Much to my surprise, when I returned home from vacation, and yes, I already miss those wonderful Colorado temperatures, three issues of War Diary Magazine were waiting in my inbox. I have to admit that I had never read the magazine or played any games from the publisher. Issue 32 is packed with the kind of material that appeals to a guy like me who simply enjoys history and playing games. The magazine covers everything from Vietnam and Stalingrad to Napoleon, the Bismarck, and the defense of Italy during World War II. What I enjoyed most was how the articles brought the history and the games together without making either feel overly complicated. It felt like sitting around the table with a group of fellow wargamers, talking about interesting moments in history, the games inspired by them, and why we continue clearing space on our shelves for just one more box.

Trapped Inside the Iron Ring

The Fate of the Sixth Army in Stalingrad – by Allyn Vannoy

The article that immediately caught my eye was “Against the Iron Ring: The Fate of the Sixth Army in Stalingrad” by Allyn Vannoy. I have always been fascinated by the Battle of Stalingrad, and every time I read something about the campaign, I seem to learn something new. Vannoy’s article was no exception. He does a great job of walking readers through Operation Uranus, the massive Soviet counteroffensive that surrounded the German Sixth Army, and Operation Winter Storm, Manstein’s desperate attempt to break through and rescue the trapped troops.

The numbers alone are staggering. The Soviets committed an estimated 1.1 million troops, 804 tanks, more than 13,000 artillery pieces, and over 1,000 aircraft to the offensive. When the Soviet pincers finally met, somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000 Axis troops were trapped inside the pocket. The Germans attempted to supply them by air, but the Luftwaffe delivered less than 20 percent of what the Sixth Army needed each day. Reading the article, you can see how quickly the situation went from bad to nearly impossible.

As you all know, I am a VUCA fan boy and Vannoy’s detailed look at VUCA Simulations’ Against the Iron Ring, designed by Masahiro Yamazaki. Really caught my eye.

The game includes three scenarios covering the initial Soviet breakthrough, Operation Winter Storm, and the full campaign from November 19 through December 24, 1942. Each turn represents three days, and the two maps cover the Stalingrad and Don River region at a scale of 5.5 kilometers per hex. With 648 counters, units ranging from armies down to companies, air supply, reserves, exploitation movement, overruns, divisional integrity, and plenty of supply problems, this is not a small game.

What makes it especially interesting is that it gives players a chance to wrestle with some of the campaign’s biggest questions. Could the Fourth Panzer Army have reached the trapped Sixth Army? If it had, how many men could have escaped? Would a breakout have worked, or would the relief force have ended up trapped as well? We already know how the battle ended, but the game puts those decisions on the table and lets us see just how difficult they really were. That combination of history and gaming is exactly what I enjoy, and Vannoy’s article left me wanting to clear off the table and give the game a try.

After reading Vannoy’s article, I think it may be time to get Against the Iron Ring on the table this month. The timing feels right, and I am ready to see whether I can change history or simply repeat some of the same costly mistakes. Stay tuned, because there may be some Stalingrad content coming soon to the YouTube channel.