Knights Over Stalingrad is primarily a Solitaire Game, but can be played by two opponents, with one side playing the Axis units during combat and the other the Soviets.
The game models the Air Combat in and around Stalingrad immediately following the encirclement of the Sixth Army following the highly successful Soviet Operation Uranus. Operation Uranus kicked off on November 17th, 1942 and totally encircled the German 6th Army with the capture of Karpovka on November 24th, 1942. The game continues through the Soviet Tormosin Offensive (Battle of the Chir River Bridgehead), Manstein’s German Counter Offensive (Operation Winter Thunderstorm), Soviet Little Saturn (that crushed the Italians and defeated the remaining Romanian resistance), and the Soviet Deep strikes at Tazinskaya and Morosovsky Airfields. Overall, the game covers the time period of November 23rd through December 28th, 1942.
On the Axis side the player will have the choice of controlling German Bf 109G’s, Bf 110’s, Romanian IAR 80’s, or Romanian Bf 109E’s. A Soviet player will have the option of controlling 1 of 6 IAP’s assigned to the Stalingrad area, featuring; Yak-1’s, LaGG-3’s, La-5’s, or Yak-7b’s.
Axis Ju-52 transports and He 111 bombers will attempt to make their way through Soviet fighters and flak to airfields inside the Cauldron in an attempt to supply the German 6th Army. Dive Bombers, Ground Attack aircraft, and bombers on both sides (Ju-87’s, IL-2’s, Pe-2’s, A-20’s, and more) will attempt to engage ground forces following their historic tracks, while fighters duel overhead. Horrific losses were incurred by both sides, as some of the greatest Aces of WWII faced off in grueling air-to-air combat.
The player chooses the campaign’s duration, either 10 or 15 Missions, or they can play the entire Campaign from November 23rd through December 27th, 1942. The player draws Squadron specific Mission Cards to determine the objective of each mission, some Mission Cards are date specific to highlight important battles and/or events. The player’s flight moves across a historical map grid that encompassed the territory covered by Operations Uranus and Little Saturn, including Stalingrad and the Cauldron. Combat is executed using an “Initiative Track” for up to three rounds of combat, where pilot skill, aircraft performance, Dogfight Cards, and most importantly – player decisions, all come into play to determine the outcome.
Can you keep your squadron together, will you be successful enough to keep up their fighting spirit in the face of such daunting foes?
—description from the designer
Aviation / Flight, Wargame, World War II · Dice Rolling
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