Kharkov Battles: Before & After Fall Blau

About this board game

Kharkov Battles: Before & After Fall Blau is a two-player and solitaire wargame covering the Second and Third Battles of Kharkov, with scenarios ranging from under two hours to an extended campaign of up to 80 hours.

Using the Fall Blau basic rules, the game models Eastern Front operations at a scale of one turn per three days and one hex per approximately 10 kilometers. Units are mostly divisions, supported by corps, brigades, and battalions, while the system represents the restrictions and opportunities of large-scale operational warfare.

Stacks may contain up to three units, and combat from a hex is restricted. Large formations use Combat Ratings to draw strength chits, while movement and combat phases are supplemented by Mobile Assaults for mechanized units in certain movement situations. The terrain-based Combat Results Table uses column shifts for air support, combined arms, fortifications, and other factors.

Combat results combine mandatory step losses with player choices between additional losses and retreat. Non-mechanized units generally advance along the defender’s Path of Retreat, while mechanized and cavalry units may deviate. German mechanized movement and attacks rely on Support Points, with support traced through headquarters and roads; supply follows a general trace to its source.

• Second Kharkov: a six-turn scenario covering 12–28 May 1942.
• Third Kharkov: a six-turn German drive in March 1943.
• Operation Star: a 16-turn Soviet offensive from 2 February to 21 March 1943.
• January Campaign: a 14-turn scenario requiring Fall Blau, plus an extended 74-turn campaign.

Kharkov Battles includes a winter-themed main map, a Fall Blau extension map, a Second Kharkov map, 840 counters, a rulebook, player aids, and a revised Terrain Effects Chart. Its additional map, counters, and reinforcement charts allow a combined grand campaign extending into February 1943.