Game of the Week, Sept 15-21
This week’s Game of the Week dives into the intense back-and-forth fighting of Operation Suvorov—the Soviet attempt to liberate the city of Smolensk in the summer and fall of 1943. Now 25% off, Panzer Campaigns: Smolensk ’43 delivers one of the most dynamic operational battles of the Eastern Front: a deep penetration offensive against fortified German defenses, where terrain, timing, and tenacity decide everything. The game was originally released 1 year ago, and this will be the first time it has been available at a discounted price.
Operation Suvorov: The Long Road to Smolensk
By August 1943, the tide of war had shifted. After the victory at Kursk, Soviet forces were finally on the offensive across a wide front. In the central sector, the Red Army’s objective was clear: drive west toward Smolensk, retake this strategic city, and open the road to Belarus. But the Germans were not prepared to yield.
Launched on August 7, 1943, Operation Suvorov pitted the Soviet Western and Kalinin Fronts against the German Army Group Center, dug in behind layered defenses, rivers, minefields, and strongpoints. The Soviets had overwhelming manpower and materiel—but the Germans had terrain, doctrine, and time to prepare.
What followed was a brutal, grinding campaign of attacks, counterattacks, encirclements, and bloody breakthroughs. Soviet progress was steady but costly. It took nearly two months of hard fighting to reach Smolensk and force the Germans to withdraw.
Panzer Campaigns: Smolensk ’43 puts you in the middle of this campaign—not as a blitzkrieg or rout, but as a test of operational planning, timing, and momentum.
A Different Kind of Eastern Front Battle
Unlike the sweeping mobile offensives of 1941 or the desperate defenses of 1942, Smolensk in 1943 offers a different challenge: a Soviet breakout against a well-prepared German defense in depth. This is not about speed alone—it’s about cracking fortified lines, managing logistics, exploiting breakthroughs, and holding your flanks.
As the Soviet player, you’ll command powerful armies with masses of artillery, armor, and infantry—but face well-positioned defenders across multiple rivers and wooded ridges. Each phase must be carefully coordinated to maintain momentum and avoid exhaustion.
As the German player, you must delay, bleed, and retreat in good order—using every natural obstacle, fortified village, and local counterattack to slow the Soviet juggernaut. Done well, you can turn an orderly withdrawal into a costly trap for the attacker.
Historical Context: Why Smolensk Mattered
While overshadowed by battles like Kursk or the Dnieper crossings, the Smolensk Operation was critical to Soviet strategic planning in 1943. Stalin and Stavka aimed to liberate Belarus, but first they had to force the Germans out of the Smolensk corridor—a bastion they had held since 1941.
German forces, especially 4th Army and 9th Army, fought a stubborn defense, withdrawing only when threatened with encirclement. The Soviets, despite vast superiority in manpower and equipment, advanced only 100–150 km in two months—a stark reminder of the effectiveness of German positional defense and the limitations of Soviet operational art at this stage of the war.
Still, by September 25, 1943, the Red Army recaptured Smolensk and threatened the flanks of Army Group Center. The door to Belarus was creaking open—setting the stage for Operation Bagration in 1944.
“The Russian offensive on Smolensk was carried out with tenacity and endurance, attacking repeatedly despite heavy losses and poor weather. It was not the speed of the attack that threatened our positions, but the sheer persistence.”
— After-action report, German 4th Army, August 1943 (Bundesarchiv, RH 20-4/61, paraphrased translation)
What’s in the Game?
Panzer Campaigns: Smolensk ’43 delivers a tightly designed set of scenarios with varied scales and challenges:
- The game includes 74 Scenarios – covering all sizes and situations, including a solo tutorial scenario plus specialized versions for both head to head play and vs. the computer AI.
- The master map (101,492 hexes) covers the entire area from the Drut River in the west to Smolensk, Yelnya, Vyazma and Kirov in the east. The Smolensk '43 map is 26,000 hexes larger than the original Smolensk '41 map.
- The order of battle file covers the Axis and Allied forces that participated in the campaign with other formations added in for hypothetical situations.
- Order-of-Battle, Parameter Data and Scenario Editors which allow players to customize the game.
- Sub-map feature allows the main map to be subdivided into smaller segments for custom scenario creation.
- Smolensk '43 provides multiple play options including play against the computer AI, Play by E-mail (PBEM), LAN & Internet "live" play as well as two player hot seat.
Book Recommendations and Videos
Ziemke, Earl F. Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East. Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1968
Additionally, here is a game-play video from TheMack and a historical documentary from the excellent World War Two channel with Indy Neidell
Screenshots
Last, but not least, below you find some screenshots of the game. As with the entire Panzer Campaigns series, this title has three 2D views and two 3D views to choose from. (Clicking on the screenshots opens them in full resolution)
As always, the game comes with lots of additional documents including very detailed designer notes by designer Daniel Asensio.
If you don’t already own this title, what are you waiting for? You can buy it directly from the dedicated product page.
We hope you enjoy this week’s Game of the Week. Like all WDS titles, there is a lot of gameplay included at a very attractive price.
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