Which brings me, directly, to the purpose of this short essay: having spent most of the previous post talking about ways to improve the German player’s prospects in STALINGRAD, I could not resist including one of my own favorite Russian set-ups, just for a little balance. I cannot confidently claim that this is the best possible opening for the Russians. However, I can say that, using this set-up or some variation of it, I have NEVER lost with the Russians, even when playing matches using play-balance options intended to substantially improve the German player’s chances..
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'STALINGRAD' Russian Opening Set-up
| 2nd Rifle (4-6-4) | U18 |
| 3rd Rifle (7-10-4) | AA15 |
| 4th Rifle (5-7-4) | S18 |
| 5th Rifle (5-7-4) | S18 |
| 8th Rifle (5-7-4) | V18 |
| 9th Rifle (5-7-4) | Z16 |
| 10th Rifle (5-7-4) | BB15 |
| 11th Rifle (4-6-4) | BB15 |
| 12th Rifle (5-7-4) | EE12 |
| 13th Rifle (5-7-4) | EE12 |
| 14th Rifle (5-7-4) | GG11 |
| 16th Rifle (4-6-4) | CC14 |
| 17th Rifle (4-6-4) | CC14 |
| 22nd Rifle (4-6-4) | KK14 |
| 24th Rifle (4-6-4) | KK14 |
| 27th Rifle (4-6-4) | LL14 |
| 28th Rifle (7-10-4) | FF11 |
| 29th Rifle (5-7-4) | KK14 |
| 35th Rifle (5-7-4) | NN14 |
| 36th Rifle (5-7-4) | NN14 |
| 37th Rifle (5-7-4) | NN15 |
| 42nd Rifle (4-6-4) | LL14 |
| 64th Rifle (5-7-4) | J31 |
| 65th Rifle (4-6-4) | G34 |
| 2nd Cav (2-6-6) | Z16 |
| 4th Cav (6-9-6) | AA15 |
| 6th Cav (5-7-6) | S18 |
| 1st Tank (4-6-6) | A38 |
| 2nd Tank (2-3-6) | X15 |
| 3rd Tank (4-6-6) | D37 |
| 4th Tank (4-6-6) | V18 |
| 6th Tank (4-6-6) | JJ12 |
| 7th Tank (2-3-6) | BB15 |
| 15th Tank (2-3-6) | NN15 |
The Soviet defense presented here is constructed so as to contest every sacred foot of Holy Russia. Only one 2-3-6 Tank corps is offered as a sacrifice on the first game turn; every other Axis attack will require one or more soak-offs. In addition, this opening attempts to limit the number of attractive low-odds gambles available to the Germans during their opening round of combat. Thus, it is not a passive “delay and defend” type of set-up. The Germans and their allies, attacking into the teeth of this defense, will be obliged to fight for every inch of ground that they gain, particularly in the first few critical game turns. Moreover, the Red Army has relegated Finland to the status of a strategic sideshow. Thus, this opening leaves only the bare minimum in the far north to contain the Finns and their German allies; instead, every unit that can be spared is set up on the Polish and Rumanian borders. These extra three to five rifle corps are deployed on the main front both to cause additional Axis soak-off losses, and to help power Soviet counterattacks when such opportunities inevitably present themselves.
I am, of course, sure that readers who take the time to examine this Russian opening will find aspects of it that they dislike or would handle differently. Nonetheless, despite its undoubted imperfections — in all the years that I have used it — this defense has never once let me down. Now, if only I could track down Joe Angiolillo …
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My board has no markings to identify hexes...Where is A1 and A2, so I can work it out from there?:)
Greetings Hipshot:
Thank you for your interest.
Your game board is not an outlier; none of the early Avalon Hill game maps had pre-printed grid coordinates. In fact, it was only with the rise of "postal" gaming (PBM) that preprinting such coordinates became common practice among game publishers. In the meantime, we all had to handprint our own maps. That being said, on to the process of gridding your 'STALINGRAD' map.
By the way, because it is always possible to mess up, I recommend that you at least start by marking your game map with pencil.
In addition, as reference points for you to double-check your work, I have included the correct grid coordinates for four cities: Helsinki - J26; Moscow - S34; Warsaw - Z13; and Stalino - II27.
Now to the job at hand ...
The actual task of "gridding" the 'STALINGRAD' map is a bit tedius, so the following instructions may seem a bit convoluted; however, trust me, experience has shown that they need to be.
To superimpose a PBM-style grid on the 'STALINGRAD' game map, start with top row of complete hexes and designate the northeasternmost (upper lefthand corner) hex as "A" and continue lettering across the top row from north to south until you reach hex "Z" which will be just south of the vertical map-fold. Next, resume lettering the hexes in sequence, but this time with "AA", "BB", etc., until you reach the southeasternmost hex which should be jointly designated as "XX/33". Next, continuing down the right side of the map designate each hex in descending order "32", "31", etc., until you reach the number "1". Your will notice,if everything is correct, that the bottom-most row of hexes (which, in my own case, I also lettered for ease of play) has no numerical values: this is correct, and has no effect on play. Finally, return to the upper left-hand corner of the game map and, starting with the hex DIRECTLY BELOW that designated as "A", mark your descending file of hexes "57", "56", "55", etc. until you reach hex number "26" which is left of and just above the word Sweden.
Although I know that all of this looks convoluted, it really isn't; it is only the fact that the bottom-most row of hexes receives no grid coordinates that makes all this somewhat counterintuitive.
I hope, having taken you on a trip "all the way around Robin Hood's barn", that this will help you grid your own 'STALINGRAD' game map.
Best Regards, Joe
Joe!
Thanks so much. I intended to cheat a bit and use plexi glass, and a chalk pencil.
But after reading this....hmm, perhaps a scan of the game then edit it in Adobe. Print and slap that bad boy on my wall and play with magnetized units.!!!
I am doing similar here: www.meshtime.com/tag/leros
I'm looking forward to being reacquainted with Stalingrad. When I was 15 I found this game, but it was quickly superseded by the new Jedko TRC that came out I think around '76-'77. IT was "new", so poor old Stalingrad never got the sort of playing it deserves based upon these fabulous articles your write. Now is the time to correct that!
Oh my name is Kevin, but the wordpress profile would not log me in.
Kevin
P.S. may I reblog your article to share with my little audience? I have already posted a link to my facebook readers. Keep up the wonderful work.
If I was stuck on the proverbial desert island, and could only have one war game, it would be the first Avalon-Hill edition of "Russian Campaign". :-)
Greetings Kevin:
I'm glad that I was able to help and that you have rediscovered this truly superb old "classic". 'STALINGRAD' may not have much going for it in the "simulation" department, but it is an excellent game for those who enjoy the Chess-like aspect of conflict simulations.
So far as your reblogging my articles is concerned, I have no objection: the more readers who see these essays the better; after all, my main goal in presenting this material is to rekindle popular interest in the many older games that, justly or unjustly, have been superceded by newer, flashier titles.
Best Regards, Joe
PS: I visited your site this morning and, based on what I saw, I have added it as link in my sidebar.
Greetings Preston:
I remember my first encounter with the Australian (Jedco) version of 'THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN' back in 1976 -- what a shock it was to see the German panzers dashing across the map after the 'dreaded" Stukas helped blow holes in my carefully prepared defenses. One thing was clear right at the outset, 'STALINGRAD' it wasn't. That being said, although I played the Avalon Hill version (in all three of its incarnations), I never developed the affection (and interest) in the game that I did with 'STALINGRAD'. The older game certainly couldn't match John Edwards' creation when it came to simulation value or sheer excitement; but it somehow lacked the "cache" and precision of the older game. I guess, when everything is said and done, I just didn't care that much for those darn Stukas!
When it comes to my own choice of a single game with which to spend my days on a desert island, that is a tough question to answer. Certainly, the Avalon Hill "classics" -- WATERLOO, AFRIKA KORPS, BULGE '65, and STALINGRAD -- would all be in the running; and, of course, I could also attempt to finally solitaire WAR IN EUROPE all the way through to the end. All of these titles certainly have appeal, however, I suspect that, when it came to actually making a final choice, I would probably fudge a little and choose one of the SPI Quadri-games (e.g., BLUE & GRAY I, NAPOLEON AT WAR, or NAPOLEON'S LAST BATTLES).
Best Regards, Joe
Greetings All:
I was a little surprised to see the renewed interest in this short STALINGRAD essay of mine, especially since it was published quite some time ago. Nonetheless, I find it more than a little gratifying to see that a surprising number of visitors still seem to appreciate the chess-like appeal of this venerable old "classic" Avalon Hill title.
In addition, I should also note (as an addendum to my original essay) that my claim of a perfect record of Russian victories using this defense is no longer valid: some years ago, in a series of "tournament style PBeM STALINGRAD matches (eg: playing with 2 extra game turns; the postal D10 CRT; and 4-5-6 Soviet Replacements), Marcus Ranalli -- with a combination of positional acumen and perfectly-timed audacity -- succeeded in beating my Russians, not once, but twice in an extended series of matches. That being the case, I can no longer claim that this defense is undefeated; on the other hand, its success rate -- while not perfect -- is still over 99%.
Best Regards, Joe
I like your defense. It is very interesting and similar in idea to the one I gravitated to using after I came to the conclusion that the "Finnish Gambit" defenses are all wrong and flawed. BTW, I am writing this in 2023.
I have always felt that lining up significant forces along the Finnish border gives the Germans the only chance they have of making a quick advance out of Poland, and not a single inch of the first defense line should be given up without forcing expensive soakoffs. Like you, I came to the conclusion long ago that the battle can won early by delaying the Germans in the center the maximum amount and it is time that cannot be made up. I have found that the first 6-9 game turns are critical, and if the German does not make significant gains then it will be over. Keeping the Germans bottled up past the first reinforcement on the restricted 1st defense line is the key to success. I have never considered the long-term threat from Finland credible.
I find the 7-10-4 at FF11 to be unique and highly aggressive. Holding the lower San and the San-Bug gap strongly will keep the Germans bottled up in the south for a long time. There are, of course, no significant weaknesses in the set-up. I have a friend who would probably hit the 4-6-4 in U18 from U17 at 4-1 with his 8-8-6s, but he uses his "special die" (which never rolls a 2).
The 2-3-6 at BB15 looks like an attempt to get someone to hit it at 2-1 while also making three soaks, which would be very expensive and foolhardy for team blue.
Given the set-up a 1-2 vs Leningrad is not out of the question although I am not one of them low-odds guys. The German could also put all his armor in position to attack FF11 on turn in combo with a soak from Hungary, but I suspect the defense would be rearranged putting it out of play for 3-4 turns.
If I were the German I wouldn't like facing this D as there are few viable options. Assaulting the Brest position by hitting CC14 is something I love to see when I'm playing red as it gives great counterattacking possibilities. In the end I'd probably just have to keep all my armor in the center, be patient, and hope for a screw-up.
My own defense is different only in that I put the 6-9-6 in the bend of the Prut, two 7-10-4s in Brest, and 4-6-6s in J31 and J33 ignoring the Finnish front almost completely, with rest of the cavalry and armor poised to strike back if blue actually attacks out of Finland. All my 6 movement pieces are on the wings and I defend the Prut line intentionally weakly in order to get the Germans to mass their armor there. If he falls for it I simply drop back to the 3-1 proof line on the Dnestr and keep all my extra units available defending on interior lines between Lwow and Cernauti. Now the German armor in the south can only be relieved by a slow push across the San, or he will be forced to make 2-1s or worse on the Dnestr, a Soviet player's dream.
Generally my opponents all decide on the slow push through the Nemunas-Bug gap and Brest often holds out to turn 5-6 or later. Without significant Russian errors it's usually an easy win.
Thanks for posting your setup. I will try a couple solo games against it.
Greetings Anthony:
Thank you for visiting and for your insightful commentary. It is obvious that you have played this great old Avalon Hill classic extensively, and that your experience and study has given you a deep understanding of the game's rhythm and dynamics.
As a final thought, I am hopeful that you are still able to find knowledgeable STALINGRAD opponents with whom to compete; however, if this is a problem, let me know and I'll see what I can do about putting you in touch with a few other expert players that I personally know who are still active in the hobby.
Best regards, Joe