Welcome to the Stalingrad FAQ. This is version 1.0 of that guide. Thanks and a tip o' the hat to all those who contributed. I've tried to cite everyone who contributed, so if I forgot to mention you, drop me a line. This article is provided as is without any express or implied warranties. While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this article, the author/maintainer/contributors (take your pick) assume(s) no responsibility for errors or omissions resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Bob creel@bioch.tamu.edu What is Stalingrad? Russia, November 1942. After 5 months of German advances on Stalingrad and the oil fields of the Caucasus, the German Army has settled in for a bitter winter on the Russian steppes, with their Rumanian, Italian, and Croatian allies to bolster their flanks. But the Red Amy has other plans. Comrade Stalin, having pulled reserves from every front and military district, is about to hand the Furher his first major defeat. Stalingrad, like the other Atomic Games product Operation Crusader, allows you to either play against the AI or a live opponent (locally or via PBEM). You can command the Red Army of Workers and Peasants to pound the Fascist invaders with massed artillery, or take command of fast panzer divisions to save your outnumbered forces from frozen defeat -------------------------------------------------------------- 3. How can I contact Atomic Games? -------------------------------------------------------------- (removed. Arnaud) -------------------------------------------------------------- 4. How do I subscribe/unsubscribe to Atomic's listserver? -------------------------------------------------------------- (removed, Arnaud) --------------------------------------------------------------- 5. What is Atomic coming out with next? --------------------------------------------------------------- We have been going around and around about how to handle the V4V re-releases. We KNEW that we'd end up upgrading them to the WaW series, although we were determined not to. But in addition to that, we have just decided to, on a cases by case basis, go even further. The first title, (formerly known as V4V:Utah Beach) will be upgraded to the WaW series with revised OBs, scenarios maps, and graphics. All of the goodies introduced w/Stalingrad and OC will be included (PBEM, Toolbar, Overview Map, OB display, Supply System, Overruns (umm..well you might not see too many of these!), etc.). The scenario list has not been finalized, but will include several from UB, as well as new ones covering the Omaha Beach area, and a Utah/Omaha campaign. And, as always, we've got the hood up, and are extensively revising the engine to handle the Normandy environment. Players familiar with UB, will have a brand-new set of challenges! We have similar plans for the VL, Market Garden and GJS releases. VL is next on the list and will be quite a different kettle of fish with the Stalingrad engine in place! Also, we have already announced that Kharkov ('43) will be coming out this year. So, for W@W this year, we'll have: Cherbourg to St. Lo (working title - formerly Utah Beach), Velikiye Luki, and Kharkov. This is in addition to Beyond Squad Leader and (hopefully) Blitzkrieg. (atomic) 6. Game Specific Bugs Q. I'm getting the "Continue or Exit" box every turn when I'm the originator of the game, even though the game created the proper backup directory, and the backup files and key files were correctly stored each turn. This is a known bug, and a patch is under development. To ensure that players moved the backup directory along with their game files if they moved the PBEM game, there is a warning dialog. However, there is a bug which causes the test to show false "positives," which causes the dialog to display when not required. The workaround is to select "Continue" in the warning dialog if you are sure the backup directory is in the proper place. Q. I started a game, mailed to my opponent, and instead of seeing his move, he saw MY move. Currently, the game allows you to save the game (this is availablefrom the menu, and from the "Save on Exit" box) after selecting "Execute" from the Phase Menu. This can cause an opponent to resume the first turn showing _your_ side, instead of _his_. The workaround is not to save the game in the above situation. After the first move, you may save the game. Other Bug reports 1. It seems that if computer is ordered to handle air missions it seems to only plot air resupply. I am now going turn 19 and it has never used its squadrons (Axis side, Stalingrad, Operation Uranus). Also in map borders (Operation Uranus) you don't seems to get after battle reports. (J. Seppaenen) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7. What happened to the bibliography for Stalingrad? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Here it is Stalingrad Reading List (Courtesy of Eric Young) ------------------------- Stalingradskaya Epopeya, Moscow 1968. Vasilevskii, A.M - Delo Vsei Zhizni, Minsk 1984. Lelyoushenko, D.D. - Moskva-Stalingrad-Berlin Praga, Moscow 1973. Kozmichev, A.P.- Sovetskaya Gvardiya, Moscow 1969. Morozov, V.P.- Istoricheskii Podvig Stalingrada, Moscow 1982. von Mellenthin, F.W.- German Generals of World War II, Norman OK. 1977. Gudgin, P.- The Tiger Tanks, London 1994. Time Life Books- The Road to Stalingrad, Alexandria VA. 1991. U.S. War Department- Handbook on German Military Forces, Baton Rouge LA. 1990. Chamberlin, Doyle, Jentz- Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War II, London 1993. von Manstien- Lost Victories, Novato CA. 1982. Ziemke E.F.- Stalingrad to Berlin: The German Defeat in the East, Washington D.C. 1968. Rotundo L.- Battle for Stalingrad, Mclean VA. 1989. USAF Academy- Transformation in Russian and Soviet Military History, Washington D.C. 1986. Rauss E., von Natzmer O.- The Anvil of War, Mechanicsburg PA. 1994. Mueller-Hillebrand B.- Das Heer 1933-1945, Frankfurt 1956. Grams R.- Die 14. Panzer-Division Frankrurt, _____________ . Newland A.- Cossacks in the German Army 1941-1945, Portland OR. 1991. ----------------------------- Additional Reading (C. Fago) ----------------------------- Tarrant, V.E. - Stalingrad, London, 1992 G. Zhukov - Marshal of the Soviet Union, Reminiscences and Reflections by G. Zhukov, English Translation 1985. ------------------------------------------------------------ 8. What happened to minefields? ------------------------------------------------------------ The effect of minefields is factored into the overall effect of fortifications. ------------------------------------------------------------- 9. How can I attach one HQ to another HQ? ------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Open the "HQ side window" 2. Click on the hex containing the regimental HQ 3. Repeatedly click on the arrow left to the HQ icon in the "HQ side window" until the corps HQ icon is displayed 4. The "attach" button will be activated and you just press that ---------------------------------------------------------------- 10. What's that young woman on the calender saying when I click on her picture? ---------------------------------------------------------------- She's says "Don't, Please". According "Strangers in a strange land" by Hans-Heir Stapfer (Squadron signals publications, Inc. Number 6047) Her name was Shady Lady, a noseart of a B-17G (42-97385) of the 398th Bomb Group based at Nuthampstead, England. Crash landed at Rechicourt Le Chateau, France on 8th September 1944. American fighters destroyed the bomber before it could be recovered by the Germans (J. Seppane). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. PBEM How to ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (removed. Arnaud) ========================================================== 12. Strategy/tactics Scenario Specific Vs. the AI by Carl Fago ========================================================== Note: Your opponent may be reading, so be careful Some general comments first. The AI is weak on the attack and more to the point, all these scenarios are simple matters to win as the defender against the AI. Just keep putting units between the enemy and the victory point hexes. Fall back enough to reduce your losses and always have a second line of defense. Given this rather simple tactic when playing the defender against the AI I won't go into great deal as to the individual scenario tactics to employ against the AI. 1. To The Volga This is a tough little scenario as the Germans. The main point of the attack should be toward Crossing 62. Cut that off and the rest of the Soviet forces will fall like flies. The Germans will be hardpressed toactually get it but it should be the main focus of the attack. The secondary focus should be between the Brick Works and the Red Barricades Factory or the Red Barricades Factory itself. Having captured this area, the Brick Works will fall shortly. Don't spend a lot of time worrying about the south part of the battle. The Soviet forces are too strong to be able to make any real headway. 2. A River Too Far A very nice scenario to play in an evening. Again, the Germans are on the attack since the Russians own most of the VC hexes to begin with. First off, ignore the VC hexes to the east, Antonov and Zhutova Station. Concentrate on getting to the northern VC hexes. These are the ones which will bring you victory. The Russians may try to head down the east side of the map to reinforce the south east sector. Let them go. Then head north and northeast punching up to take Gromoslavka and then Nizhne-Kumski and finally Chernomorov. The Rumanians that come in as reinforcements should be used to guard the northern boundary of the Russian south-east sector forces. Don't use valuable German attack units for this purpose. You can leave some artillery down to agitate the south-east sector but leave only enough to keep the Russians bottled up. 3. Manstein's Solution This one has the German as the defender (I call them the defender because they'll get the majority of the VC hexes and the Russians have to take them from the Germans.) As the Russians, you have to take the obvious VC hexes, Lozhki Station, Osinovka and Malaya Donshchinka. Send the 4th Tank southwest toward Morozovsk and/or Oblivskaya. Against the AI, you might be able to take one of these towns and kill an HQ along the way. Send the northern cavalry forces to the east to take Osinovka and hold it. Send the rest of the northern forces south toward Kalach. Look for ways to encircle the Germans and bottle up the tremendous number of reinforcements that they will get. The southern forces should have one of the mechanized divisions racing west toward Nizhne Chirskaya. Set the AA unit and the AT unit and the mechanized division's HQ into Lozhki Station to hold it. The rest of the forces should push north toward Kalach and try to cut off what German forces it can. You'll have plenty to handle in a couple of days when the German reinforcements come on. To win as the Russians against the AI in this one, you need to take several of the German VC hexes for at least a few turns. You may lose them to the German reinforcements but the points gained by a few turns' possession should win you the game if you work at killing German units. As the Germans in this one, you should have a very easy time against the AI. First, be sure to have someone occupying your initial VC hexes at all times. Second, there should be no reason why the Russians should come within even two hexes of Kalach. Send your forces far and wide to intercept and encircle the Russian forces. The exception to this is the south-eastern forces. The south-eastern forces consist of two groups, one north and one south. The north group should run to Kalach and beyond. Send the armored units and motorized infantry units beyond Kalach to intercept the oncoming Russian forces. Use strategic movement at all times. Don't be afraid of a few ambushes. Your forces are strong enough to handle it and the further from Kalach that you intercept the Russian forces the better. The south group should send some forces south and the majority west, south of Kalach. Try sending a quick one down to Lozhki Station via the railway. You might get lucky and get the VC hex ahead of the Russians. I like putting the medium range (4) artillery units in the towns south east of Kalach and putting the long range (6) artillery just south of Kalach. I then like to put the two HQs in the south force in the same hexes, one per artillery unit. They can then dig in to provide protection to the artillery units and a fallback position to guard the approach to Kalach from the east. Don't worry too much about losing forces down there. Just keep the Russians at bay. In a couple of days you'll get all the reinforcements you need and the Russians will be stopped dead. 4. Rattenkreig As the Germans the key is to attack to pinch off the two bulges in the lines and then attack toward the Volga to cut the Russian forces in several pieces. In the north, send someone south very quickly to the Skudry Crossing and then just sit on the crossing. The rest of the north forces should cut off the forces around Orlovka. You should be able to get a big chunk of the Russian forces in this area. In the west, cut into the bases of the bulge between Tsaritsa Gorge and Dubovaya Gully. In addition, some forces north of this bulge ought to be able to strike out in the direction of Mamayev Kurgan. The southern forces should just roll up the Russian forces in the south along with cutting them off around the Univermag and north of the Central RR Station. The goal should be to get at the landing sites. These sites are the key to the Russian supply. Cut them off and the Russian can't stand too long. The German forces ought to be able to completely clean up the entire west side of the Volga by about Turn 70 or so. 5. Wintergewitter I haven't played this one much so someone else will have to fill in. 6. Quiet Flows the Don Now we have the Russians on the offense. The point to remember about Quiet is to use the Schwerepunkt theory espoused by the Germans. Pick a point of attack and focus your all of your attack on this point. Achieve local breakthroughs. Quiet allows this quite well. First, there should be three breakthrough areas. The first is just to the east of the north- south road west of Serafimovich. Attack against the couple of Rumanian units in this area and achieve the breakthrough. Once the breakthrough is achieved the forces in this area should do several things. First is to head toward Bokovskaya, the second is to turn the Rumanian west flank to join up with forces coming from the east and the third is to head south toward Morozovsk. The second area is the area between Kletskaya and Serafimovich. This breakthrough area should look at striking west to link up with other Russian forces coming from the west to create a Rumanian pocket. And the bulk of the forces should head south to Vlasov. The third area is tougher but none-the-less do-able. This area is against the west flank of the Germans just east of Kletskaya. Use the AT units to head south toward Kalach, which they won't get to before the German reinforcements arrive, and Surovikino and Nizhne Chirskaya. The latter two will be unguarded by the AI so just run down there with these AT units regardless of supply. Then, just sit in those hexes. The rest of these units should try to turn the German flank and also help out the forces heading to Vlasov. Once Vlasov is taken, head for Kalach. It can be taken by the end of the game though it is tough. At least, you should be able to encircle Kalach by the end of the game.