Battle of Kursk - Drive on Verkopenye (Avalon Hill’s “PanzerBlitz” - Bonus Content)

[@johnpirman7680]

Awesome presentation Oriskany Jim !!

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much! Glad you liked the content! 😃

[@KLEShore]

Great voice and so funny - “the Soviet armored car has come to the end of the road” 😂

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aabJpZecqM-Ipbs - Yeah, StuGs vs. BA-64s at 300 meters ... you're not walkin' away from that get-together. 😅 Thanks very much for all the support and kind words!

[@lonl123]

Is there somewhere I can buy the maps and counters for this? Would love to try this. Or is there an available vassal module? Thank you...fantastic report.

[@airborneranger-ret]

0:40 - Ok, Kursk was the largest "tank" battle in history. I don't know about the "largest" battle. ;) The old PC game "Panzer General" also has this scenario :) 5:00 - very nice game map :) 14:30 - engineers are known as a "force multiplier" 40:00 - love the Stuka sound effects :)

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much for the kind words on the map!😀 Actually, Kursk wasn't really a "tank" battle overall. I know the catchphrase "Kursk was the largest tank battle" is out there a lot, it's something I carefully avoid. People who quote this are often conflating "Battle of Kursk" with "Battle of Prokhorovka." Even then, people like to argue. I would stand by "Kursk is the largest battle" in general - we go over this in detail in Part 1 of this series, listing our numbers, math, and comparisons. Definitely agree "Panzer General" is a great game. They didn't have a Verkopenye-specific scenario, though ... did they? Thanks very much for the kind words on the map again!

[@KLEShore]

This is a work of art

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

@@KLEShore - Thanks very much as always! Yeah, I actually whipped this game up kind of last minute just to fill in some of the gaps in our Kursk 80th Anniversary coverage.

[@jenniferlemon3876]

Oooohh Surprise! Extra Content. Love the opening music.

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Thanks very much. Gotta change up the tunes every so often! 😁

[@bennijohnson942]

Miniatures are great, but you need Panzer Blitz/Leader to reflect the true scope of a battle this big, and even that's not quite big enough to cover everything...

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Agree 100%. And yes, this was a VERY SMALL PanzerBlitz game. Only 26 x 14 hexes, 364 hexes in all, so barely more than a single PB mapboard (330). Only part of Grossdeutschland PzGr Div's OOB was represented here, and about 2 brigades of each of the two Soviet corps (3rd Mechanized and 6th Tank). So we'd be assuming other "PanzerBlitz Games" were happening off the east and west flanks of this map simultaneously.

[@robertjesionowski2341]

You are using AIW rules, way cool. What did you use guide you when you break up the Russian companies into 1/2 companies/"platoons"?

[@JamesJohnson-wq6bs]

Great question. In general ... and yes, this is very generalized ... I used 75% of the original PanzerBlitz AF values for Soviet tank units. So a T-34 company in original PB gets a 12, I give the half compay a 9. When dividing Soviet companies in half for "half companies" (10 tanks per counter to 5 tanks per counter), dividing unit values by HALF seems a more straightforward solution. HOWEVER ... PanzerBlitz was always a very Russo-phobic system, based on the available writings and accounts of the time like Carrell, Mellenthin, Guderian, etc. More recent writings by guys like Overy and especially Glantz gives us a better view. This is especially true when one considers that most PB scenarios take place in 43-45, when the RKKA was more competent then they were in 42 and especially 41. Also, when you use AIW system, you use morale, and you usually give the Soviets a lower morale. Also Also ... I usually give the Germans access to "Split Move and Fire" mechanics, not the Soviets (depending on time period and specific units) So hitting them with bad morale AND really bad attack and defense factors AND no split move and fire seems to be "triple dipping" into Soviet military inferiority. That said, I don't make them as good as German units, either. Hence, the 75% compromise.