Black Wednesday: The Battle of Krasni Bor, 10-11 Feb 1943

About this board game

Black Wednesday: The Battle of Krasni Bor, 10-11 Feb 1943 is a high-complexity tactical combat game for 1-4 players, with a listed playing time of 3000 minutes. It is the seventh game in The Gamers’ Tactical Combat Series.

Set south of Leningrad during the Second Lake Ladoga Offensive, the game recreates the Battle of Krasni Bor, a key action intended to help secure the city after its siege had been broken. The battle became known to the Spanish as “Black Wednesday,” as the outnumbered Spanish Blue Division faced a massive Soviet offensive.

Players experience a typical Eastern Front assault, beginning with a massive artillery barrage against front-line trenches before waves of Soviet infantry advance. The newly anointed 63rd Guards Rifle Division leads the attack, supported by the 72nd Rifle Division, part of the 43rd Rifle Division, and tanks from the 1st Red Banner Tank Brigade, including T-26, T-34, and KV-1 vehicles.

The Spanish defenders must rely on skill and determination as they hold stubborn positions and form desperate hedgehog defenses. German forces can add further pressure through counterattacks, creating a furious combined-arms struggle in which player skill is highly rewarded.

• Streamlined Third Edition Tactical Combat Series rules
• 20-minute turns and 125-yard hexes
• Infantry platoons and individual vehicles
• Medium-high solitaire playability
• A variant allowing the 800mm railroad gun Dora to fire

With its focus on massed Red Army operations and the elite Spanish volunteers’ defense, Black Wednesday offers a detailed simulation of one of the Eastern Front’s desperate battles.