The German massed a strong strike force against the sector containing Ponyri Station in the Battle of Kursk.
World War II
World War II (WWII, WW2, or Second World War) was fought between opposing military alliances – the Allies and the Axis – from 1939 to 1945. The war spanned large chunks of the globe and was both the the largest and deadliest conflict in history. Over 30 different countries fought during the war including all the great powers. More than 100 million people served in military units. Between 50-75 million people died – largely civilians.
I’ve material on the national contributions from Spain, New Zealand, and France. I also cover the battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kharkov, Kursk, and Tarnopol.
Ponyri Station and Hill 253.5 – The Northern Sector of the Battle of Kursk
Hit the Dirt, the supplement for Crossfire, has a scenario set at Ponyri on the northern flank of the Kursk Salient during WW2. It is one of my favourites and I’ve played it several times. But it was obvious that there was a much bigger story behind the brief outline in the HTD. I wanted to find out more. It seems Ponyri Station was the focus of heavy fighting and was viewed as a “little Stalingrad”.
Waterborne Troops in Crossfire
Some musing on waterborne troops in Crossfire. Standard Crossfire doesn’t cover this. See also my musing on crossing rivers.
Hills – By Tank into Normandy
Stuart Hills (2002) was a Second Lieutenant in the Nottinghamshire (Sherwood Rangers) Yeomanry during the fighting in North-West Europe in 1944-45 (during World War II). He commanded number 4 troop in C Squadron and his book provides some interesting potential scenarios for smaller games.
WW2 Painting Guide: Russian / Soviet Infantry
This is my WW2 Painting Guides for Soviet Infantry. I was puzzled by Soviet Infantry uniforms of World War II for a while because two mates of mine, Roland and Ian, both of whom know their stuff, painted Russians in completely different colours. Apparently this is okay.
Race Through Normandy – A Crossfire Campaign
This three round Crossfire campaign simulates both the fighting in the bocage in Normandy, June 1944, but also the competitive spirit prevailing between the American and British / Commonwealth forces fighting in Europe. Nominally the campaign represents the Canadian drive on Caen and the US drive on St Lo. It is a version of the Race for … X Campaign.
“Race for … X” Crossfire Campaign
A Race for … X mini-campaign can be used anywhere where two friendly forces are competing to reach the same objective – the “X” of the title. The campaign mechanisms are based on some work by Martin Rapier as modified by Huda (2003). I have tried to make it more generic than either of the originals, and also show how to apply the mechanisms in Crossfire.
Race Through Normandy – Crossfire Order of Battle
The forces in each session of the Race Through Normandy Campaign have to be arranged so the Allies have about 2 to 1 odds in terms of points – the Allies are expected to win, although it might be tough. What follows is the Orbat for a Huge campaign.
Urban Combat in WW2
Submitted by “Mage” on the Spearhead discussion forum
3 Round Kursk: A 3 Game Campaign for Crossfire
This is a 3 Round Campaign set at Kursk in 1943 and Crossfire as the tactical rules.
Krasny Bor Campaign: Phase 2 – Consolidate gains
Phase 2 of the Krasny Bor Campaign is for consolidation and each Soviet player has different objectives. It ends at 13.00 hours and is fought on the Rear tables.
Krasny Bor Campaign: Phase 1 – Break the line
Phase 1 of the Krasny Bor Campaign is the Soviet attempt to breakthrough the Spanish Front Line troops and get as many troops as possible into the Spanish rear for use in Phase 2. It starts at 08.00 hours and is fought on the Front tables.
Krasny Bor Campaign – A Crossfire Campaign featuring the Blue Division
In mid-2003 the guys at the Shed asked me to set up a scenario for a weekend bash. The parameters they outlined were: WW2, Crossfire, 8-9 players (optional umpire), 4 tables, 2 real days of gaming, and BIG. Krasny Bor appealed to me for a number of reasons:
- It involves the Spanish Blue Division
- It is very BIG
- There aren’t many tanks
- It is seemingly one-sided, and I wondered if I could still make it a good game.