Ukraine ’44

About this board game

Ukraine ’44 is a two-player historical simulation game with an approximately 300-minute play time, covering the Kamenets-Podolsky Pocket during the Soviet Winter Offensive of 1943–1944.

Over the course of a week, the Axis 1st Panzer Army is cut off and encircled by powerful Soviet forces from the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts. The situation appears destined to end like the encirclements at Stalingrad and Korsun, with the German force facing destruction. Instead, the German army fights its way out in a desperate escape operation.

The game focuses on the struggle inside and around Hube’s Pocket, named for the German commander’s successful operation. His breakout remains studied as a model of how to escape an encirclement, making this a compelling subject for players interested in operational World War II history.

• Scale: each turn represents two days
• Map scale: each hex covers 3.1 miles / 5 km
• Unit scale: formations range from divisions to corps
• Players: 2
• Play time: approximately 300 minutes

Ukraine ’44 is part of Multi-Man Publishing’s International Games Series (IGS). It was originally published in Special Ops magazine issue #2 in Winter 2012, and the listed release year is 2006.

The Special Ops #2 edition includes one 22 x 34-inch full-color map sheet, one double-sided counter sheet containing 280 half-inch counters, and an eight-page rule booklet. Together, these components present a focused simulation of one of the pivotal moments of the war in Ukraine.