Panzer Campaigns Smolensk ’43 Released!

Hi All,

Wargame Design Studio is pleased to release Panzer Campaigns: Smolensk ’43. This is the thirty-first game released in the Panzer Campaigns franchise and you can expect more titles to follow.

We are excited to publish this third game from Dani Asensio, follow-on to his Rumyantsev ‘43 and Orel ’43 titles. Dani had begun work on a Smolensk ’43 mod twenty years ago and has continually updated it as additional research and information became available. With his move to creating official titles, his Smolensk '43 work was always going to be published, it was just a matter of the right time.

With the experience of the Dani’s previously released titles, we believe Smolensk '43 is a worthy addition. Here are a few comments from our play testing team:

“I think this might be the best of them. Dan really converted me to play against the A.I., a thing I never thought would happen and that’s all because your Scenario designs are so well done to keep the games interesting. Brilliant work.”

 “The Designer Notes are fantastic Dan! The eastern front is still not my favorite theater, but with titles like these recent ones it is growing on me.

I certainly appreciate the game, especially as I didn't participate in the testing until the end. The new 4.05 features like the changes to the auto-scrolling and the modal dialog boxes will probably take some getting used to, especially by the "old timers", but I think they are a fantastic improvement to the series. Can not WAIT for France '40 4.05! 😊”

 “Enhanced Organization dialog + Org highlighting + Jump Map = an unbeatable combination, moving around and locating forces on the map has never been easier 😊”

Below is the information that will be up on the WDS web page.

Overview

It is the summer of 1943, and the German assault at Kursk has failed. For the Soviets, a successful defense was just the first act in a multi-part operation. With the German forces blunted, Operation Kutuzov and its sister, Operation Rumyantsev, were to be the riposte with fresh forces to return the initiative to the Soviet Union. Concurrently, the Soviet Smolensk Offensive, known as Operation Suvorov, took place from August 7 to October 2, 1943.

Despite an impressive German defense, the Red Army managed to stage several breakthroughs that resulted in the liberation of several major cities, including Smolensk and Roslavl. As a result of this operation, the Red Army was able to start planning for the liberation of Belarus. However, the overall advance was quite modest and slow in the face of heavy German resistance, and the operation was therefore accomplished in three phases: 7 – 20 August, 21 August – 6 September, and 7 September – 2 October.

In Smolensk '43, as the commander of two Soviet Fronts - Kalinin & Western, you have multiple armies at your disposal to defeat the vaunted but battered German Wehrmacht. As the German commander you will have to manage without the powerful panzer forces that had previously been dispatched to Kursk. Though elements of Panzerarmee 2 & 3 are available, these are predominantly infantry forces defending 'festungs' (fortress towns). Included are scenarios that let you recreate all the major phases of the campaign from the initial Soviet assault on the festungs of Dukhovschchina, Yartsevo, Dorogobuzh and Yelnya, to the culmination of Operation Suvorov, approaching and capturing the city of Smolensk.

The stage is set! All that is lacking is for you to kick off one of the key campaigns of Summer 1943 on the Eastern Front!

Panzer Campaigns: Smolensk ’43 covers the major actions of the Soviet forces in western Russia between August 7 - October 2, 1943, including:

Operation Suvorov, First Phase: August 7, 1943

1st Demidov-Dukhovshchina Offensive: August 13, 1943

Second Attempt Towards Dukhovshchina: August 25, 1943

Yelnya-Dorogobuzh Offensive Operation: August 28, 1943

2nd Yartsevo-Dorogobuzh Operation: August 31, 1943

The Smolensk-Roslavl Offensive Operation: September 14, 1943

The 2nd Demidov-Dukhovshchina Offensive: September 14, 1943

There are 74 scenarios in total including the above-mentioned operations. The longest campaign scenario is a very manageable 186 turns. Smaller scenarios ranging in length from 6 to 148 turns and will provide players with plenty of challenges and battles of variable length and size.

Features

Game features include:

Game scale is 1 hex = 1 km, 1 turn = 2 hours, with battalion and company size units.

74 Scenarios – covering all sizes and situations, including 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.

Design notes which cover or include the production of the game, campaign notes and sources the design team used to produce this simulation game.

Smolensk ’43 provides multiple play options including play against the computer AI, Play by E-mail (PBEM), LAN & Internet "live" play, and two player hot seat.

You can get the game now from Wargame Design Studio on this link; Smolensk ’43 Product Page

You can also get more information on the game as well as several free downloads under the ‘Updates and Downloadable Files’ tab at the bottom of the product page.

In additional news, the WDS Menu program has been updated to support recently released titles. This includes Smolensk ’43. You can get the latest version of the menu app here.

We hope you enjoy this latest Panzer Campaigns title and a big thank you to Dani and all in the team again!