Kharkov: The Soviet Spring Offensive, 1942

About this board game

Kharkov: The Soviet Spring Offensive, 1942 is a two-player World War II wargame with a playing time of approximately 240 minutes, simulating the Soviet strategic offensive from 12 May to 21 May 1942.

Set on the Eastern Front, the game covers the Second Battle of Kharkov, also known as Operation Fredericus. Soviet forces launch an offensive from the Izium bridgehead, or “Barvenkovo bulge,” against the German 6th Army. The historical situation quickly develops into a struggle against German air power, armored forces, and a pincer attack designed to isolate the Soviet armies.

Kharkov uses the Panzergruppe Guderian system at brigade- and division-level scale. Each game turn represents one day, while every hex covers 4.2 miles, or 6.9 kilometers. Soviet units are untried, so neither player knows their strength until they enter combat for the first time. Unlike Panzergruppe Guderian, the game contains no “0” strength units.

• Game scale: one day per turn and 4.2-mile hexes
• Units: regiments through divisions
• Components: a 22 × 32-inch map, 200 counters, rulebook, and six-sided die
• Play profile: medium complexity and medium solitaire playability

Originally published in Strategy & Tactics magazine #68 in May/June 1978, Kharkov presents a focused study of a disastrous Soviet offensive and the German counterstroke that followed. The game also reflects the wider 1942 campaign, in which the German victory helped set the stage for Case Blue.