Demyansk Shield: the Frozen Fortress, February-May 1942

About this board game

Demyansk Shield: the Frozen Fortress, February-May 1942 is a two-player World War II campaign game lasting about 240 minutes, covering the fighting in Russia’s Valday Hills region from late January through May 1942.

One player commands the Axis forces, while the other controls the Soviet forces. The campaign begins after Soviet attacks have broken through the German front in several sectors and threaten to surround German forces around Demyansk, while further advances endanger the flank of Army Group North.

Players maneuver historical units across a map representing the terrain where the campaign was fought, then resolve combat according to the game’s rules. Victory depends on the opposing sides’ objectives: one player wins by capturing specified objectives, while the other wins by avoiding those victory conditions.

• Game turns: 6 days
• Map scale: 2 miles / 3.25 kilometers per hex
• Unit scale: battalions to brigades
• Complexity: Medium
• Solitaire playability: Medium-High

Demyansk Shield uses actual units that participated in the campaign and combines operational movement with combat across a detailed full-color map. Its six scenarios provide different starting arrangements for exploring the frozen fortress campaign.

The game includes a 22 × 34-inch map, 352 counters, a 28-page rulebook, scenario setup charts, player aid charts, storage bags, and a six-sided die. Designed for exactly two players, it offers an extended historical contest focused on maneuver, combat, and objective-driven play.