I hope that you enjoy this departure from the Europa norm. I do not claim that all of the preceding reflects precisely what I think would really happen in a Soviet surprise offensive, or that it makes for a balanced campaign. I have, no doubt, overestimated Soviet abilities to mount an attack on the German forces.

On the other hand, if I put down what I consider to be the actual capabilities of the peace-time Soviet Army to jump up and attack the combat- experienced Luftwaffe and Panzer troops, no Soviet player would ever try it!

If nothing else, this scenario should provide a bit of a change of pace for the perennial German or Soviet player. For the German, there is the novelty of reacting to Soviet moves in the summer of 1941 (if the German has had to do that in a regular game, he should quietly pack his copy of the game away and never never open it again).

For the Soviet player, this ~~ight be your one chance to plan and execute a turn of completely offensive operations without having to let your German opponent hammer at you for two years first. Be forewarned. I doubt that any Soviet offensive will last very long. While the Soviet Strategic Reserve and Border Forces field slightly more divisions than the Axis (Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania), there is a severe difference in average and maximum combat strength per stack which will inevitably tell VERY quickly.

The Soviet reinforcement charts as revised here for "Groza" DO NOT reflect all the changes required to bring the original FitE and SE OBs up to date with all the material that has become available in the last few years. "Glasnost" has expanded the material available enormously. I have chosen not to make comprehensive revisions now because much of the research, especially in regards to the Soviet military reserves and schools and the naval bases and coast defense guns, is still not complete. When it is complete (1992 target date) you will find a lot more Soviet infantry and armor replacements later in the war, a lot more "ant"-like units early in the war, and a lot more variation in how units form.

Nonetheless, there are a lot of (relatively) minor changes to the Groza Soviet reinforcement charts from the original FitE/SE charts. That's because I can't resist tinkering with the system, and even though research is still ongoing, there are some elements, like the change in the handling of the Soviet cavalry, that I really think make the game more realistic and deserve to be tried. Feel free to throw out all the changes that you may have a problem with and go with the original Soviet SE OB/Reinforcement Chart and unit strengths if you desire. After all, the first rule is that you enjoy yourself! I have also made some effort to reflect some of the probable changes which might result from a Soviet offensive against the Axis.

A rifle division with its unit ID in parentheses (287) indicates the historical designation of some recentlydiscovered "new" Soviet divisions which were formed during the war. These units' designations duplicate those of other divisions already in play. For game purposes, you can use any 3-6 rifle division from the replacement pool. (Counters are also provided on the inside front cover of this issue.)

The designation of cavalry units as "(X)" indicates they are of that size (brigade), but not necessarily that title. Wartime Soviet cavalry divisions were very small "divisions": 3447 men at full strength, or about the strength of a brigade. They are treated here just as the antiaircraft divisions are treated later in the war. They have the title of a division, but are only 1 RE and treated as a brigade for all other purposes. Try playing this way, with each 3-8 Cav XX as a 2-1-8* Cav X for game purposes, and allowing all cavalry units half movement during the exploitation phase.

You should find yourself using them much more like cavalry, and less like "fast rifle" troops. Also note some cavalry units were better than others. The 50th and 52nd became two of the first Guards units, and on one occasion almost singlehandedly chopped up a German infantry division.

The early Guards formations were usually even weaker than the units they were formed from, since a unit frequently received Guards status after being shot to pieces! The 6-6 Guards rifle divisions should appear later in the war, when the divisions receive extra artillery regiments, rockets, and self-propelled guns. I have no idea why the Guards Mot XXs were the only large Soviet formations to get a 10 movement rating in Fire in the East. Their motorization level and training certainly don't deserve it, and thus my suggested change.

Most of the non-border NKVD formations are considered to be in garrison duty in the interior while I research their status and actual usage further.

At 14,000 men, 2 artillery regiments, and attached tank battalion, the 7-6 Rifle XX 32 (w) is a classic full-strength prewar rifle division.

Many of the AT Xs listed in 1941 were in fact formed entirely with 76mm guns and so were actually light artillery units. I have separated these light artillery units from regular artillery, of which there were virtually no new units formed until late 1941. Light artillery has full ATEC, and so are shown in the counter mix in the front of this issue as AT units.

There is a considerable difference in firepower between the BM-8 and the BM-13 rockets. I have divided them into light (2-1-8) and medium (3-1-8) regiments accordingly.

If the Soviets mounted a surprise attack on the Axis, it is likely that no Lend-Lease activity would start before March 1942. For simplicity, Operation Groza factors Lend-Lease out of the scenario.

Operation Groza Stalin's Thunderstorm

Introduction and Rules
Axis Order of Battle
Soviet Order of Battle
Designer's Notes
Developer's Notes
A Few Disclaimers More
From the Editor