Павутина Манштейна: Третя битва за Харків

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After the defeat of the German forces at Stalingrad in January 1943, the Red Army launched a large-scale winter offensive, broke through the front in multiple sectors, and liberated a significant part of Left-Bank Ukraine, including Kharkiv. However, the Soviet forces were exhausted, overstretched, and experiencing supply problems. The German command, on the contrary, rapidly redeployed elite motorized formations to the south. Hitler demanded that the front be stabilized at any cost and that the strategic initiative be regained.

In February 1943, Field Marshal Erich von Manstein launched an operation to restore the front in the southern sector, striking Soviet armies that had advanced too far forward. Taking advantage of the weak coordination between Soviet formations, the Germans destroyed part of the Red Army forces near Krasnohrad and Lozova and began a rapid push toward Kharkiv. After several days of fierce fighting, on March 14–15, 1943, the Soviet forces were forced to abandon the city.

The game Павутина Манштейна is dedicated to the winter campaign in the southern part of the Soviet Union, specifically the Third Battle of Kharkiv, which lasted from January to the end of March 1943. Two players take part in the game: one controls the German forces and the forces of their Italian, Romanian, and Hungarian allies, while the other commands the Soviet forces.

Note: Players will need to have a two six-sided die.

• One 42,0 x 59,4 cm (A1) map
• 1 countersheet
• 1 player aid sheets
• Rules booklet