Stalingrad Pocket still leads the pack of the Gamers' top 10 sellers by numbers of overall sales since its release in 1992 and has brought in the third best income to date. Overall, SCS 5-01 and 01a are still the flagships of the SCS with a not inconsiderable base of owners of the original edition, due to the extremely popular and easy-to-play move and shoot system used in the Standard Combat Series.

Stalingrad has always been a favorite for many gamers due to the pivotal role it played during World War 2. While Kursk may have decimated the Panzerwaffe, this particular battle tilted the balance of forces towards the Soviets. This shift occurred mainly because of the loss of the experienced veterans of the Sixth Army and also because of the not insignificant equipment losses suffered, which were enough to equip approximately two full Armies.

The following changes rectify the minor shortcomings of the widely purchased original version. These minor shortcomings, while they do mar the historical accuracy of the game, certainly do not ruin the flavor of the game. The revisions allow the dedicated gamer to play it as close as possible to the historical set up without requiring an upgrade to the second edition. Additionally, they do not significantly affect the balance of play as there is benefits for both sides. These revisions apply to applicable units for both scenarios 1 and 3. No new units are required for the majority of these revisions or additions.

As a product of the Canadian "superior" education system, I revisit Dean's answer (Ops 6) to the Canadian solution and correct a set-up error. I not only agree with Dean's answer [regarding echelon setup] but propose that its use should be mandatory to maintain play balance. Lastly I toss in some optional rules which allow the players to explore the effects of different variants upon the historical outcome.

Revisions and Additions

Correct placement and strength of 14th Pz Division. Other than KG Seyd / 14 Pz (1-2-9) [Inf.] which was assisting in Stalingrad, the balance of the 14th Pz was refitting and resting West of the Don River. Its strength is overestimated at (11-159) as compared to the 16th Pz (10-9-9) and 24th Pz (8-9-9) which have been holding the line north of Stalingrad and have not been heavily involved in the street fighting. Therefore the 14th Pz should be comprised of KG Ludw/14 Pz (4~9) [Mech.] (equates toa3-2-9 [Arm] and 1-2-9 [Inf.]), KGSaur/14Pz (3-29) [Arm], KG Seyd /14 Pz (1-2-9) [Inf.] and KG v.Br/ 14 Pz (1-39) [Inf.].

Since the 14th Pz was equipped with Pz Mk IIIs, as was the 23rd Pz, this brings their strengths into line as both had approximately similar numbers of tanks. Therefore, 14th Pz comprised of Pz Regt 36 (6~9) and PG Regts 103 and 108 (2) 9 [= 2 x 1-2-9] and 1-~9) which is comparable to the 23rd Pz with Pz Regt 201 (6-5-9) and PG Regts 128 (3~9) and 126 (2+ 9). The reduced attack strength of the infantry regiments in the 14th Pz is in line with the troop losses suffered during the street fighting in Stalingrad, which have not been made up due to the demands for replacement troops for the main battle for the city.

The nominal full strength of a PG Regt is (4-9) as seen in 110/11 Pz, 60/16 Mtr and 156/16 Mtr.

Revision:

KGs Saur /14 Pz and v.Br /14 Pz can set up 2 /2 26.31.

Corrected strength of 22nd Pz Division. KG v Op/22 Pz (4-3-9) [Arm] only represents the understrength Pz Regt 204, due to some tanks being out of order due to mice chewing the wiring, and portions of various support units like Pz Art Regt 140 and Pz Aufk 140. PG Regts 129 and 140 are not represented. PG Regt 140 was detached to the 2nd Arrny but PG Regt 129 was present and can be represented by KG Sbru. This division has been stahonary for 2 months and therefore the PG Regt would have at least a medium attack strength due to some replacements filtering in.

Revision:

KG Sbru /14 Pz (249) [Inf.] represents PG Regt 129/22 Pz and sets up w/2 17.09.

Proper strength of the German 11th Corps. To represent the various attached units, including a Nebelwerfer unit and a recce battalion add the 245 AG Bn /51 Corps (2-~9) to the 11 th Corps. This also solves the oversupply of assault guns to the 51 Corps. The current strength of the 8th Corps already reflects the inclusion of the various artillery and assault gun units that were present.

Revision:

245 AG Bn/51 Corps sets up w/2 of German area 5.

Historical garrison in Kalach-na-Don. During the Russian advance, forward units of the 26th Tank Corps were unable to capture Kalach until the main forces caught up due to the presence of various units of the 71 Div /51 Corps including the Antitank Bn, Antiaircraft Bn and miscellaneous troops within the town proper. To represent this set up 211/71/51 Regt in Kalach [34.18] with no adverse effect on the "Hitler Directive."

Revision:

211/,71/51 Corps sets up in34.18.

Army Group A "Don" Reserve. The nominal, and only, unit immediately available as the Army Group Reserve was the 326th Bicycle Bn (1-1-6) which will require a new counter. As per the Historical location the unit was located in NizhneChirskaya [37.10].

Addendum:

326 Byc Bn sets up in 37.10.

Army Group A "Don" Stockpiles and Headquarters 6th Army. Tormosin [39.04] contained the main stockpiles of Army Group Don while the 6th Army Headquarters was situated in Golubinskii [30.20] when the Russian offensive began. To represent this place 4 supply units in Tormosin and 1 in Golubinskii. This represents the accumulation of accessible stocks at these locations. Any supply units that are received from airlift die rolls are taken from those still in Tormosin.

Additionally, due to the catastrophic effect on front line units in this region of the Russian front, if Tormosin is occupied by the Russians at any point in the game all Axis forces suffer Out-of-Supply effects, per rule 1.4, every odd turn following the turn of capture.

At the same time, the airfield at Gumrack was never a factor in the airlift as is was unsuitable for landings by JU-52s and most of those that tried to land there crashed. Therefore, Pitomnik should be the only airfield usable for airlifting supplies. The counter for Gumrak can therefore be used to represent the garrison of the Tormosin supply depot for local defense capability.

Revision:

Place 4 supply units in 39.04 and 1 supply unit in 30.20.

The Gumrack airfield counter sets up in 39.04 to represent the Tormosin garrison.

German Stiffeners for the Rumanian III Army. The Germans' "bolster tactics" to shore up the non-German divisions in the northern flow of the Don bend consisted of interspersing a few German antitank battalions, armed with 75mm AT guns, amongst the Rumanian divisions. "These units were intended to stand fast in an attempt to limit the enemy's depth of penetration in the event of a Russian breakthrough" (Tarrant, p.90) and therefore possessed limited mobility. These antitank Bns were distributed in packets of 6 guns per Rumanian infantry division with limited infantry support.

To represent these stiffener units we can use the 7 Alert Bns from the turn 7 to 9 reinforcement schedule, represent these by Be-H Bns. These can be joined by the 3 Brigade Headquarters for supply purposes (and to represent German antitank Bn command groups with a packet of AT guns and limited infantry defense) as they are deleted from the 2nd version, although those commanders did take part in shoring up the Chir River front, as are the tum 7 Alert Bns. By setting them up in the following fashion they approximate the packet distribution along the front of the Rumanian III Army.

Revision:

All the following units must, and can, be set up in supply with HQs on track or road hexes. Only 1 Alert Bn can be stacked with Rumanian units up to the stacking limits and cannot set up with any other German unit for initial set up only.

Spang HQ and 1 Be-H Bn set up w /2 of Rumanian units on or behind Set up Area 1.

Stahel HQ and 3 Be-H Bns set up w /3 of Rumanian units on or behind Set up Area 2.

(The extra unit and set up radius allow for an AT unit detached from the 1 R Pz Div.)

2 Be-H Bns set up w /2 of Rumanian units on or behind Set up Area 3.

Stmpfld HQ and 1 Be-H Bn set up w /2 of Rumanian units on or behind Set up Area 4.

The Chir River. The Chir River is, as per the second edition, a Medium River. It is large, but not uncrossable, and a unit could fight across it with limited strength.

Revision:

The Terrain Effects for the Chir River are revised as follows

MP Cost - +5 (+8).
- Combat Effect - Ax 1/3.

Minor Town and Ciq Defense Effects. Some of the villages on the map are actually Minor Towns which add the defensive value, or in the case of Beketovka triple the defensive value. Additionally, some of the cities only double or triple the defensive value. These changes can be incorporated without having to redraw the existing map.

Revision:

Note the following defensive values in the following hexes.

Dx3Beketovka [42.28], Kotelnikovo [52-04], Nizhne- Chirskaya [37.10], liovinskaya [25.30] and Serafimovich [11.18]
Dx2Tormosin [39.03], Kalach-na-Don [34.18]and Bokovskaya [11.04].
Dx1.5Aksai [53.18], Abganerovo [51.21], Prodovitoe [51.24], Gromoslavka [44.15], Krasnoarmeisk [44.29], Pervomaiskii [38.14], Pitomnik [38.27], Karpovka [37.24], Erzovka [37.34], Verkhne-Chriskii [36.12], Marinovka [36.22], Vertyochii [32.25], Peskovatka [31.24], Chernyshkovskii [30.01], Oblivskaya [30.06], Surovikino [30.10], Golubinskii [30.20], Panshino [30.28], Osinovka [27.20], Osikinskii [24.20], Blizhoyaya Perekopka [22.22], Lipovskii [20.01], Malo-Kletskii [19.19], Perekopka [19.22], Perelazovskii [18.11], Korotkovskii [15.13], Blinovskii [14.10] and Bolishoi (home of the Ballet?) [12.11].

Mandatory use of 2nd Echelon set up "Cracking the Code." The second-echelon setup was put forward by Dean in "Cracking the Code" (Operations 6, 1992). It was intended to rectify the Soviet ability to incorrectly set up their whole army behind the lines and perform an unending number of lowodds overruns of the Rumanian line. This Soviet ability to rip the Rumanian line apart on turn 1 was aptly termed the Canadian solution as it was developed by Ken Hole and Keith Martens of the Canadian Wargamers Journal. As Dean pointed out, this does not "reflect the way the game was intended to be played" as the Soviet units of this time were usually deployed in the front line.

Unfortunately "Cracking the Code" contains one error. When following the Soviet stacking restrictions for the 21st Army, of four second-echelon units there are 3 units left over which cannot be set up according to the restrictions. Therefore, the limit for the 21st Army would have to be changed to 7 units in the 2nd Echelon, as confirmed by Dean. 11x rules are reprinted below with the revision incorporated.

Erratum #12:

First echelon forces must set up on an area set up line. Second-echelon forces may set up anywhere in the army's area as per the original setups. Second-echelon forces may set up on the start line as they are not required to be in the rear. The second echelon for each army is given as a number of counters where one counter equals one counter regardless of step size or strength.

Number of counters allowed to be designated second echelon: (scenarios 1 and 3 only)

1 Gds Army, 66 Army: 2
65 Army, 24 Army: 3
62 Army, 64 Army, 57 Army, 51 Army: 4
21 Army: 7
5 Tank Army: 9

Optional Rules

Replacements of German Infantry Losses. The 5 Urz. Alert Bns were comprised of Returned Leave Personnel (Urlauberziige). As these were experienced combat trained troops they would be able to integrate into an existing combat unit with minimal delay. To represent this ability they can replace German infantry losses only when in the same hex as a damaged infantry unit, and not adjacent to Soviet units, for 1 full turn without moving.

Addendum:

Urz. Bns can replace German infantry losses only when in the same hex as a damaged Infantry unit, not adjacent to Soviet units, for 1 full turn without moving.

Here Come the Croatians. The 369K Croatian Regiment was an independent unit attached to the 100th Jager (Light) Division. As a Light Division it normally had only two Regiments but had the 369K attached for the urban fighting in Stalingrad. As it is nominally an independent unit, and with the Croatian penchant for independent thinking, it would not be bound by the "Hitler Directive" and could leave the 51 Corps area without violating the directive. Additionally, to reflect its actual strength it should be upgraded (as per the 2nd version) to front (205) and back (1-3-5) which will require a new counter.

Addendum:

The 369K (2~5/1-3-5) can leave the 51 Corps area without violating the "Hitler Directive."

OKH Emergeng Reserve. A hypothetical unit immediately available as the OKH Reserve was KG v.Fox (1-2-6) a Falschirmjager (Parachute) air dropable unit, of which a counter was provided with the 1997 Christmas variant counter set.

Note: To represent the German operational tactic of jumping with all their heavy weapons, anything larger than a pistol, in canisters the Unit has no combat value on the turn of landing and has its reverse side [v.Fox Drop Hex] placed face up for that turn only. This represents the time it takes the unit to organize and retrieve its weapons. Should a Russian unit move through or into the Drop Hex counter the unit is removed as a casualty. The following turn the unit is flipped to its front side and functions normally for the remainder of the game.

Addendum:

KG v.Fox (1-2-6/v.Fox Drop Hex)lands anywhere behind the Axis lines during turn 2.

Common Sense Prevails. The German High Command, and Hitler, come to their senses and provide additional reinforcements to ensure the success of Operation Wintergewitter, the attempt to relieve Stalingrad. These would have been comprised of two full strength formations near at hand. The GrossDeutschland was readily available from Army Group Center while the 16th Motorized was holding the flanks between Army Groups A and B on the Kalmyck Steppes.

GrossDeutschland (3-3-9 Arm Bn, 2 x 5-5-9 Inf. Regts and 23-9 AG Bn) was the cream of the German mechanized forces and was ideally suited to the mobile type of Offensive/Defensive operations under way in the area of the Don bend. The 1 6th Mtr (3- 3-9 Arm Bn and 2 x 4-4-9 Inf. Regts) was pulled back from its extended position on the Kalmyck Steppe, to a position SE of the Rumanian IV Army when the extent of the Soviet offensive was realized. The 16th Mtr could have been replaced by units withdrawing from the Caucasus and added its weight to the counteroffensive. Both of these formations are represented by counter sets included with the 1992 variants and replacements countersheet and should be widely available.

Note: When using this option give the Russian player the option of bringing back, rounded down, the Katyusha launchers of the 5th Tank Army and the 21st Army for firing prior to Turn 3 at the penalty of the following two divisions appearing one turn early.

Addenda:

Add the GD Division to the Turn 6 Reinforcements for Area F.

Add the 16th Mtr Division to the Turn 9 Reinforcements for Area E.

References

Matthew Cooper, The German Army 1933- 1945,1978.
James F. Dunnigan, The Russian Front: Germany's War in the East 1941-45, 1978.
Roger Edwards, German Airborne Troops, 1974.
Dean N. Essig, Stalingrad Pocket II, 1996 (and the titles listed there under "For Further Reading.")
Sir Basil Liddell Hart et al. History of the Second World War, Part 44 - Death of an Army, 1974 Canadian Edition. (gives a good account, according to Soviet historians)
Major General F.W. von Mellenthin, Panzer Battles A Study of the Employment of Armour in the Second World War, 1983.
Bryan Perrett, Knights of the Black Cross - Hitler's Panzerwaffe and Its Leaders, 1986.
V.E. Tarrant, Stalingrad - Anatomy of an Agony, 1992.