Der Kessel (German for "the cauldron") approaches the final German defeat at Stalingrad in the winter of 1942-43 in a rather new way. Most games about this campaign end when this one begins, about the time when the hope for a successful overland relief effort was waning.

Because the historical situation was grim at this point, why play a game about the final month-and-a-­half of the encirclement? Can such a game teach us anything about the historical campaign, let alone be fun to play?

Conventional interpretations suggest General Paulus carries blame for the demise of Sixth Army there on the Volga. His refusal to order a breakout attempt while there was still time to do so is viewed with astonishment. When it was clear to him that his troops were doomed, why did Paulus continue to stay put rather than try and force his way out toward German lines?

We might say that there was no justification for his actions. game designers have simulated the situation by creating "idiocy rules" that force players into historical courses of action. In Der Kessel, the assumption has been to construct the situation based on the facts as they were perceived by the original combatants, not by later analysts.

If, by mid-December 1942, the situation of the Sixth Army had become so horrendous that it was impossible for them to survive, then a game on the subject would be uninteresting. But in spite of the long odds facing them, Paulus, the German leadership, and the Soviets did not adopt such an assumption.

Der Kessel thrusts the gamer into the historical situation as it existed in mid-December 1942. Are the odds stacked against the Germans? Obviously. Was the situation completely hopeless? Not necessarily. Even if we assume that the position of the trapped army was hopeless, there is still the broader question about the strategic situation that existed along the front. Losing a quarter of a million soldiers might be terrible, but rash action might be even worse: the deterioration of the entire front around the Caucasus. Your job is the same as Paulus' -- do your best with a bad situation.

The game system is able to simulate the Soviet actions, given the fact that their side is not faced with many decisions. For them, it is simply a matter of tightening the noose while keeping the encirclement intact. The German side, though, is faced with several interesting options. How should the perimeter be maintained? How should limited resources be spent? And what about the breakout attempt that in real life never occurred? The gamer, in Paulus' position, has to deal with these issues.

The turns are not labeled with actual dates. This was done to discourage players from thinking, "This is December l8th, so such-and-such should be happening." Approach the game as it unfolds. Take advantage of fortunate developments and roll with the punches when inopportune things happen. Try to grab the prize of escape, should it ever present itself.

Place yourself in the position of the German leadership within the pocket. You have been promised supplies, and you have been promised that reinforcements will arrive. You may have wellfounded doubts about the success of both the airlift and the relief column, but their existence demonstrates that your army has not been written off by those on the outside.

The feelings of the trapped commanders may have been similar to the British leadership directing the evacuation at Dunkirk in 1940. The successful operation off the coast of France came to be called the "Miracle at Dunkirk," but had the evacuation met with calamity, what might have been said?

Hindsight prompts us to prefer foregone conclusions: at Dunkirk, expect a miracle; at Stalingrad, do not. Don't equate the odds of the Stalingrad encirclement with any other military operation. The results of this military defeat could have been otherwise.

Should Paulus have rejected his orders? Perhaps, but hindsight was not available to the original participants, and neither should it be for the player.

THE HISTORICAL SITUATION

The Germans launched operation Fall Blau in Southern Russia at the end of June 1942. Among its objectives was the eventual capture of Stalingrad, Stalin's namesake on the Volga River. The specific German thrust toward the industrial city began in July. The push was spearheaded by the Sixth Army, under the command of General Friedrich Paulus.

Initial Axis overland success eventually bogged down into a battle of attrition upon reaching Stalingrad. The savage struggle for the city dragged on into the autumn months, with the Sixth Army never achieving complete control. As more emphasis was placed upon capturing Stalingrad, the Axis flanks to the north and south of the city were left perilously thin, held mainly by Rumanian and Italian units.

On November 19,1942, the Soviets launched Operation Uranus, a counterattack designed to break through the Axis' allies on either side of Stalingrad and cut off German troops in and around the city. The attack was quite successful, and on November 23, Soviet units from the north pincer met with those of the south to complete the encirclement. Sixth Army consisting of slightly more than 250,000 men was now completely surrounded and trapped in an oblong pocket that measured twenty by thirty-five miles.

Faced with such a grave situation, Hitler ordered Paulus to stand fast and defend the pocket instead of breaking out toward German lines. Had the Sixth Army been allowed to withdraw early on, most of it would have escaped. Instead, the Fuhrer insisted on retaining the hardearned gains of the autumn.

The stage for the end game was now set. The plan was to supply the trapped divisions by air until relief arrived from the outside. Paulus needed 500 tons of supplies delivered per day if his army was to.continue functioning property. In spite of many warnings that such a massive airlift was not possible, Goering gave assurances that it would be accomplished, and so it was agreed that Sixth Army must stay where they were. Paulus obeyed orders and hoped the promises would materialize.

Unfortunately for the trapped army, Operation Wintersturm featuring the relief force that was approaching the pocket from the south-west under the command of General Hermann Hoth was turned back by the Soviets. The airlift, hampered by poor weather and other factors, was not delivering adequate supplies. Surrounded, low on supplies, and wondering whether relief would ever arrive, Paulus'orders remained the same: hold on until relief arrives.

Complicating the picture was the German strategic situation that was less than stable. Time and again, Paulus appealed for freedom of action, but was told of the invaluable service his army was performing simply by holding out and standing firm. At least the many Soviet formations that were tied down in the encirclement could not attack elsewhere. Players will almost certainly recognize this situation while playing the game. The time may come when a breakout should be gambled, but such an attempt would have to be made in view of its strategic ramifications, as well as its probability of success.

In the actual campaign, supplies never met the levels needed for survival. Hoth's relief force never arrived, and Paulus wavered about ordering a breakout on his own until it was too late to do anything. The Soviets'final offensive, Operation Koltso, began in mid-January, 1943, and it quickly rolled back the defenders. The Germans retreated towards Stalingrad, and the end came when the approximately 100,000 surviving men of the onceproud army surrendered during the first week of February, 1943. Paulus, promoted to Field Marshal just before his surrender, has shouldered much of the responsibility of the debacle at Stalingrad, especially in his handling of its final weeks. Could you do better?

THE GAME DESIGN

Der Kessel is more of a game than a simulation. This means that its primary goal is to be playable and fun; imparting knowledge about the actual campaign is an important but secondary concern.

German units are not individually rated according to historical strengths, but are assumed to have common ability, only two kinds of Weather are assumed, which are randomly instead of historically determined; Pitomnik and Gumrak are the only airfields of consequence on the map; game turns, as previously mentioned, are not tied to specific dates; combat is resolved simply, without resorting to odds calculation; the chit draws add some chrome by randomly generating events that could have occurred, and so on. The game adopts a macro approach. This permits players to explore overall strategy instead of worrying about tactical concerns.

You will not be concerned, for instance, with how many tanks are operational in the 24th Panzer division on any given day, or how many rounds of ammunition are located at any particular supply dump. Rather, the use of abstracted values (for things such as supplies, Initiative Points, and wounded men) and Indexes (for the Strategic Situation and Final Offensive) ensure that the effects of these things are acknowledged, Though abstract, they are broadly historical, yet remain simple enough to enable players to grasp the significance of developments almost immediately.

SOME BASIC STRATEGIES

There are a few basic strategies of Der Kessel to explore. Some important ideas, however, must be kept in mind.

First, having Sixth Army successfully break out will not mean much if the overall strategic situation is in shambles, A balancing act between doing what is best for your trapped men and what is best for the front must always be acknowledged; your actions have a direct role in how the strategic situation develops.

Second, although your position is tough, there are actions you can take to help your situation. A proper understanding of your possible Actions, their cost in supplies and initiative Points, and the reason for preferring one Action over another is very helpful during planning and execution.

Third, whatever course you chart, realize that once the Soviet Final Offensive begins, you will be hard pressed to hold on for long. Whatever you do, do it quickly before it is too late.

There are four main strategies: breakout, stay put, consolidate the pocket, and watch and wait keeping your options open.

BREAKOUT

Attempting a Breakout is the riskiest of the four strategies presented, but it has the highest chance of giving you a Decisive Victory. It requires first, that you get Freedom of Action. Once gained, successful Conference Appeals; good Weather; and high Commitments, and die rolls, from the Relief Force and Airlift are required.

Consolidate your Panzers and Motorized units at the tip of your forces arm closest to the impending Hoth link up. Drive south as fast as the Soviets will let you. You'll need most of your supplies for movement and advancing after combat, so try to make your attacks with three Panzers and no more than one extra Supply. With this strategy, you're trying to end the game fast, while the SSI is still in good shape. Use leftover IPs to build PDMs along the arm of attack. This will mitigate the chances that a Soviet attack will cut off the arm and spoil the link up.

STAYING PUT

Sixth Army will remain a defensive force as long as it can hold an expanded perimeter. Holding out and playing it safe is also beneficial to the strategic situation of the entire front.

If either the relief force or the airlift is successful, you could win the game by employing strictly defensive means, but you cannot count on this happening. You must either count on the Luftwaffe providing yu the supplies you need to delay the Final Offensive or Hoth to rescue you.

The primary disadvantage of this strategy is the looming Soviet Final Offensive. Sixteen turns is a long time to wait without its exploding on the scene. Your army won't likely survive such an offensive for long. The Soviets have too much manpower for you to handle.

Begin by pursuing Airlift Appeals and building as many PDMs as possible. Counterattack only as necessary to shore up your lines. You'll have a long wait, so starving a few units early can permit you to feed the rest later.

if you adopt this strategy and win, congratulate yourself on being a good soldier who knows how to obey orders. if you are less fortunate, prepare to be vilified as lacking flexibility, initiative, and common sense.

CONSOLIDATING THE POCKET

This is a risky variation of Staying Put. If Freedom of Action is gained early in the game, you can withdraw your troops to a tighter perimeter, one that might be held when the Soviet Offensive hits.

Your troops will slowly abandon areas 23, 24, 22,21, and 20, while attacking areas 58,60, 59, 31, 32, 37, 34, 36, 35, and if you're a masochist, 34. All attacks are made with Panzers to minimize supply use, and are spread over the eight to ten turns it will take the Soviets to put the Final Offensive together.

The advantage of this strategy is to minimize the areas the Soviets will have to attack, leaving you with the possibility of defending yourself from the Final Offensive until a late game Surrender will still leave you with the win.

The disadvantages include the removal of any possibility of Hoth rescuing you, and the unlikelyhood of you having the supplies to force all of the numerous retreats you need to pull this off.

Start by pursuing Freedom of Action Appeals for the first turn or two. If you gain Freedom of Action, switch to Airlift Appeals for the rest of the game. You'll need the supplies to move and attack.

WATCH AND WAIT

This strategy centers around holding the perimeter until the situation permits attempting a breakout or requires you to shore up your defenses and pull back. The breakout is the more desireable alternative. The key is to wait for the proper time to launch a breakout. Reaching the optimal time would involve waiting until the relief force is within close striking distance of the pocket, perhaps box four or five, and then attacking outward to achieve a link up.

The problem is there is no guarantee the conditions it anticipates will ever be obtained. Hoth or Hollidt might never get as close as necessary. At that point, the decision is between following through with playing defense the rest of the game or trying a breakout anyway.

Leaving yourself in a position to launch an attack also leaves you vulnerable to Soviet attacks. Your force is neither very offensive, and consequently able to easily break through Soviet lines, nor is it protected well enough to withstand the constant Soviet harassment.

Your Appeals might center around Conferences at first, and Freedom of Action if they go well.

You might, as Paulus was, be faced with a bad plan or a worse one. In that event, the bad plan staying put might be your best choice.

CONCLUSION

You may try and be content with bettering Paulus' historical score, which in game terms was 4 points. That is, if you score more than that, you can get some kind of satisfaction even if you do not win the game.

if you have a friend who is an Eastern Front fanatic who thinks that Paulus was an imbecile, entice him or her to play Der Kessel. Feel free to make gratuitous, condescending comments whenever you think it appropriate during the game.

The Stalingrad campaign was arguably one of the key turning points of the Second World War, and the demise of the German Sixth Army was its climax.

Historically, there were dreamers in the German command structure who thought that Paulus could hold out until Easter - about twenty more turns. What would it have taken for this to be realistic? How many more divisions or supplies or good weather or successful appeals or other factors would it take before you felt confident with your defense?

CREDITS

Designer: Gary W. Graber
Development: Jon Compton, Keith Schlesinger
Playtesting: Carl Forhan, Danny Holte, Eric Pass, Timothy Tow
Graphics: Jon Compton, Mike Anderson

Der Kessel: The Cauldron at Stalingrad Solitaire Game of WWII Combat

Stalingrad: The End Game
Game Rules
Game Charts (Tables A-H)
Large Game Maps (very slow: 344K)
Jumbo Game Maps (monstrously slow: 1.356Mb)
Game Counters (large: very slow 303K)
Game Counters (jumbo: monstrously slow 995K)