Group of Soviet Forces Germany (2003)

Strategy & Tactics magazine #220.

Group of Soviet Forces Germany features a simulation of a hypothetical Soviet invasion of Germany in the late 1970's. It is a two-player alternative history game intended to examine what could've happened during the first month of fighting had the Soviets opted to invade Germany during the Cold War. An assumption is made that the invasion would've been executed without lengthy preparation or forewarning.

This game is an update and revision of SPI's 1973 release, "NATO: Operational Combat in Europe in the 1970s". Its time and space scales have been preserved, but the map has been improved by reflecting a more in depth terrain analysis. The system has been updated and the orders of battle are more fully developed. Air warfare has been added, at least as an abstract, and tactical nukes have been taken away except as possible game enders.

The orders of battle for both sides are based on open-source documents that have become available since the parent game was first published. The system, though more complex than that of the original game, still comes in toward the lower end of today's complexity scale. Experienced gamers can expect to be blasting away within 90 minutes or so of first opening the box.

Each hexagon on the map represents approximately 10 miles (16.2 kilometers) from side to opposite side. The Soviet units of maneuver are divisions, as are most NATO units, along with a few brigades and regiments. Each full game turn represents two days.

The game map illustrates the militarily significant terrain found in the western portion of Germany and its environs in the late 1970s. There are 280 unit counters in the game, most of which represent combat formations. Others are also provided as informational markers and memory aids.