cavalry divisions. Axis units are mostly battalions with a few Kampfgruppen (KG) and regiments.

Game specific rules include HQs at the Soviet Army and German Corps level, artillery and air strikes, divisional refits, and mud that hampered operations late in the campaign. This famous battle comes alive with SCS where you can see if you can do as well as a Field Marshal von Manstein or Colonel General Vatutin.

Scenarios: Drive on Kharkov Campaign (2 maps) Operation Gallop (1 map) Operation Star (1 map) Kharkov Operation (2 maps) The Backhand Blow (2 maps) Return to Kharkov (1 map)

Components: SCS v1.8 Rules Drive on Kharkov Game Specific Rules Six Player Aid Cards Two 22" x 34" full-color maps 560 Counters Box and Dice

-description from designer