Korsun: The German Pocket on the Dniepr
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 Cover of the SPI folio edition | |
| Designers | Stephen Patrick |
|---|---|
| Illustrators | Redmond A. Simonsen |
| Publishers | Simulations Publications Inc. |
| Publication | 1979 |
| Genres | World War II |
Korsun: The German Pocket on the Dniepr is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1979 that simulates the Battle of the Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket during World War II. The game originally appeared in the "quadrigame" collection Four Battles of Army Group South, but was also released as an individual "folio game."
In December 1943, the German Army Group South in Ukraine fell back to defensive positions behind the Dnieper River near the town of Korsun. In late January 1944, before the Germans could complete their defenses, the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts attacked and managed to encircle them in a "pocket". The German forces, facing eradication as the Soviet forces tightened their grip, struggled to break out of the pocket.[1]
Description
Korsun is a two-player wargame in which one player controls Axis forces while the other player controls Soviet forces.
Components
Korsun includes:
- a 22" x 17" paper hex grid map
- 200 double-sided die-cut counters
- two copies of the 8-page rulebook "Rules common to all four games in the Army Group South box"
- a 4-page rulebook with rules unique to Rostov
- a booklet of historical background
Gameplay
The rules system is based on the Eastern Front wargame Panzergruppe Guderian published by SPI in 1976. This uses an alternating system of player turns in which the Soviet player moves their units first, then conducts attacks. The German player moves, attacks, then moves their mechanized forces a second time. During either movement phase the German player may conduct overruns (attacks at half strength, using only units which began the turn in the same hex.)[2]
In the specific rules for Korsun, German units on the first turn only have limitations on how far each unit can move, which allows the Soviet player to complete an encirclement.[3]