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The AVALON HILL

Published First Day O f Every Other Month

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SUBSCRIPTION $4.98

VOLUME 1 NO. 3

Publication Office: 210 West 28th Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21211

SEPT. 64

MIDWAY'- NEWEST BATTLE GAME!

Authenticated by Admiral C. Wade McClusky - Tournament, Anyone?! by M a r t i n D. Leith Air Group Commander during actual episode! 1. E a c h a r e a Edito'r could be conSince 1958 T h e Avalon Hill Company h a s s p e c i a l i z e d in d e s i g n i n g a l l - s k i l l , realistic games based on actual battles out of the p a s t . T o m a k e s u r e that e a c h game is h i s t o r i c a l l y a c c u r a t e in i t s d e sign, t h e i r r e s e a r c h and d e s i g n staff spends h u n d r e d s of h o u r s pouring o v e r d a t a found in the L i b r a r y of C o n g r e s s , The National A r c h i v e s , e v e n in public libraries. Still, f r o m a l l t h i s r e s e a r c h and double checking of e v e n t s a s r e p o r t e d by h i s t o r i a n s , Avalon Hill g a m e s have s t i l l lacked t h a t p e r s o n a l touch r e g a r d ing h i s t o r i c a l a c c u r a c y . It w a s then d e c i d e d t h a t Midway should be the g a m e w h o s e d e s i g n would be a u t h e n t i c a t e d by s o m e o n e who had actually p a r t i c i p a t e d in the b a t t l e itself. But who ? Well - by t h i s t i m e w e had a l r e a d y c o m p l e t e d m u c h of t h e r e s e a r c h , p a r t i c u l a r l y f r o m "Midway, the Battle t h a t Doomed Japan", by F u c h i d a ; " H i s t o r y of United S t a t e s Naval O p e r a t i o n s in W o r l d War I1 (Vol. 4)" by M o r i s o n ; and " T h e Big E", by Stafford. Apparently. quite a bit of c r e d i t t o w a r d the s u c c e s s of the Midway c a m p a i g n had been a t t r i b u t e d t o C. Wade McClusky, then A i r G r o u p Lt. Comdr. a b o a r d the C a r r i e r E n t e r p r i s e a t the t i m e . We i m m e d i a t e l y put through t a c t e d by a l l t h o s e i n t e r e s t e d in e n t e r ing the tournament. 2. It would be ausudden-death" deal. If you l o s e your f i r s t g a m e , y o u ' r e out. If you win, you go o n to your next opponent. 3. Depending upon the i n t e r e s t in t h i s i d e a , it m a y b e n e c e s s a r y t o have people r e g i s t e r with t h e i r a r e a Editor by a c e r t a i n date. 4. E a c h area would eventually e m e r g e with a Champion. 5. T h e a r e a c h a m p i o n s in the U. S. would play-off a g a i n s t e a c h o t h e r ~ n t i l one U. S. c h a m p i o n w a s designated. 6. T h e s a m e would hold t r u e f o r Canada. 7. T h e Canadian and U. S. champions would then play-off t o d e c i d e the North A m e r i c a n champion. F o r now. I would s u g g e s t that all r e a d e r s i n t e r e s t e d should contact their r e s p e c t i v e E d i t o r s with t h e i r c o m m e n t s . The E d i t o r s could then r e p o r t on the a c c e p t a n c e of the i d e a in the next i s s u e of the G e n e r a l , and f r o m t h a t it could be judged w h e t h e r t o m a k e f u r t h e r plans o r s c r a p the whole notion.

a c a l l t o one C. Wade McClusky, R e a r retired. "Avalon A d m i r a l . U. S. N. H i l l ? - n e v e r h e a r d of 'em1'. was the r e p l y f r o m the o t h e r end of the phone. Undaunted - - o u r d e s i g n e r s , in t h e i r Wildcat F i g h t e r , zoomed out t o s e e t h e A d m i r a l w h e r e they s t r a f e d h i s r e s i d e n c e , s c o r i n g 2 h i t s on the C a r p o r t , 1 h i t on the b a r b e c u e pit and a n e a r m i s s on t h e A d m i r a l ' s 4 - i r - m a t t r e s s i n t h e s w i m m i n g pool. Seriously - our designers hurried

...

Operation Gigantis
TREMENDOUS p l a y - b y - m a i l world war g a m e i s being developed in which each s t a t e will c o m m a n d a m a j o r power o r a r e a of t h e w o r l d . Up t o 1000 g e n e r a l s m a y p a r t i c i p a t e . A l l i a n c e s will be m a d e a n d s i d e s c h o s e n by m a i l . T h i s g a m e ( O p e r a t i o n G i g a n t i s ) h a s been planned f o r two y e a r s . No d e t a i l h a s been m i s s e d . Send a l l i n q u i r i e s and i d e a s to: G a m e A s s o c i a t e s , Box 404, Goshen, New J e r s e y . You m u s t include your age, experience, a self-addressed s t a m p e d envelope and 5 c e n t s to c o v e r information c o s t . Deadline i s 1012164.

(Continued on page 2 )

Tidewater Naval Wargames Association

The Tidewater Naval Wargames Association w a s founded in J a n u a r y 1963 by five e n t h u s i a s t s f r o m the T i d e w a t e r , Virginia, a r e a a n d h a s s i n c e grown to a total of 25 m e m b e r s f r o m 5 c o u n t r i e s s p r e a d f f o m England t o New Zealand. Its p u r p o s e i s the a d v a n c e m e n t of the hobby of naval w a r g a m i n g and to t h i s end s e e k s to band t o g e t h e r those int e r e s t e d in t h i s hobby into one o r g a n i zation. The Association publishes a monthly p a p e r , T h e Salvo, which inc l u d e s a r t i c l e s on w a r g a m i n g r u l e s , p r e s e n t and p a s t naval h i s t o r y of i n t e r e s t , and r e v i e w s of books and c o m m e r cial products, Although the g r e a t m a j o r i t y of o u r m e m b e r s h i p i s i n t e r e s t e d m a i n l y i n g a m e s involving the u s e of a c t u a l model s h i p s o n f l o o r s i z e d playing a r e a s a c c o r d i n g t o d e t a i l e d and a c c u r a t e r u l e s , w e w e l c o m e any s e r i o u s naval w a r g a m e s addict. M e m b e r s of o u r organization are i n t e r e s t e d in a l m o s t e v e r y period from ancient to 1964. M e m b e r s h i p fee i s $ 2 . 0 0 p e r annum and includes a s u b s c r i p t i o n to o u r p a p e r . W a l t e r G u e r r y Green 111. S e c r e t a r y and Editor. T i d e w a t e r Naval W a r g a m e s Association.

Our Design Staff Exposed.. .

Now they c a n b e shown. A s a n o t h e r "exclusive" to o u r s u b s c r i b e r s , the f i r s t public g l i m p s e of Avalon Hill's Design staff in t h e i r g l o r i o u s altogether i s unveiled on page 6

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a bi-monthly n e w s l e t t e r m a i l e d on t h e 1 s t day of J a n u a r y , M a r c h , May, J u l y , S e p t e m b e r and November. EDITED & PUBLISHED by The Avalon Hill Company, B a l t i m o r e , Maryland.
Copyright 1964 T.A. H C . . Baltimore. Maryland. P r i n t e d in U. S.A.

Putting More Realism into U-Boat

P e r h a p s it would be a good i d e a t o s t a r t off t h i s c o l u m n with a n e x p l a n a tion a s t o what it will be about and indeed a s to the r e a s o n s f o r having a s p e c i a l i z e d n a v a l a f f a i r s column. A s m o s t of the r e a d e r s of !his m a g a z i n e know the Avalon Hill Company m a n u f a c t u r e s t h r e e g a m e s which d e a l w i t h n a v a l w a r f a r e - U-Boat-, B i s m a r c k , and a s o o n t o be r e l e a s e d g a m e d e a l i n g w i t h the b a t t l e of Midway. T h e s e g a m e s a r e b a s e d o n t h e highly technical W o r l d W a r I1 p e r i o d , and t h e r e f o r r r e q u i r e a s p e c i a l i s t who c a n u s e his. c o l u m n a s a r e g u l a r f o r u m to p r e s e n t i d e a s o n r u l e s and m o d i f i c a t i o n s a s well a s on useful t a c t i c s f o r the a m a t e u r a d m i r a l . Acc o r d i n g l y t h i s s p a c e will r e g u l a r l y b e u s e d only f o r n a v a l m a t t e r s , and I w i l l concentrate on presenting m a t e r i a l exp r e s s l y f o r the p u r p o s e of i m p r o v i n g the plight of t h e naval e n t h u s i a s t , who has been neglected s o far. F a c t s About U - ? I T o s t a r t off I w i l l p r e s e n t s o m e p o s s i b l e new f a c e t s t o the g a m e U-Boat, w h i c h is the s i m p l e s t of the n a v a l g a m e s mentioned. However, b e f o r e I d o I would l i k e to pick a q u a r r e l w i t h t h e p o w e r s - t h a t - b e o v e r one of the r u l e s , o r r a t h e r t h e c o n c e p t that in a s u r f a c e a c t i o n the s u b m a r i n e h a s a r a t h e r good c h a n c e of sinking a d e s t r o y e r e s c o r t . A c o m p a r i s o n of typical s h i p s of e a c h type r e v e a l s t h e following: Submarines German 1, 100 Tonnage Main guns 1 - 4. 1" 18 kts. Speed Tonnage Main guns Speed Escorts Tonnage Main guns Speed Tonnage Main guns Speed Japanese 400 1 - 3" 14 kts. Italian ?0(: 1 . 3. 9" 15 kts. British 1,300 1 4" 15 k t s .

I
W a l t e r G u e r r y G r e e n 111 P. 0 . Box 621 Burlington. N. C a r o l i n a

Midway-Newest Battle Game

(Continued f r o m page 1 ) out to the A d m i r a l ' s r e s i d e n c e , taking along a package of goodies including s e v e r a l Avalon H i l l g a m e s . A d m i r a l h.lcClusky w a s a t o n c e i m p r e s s e d with the design s t a f f ' s devotion t o a u t h e n t i c ity. He quickly s e n s e d t h a t t h e i r p r o d ilcts w e r e m o r e t h a n j u s t g a m e s ; he s a w i c s t e a d , g a m e s i n which m u c h a t t e n t i o n had been given t o d e t a i l . N e e d l e s s to s a y A d m i r a l McClusky told u s that he would be m o r e than happy to offer the t e c h n i c a l a d v i c e we needed. History Books Often I n a c c u r a t e As he unfolded h i s e y e - w i t n e s s a c count of the a c t u a l b a t t l e o f Midway, the fact that i n a c c u r a c i e s d o e x i s t in the h i s t o r y books b e c a m e i n c r e a s i n g l y a p parent. F o r i n s t a n c e , one h i s t o r i c a l account s t a t e d t h a t McClusky h i m s e l f , a f t e r r e t u r n i n g f r o m bombing s e v e r a l J a p a n e s e C a r r i e r s , took off a s e c o n d time when in f a c t M c C l u s k y denied t a k i n g any p a r t in a s e c o n d a t t a c k a s shoulder wounds r e c e i v e d e a r l i e r f o r c e d him into s i c k - b a y i m m e d i a t e l y upon h i s return. By e v e n i n g ' s end m u c h valuable and a c c u r a t e h i s t o r i c a l d a t a had changed hands and Avalon H i l l ' s d e s i g n staff r e turned to t h e i r d r a w i n g b o a r d s t o c o n s e c u r e in the feeling s t r u c t Midway that p e r h a p s 100% a c c u r a c y would be iticorporated into the Battle of Midway game. A d m i r a l McClusky i s now on o u r B o a r d of T e c h n i c a l A d v i s o r s . hlidway i s about' r e a d y f o r d i s t r i b u tion. But, d o n ' t s e n d in your o r d e r now - w e ' l l a d v i s e you when t o d o s o , P C ) you c a n be a m o n g the f i r s t to r e c e i v e

Walter G. Green Ill, Naval Affairs Editor

B o r n M a r c h 12. 1947, g r a d u a t e of the Norfolk Academy, Norfolk, Virginia. E n r o l l e d a s a F r e s h m a n a t Duke Univ e r s i t y o n a National M e r i t S c h o l a r s h i p , m e m b e r of t h e United S t a t e s Naval Ins t i t u t e s i n c e May 1958. F o u n d e r of the w o r l d ' s l a r g e s t naval w a r g a m e s group, t h e T i d e w a t e r Naval W a r g a m e s A s s o c i a tion, in J a n u a r y 1963 p r e s e n t l y hold t h e p o s i t i o n s of C h a i r m a n of the B o a r d of D i r e c t o r s and S e c r e t a r y and Editor. A l s o m e m b e r of t h e Model G e n e r a l s Club, Chent M i l i t a r y S o c i e t y , Society. Society f o r A r m y H i s t o r i c a l R e s e a r c h , M i n i a t u r e F i g u r e C o l l e c t o r s of A m e r i c a , and L e a g u e of L i n e a r T a c t i c i a n s . Active l a n d and n a v a l w a r g a m e r f o r 5 y e a r s with both b o a r d g a m e s and m i n i a t u r e f i g u r e s and s h i p s . Recognized a u t h o r i t y in t h e field of n a v a l w a r g a m e s a n d a u t h o r of a s m a l l booklet. An Int r o d u c t i o n t o Naval W a r g a m i n g , on t h i s hobby - have a l s o contributed a c h a p t e r t o Don F e a t h e r s t o n e ' s new book on the s u b j e c t - p r e s e n t l y working on 3 additional s m a l l w o r k s on the s u b j e c t . High school a c t i v i t i e s included n e w s p a p e r and y e a r b o o k staffs. d e b a t e t e a m , s e c r e t a r y of s e n i o r s c i e n c e club, Monog r a m Club, b o o s t e r club, football s t a t i s t i c i a n , b a s e b a l l m a n a g e r , and v a r i e t y soccer team.

Unite'd S t a t e s 1,500 2 - 51' 21 k t s . C o r v e t t e US 2, 400 3 - 3" 20 kts. Escort-US 2, 300 2 - 5" 24 kts.

Corvette-GI3 1,400 1 - 4" 16 k t s . Escort-GB 1,600 6 - 4" 29 kts.

it.

Design Your Own Games

Amateur battle game inventors wishing to design t h e i r own c a n p u r c h a s e [>lain white m a p s h e e t s containing hexagons on a white background. They a r e a v a i l a b l e on 22" x 28" s i z e s f o r $ 1 . 0 0 p r r s h e e t . Quantity i s l i m i t e d a t t h e present time.

Now assum'ing t h a t the battle i s to be between a B r i t i s h f r i g a t e type e s c o r t and a G e r m a n f l e e t s u b m a r i n e , the f r i g a t e h a s a n advantage of 500 t o n s , 11 knots s p e e d , and a n a b s c l u t e m i n i m u m of twice t h e f i r e p o w e r (t<vo4'' could be b r o u g h t t o b e a r in a n y dirt-ction). T h i s d o e s not t a k e into accotr,lt r a d a r c o n trolled gunnery from a relatively stable p l a t f o r m a g a i n s t manual c o n t r o l f r o m a n open d e c k , a second ad;.antage of a p p r o x i m a t e l y 2 t o 1, and the f a c t t h a t t h e

s u b m a r i n e ' s gun mount would be under s t e a d y f i r e f r o m 4 0 m m and 20mm m a chine g u n s m a k i n g i t v i r t u a l l y i m p o s s i ble to m a n . Only in a c a s e involving an e n c o u n t e r between a s m a l l B r i t i s h p a t r o l v e s s e l such a s a c o r v e t t e and a G e r m a n f l e e t s u b m a r i n e would the o d d s be e v e n and s t i l l in t h i s c a s e the a d vantage would l i e with the c o r v e t t e a s any hit o n the s u b m a r i n e ' s f r a g i l e and low lying hull would c a u s e f a t a l flooding. I have not been able t o find one instance, of a s u r f a c e d s u b m a r i n e sinking an e s c o r t in a gunnery battle and c a n only think of 3 types which could have done s o , the F r e n c h Surcouf ( 2 - 8" guns), the B r i t i s h World War 1 % c l a s s (1 - 12" gun), and the p r o p o s e d G e r m a n Ucruisers. Even the l a r g e A m e r i c a n f l e e t b o a t s would have had trouble with anything l a r g e r than the s m a l l B r i t i s h corvettes. (Continued on P a g e 7 )

Waterloo-Altering Starting Situation

V i c t o r Madeja In my opinion WATERLOO is t h e m o s t a c c u r a t e of a l l w a r g a m e s . T h e only m a j o r fault I could find w a s i n t h e initial p l a c e m e n t . Although t h i s h a s l i t t l e e f f e c t on the o u t c o m e of the game. there a r e always those (like myself) who d e s i r e t o r e a c h t h a t l a s t g r e a t height of r e a l i s m . H e r e is what you might do. Initial p l a c e m e n t ( r e v i s e d ) : F r e n c h I C o r p s two s q s . N of Chal e r o i ; 11 C o r p s s p r e a d along r o a d N of G o s s e i l l e s f o r 5 s q s . (Allow f o r a t l e a s t one u n i t t o e a c h of the five s q s . ); 111 C o r p s o n s e c o n d a r y r o a d between Chatelet and C h a l e r o i ; IV C o r p s i n Chatelet; VI C o r p s 2 s q s . S of C h a l e r o i ; Imp. G u a r d , I11 & IV C a v a l r y C o r p s o n p r i m a r y r o a d between C h a l e r o i a n d Chatelet; I Cav. C o r p s S of F l e u r u s E of St. Amand; and I1 Cav. C o r p s W of St. Amand, n o f a r t h e r N than Ligny. P r u s s i a n Only I C o r p s is o n b o a r d , m u s t b e n o f a r t h e r than 2 s q s . f r o m Ligny.
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Anglo A l l i e s Q u a t r e B r a s u n i t s P e r p o n c h e r 4 s q s . W of Q u a t r e B r a s ; a r t y . in Q. B , cav. 3 s q s . S of Q. B; C h a s s e 12 s q s . S of Nivelles units Niv, a r t y . i n Niv, cav. 6 s q s . S of Niv ( u n i t s south of N i v e l l e s a r e o n t h e Prim a r y road). Change i n o r d e r of a r r i v a l : Uxbridge c a v , a r r i v e s 3 P . M . June 17; P r u s s i a n I1 C o r p s is a d d e d t o 9 A . M. ( J u n e 16); I11 C o r p s t o 1 P. M. ( J u n e 16). Change i n Defection Rule: Only 4 0 F a c t o r s f r o m A.A. a r m y and 20 f r o m P r u s s i a n s defect.

V i c t o r Madeja 287 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn, N. Y . 1121 1 EDITOR -- Middle Atlantic covering New York. New J e r s e y and Pennsylvania. a f t e r taking T o b r u c h b e c a u s e the r e t r e a t i n g B r i t i s h could n e v e r have e s tablished a f o r m i d a b l e l i n e t o hinder him. T h e i r l i m i t e d n u m b e r s would be s t r e t c h e d a l m o s t t d i c e what they w e r e in the a c t u a l campaign. I've found the s a m e t o b e t r u e in the game. T h e s e a r e t h e changes proposed: 1. Eliminate* a l l s q s . N of, and 32; 5-35 including t h e following: (3-28 39; 1-39 44; J-45 48; K-49 & 50; 59; h!-60 L-51; K-51 & K-52; L - 5 3 62; L-62 & 63; K-63 & 64. 2. R o a d s a r e r e l o c a t e d by simply placing t h e m t h e s a m e d i s t a n c e f r o m c o a s t a s t h e y w e r e originally. So the r o a d s e g m e n t in 5-54 would be moved to L-55; in 5-47. t o L-48.' Excep!i~tr~ H-29 r e m a i n s a s is. 3. T h e following b e c o m e e s c a r p m e n t s q u a r e s ; 0 - 5 9 , 0 - 6 0 , Q-60, C-15, D16, H-29 - 32 (4). The following e s c p . s q s . b e c o m e plain s q u a r e s : N-59, N 61, N-62. 4. Movement is p o s s i b l e along (un) a l l e s c a r p m e n t s q u a r e s . A s befor,. h o w e v e r , u n i t s c a n not c r o s s ali z a c a r p m e n t . Exceptions - the f o l l o w ~ r ~ g a r e p a s s e s undelayed movement through t h e m is possible: 0 - 6 0 & T-29. 5. M s u s i s a c t u a l l y l o c a t e d around ( i n ) M-9. If you a r e t h e type that d o e s n ' t r e a l l y d e s i r e a r e a l i s t i c b a t t l e and i s satisfied with a n enjoyable game. I d o not s u e g e s t m a k i n g t h e s e changes. After all t h e r e is a bit of w o r k involved.

Sink Some African Sands

Following is a s u g g e s t e d c o r r e c t i o n in AFRIKA KORPS. Only t h e s t r i k i n g f l a w s a r e mentioned t o avoid difficulty. A s a n y m a p will c l e a r l y r e v e a l t h e c o a s t e a s t of T o b r u c h s l o p e s about 20. On the b o a r d , h o w e v e r , i t is shown generally straight. Presently, there a r e about 8 0 s q u a r e s too many. If t h e actual map were like the board, Rommel could e a s i l y h a v e c o n q u e r e d the S u e z
-

Letters, Yes We Get Letters.. .

Dear Sirs: L e t ' s h e a r i t f o r the P u n i c W a r s ! Let's h e a r m o r e forNapoleon! According to M r . Hill, M a r l b o r o u g h n e v e r lived and B l e n h e i m w a s n e v e r fought. L e t ' s h e a r i t f o r World W a r I! Ya! Long live G u s t a v u s Adolphus! Mr. Avalon* have you ever heard Of the A m e r i c a n W a r f o r Independence ? L e t ' s h e a r it f o r M o n t c a l m of Quebec! Alexa n d e r the G r e a t is t h e g r e a t e s t . Jeanne D'Arc fought quite well. T h e M a r a t h o n w a s fought, w a s n ' t it M r . H i l l ? Maybe you The of Leuthen was fought by One Frederick the Great. A lact that I not Navies exist Mr. AvalOn. Another f a c t M r . Avalon. Jack Green, Jr.e 670 Darrell Rd.o Hillsborough* California. D e a r S i r Honey. I r e c e n t l y c a m e upon a copy of the G e n e r a l i n s o m e old m a g a z i n e s . Upon .easing i t I noticed that a l l of your " E d i t o r s 1 ' a r e boys. Why? What's wrong with g i r l s ? S i n c e they s a y a l l ' s f a i r i n love and w a r I b e l i e v e t h e two a r e v e r y s i m i l a r and a game via the male, oops, mailways as to how to catch a rich mare would be just dandy f o r us gals on the look. We could work i t out that the winner would be the one t o get o r choose the b e s t m a t e , n o t just t h e r i c h e s t . Since a l l m a t e s would s c o r e d i f f e r e n t l y with e a c h p l a y e r a s e t of s t a n d a r d s would b e created f o r each type. In addition to l i k e s and h a b i t s a l l o t h e r f a c t o r s would b e g r a d e d making t h i s a type of totaling g a m e on which t h e a c t u a l winner would b e b a s e d on f i g u r e s p e r h a p s f r o m t h e s t o c k r e p o r t . ~t m i g h t even b e fun t o u s e t h o s e c u t e e d i t o r s a s t a r g e t s and let them t r y to escape our clutches by letting them state their own listof selling points. J u s t think o f a l l the s i s t e r s and w i v e s of your s u b s c r i b e r s who would be r e a d ing theGeneral. W h y is this i m p o r t a n t ? Women do most of the gift buying you know and t h i s m a k e s them a w a r e of Avalon Hill. I ' l l w a g e r that 90% of t h e women right h e r e i n B a l t i m o r e h a v e n e v e r h e a r d of you. I believe t h i s would have n o t i c e a b l e r e s u l t s i n your (Continued on P a g e 6 )

..

*Change t o S e a S q u a r e s

Cracking the "Unstoppable D-DAY Defense"

B e f o r e continuing, it should be pointed out that M r . K n a b e ' s defense i s indeed a tough one and can be broken only if the Allied p l a y e r i s relatively c o m petent. Solutions: 1. Launch m a s s i v e attach5 on t h e AA-17 t o 2 - 2 2 mt. chain. T h l s would c o n s i s t of s i x I t o 1 a t t a c k s with n e c e s s a r y "soak offs. Attack L U X ~ I I I b o u r g , if f e a s i b l e , with a i r b o r n e U I I ~ I : . ("feasible" is odds of L t o 1 o r br1tc.r ). Usually, two of the s i x f r o n t a l attar i r > a r e s u c c e s s f u l ; t h i s usually f o r c e s t i l t * G e r m a n t o r e t r e a t b e c a u s e he can n o t r a i s e the s t r e n g t h f o r a c o u n t e r - a t t . 1 ~. k A f t e r t h a t , a d e t e r m i n e d Allied uiLrn(Continued on P a g e 7 )

Gentlemen: B a l t i m o r e , M a r y l a n d m a y b e a good d i s t a n c e f r o m Chicago, ILlinois, but I would think t h a t a n o r d e r containing a money o r d e r f o r $1.30could be handled in l e s s than five weeks. lor Did you send to the the unit m a r k e r s f o r A f r i k a K o r p s ? And have m y o t h e r unit m a r k e r s been damaged i n t h e i r t r i p f r o m W a t e r l o o ? Will a l l of you w a r m o n g e r s p l e a s e s t o p playing g a m e s and s t a r t c o n c e n trating on the m o n e y end of your b u s i n e s s . I would like m y o r d e r a t o n c e . . Steven K a i r i s , 4105 W. Arnold P l a c e , Oak Lawn, Illinois.

South Atlantic
H i l a r y Smith 7805 Maple Ridge Rd. B e t h e s d a 14, Maryland

Plan Lenin ..

..

by C a r l Knabe. I1 A f t e r r e c e i v i n g m y STALINGRAD g a m e in t h e S p r i n g of '63, m y f r i e n d B r u c e A. Behling of South Bend, India n a and I w o r k e d o u t the following s t a r t ing lineup f o r R u s s i a n Units (PLAN LENIN). We f e e l that t h i s plan, while p o s s i b l y not t h e b e s t , m a k e s up f o r the two m a i n d e f e c t s t h a t w e r e s e e n in the s t a r t i n g lineup p r e s e n t e d in the Battle Manual f o r STALINGRAD. PLAN LENIN t r i e s to r e c t i f y t h e s e f a u l t s by consolidating the R u s s i a n and using a n o t h e r 4-6-4, the 65th Inf. a s a delaying unit. It is f e l t t h a t the r i s k i n g the e x t r a m a n i s w o r t h i t b e c a u s e the G e r m a n i s d e n i e d the opportunity t o a t t a c k e l s e w h e r e without r i s k i n g too much. It is p o s s i b l e f o r t h e G e r m a n p l a y e r to a t t a i n only one t h r e e - t o - o n e a g a i n s t the R u s s i a n , t h a t a g a i n s t the 64th Inf. doubled. The man protects no n e c e s s a r y position a s the P r u t R i v e r line i s c r a c k e d with the d e f e a t of the 7th A r m , he h a s a r e t r e a t , and the Russian commander is always in favor of the G e r m a n fighting a n y u n n e c e s s a r y three-to-one a g a i n s t a m a n of h i s the doubled. But, m o r e i m p o r t a n t , 64th Inf. w a s p l a c e d in s u c h a n e x p o s e d position a s bait. T h e only way the G e r m a n c a n a t t a i n the n e c + s s a r y t h r e e - t o one i s to c o m m i t the bulk of h i s a r m o r in the south. On the R u s s i a n next t u r n t h i s f o r c e of h e a v y a r m o r c a n b e c o n tained by soubled up 5 - 7 - 4 ' s doubled ins i d e the D n e s t r R i v e r line; the e x t r a m e n c a n be s p a r e d f r o m the N e m u n a s a n d Bug R i v e r l i n e s b e c a u s e of t h e ina b i l i t y of t h e G e r m a n t o a t t a i n a n y three-to-one against these lines, even thinned, without h i s h a m m e r h e a d of heavy a r m o r , t r a p p e d in the south. T h e G e r m a n then h a s t h e b i t t e r c h o i c e of f f r e e i n g h i s a r m o r by i ~ s i n g o u r of five t u r n s eating h i s way down through t h e N e m u n a s - B u g g a p o r of u s i n g h i s heavy a r m o r in t w o - t o - o n e ' s against the

7k

EDITOR - South A t l a n t i c c o v e r i n g M a r y l a n d , D. C. , West Virginia. V i r glhia, Kentucky, North C a r o l i n a , South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississ i p p i and F l o r i d a .

Midwest
C a r l F. Knabe I1 1244 s t a t e S t r e e t C o u r t s West L a f a y e t t e , Indiana Midwest c o v e r i n g Wisconsin, EDITOR Michigan, Illinois. Indiana and Ohio.

Air-Naval Games..

My c o l u m n t h i s t i m e w i l l be devoted to a n s w e r the g e n e r a l q u e s t i o n s w h i c h people have w r i t t e n and a s k e d m e . Alm o s t e v e r y o n e s e e m s i n t e r e s t e d in t h e a i r f o r c e s and the n a v i e s a n d t h e i r r e lationship. By u s i n g r e s e a r c h w e f i g u r e d out the n u m b e r of p l a n e s a country should have. We divided the p l a n e s into two c a t a g o r i e s , f i g h t e r s and b o m b e r s . In the f i g h t e r s we include dive b o m b e r s , t o r p e d o b o m b e r s and d a y and night f i g h t e r s . T h e b o m b e r s a r e c o n s i d e r e d m e d i u m s and high level. A i r c r a f t o p e r a t e in a t o t a l of two t u r n s , one attacking, one r e t u r n i n g . First t u r n if one w a n t s to m a k e a n a i r r a i d he w i l l take h i s a i r c r a f t with o r without f i g h t e r e s c o r t s and s e n d i t halfway t o the t a r g e t . D u r i n g the a t t a c k e r ' s t u r n , the d e f e n d e r m a y i n t e r c e p t the r a i d with a s m a n y f i g h t e r s a s he w a n t s . T h a t battle i s r o l l e d but t h a t by no m e a n s e n d s the t u r n . T h e d e f e n d e r if any o r a l l of h i s attacking f i g h t e r s s u r v i v e then he m u s t put t h e m a s i d e f o r they m a y not be u s e d i n the a t t a c k e r ' s t u r n but they m a y be u s e d in the d e f e n d e r ' s turn. The a t t a c k e r ' s a i r c r a f t if they s u r v i v e the i n t e r c e p t i o n m a y continue to the t a r g e t . If the a t t a c k e r w i s h e s he m a y launch a n o t h e r r a i d a t the s a m e t a r g e t in the s a m e t u r n o r a t a d i f f e r e n t t a r g e t . The a t t a c k e r c a n launch a s m a n y r a i d s a s he h a s a i r c r a f t a v a i l a b l e . T h e d e f e n d e r i s not obligated t o i n t e r c e p t any r a i d s but he c a n a n d u s u a l l y d o e s . A t t a c k s l e s s than 1- 1 not allowed Defender i n t e r c e p t o r a i r c r a f t m a y not Aircraft s o a k off a t l e s s than a "1-1". fly f r o m a i r b a s e s w h e r e e v e r y c o u n t r y which h a s an a i r f o r c e i s given a p r o p o r t i o n a t e n u m b e r of t h e s e b a s e s a c c o r d i n g to the n u m b e r of a i r c r a f t t h e c o u n t r y h a s . The b a s e l o c a t i o n s a r e fixed by the r u l e s in d i f f e r e n t l o c a t i o n s . A c o u n t r y m a y build m o r e by putting a n offensive unit a t the s a m e s q u a r e f o r two t u r n s . A i r b a s e s once c o n s t r u c t e d and p e r m a n e n t a i r b a s e s have a s t r e n g t h of s i x a g a i n s t p a r a t r o o p s d r o p p e d on t h e i r s q u a r e and a g a i n s t a i r c r a f t a t tacking it. T h e y have no s t r e n g t h A i r b a s e s in a g a i n s t ground t r o o p s . c i t i e s d o not p r o t e c t t h e c i t y f r o m a i r a t t a c k if the a t t a c k e r i s only a f t e r the

Dnestr River line. In a n y event, the G e r m a n is a t a s e r i o u s o r even fatal disadvantage. P L A N LENIN a l s o d e t a i l s the location of the R u s s i a n U n i t s along the F i n nish border providing fast, mobileunits f o r a quick F i n n i s h k i l l (the Finns and a n y G e r m a n C o r p s i n Finland should be e l i m i n a t e d by t h e end of t h e fourth o r fifth t u r n depending o n R u s s i a n luck in t h e b a t t l e s ) a n d then t h e high movement f a c t o r s c a n b e u s e d f o r quick r e t u r n to t h e m a i n l i n e of a c t i o n , although units m a y b e d r a w n a w a y f r o m Finland a s t h e i r p r e s e n c e t h e r e is no l o n g e r n e c e s s a r y . T h e i m p o r t a n t thing t o r e m e m b e r is not t o l e t t h e F i n s get out of Finland a n d a r o u n d behind t h e R u s s i a n defense which d e p e n d s upon s o many r i v e r l i n e s which a r e s o v u n e r a b l e t o a t t a c k f r o m t h e r e a r . On t h e p l a c e m e n t of the lnf a n t r y in F i n l a n d - t h e 5th Inf and 8th Inf - a r e in a s w i t c h position r e a d y t o g o e i t h e r way, i n f a c t , t h e 5th Inf n e a r l y a l w a y s g o e s down t o t h e second t u r n N e m u n a s l i n e - s u c h initial placement m a k e s i t difficult f o r t h e G e r m a n to d e t e r m i n e R u s s i a n intentions. The c o o r d i n a t e s y s t e m f o r STALINGRAD w a s given m e by t h e Avalon Hill Company and s e t s u p t h e STALINGRAD b o a r d u s i n g l e t t e r s a n d n u m b e r s in a m a n n e r which will p r o v i d e f o r most of t h e p l a y a c r o s s the s i n g l e l e t t e r and the plus n u m b e r e d a r e a s . RUSSIAN ORDER O F B A T T L E INITIAL POSITION June 1941 Infantry: 22nd. T 1 ,0 2nd. 3rd. 4th. 5th. 8th. 9th. 10th. 11th. 12th. 13th. 14th. 16th. 17th. C,-10 T,8 C , -10 D, - 9 D, - 9 Q, - 1 Q, - 1 S.7 S,6 S. 6 T,9 S,7 T. 10 24th. 27th. 28th. 29th. 35th. 36th. 37th. 42nd. 64th.

c i t y and the a t t a c k e r s d o not have to w o r r y about the a i r b d s e adding t o the d e f e n s e of the c i t y and the a i r b a s e if the c i t y in bombed i s not d e s t r o y e d . If the a i r b a s e in the c i t y i s to be a t t a c k e d then the attacking a i r c r a f t m a y a t t a c k the a i r b a s e a t n o r m a l d e f e n s e f o r the a i r b a s e . The u s u a l s t r e n g t h f o r a i r c r a f t i s b o m b e r s , two a g a i n s t land t a r g e t s , s h i p s , etc. and one f o r d e f e n s e against fighters. F i g h t e r s have a s t r e n g t h of one a g a i n s t land t a r g e t s and hire' a g a i n s t b o m b e r s and o t h e r f i g h t e r s . Naval f i g h t e r s o p e r a t e i11 the s a m e way a s conventional f i g h t e r s . Flak units add one defensive point to the s q u a r e it i s on. F l a k c a n ' t a t t a c k , m e r e l y d e fend. My next c o l u m n w i l l contain o u r i d e a s about naval u n i t s , t u r n s , p a c t s , and any o t h e r t r i v i a I r a n think of.

W,17

T,Z1 Q, 0 -

T, 9 T, 9
T1 ,0
U,Z1

T,Z1
-

U , 18 -

Cavalry: 2nd. YY, - 1 4 4th. A , - 1 2 ZZ. -13 6th.

65th. Q, 2 Armor: 1st. Y Y , - 1 8 2nd. W , 12 3 r d . YY,-17 4th. Y Y . -16

(Continued on P a g e 7 )

CONTEST NO. 3
.
T h i s c o n t e s t , l i k e c o n t e s t No. 1, involves a multiple b a t t l e situation a l r e a d y s e t up f o r you. Applying t h e r u l e s f r o m the S t a l i n g r a d g a m e , the G e r m a n p l a y e r (the l i g h t e r u n i t s ) is attacking, with the o b j e c t of e l i m i n a t i n g a s m a n y Russian combat factors a s possible while keeping h i s own l o s s e s t o a m i n i mum. - In o t h e r w o r d s , the s t r a t e g i c a l p r e m i s e f o r t h i s m o n t h ' s c o n t e s t is t h a t you a r e t o f i g h t the battle s o t h a t you have the h i g h e s t probability of g a i n study a t the l e a s t r i s k of l o s s . F i r s t the battle situation. Now r e f e r t o the O p e r a t i o n s Sheet. A s you c a n s e e t h e n u m b e r of e a c h R u s s i a n unit i n t h e b a t t l e is l i s t e d u n d e r the " D e f e n d e r s u 1 column. Under the I8Attackerso1 o l u m n you a r e t o w r i t e i n c the designation n u m b e r of the G e r m a n Unit t h a t i s attacking. If one G e r m a n Unit a t t a c k s m o r e t h a n one R u s s i a n unit, then t h e n u m b e r of the G e r m a n Unit is t o be w r i t t e n n e x t t o e a c h of them. See the hypothetical e x a m p l e (A).

I I

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - CUT H E R E OPERATIONS S H E E T Attacker (German) Defender ( R u s s i a n ) MARK: AVALON H I L L USE ONLY

OPERATIONS SHEET Attacker (German) Defender ( R u s s i a n )

29

' q 9
27 17

HOW T O WIN! T e n ( 1 0 ) w i n n e r s w i l l b e named. Winning e n t r i e s w i l l b e those w h e r e a t t a c k s have the g r e a t e s t probability of s u c c e s s with the l e a s t c h a n c e of l o s s a s d e t e r m i n e d by t h e Avalon Hill C o m pany. In c a s e of t i e s e a r l i e s t p o s t m a r k e d e n t r y w i l l d e c i d e (allowances will be m a d e f o r d i s t a n t p a r t i c i p a n t s ) . W i n n e r s will be a w a r d e d a f r e e Avalon Hill g a m e of t h e i r choice. HOW TO ENTER ! T h i s c o n t e s t is f r e e t o all s u b s c r i b e r s . Simply f i l l in the entry blank and mail to: T h e Avalon Hill Company, 21 0 W e s t 28th S t r e e t , B a l t i m o r e , M a r y l a n d - 2 1 2 1 1. C o n t e s t D e p a r t m e n t . Entries m u s t be p o s t m & k e d on o r b e f o r e Wednesday. S e p t e m b e r 30. 1964. P r i n t y o u r n a m e a n d a d d r e s s clearly. Make sure you m e n t i o n the g a m e you wish a s winning p r i z e .

15

3
v

J-

I I

Name

PRIZE

I
I

City

State
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Letters, Yes We Get Letters..(Continued f r o m P a g e 3 ) C h r i s t m a s o r d e r s . How m a n y g a m e s d o you m a i l out a d d r e s s e d t o g i r l s ? I would l i k e t o v i s i t y o u r plant i n o r d e r t o s e e f o r m y s e l f j u s t how t h a t e m p i r e of m e n e x i s t i n a w o r l d f r e e of a l l the s w e e t , soft, w a r m , lovable, b r i g h t e v e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g but a l l t o often in t h e way, g i r l s . Nancy E . S h e a r e r EDITOR'S NOTE: O u r E d i t o r i a l Offices a r e open 9 4:30, Nancy, baby.

I BATTLE Gameboards Custom Desianed ... .

O u r o r g a n i z a t i o n h a s adequate equipm e n t t o p r o d u c e p r e c i s e b a t t l e f i e l d s of a n y s i z e o n a hexagonal g r i d board. We w i l l p r e p a r e a n y battlefield, r e a l o r fictional, a c c o r d i n g t o y o u r s p e c i f i c a tions. We have done t h i s f o r o u r own t o b e a f a n and will w a i t d e s p e r a t e l y f o r y o u r next g a m e a n d f o r the m a i l m a n o v e r t h e next f e w w e e k s . A l b e r t A. Nofi. 85-17 9 1 s t a v e . , Woodhaven, N.,Y. 11421. Dear Sirs: A f t e r r e a d i n g 8 l T h e Ultimate in W a r g a m i n g f ' i n the J u l y i s s u e of t h e 8 ' G e n e r a1.I' I thought you m i g h t be i n t e r e s t e d in h e a r i n g what I h a v e done t o A f r i k a

u s e f o r the l a s t five y e a r s . P r i c e will v a r y a c c o r d i n g to s i z e . A 22" x 28" b o a r d w i l l c o s t $2.00. T h i s includes a n o r d e r of b a t t l e c a r d and a l l o t h e r n e c e s s a r y information. A d d r e s s inq u i r i e s to G a m e A s s o c i a t e s , c / o Phil O r b a n e s . J r . , Box 404. Goshen, N. J.

I have found that m y West P o i n t A t l a s of A m e r i c a n W a r s and t h e j u s t published A M i l i t a r y H i s t o r y a n d A t l a s of t h e N a ~ o l e o n i c W a r s t o b e m o s t h e l ~ f u lin p r a c t i c i n g on t h e g a m e b o a r d s . T h e r e is not much I c a n s a y a b o u t your g a m e s e x c e p t that I will continue

Philip Towler-Contest #2 Champ

C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s go t o P h i l l i p T o w l e r , Ypsilanti, Michigan, f o r e n t e r i n g the best contest paper. He scored 14 total b a s e s o n only 1 out. T h e following is a l i s t of the w i n n e r s in o r d e r of finish: 1. P h i l l i p T o w l e r . 579 Kennedy Ave., Ypsilanti. Michigan. 2. G r e g Walz, 1701 N. L u n a Ave., Chicago. i i l ~ n o i s . 3. E d E. B i r s a n , 21-18 Stienway S t r e e t . A s t o r i a . N. Y. 4. David J. B u t l e r , 3506 T u l a r a D r . , Boise, Idaho. 5. F r e d d i e A d a m s , 2677 Rockcliff Rd., Atlanta, G e o r g i a . 6. Alex Skutt, 352 W a r r e n Road, I t h a c a , N. Y. 7. T h o m a s H. F a l c o n e r , 4759 H e r s h o l t Ave., Long Beach, Calif. 8. David G. M o o r e , 1871 Snowden Ave.. M e m p h i s , Tenn. 9. M i c h a e l C o r c o r a n , 4714 N. E l k h a r t , Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 10. Tie: A2C C h a r l e s L u c a s , Seattle, Wash., S c o t t G e l l e r , 7201 R e v e r e St., P h i l a d e l p h i a , Penna.
W e a r e p l e a s e d to s t a t e that t h e r e w e r e n o d i s q u a l i f i c a t i o n s and no l a t e entrants.

Korps. I h a v e t r a n s f o r m e d a l l battle s i t u a t i o n s o n t o a 8 x 6 foot battleboard. E v e r y b a t t l e f a c t o r of a r m o r involved in c o m b a t i s r e p r e s e n t e d by a tank. and e a c h b a t t l e f a c t o r of infantry i s r e p r e s e n t e d by f i v e s m a l l t r a y s of infantry e a c h with t h r e e s m a l l f i g u r i n e s . The b a t t l e b o a r d i s i n HO s c a l e and the figu r e s and v e h i c l e s a r e v e r y inexpensive. Using the b a t t l e b o a r d in resolving of c o m b a t s i t u a t i o n s e x t e n d s the g a m e length but it a l s o m i n i m i z e s the luck s i t u a t i o n in a n y A-H g a m e . Thus. any table-top g e n e r a l c a n e x e r c i s e h i s tattical genius a s well a s h i s strategical b r a i n in a g a m e . If anyone d e s i r e s m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n r e l a t e d to this topic, I r e c o m m e n d t h a t you r e a d How to P l a y W a r G a m e s in M i n i a t u r e by Joseph M o r s c h a u s e r 111. W a l k e r a n d Company. New Y o r k 1962; o r w r i t e to: ~ r t h u J. r F o s s a , 7 Burlev Street. Danvers, Mass.
-

Discount Offer
T h e Coupon shown below is f o r t h e benef i t of the f u l l - y e a r s u b s c r i b e r . A s soon a s you h a v e a c c u m u l a t e d 4 such coupons, 1 e a c h f r o m t h i s and succeeding i s s u e s , you a r e entitled t o a $1.00 d i s count a p p l i e d t o t h e p u r c h a s e of a n y Avalon Hill g a m e . H e r e ' s how i t w o r k s E a c h coupon is w o r t h 2 5 f . But one coupon a l o n e d o e s not e n t i t l e you to a 25f c r e d i t . You m u s t a c c u m u l a t e 4 d i f f e r e n t coupons b e f o r e taking advanta g e of t h e $1.00 c r e d i t . When you have a c c u m u l a t e d 4 coupons, then you c l i p t h e m a l l t o g e t h e r a n d s e n d t h e m in with your o r d e r f o r a n Avalon Hill game. When o r d e r i n g in t h i s m a n n e r , you s i m p l y s e n d u s a check o r m o n e y - o r d e r f o r $ 1 . 0 0 l e s s than t h e u s u a l r e t a i l value of the g a m e . Coupons a r e valid only when o r d e r ing g a m e s by m a i l d i r e c t l y f r o m The Avalon Hill Company. Coupons c a n not b e r e d e e m e d a t a n y r e t a i l outlet.

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Exclusive: Our Design Staff Exposed.. .

SAVE THIS COUPON

You should m e e t t h e g e n t l e m a n who designed o u r F O O T B A L L p a m e , Q u a r t e r b a c k E d d i e L e F u m b l e . And o u r s p o r t s c a r r a c i n g , b u ~ i n r s s and r a i l r o a d i n g g a m e s d o n ' t d o bad f o r r e a l i s m , e i t h e r . . . e x c e p t o u r CANlNE KORPS g a m e which w a s a "dog. "

GOOD ONLY WHEN A P P L I E D TOWARD T H E PURCHASE O F AVALON HILL GAMES

Putting Realism in U-Boat Operation Barbarossa

(Continued f r o m P a g e 2 ) Supposing the supposition that a s u r faced s u b m a r i n e would be i n f e r i o r t o a n e s c o r t is t r u e , then why w e r e s u b m a r i n e s a r m e d with d e c k g u n s ? When you c o n s i d e r t h a t the g r e a t m a j o r i t y of tonnage sunk by gunfire f r o m s u r f a c e d s u b m a r i n e s t h e r e a s o n i s obvious. It was m u c h c h e a p e r t o s i n k m e r c h a n t s h i p s with s h e l l than with t o r p e d o e s . The t r u t h of this is s e e n in the f a c t that in 1945 G e r m a n s u b m a r i n e s r e m o v e d m o s t if not a l l d e c k g u n s they had p r e viously c a r r i e d a s a i r p a t r o l s m a d e i t no l o n g e r s a f e to s u r f a c e . Change the A t t a c k R e s u l t s T a b l e T o give the s u b m a r i n e c o m m a n d e r a chance i t i s obviously n e c e s s a r y t o t e m p e r r e a l i t y a l i t t l e s i n c e in a g a m e what would be t h e point of s u r f a c i n g if it w a s only t o be a u t o m a t i c a l l y d e s t r o y e d ? In r e a l i t y the p r o s p e c t of saving o n e ' s life would be p r e s e n t b u t in g a m e s t h i s f a c t o r is n o t p r e s e n t . A c cordingly in m y g a m e s I have c h a n g e d the r u l e s slightly t o r e q u i r e two h i t s by the s u b m a r i n e in o r d e r t o s i n k the d e s t r o y e r e s c o r t . I you a r e i n t e r e s t e d in f r e c r e a t i n g m o r e m o d e r n conditions t h e s u b m a r i n e should b e given no f i r e p o w e r a s s i n c e about 1945 the t r e n d h a s s t e a d ily been t o w a r d the r e m o v a l of d e c k a r m a m e n t a n d the dependence upon the ability t o s t a y s u b m e r g e d . Today v e r y few conventionally powered s u b m a r i n e s c a r r y a n y d e c k guns, not e v e n l i g h t machine guns, and no n u c l e a r s u b m a r i n e c a r r i e s s u c h weapons. I will b e m o s t happy to c o r r e s p o n d with any of o u r r e a d e r s s o if you h a v e any i d e a s o r a r g u m e n t s p l e a s e d r o p m e a line.
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by Daniel Hughes Did you e v e r w i s h that you could 1 play Stalingrad on a v e r y l a r g e b o a r d , using d i v i s i o n s instead of c o r p s ? Would you, a s the R u s s i a n c o m m a n d e r l i k e to m a n e u v e r , 158 f o r m a t i o n s (the a c t u a l n u m b e r of R u s s i a n d i v i s i o n s o n June ' 22, 1941) i n s t e a d of 3 4 ? O r , a s the G e r m a n , would you r a t h e r have 187 divisions (Again the a c t u a l n u m b e r ) ins t e a d of only 56 c o r p s ? I would imagine that m a n y w a r g a m e r s have a t t e m p t e d t o m a k e l a r g e r b o a r d s , using m o r e t r o o p s . Although o u r b o a r d s l a c k the p r o f e s s i o n a l e x c e l l e n c e of Avalon Hill g a m e s , I would doubt t h a t any g r o u p of a m a t e u r s have s u r p a s s e d m y g r o u p in this skill. O u r board, a m a p of R u s s i a , m e a s u r e s 5 ' by 5 ' ; and is c a l l e d I t B a r b a r o s s a . l ' In S t a l i n g r a d t h e r e a r e 21 s q u a r e s b e tween W a r s a w and Moscow. In Barb a r o s s a t h e r e a r e 60. In Stalingrad, the d i s t a n c e s between L e n i n g r a d and Sevastopol i s 32 s q u a r e s . In B a r b a r o s sa, - the d i s t a n c e i s 90. T h e Valdai H i l l s south of L e n i n g r a d a r e 1 2 s q u a r e s wide in B a r b a r o s s a . The a d v a n t a- e s of s u c h g a b o a r d a r e t h a t t h e r e is g r e a t e r r o o m f o r m a n e u v e r , luck t e n d s to c o m p l e t e l y balance out in s u c h a l a r g e g a m e , no s i n g l e blunder c a n r u i n a c a m p a i g n , and a b e t t e r g r a s p of s t r a t e g i c c o n c e p t s is needed. The b a s i c r e f e r e n c e w o r k f o r both the b o a r d and t h e t r o o p s t r e n g t h s i s T h e W e s t P o i n t A t l a s of A m e r i c a n W a r s . T o m a k e t h e m a p b o a r d , we f i r s t t r a c e d the hexagons f r o m a n Avalon Hill g a m e onto typing paper. We then t r a n s f e r r e d , t h i s t o a s t e n c i l , and had s e v e r a l hund r e d s h e e t s m i m e o g r a p h e d . We glued t h e s e s h e e t s onto heavy c a r d b o a r d . At

c
Central
Daniel Hughes 1634 North Sheridan Wichita, K a n s a s 67203 EDITOR - - C e n t r a l c o v e r i n g North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Neb r a s k a , Iowa, K a n s a s and M i s s o u r i . t h i s point we had a 5l x 5' m a s s of black hexagons. Returning to the A t l a s , we decided upon how m u c h a r e a of R u s s i a we wanted. We m e a s u r e d the d i s t a n c e a c r o s s f r o m W a r s a w t o Kuibyshev. The m a p b o a r d w a s 6.25 t i m e s a s l a r g e a s the A t l a s map. T h e s c a l e w a s , t h e r e f o r e , 1:6. 25. One c m . on the A t l a s equalled 6. 25 c m . on the m a p b o a r d . F o r about 1 , 0 0 0 p o i n t s in the A t l a s , ( c i t i e s , r i v e r s , e t c . ) we computed the d i s t a n c e f r o m r i g h t o r l e f t side, top o r bottom, s e t up the p r o p o r t i o n o n the s l i d e r u l e and plotted the points with a m e t e r stick. Magic m a r k e r s w e r e u s e d f o r r i v e r s . Swamps, c i t i e s a n d m o u n t a i n s a r e s i m i l a r to t h o s e in Stalingrad. The a r m i e s ' s t r e n g t h s w e r e a l s o t a k e n f r o m the Atlas. We have p r o duced a i r f o r c e units, flak units, and supply columns. Anyone i n t e r e s t e d in t h e s e and o t h e r l * c u s t o m i z e d l s units should w r i t e t o m e , and I w i l l t e l l you how we m a d e o u r s . Again, s o f a r , these u n i t s a r e v a s t l y i n f e r i o r t o Avalon Hill counters. We have a l s o produced a g a m e including a l l of Europe. It r e c r e a t e s the e x a c t situation in E u r o p e on Sept. 1, 1939, May 1, 1940, o r J u n e 22, 1941. C o m m e n t s , anyWe c a l l it "Europa". one ?

Cracking

the "D-DAY Defense"

(Continued f r o m P a g e 3 )

sive in t h e L u x e m b o u r g - Coblenz - Bonn a r e a , often s p e l l s "kaputo1 o r t h e G e r f mans. 2. A t t a c k B r u s s e l s with y o u r a r m o r ed units ( a t t a c k one G e r m a n 5:5:4 a t 3 t o 1 while soaking off a g a i n s t t h e o t h e r 5: 5:4's a s well a s the s u r r o u n d i n g u n i t s ) . Do t h i s a s long a s n e c e s s a r y d i s r e g a r d ing l o s s e s . When G e r m a n r e t r e a t s t o L i e g e , a r o u n d 15th week launch a t t a c k s a g a i n s t Antwerp. Liege and BB-14. T h i s a r e a i s probably t h e m o s t v i t a l a r e a of the e n t i r e G e r m a n line. Once Liege i s p a s s e d a final push will u s u a l l y win f o r the A l l i e s . 3. Use both plans 1 & 2 if you a r e forced t o begin your a t t a c k a f t e r t h e 1 l t h week. T o p r e v e n t a n y u n i t s in your r e a r , m e r c l y f o r m a l i n e in front of the G e r man line. T h i s will i s o l a t e a n y u n i t s in Franct.. Launch the second invasion

Plan Lenin .. .
(Continued f r o m P a g e 4 ) Although you will notice that t h e double l e t t e r s are in two p l a c e s , w h e r e t h e double letters a r e duplicated note that one a p p l i e s s t r i c t l y to the m i n u s n u m b e r s a n d one s e t to t h e plus n u m b e r s . T h e c e n t e r o f t h e g r i d s y s t e m i s Moscow a t A, 0. W a r s a w is a t V , 7 , Leninin P a s d e C a l a i s . At the beginning i n t e r f e r e with t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h e G e r m a n l i n e a s much a s possible. P l a n 1 o r 2 should beginabout the 9th o r 10th week. T h e Allied p l a y e r should b e flexible enough t o switch the c e n t e r of g r a v i t y when such a move would b e a d vantageous. I'd a p p r e c i a t e s o m e opinions and s u g g e s t i o n s . If you get a c h a n c e , s e n d m e a post c a r d .

g r a d a t D, - 8 , Stalingrad a t YY.15, Sofia a t FF, 27, L a k e Beloe a t WW, -9, K u r s k a t F,9 and O d e s s a a t R , 20. A s f a r a s R u s s i a n action a f t e r the f i r s t t u r n i s c o n c e r n e d , the STALINGRAD B a t t l e Manual i s quite c o m p r e h e n s i v e although it probably doesn't e m p h a s i z e enough the i m p o r t a n c e of t h e R u s s i a n keeping a continuous line and avoiding letting G e r m a n Units behind the l i n e . If t h e r e a r e any questions on l a t e r R u s s i a n t a c t i c s they might b e a n s w e r e d in l a t e r i s s u e s a l though personally I f e e l that the G e r man i s the one who n e e d s a d v i c e on how t o play the g a m e ( h e n e e d s m o r e than that - h e needs a n awful l o t of luck ! ). STALINGRAD and D-DAY have a lot in common in that in both g a m e s the side that i s the m o s t difficult to play i s the s i d e with the advantage, a nice paradox if one l i k e s them.

sage Sarge Sez:

Stalingrad- Win with Either Side

H e r e i s t h e opening I u s e f o r Staling r a d when I play the R u s s i a n side. We will put g r i d s y s t e m on the b o a r d s o you c a n put y o u r u n i t s i n t h e r i g h t place. Sit on t h e G e r m a n s i d e of t h e b o a r d s o that G r e e c e will b e on y o u r r i g h t a n d Sweden o n y o u r left. Number t h e s q u a r e s a t t h e w e s t end of t h e b o a r d from right to left. The word Greece will be in # 1 column. T u r k e y will be in # Z column a n d W a r s a w will b e in # 2 5 colurnn. T h e n u m b e r s of t h e c o l u m n s will b e p r o g r e s s i v e l y h i g h e r a s you go f r o m s o u t h t o n o r t h . If you h a v e done this correctly, Dnepro Petrovsk and Stalino will both b e i n c o l u m n #16. T h e s o u t h e r n m o s t r a i l r o a d in Poland i s in c o l u m n #20. T h e s q u a r e w h e r e the r a i l r o a d r u n s off t h e b o a r d should be l a b e l e d s q u a r e A. Work e a s t w a r d from s q u a r e A and label each succeeding s q u a r e , B. C. D, E , & etc. until you h a v e w o r k e d y o u r way a c r o s s the b o a r d . If you h a v e d o n e i t c o r r e c t l y , Minsk a n d Kiev w i l l b e on the M line. Smolensk, K h a r k o v , & Stalino should be on t h e S line. T h e l i n e s b e a r i n g the n a m e s of l e t t e r s i n t e r s e c t t h e n u m b e r ed c o l u m n s a t a 60 d e g r e e a n g l e . L e t t e r e d l i n e s r u n in a N o r t h w e s t e r n t o S o u t h e a s t e r n d i r e c t i o n w h i l e t h e numbered columns run west to east. To m a k e s u r e you h a v e t h e l e t t e r s a n d numbers c o r r e c t , I'm listing the coord i n a t e s of a f e w c i t i e s . Kiev M2O. Kharkov S19. S t a l i n o 516, Minsk H27. Moscow 232. 1 u s e d the r a i l r o a d t o place t h e l e t t e r s o n b e c a u s e of i t s f a i r l y c e n t r a l location. T h e R u s s i a n s r a r e l y go p a s t B u c h a r e s t s o c o o r d i n a t e s f o r the l o w e r p o r t i o n of R u m a n i a a r e n ' t needed. Since t h e G e r m a n s s e l d o m get t o the N o r t h e r n Divina, I s a w no need f o r giving c o o r d i n a t e s t o t h a t a r e a . You can u s e t h i s s y s t e m t o play by m a i l if you've got t h e g u t s . Anyway, h e r e a r e the r e d s t a r t i n g p o s i t i o n s . GI3 GI4 GI5 Glh Fl6 Dl5 CI? (321 CLz G23 HZ5 H26 HZ7 KLY
1,30

4-6-4 4-6-4 5-7-.4 4-6-4 4-6-4 4-6-4 2-3-6 4-6-4 5-7-4 4-6-4 4-6-6 5-7-4 2-3-6 5-7-4 4-6-6

El9 G11 F11, G12 G24 532 K32 L32 533 W40 AA45 BB47 BE49

4-6-6 & 5-7-4 7-10-4 & 4-6-4 7-10-4 5-7-4. & 4 - 6 - 4 6-9-6 B r e s t Lit 5-7-4 & 8-7-4 5-7-6 4-6-6 4-6-6 2-3-6 Leningrad 5-7-4 & 5-7-4 5-7-4 5-7-4 & 5-7-4

Winning with t h e Russians T h e b a s i c G e r m a n s t r a t e g y i s to stretch the Russian lines to the breaking point. T h e R u s s i a n s h a v e 34 units. Anytime the R e d s a r e f o r c e d t o G u a r d m o r e than 34 s q u a r e s , t h e r e will b e weak p l a c e s i n t h e l i n e s . T h e J e r r y s

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would b e foolish not t o a t t a c k the w e a k points a n d l e a v e t h e R e d s with l e s s u n i t s t o g u a r d a n e v e n l a r g e r a r e a . If the Germans successfully attack a c r o s s the P r u t river, theRed commander has a l o n g e r f r o n t t o deferid. T o guard a g a i n s t t h i s , I h a v e defended m o s t s t r o n g l y in t h e south. Rly s e t u p d i s courages the J e r r y s from attacking a c r o s s the P r u t b e c a u s e the G e r m a n s will h a v e to s a c r i f i c e m o r e i n s o a k offs than they c a n hope to win i n t h e a t t a c k . T o a t t a c k t h e 7 - 10-4 a t F 1 1 , t h e J e r r y s c a n l e a p off f r o m 4 d i f f e r e n t s q u a r e s . Since we c a n put 3 m e n in a s i n g l e s q u a r e , J e r r y could have a total of 12 u n i t s a v a i l a b l e f o r the s i e g e . With t h e G e r m a n s 12 s t r o n g e s t u n i t s , h e c a n m u s t e r a total f o r c e of 8 0 f a c t o r s in the 4 attack s luares. This would give h i m a 4 - 1 fight a g a i n s t o u r 7 - 1 0 - 4 if h e d i d n ' t h a v e t o s o a k off a n y body e l s e . But h e r e is w h e r e the r u b c o m e s in. T h e 7 - 1 0 - 4 2nd 4 - 6 - 4 i n G11 h a v e a t o t a l of 32 d e f r n s i v e f a c t o r s b e c a u s e of t h e r i v e r . '!he G e r m a n s m u s t u s e a m i n i m u m of 6 combat f a c t o r s t o s o a k t h e m off. The t r o o p s in G12 m u s t b e s o a k e d off too. T h e i r c o m b i n e d f a c t o r s a r e 26, s o F r i t z h a s to spend 5 combat factors to soak them off when t h e Hiene u s e s F12 t o a t t a c k f r o m . Units s i t t i n g in F12 a r e a l s o a d j a c e n t t o t h e r e d 4 - 6 - 4 s i t t i n g in G13 s o 2 m o r e f a c t o r s a r e needed f o r s o a k off. J e r r y h a s a choice of t r y i n g t o s o a k off t h e m a n in G13 a t the s a m e t i m e h e s o a k s off the rnan i n G12, which r e q u i r e s 7 f a c t o r s f o r t h e c o m bined s o a k off, o r h e can put a m a n i n F 1 3 t o s o a k off t h e G 1 3 & G 1 4 d e f e n d e r s . A f t e r F r i t z p l a c e s a l l 111s s o a k off's in position, h e will find t h a t he c a n m u s t e r only 69 c o m b a t f a c t o r s a g a i n s t t h e m a n in F11. T h i s m e a n s that h e t will b e r i s k i n g about 15 c ~ m b a f a c t o r s i n 1 - 6 s o a k o f f ' s t o get a 3 - 1 a t t a c k a g a i n s t a unit that could c o s t h i m 20 m o r e f a c t o r s if a n exchange i s c a l l e d f o r . T h i s a t t a c k could c o s t Hiene a s m u c h a s 35 c o m b a t f a c t o r s and t h e m o s t Hiene could win wou!d be 10 c o m bat f a c t o r s . T h e f a c t thac a n exchange would c o s t F r i t z 20 c o r l b a t f a c t o r s f r o m h i s strongest units generally enc o u r a g e s h i m to look e l s e w h e r e f o r a n opening a t t a c k . I b e l i e v e t h a t the e n t i r e R u m a n i a n f r o n t i s :oo s t r o n g f o r a n a t t a c k a t a n y point. N hen I play t h e G e r m a n s a g a i n s t t h i s srtllp, I put j u s t enough f o r c e i n R u m a n i a to b e a m e n a c e . R e d C o m m a n d e r will be f c r c e d t o watch t h e b o a r d e r with s o m e f a i r l y s t r o n g units. I h a v e placed 25 combat f a c t o r s on t h e F i n l a n d b o r d e r b e c a u s e it is vital t h a t you e l i m i n a t e thos:. pesky F i n n s a s soon a s p o s s i b l e . I h e 2 - 3 - 6 in L e n i n g r a d will withdraw ,.3 HZ6 on your f i r s t m o v e . T h i s s l o w s 11p the G e r m a n

I
Southwest
L o u i s Zocchi, S/Sgt. U. S. A. F. 1305 P o r t o R i c o A l a m o g o r d o , N. Mexico

fl

EDITOR - Southwest c o v e r i n g Arizona. New Mexico, T e x a s . Oklahoma. Arkans a s and Louisiana. a t t a c k along t h e N e m u n a s c o r r i d o r and c o s t s you l i t t l e . Move your 5 - 7 - 6 f r o m K32 into F i n l a n d a n d a t t a c k t h e Finns on y o u r f i r s t t u r n . N e v e r a t t a c k a t l e s s than 5- 1 i n Finland. If you get exchange d out of o n e of y o u r 5 - 7 - 4 ' s you won't b e a b l e t o kill off t h e F i n n s a s soon a s you should. T h e J e r r y s might eventua l l y c r o s s t h e N e m u n a s but if you work t h e F i n l a n d a t t a c k r i g h t , your F i n n i s h t r o o p s will b e f r e e i n t i m e t o defend t h e Divina. Winning with t h e Germans I want t o h e l p t h e G e r m a n s b e c a u s e I h a t e C o m m u n i s t s In fact. I've been a g i n ' C o m u n i s t s e v e r s i n c e they burned Richmond a n d t r i c k e d G e n e r a l L e e into s u r r e n d e r i n g . So, now G e n e r a l Von Chicken Koopen, we will e x p l o r e your s i d e of t h i s c a m p a i g n . You a r e allowed t o place 8 c o m b a t f a c t o r s in Finland. I h a v e m a n a g e d t o k e e p the 30 R u s s i a n c o m b a t f a c t o r s t i e d up in Finland f o r 6 o r 7 m o v e s when I h a v e a l i t t l e luck. P l a c e a R u m a n i a n 2-2-4 a t V43 and a n o t h e r a t W49. P u t your 3 r d Rumanian 2 - 2 - 4 a t T 4 3 a n d t h e l a s t one a t U48. Make 2 p i l e s of 7 f a c t o r s out of your F i n n s a n d p l a c e t h e m a t U45 and U47. When t h e R e d s a t t a c k they will kill off t h e R u m a n i a n s a t V43 and W49, but they won't b e a b l e to r e a c h t h e r e s t of your m e n . 7 f a c t o r s i n a s i n g l e s q u a r e i s too m u c h f o r c e in one p l a c e f o r the R e d s t o b a t t l e without the r i s k of a soakoff and exchange. T h e R e d s will probably e l i m i n a t e y o u r l a s t 2 R u m a n i a n s on the s e c o n d m o v e . It the R e d s l e a v e a n y h o l e s f o r you to s l i p out of Finland through, m a k e a r u n f o r it with one unit. Your objective i s t o t i e h i m u p a s long a s p o s s i b l e and you can't d o t h a t if you t r y t o r u n f o r it with a l l of your m e n . If the R e d s don't l e a v e h o l e s , move one 2 - 2 - 4 to T 4 6 , and a n o t h e r to T43. P l a c e a 3 - 3 - 4 i n Helsinki and maFe a s t a c k of 7 f a c t o r s a t T44. T h e Reds will u s u a l l y pounce t h e 2 l o n e 2 - 2 - 4 ' s a n d l e a v e y o u r s t a c k of 7 a l o n e . On y o u r next t u r n r e t r e a t one 2 - 2 - 4 and 3 - 3 - 4 t o Q42. If you should be s o lucky m o v e y o u r 3-3-4 t o P41. On the 5th R u s s i a n m o v e , y o u r 2 - 2 - 4 a t 0 4 2 will p r o b a b l y b e s m e a r e d , but I doubt that t h e R e d s c a n get into position t o wipe out t h e m a n a t P 4 1 . If t h a t ' s s o , you (Continued on page 11 1

Martin Leith and His Electric Combat Results Board

In the May 1 s t i s s u e of t h e G e n e r a l , the e d i t o r f o r the South Atlantic a r e a mentioned the e x a s p e r a t i o n m a n y playe r s e x p e r i e n c e when c o m b a t r e s u l t s a r e dependent upon a r o l l of t h e die.
1

1
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I

A s this h a s been m y pet g r i p e , I've devised a method of e l i m i n a t i n g t h i s "luck f a c t o r " , s o f a r t h o s e who m a y b e i n t e r e s t e d I ' l l explain the s y s t e m . F o r want of a b e t t e r n a m e , I c a l l it a n E l e c t r i c Combat R e s u l t s B o a r d . It can b e put t o g e t h e r i n a few h o u r s out of a hodge-podge of m a t e r i a l s you

m a y have laying about in t h e g a r a g e o r basement. I d i s m a n t l e d t h r e e old f l a s h l i g h t s t o obtain the s o c k e t s f o r t h e bulbs, a n d t h e r e s t of t h e m a t e r i a l s w e r e dug out of m y "junk box", s o t h e total c o s t of t h i s contraption w a s 25 c e n t s f o r a D s i z e b a t t e r y , and a few l e i s u r e h o u r s plus a slight b u r n c a u s e d by t r y i n g t o s o l d e r a w i r e t o m y f i n g e r i n s t e a d of a bulb socket. Following, is a d i a g r a m f o r t h o s e who want t o t a k e a w h i r l a t building t h i s gadget.

Arctic
M a r t i n D. L e i t h Box 623, Quesnel, B . C . , Canada

Ex-Royal Canadian appointed Arctic Editor

I w a s b o r n in Vancouver B. C. In 1933 and g r e w u p t h e r e until 1949 when my family moved t o Quesnel, B. C. I have r e s i d e d in Quesnel s i n c e then, except f o r a s e v e n yeak s t r e t c h in whlch I s e r v e d with t h e Royal Canadian Alr F o r c e on v a r i o u s s t a t i o n s under A i r A f t e r two h i t c h e s , I decided t o r e t u r n to " c i v v y - s t r e e t " and have been employed a s a P o s t a l C l e r k s i n c e then. I s t i l l kept m y hand in the m i l i t a r y a s a "Week-end W a r r i o r " in the local A r m y Militia, being of a l l things, a d r i l l i n s t r u c t o r - possibly due to my sunny disposition, which h a s been likened to that of a wounded grizzly. I ' m m a r r i e d , a n d h a v e a five y e a r old daughter who a i d s and a b e t s the "enemy" by making off with a handful of A r m o r e d Divisions a t a c r u c i a l p a r t of a g a m e . I'm a r a b i d fan of Avalon Hill battle g a m e s and have B i s m a r c k , D-Day, and A f r i k a K o r p s , and plan to add m o r e g a m e s a s t i m e g o e s by. I play piano i n a d a n c e band, and my f a v o r i t e s p o r t s a r e football and hockey. I would l i k e t o h e a r f r o m anyone, a n y w h e r e who is i n t e r e s t e d in the battle g a m e hobby. above t h e t o p of y o u r finished board. Following i s a d i a g r a m of what your top should look like:

You can m a k e t h i s b o a r d out of a n y m a t e r i a l s you h a v e o n hand, s u c h a s plywood, heavy c a r d b o a r d , e t c . s o I won't go i n t o a long l i s t of m a t e r i a l s . It i s i m p o r t a n t t h a t w i r e A and t h e s h o r t piece of w i r e u n d e r the f i r i n g k e y s be b a r e , s o that when t h e key i s d e p r e s s e d it will s t r i k e t h e w i r e and m e t a l s t r i p a t the s a m e t i m e . You m u s t d e p r e s s only one key a t a t i m e , and h e r e i s what h a p p e n s when you and your opponent go into a c t i o n : Keys I & 4 i l l u m i n a t e light A & B Keys 1 & 5 i l l u m i n a t e light A Kcbys I & 6 i l l u m i n a t e light B

Keys Keys Keys Keys Keys Keys

2 2 2 3 3 3

& & & & & &

4 illuminate 6 illuminate o illuminate 4 illuminate 5 illuminate 6 illuminate

light light light light light light

A A & C C

B
C B & C

T h e s i z e cjf t h i s b o a r d is l e f t u p t o t h e individual, b u t s p a c e t h e k e y s s o that they c a n be o p e r a t e d e a s i l y by your middle t h r e e f i n g e r s . After you h a v e t h e w i r e s and what a l l l a i d out on the bottomof your b o a r d , you will need s i d e s and a top. Again, the h e i g h t of the s i d e s is u p t o you, but t h e lights should poke out

Both opponents p r e s s a key of their choice a t t h e s a m e t i m e . T h e f i n g e r s p r e s s i n g the keys must be hidden f r o m y o u r opponent, o t h e r w i s e he c a n p r e s s a key which will make the r e s u l t s go in h i s f a v o r . C o v e r your "firing" f i n g e r s with your o t h e r hand, o r m a k e a shield which your f i n g e r s can hide behind. T o r e a d the r e s u l t s s i m p l y match up the r e s u l t s l i n e f o r which t h e light h a s gone on with w h a t e v e r battle odds yo11 a r e fighting a t . If light A f l a s h e s , r e a d along line A . (Continued on P a g e 1 1 )

Question Corner
D- DAY Q: "A u n i t ' s zone of c o n t r o l d o e s not extend o u t s i d e a f o r t r e s s t o a l a n d s q u a r e . D o e s t h i s c o n v e r s e l y apply t o a unit a d j a c e n t t o a f o r t r e s s not a c r o s s a r i v e r ? " i.e. can a unit move into a f o r t r e s s t h a t a n o p p o s i n g u n i t is a d j a c e n t tn without engaging in c o m b a t ? " A:
Q:

Absurdity of Afrika Korps

b y Jon Perica Upon r e c e i v i n g m y J u l y i s s u e of t h e G e n e r a l , I w a s indeed s u r p r i s e d t o s e e t h e r u l e c h a n g e s and p l a y - b a l a n c e s u g g e s t i o n s . T o s e e what a f l e c t t h e y would have on future Afrika Korps games, I immediately submitted them t o the C o m m i t t e e o n R u l e s A r ~ a l y s i sa n d Int e r p r e t a t i o n of m y club. A f t e r c a r e f u l study and c o u n t l e s s g a m e s of playing r e s e a r c h , t h i s w a s t h e i r c o n s i d e r e d opinion. "Someone a t Avalon Hill d i s l i k e s t h e G e r m a n s . T h e s e s o ca1li.d r u l e c h a n g e s and play-balance suggestions a r e the b i g g e s t f a r c e e v e r i t ~ ~ a g i n e d !T h e y c o m p l e t e l y change t h r o u t c o m e of t h e g a m e s o m u c h that if l o s e s m o s t of i t s appeal. Trying to make the game a s even a s possible h a s totally destroye d t h e c h a n c e s of a G r r m a n Victory. Y e s , we a g r e e t h a t A f r i k a K o r p s is balanced- - - m o r e like over-weighted i n f a v o r of t h e A l l i e s . S h a m e , s h a m e o n you. AH!" Needless to say, this was pretty s t r o n g m e d i c i n e coming f r o m t h e c o m mittee. When I a s k e d t h e m t o b e s p e c i f i c a b o u t t h e r u l e c h a n g e s , they r e p l i e d . "The i d e a that t h e G e r m a n s c a n ' t u s e supply on t h e f i r s t t u r n is r i d i c u l o u s ! T h e g r e a t e s t weapon they h a v e , b e s i d e s mobility. is t h e a b i l i t y t o b r i n g in supply o n the f i r s t t u r n . A l though we c a n s e e AFT'S r e a s o n f o r not a l l o w i n g supply f o r h i s t o r i c a l p u r p o s e s , we l i k e t o play p a m e s t h a t a r e e v e n l y balanced. T h i s l o s s of supply m a k e s c a p t u r e of T o b r u c h b e f o r e A l lied reinforcements almost impossible. If t h e r e s t r i c t i o n of supply o n t h e f i r s t t u r n put the G e r m a n s in the coffin, r o l l i n g f o r s u p p l i e s n a i l s t h e l i d down! T h e c o m m i t t e e next d i s c u s s e d t h e s u g g e s t i o n s by "private" V i c t o r Madeja, who they f e e l " l a c k s p e r s p i c a c i t y f o r basic strategy. His s o c a l l e d playb a l a n c e s u g g e s t i o n s show a n u n r e a l i s t i c attitude for simple military understanding. " "Supply e v e r y o t h e r t u r n i s a n Alicein- Wonderland a p p r o a c h t o playing. But if you a r e t h e M a r c h H a r e , it m i g h t m a k e s e n s e . I' Realism v s Play-Balance T h e r e i s a g r e a t t e a m going; AH t r y i n g t o m a k e the g a m e r e a l i s t i c by s a c r i f i c i n g play balance and Victor m a k i n g the g a m e u n r e a l i s t i c by t r y i n g to find play-balance. P l a c i n g units a n y w h e r e on the b o a r d i s the m o s t naive i d e a e v e r thought of by a n e d i t o r (?) R e c e i v i n g r e i n f o r c e m e n t s f o r the A l l i e s is c o m p l e t e l y the cnd of the G e r m a n c h a n c e s f o r v i c t o r y . With the f o u r e x t r a u n i t s o n the b o a r d b e f o r e June, w e wouldn't be s u r p r i s e d if the A l l i e s did the attacking. ' I

Pacific Coast
Jon P e r i c a 5663 R a m a r a Avenue Woodland Hills. C a l i f o r n i a 91364 EDITOR - - P a c i f i c C o a s t c o v e r i n g Hawaii, C a l i f o r n i a , Oregon. Washington and the F a r E a s t . But w a s e v e r y t h i n g V i c t o r w r o t e not well structured? No, the c o m m i t t e e found Itthe i d e a a b o u t isolation to a fine i d e a b e c a u s e of t h e i r belief that t h r e e 1-1-6's s u r r o u n d i n g a 7-7-10 didn't make sense." Also, t h e change in niovement t o a n d f r o m B e n g a s i i s ano t h e r good idea. In s u m m i n g up, the c o m m i t t e e s t a t e d t h a t f o r r e a l play-balance, " d i s r e g a r d a l l c h a n g e s e x c e p t B e n g a s i and i s o l a tion. Allow the G e r m a n s t o b r i n g s u p ply o n the f i r s t t u r n . When a l l of these take affect, then the r e a l A f r i k a K o r p s will t a k e s i t s p l a c e a m o n g the o t h e r g r e a t AH g a m e s . " L e t s hope w e d o n ' t have t o w r i t e , H e r e l i e s AK B o r n 1963 Died 1964-killed by P l a y - b a l a n c e RIP L e t m e thank a l l of you who have taken the t i m e to w r i t e f o r positions in the m u l t i - p l a y e r g a m e . P o s i t i o n s and further information will appear a t a l a t e r date. M o r e Good Books The r e a c t i o n to the f i r s t l i s t of books w a s t r e m e n d o u s , m a n y t h a n k s to those like Bob Gwinn. John N e a h r , C r a i g Johns and William E a r n e s t who took the t i m e to s a y "the i d e a of a book review in y o u r a r t i c l e i s e x c e l l e n t , k e e p t h e m coming"! T h i s m o n t h s l i s t s includes The 1. S t r a t e g y by Liddell H a r t . f i n e s t , m o s t i n f o r m a t i v e , book on o v e r a l l m i l i t a r y t a c t i c s and s t r a t e g y I've e v e r read. I heartily recommend this to a l l f a n s of m i l i t a r y h i s t o r y a s e x c e l l e n t reading. 2. P a n z e r L e a d e r b y H e i n z Guderian G r e a t book o n the o r i g i n of the G e r m a n panzers. L o t s of p i c t u r e s and fully documented. 3. Invasion, T h e y ' r e Coming by P a u l C a r e l l . T h e s t o r y of D-Day and what followed a s the G e r m a n H i g h C o m m a n d saw it. 4. The Coming F u r y by B r u c e C a t ton. T h e m o s t popular C i v i l War a u t h o r of o u r t i m e s w r i t e s o n the r e a s o n s and b a c k - g r o u n d of t h i s g r e a t conflict. 5. T h e W e s t P o i n t A t l a s of A m e r i c a n W a r s by Vincent E s p o s i t o . Vol. 1 and 2. F o r those of you that want to m a k e your own g a m e s , h e r e i s your (Continued on P a g e I I )

Yes.

"How m a n y d i v i s i o n s c a n b e brought in through c a p t u r e d inland p o r t s ? " A Any n u m b e r p e r t u r n .

Q: "Is A m s t e r d a m a n inland p o r t of the North S e a i n v a s i o n a r e a (allowing r e i n f o r c e m e n t s t o b e brought i n through i t ) o r of t h e supply a r e a e a s t of t h e North S e a a r e a (allowing no r e i n f o r c e m e n t s through i t ) ? " A: A m s t e r d a m i s t r e a t e d a s a n inland port through which a n u n l i m i t e d n u m b e r of r e i n f o r c e m e n t s m a y b e brought. "If a n invasion is obviously r e p l u s e d , with a l l u n i t s pushed i n t o t h e s e a , and a l l landing points h e l d by G e r m a n u n i t s , c a n t h e G e r m a n s then l e a v e t h e b e a c h a n d the A l l i e s not c o u n t e r a t t a c k and l a n d ? "
Q:

A: Yes - G e r m a n u n i t s can l e a v e t h a t b e a c h ; h o w e v e r , s t a r t i n g f r o m t h e 9th week on, that b e a c h c a n b e r e - i n v a d e d by t h e A l l i e s . Q: "Can you b r i n g on G e r m a n Headq u a r t e r s units a s replacements?" A: No - h e a d q u a r t e r s u n i t s a b s o l u t e l y cannot b e u s e d a s r e p l a c e m e n t s . Q: "If s u r r o u n d e d , c a n p a r a c h u t e u n i t s f l y away and e s c a p e ? "
.4 Y e s .

Q: "On o r d i n a r y beach s q u a r e s a f t e r the f i r s t m o v e , i s t h e r e a m a x i m u m of two u n i t s coming in p e r s q u a r e ? "

A: No - you m a y b r i n g in m o r e than two p e r s q u a r e p e r t u r n . Q: " P a r a c h u t e u n i t s m u s t b e d r o p p e d within 5 s q u a r e s of t h e c l o s e s t c o m b a t unit. I s that f r i e n d l y o r e n e m y u n i t ? "

A:

F r i e n d l y unit only.

Q: "Can u n i t s s t o p on t h e d y k e in t h e I j j s e l m e e r ? Could t h e s e be a t t a c k e d ? " A: Yes t o both q u e s t i o n s . (Continued on P a g e 1 2 )

Question Corner
(~ontcnued from Page 10)

Tactics & Strategy

(Continued from Page 11)

Chancellor sville
Q: "Can u n i t s , after a battle, be broken d o w n into brigade substitute c o u n t e r s t o avoid a one-sided loss a n d e x c h a n g e ? " A Y e s - w e a r e r e v e r s i n g a n earlier r u l i n g and a l l o w i n g p l a y e r s to make t h e s e substitutions after combat.

Tactics I1
Q: " A r e d e f e n d e r s adjacent to a mount a i n forced to move a w a y i n one square, ~ o r m a y they move several s q u a r e s i n t h e mountain u n i t s control?"

tactics and strategy. It is movement of groups of units to the battle. Tactics are the lowest level military science. If an armored unit attacks an i n f a n t r y unit, that's tactics. people are about is how to and defeat. Too often people surrender when 'uffer a defeatThese people are sellirlg Let us is evolved. One or more tactical v i c t o r i e s make a grand One O r grand tactical victories make a strate-

gic. Thus. one or more strategic victories make a grand strategic victor:. which w i n s the game. You may win a tactical battle but lose strategically in the long run. This is what happens to most people. They concentrate too on ofPo enemy units and not enough on strategy. If you can be perfect strategically you c a n make the most hopeless tactical blunders you want and still win the game. If, however, you are p e r f e c t tactically, but a w f u l strategically you w i l l g e t creamed. O f course, if you are lousy at tactics & s t r a t e g y reach f o r the arsenic. I hope I have straightened out a few people on the subject of strategy and tactics.
Oklahoma W. HUME HOPKIRK Ward 7E. V e t e r a n s Hasp., Oklahoma City 4 R ALVA CALLISON. J . R.R. I. Box 171. P r y o r ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ , : E p H E N S 222 Wynnewood Ave.. Lansdowne HOWARD BROOW 1940 N. Third st., Wrri.burg E D HUGHES 610 South T h o m a s Street. Bcdford ROBERT SlOOVlCH 625 E. WeBtmoreland St., Phila. Rhode Island DAVID AND PAUL KELLY 132 Gentian Avc'' Providence OZ9O8 Texas PATRICK CLAY 12452 Houston 77015 NORMAN C. DEALEY 6840 Bradbury Lane. Dallas 30 MARK RAMSEY 4434 W a s t e r Road. DalLam 75220

SUBSCRIBERS' DIRECTORY
Add the following t o your Directory rd Names prlnted in previous i s s u e s

N o , u n i t s must e i t h e r be able to m o v e a w a y i n t h e v e r y f i r s t square o r r r m a i n and attack.

A.

California
CLARK JORDAN 634 W. F e r n Dr., Fullerton JACK GREENE. JR. 670 D a r r e l l Road. Hillsborough S T E V E TREMAIN 214 W. Banbury St.. Stockton STEPHEN E. LARSON 16140 Morrison St.. Encino 91316 DAN DOMIKE 4714 Hayvenhuret Ave.. Encino ROBERT L. S W T T S Code 913 VSNRDL. San F r a n c i s c o RONALD W HANKS . 1845 5 . Basom Ave.. Campbell MICHAEL JOHANN 5541 central ~ i ~ 9 2~ 5 ~ ~ OWEN HALL, JR. 4738 Lakewood. Long Beach BOB WOOD 873 N. 10th Ave.. Upland DONALD ASHMAN 300 N. Shelton St.. Burbank Canada PAUL SENSON. JR. 25 London S t r e e t S., Hamilton. Ont. Colorado GARY VARDON 1870 South Wolcott. Denver 19 EDWARD J. CUNNINGHAM. JR. 501 E. Brookside. Colorado Springs Connecticut JAMES LANGENFELD 343 Old Hickory Road. Fairfield P E T E R M. CLARK 130 Hartland St.. Hartford 061 12 RICHARD R. BECKNER Meadowhrook Road. Brookfield PAUL M. ROBERG Lake Street. Litchlield Delaware JOHN L. LISTER Box 235A. R. D. 5. Dover 19901

Q. " A r e
do~rbled?"

defenders across bridges "Are ocean b r i d g e s doubled? ''

A : No - d e f e n d e r s a c r o s s bridges a r e no: doubled.

Massachusetts WILLIAM P I E T Z 90 F l e t c h e r Road. Bclmont 02178 JEROME WEB& 153 Dartmouth T e r r . . Springfield 9 Michigan THE OXYCEPHALICS 25219 R O ~ C O UW.. Huntington Woods I~ ROBERT B. PETTENGILL Delta College, Unfversity Center MICHAEL J. MAHER 17202 Warrington Drive. Detroit 48221 CHARLES L. BALDWIN 35 Stapleton Street. Mt. Clemens 1257 Whittier. G r o s s e Points P a r k 3 0 Missouri J O E WICKMANN 5708 iHelen Avenue. St. Louis 63136 ~ d ~ TERREL KUHN 205 N. Randolph. P l c a s m t Hill Minnesota ROGER W ANDERSON . 901 W. 80 I12 Street. Minneapolis 20 Nebraska KENNETHBUNGER 4105 N. 54th S t r e e t . Omaha 68104 New JerBey PHIL ORBANES. JR. Delsca Drive. Goshen 08218 C. H. JOHNSON 1313 Wickapecko Dr.. Aebury P a r k WAYNE Glenside Avc.. Scotch P l a i n s STEVE GARWOOD Main Street, F l a n d e r a 07836 JOHN AND CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY 2 Harwood Drive. Madison New York DONALD W I G H T Neelytown Road. Campbell Halt DOMENICK CASELLA 303 E. 105th St.. New York 10029 WILLIAM P. TILLMGHAST 2 Parkway Drive, Pelham SIR BRUCE MlLLlGAN 479 Smith Avenue, Islip 11751 J. S. WILLIAMS. ETR3. 524-87-35 Navcommsta. OPS Div.. N a y 1577 FPO. New York 09569 MARK A. MAXIM 71 Hillcrest Dr.. Spencerport 14559 ALEXIS TURKALO 46 Carleton Road, Orangeburg EUGENE OSSA I21 F i r s t Ave., Pelham North JIMMY RAY BLEVINS Box 1188. Lansing 28643 JOHN JARVI 3619 Oakwood Avenue. Charlotte 5 Ohio J E F F COX 2089 Guilford Road, Columbus 21 KEITH E. COOLICK 335 Bonniewood D r . , Cleveland 441 10 HAROLD MARTIN 8 3 North Central Ave.. Columbus 22 RICHARD S U I TH I225 Sulllvant Avenue. Columbus WILLIAM H. McCABE 2795 Coleridge Rd.. Cleveland Hghts. RICHARD ROYER 555 Roslyn Avenue, Akron 20

Dispatcher
Q: " I s it possible to have a t r a i n stop

o r backup on a signalless t r a c k if this is according to a master s c h e d u l e ? "

A:

Yes.

Q: "Is it n e c e s s a r y for a f r e i g h t t r a i n t o g o the s h o r t e s t route to its destina-

tion?"

A: N o
dirpct

- i t may t r a v e l by a more i n route.

Q. "IF i t possible to stuff m o r e t r a i n s t h a n would be p h y s i c a l l y possible into a s e c t i o n o r is t h e r e a maximum of o n e t r a i n per t r a c k ? "

A.
No

train

- t h e r e is a maximum of one p e r track.

Q: "When a u n i t i s b e i n g attacked by o t h e r u n i t s a n d g e t s a defender back, i f o n e u n i t of both p l a y e r s c o n t r o l s one o f t h e r e t r e a t i n g s q u a r e s , is that s q u a r e neutral?"

A . N o t h e u n i t forced to r e t r e a t would be e l i m i n a t e d instead. This a p p l i e s i n a l l of o u r battle games. The e a s y r u l e t o r e m e m b e r is that t h e r e m u s t be a c l e a r path of r e t r e a t i n g s q u a r e s u n t o u c h e d by e n e m y z o n e s of control. The f a c t t h a t f r i e n d l y a?d e n e m y zones m a y o v e r l a p d o e s not n e u t r a l i z e s u c h r e t r e a t i n g routes.

JOHN JAMES CROFT 111 Georgia Tech. Box 31163. Atlanta Illinois JOVAN GOVEDARICA 1837 Evergreen Ave., Chicago 22 FREDERICK BREMS Rt. I. Box 78A. Algonquin DENNIS CIBOROWSKI 5823 W. Cornelia Ave., Chicago THOMAS M. KASSEL 401 N. Kenilworth. Oak P a r k JOHN R. WILLIS l416A Friendship La.. Chanute AFR

5682-2 C a r t e r S t r e e t P.P.. Ft. Hood LARRY BRlSTOL 1312 Vrsuline Avenue. Bryan EDDIE ROBISHEAUX 4405 Driftwood. Corpus Christ1 Utah THOMAS BOSSELER 2774 Van Buren, Ogden BRENTNALL H. BARLOW 5093 Cheerful Drive, Salt Lake City 7 Virginia STEPHEN WHITE 908 D Street. Cbe.ap=ak= 6 Washington TERRY H. JONES 509 So. "L" Street. Tacoma 98405 Wisconsin IRVING J. KESSLER 509 No. Lake Street. Madimon 3 MICHAEL CORCORAN 4714 N. Elkhart. Milwaukee DANIEL DREWEK 31 1 W. Lexington Blvd.. Milwaukee Wyoming STEVE MANN Rt. 2. Box 413. Cheyenne 82001

Iowa

JIM RY DER 3915 T e r r a c e Hill Dr.. C e d a r Rapldh Kansas HOMER L. DYER. I n 240 South Bethany. Kansas City MIKE MUTH 1210 S. Minneapolis. Wichita 6721 1 RANDLE C. JOHNSON 2404 W. Jackson. Hutchinson Kentucky JOHN W. VIDETTO 3720 Glen Oak Dr.. Louisville 40218
Louisiana

DR. ING. LEONE VARRIALE Abitaz: Via Buranello. 14.2 GenovaSampierdarena. Italy D. T. BRADLEY I I. Summerfield. Chatham St. Rotherham. Yorkshire. England DONALD F. PEATHERSTONE 69 Hill La.. Southampton. Hants. Eng. EDWARD F. LaCROIS 8 Hikawa-cho. Nakano-ku. Tokyo. Japan JOHN G. BRYANT 20. Boulevard VICTOR. P a r i s 15. France LEON VIE 84 Stadionwag. A m s t e r d a m - 2 . The Netherlmdm

roreign

RICHARD C. LEWIS. JR. 622 Jena Street. New O r l e a n s

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