Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits

About this board game

Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits is a two-player strategy game with a playing time of about 360 minutes, released in 1984. As the second game in the Third World War series, it uses the same rules as its predecessor while presenting a markedly different campaign.

Bulgaria and Romania, supported by three Soviet armies and special-capability forces, face Greece, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. NATO’s side has only limited reinforcement from elite units of the United States, France, and Italy, creating a contest in which neither side can easily establish a solid front.

The campaign is highly mobile, while the region’s mountainous terrain offers some help in holding positions. Airmobile, airborne, and amphibious units are especially important because their ability to outflank a line can quickly change the situation.

Political uncertainty adds another layer to the military decisions. Romania is the least reliable Pact country and may participate only half-heartedly, while an alternative scenario allows it to remain completely neutral. In that case, the Soviets must reinforce their armies and invade before confronting NATO.

• Greece and Turkey begin as uneasy allies, with rules allowing Greece to withdraw from NATO.
• Albania is completely unpredictable.
• The campaign can be combined with The Third World War: Battle for Germany, allowing forces to reinforce either front.

When the fronts are combined, sending one or two divisions or air units to the Balkans may turn the tide—but every reinforcement weakens the main front, where each unit is desperately needed. Southern Front makes strategic commitment and political reliability central to the race for the Turkish Straits.