A Most Fearful Sacrifice

The Three Days of Gettysburg a Hermann Luttmann Game

by

Flying Pig Games

  Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Acquitaine in 'The Lion in Winter': "There'll be pork in the trees come morning".

 Do not ask why, but I love that quote and I believe I have put into every Flying Pig Games review I have done.

 So, we are looking at the 399th game on the Battle of Gettysburg, and why exactly are we? Many have made the argument that had Lee won the battle the Civil War would be over. This has to be taken with a grain of salt. Armies during the Civil War were never destroyed by battle. You must also add in the troops (50,000+-) that were in forts around Washington. Even with the horrific losses that both sides suffered during the three days of Gettysburg, the war still continued for two years. Yet, we wargamers and designers are pulled like a moth to the flame by the mere mention of this insignificant Pennsylvania town. There are three battles that have always been the highest on the list as far as games made about them: Gettysburg, The Bulge, and Waterloo. The one thing that Gettysburg has over the other two is the historical seesaw action that took place. Both sides have a chance to win the battle outright. A designer does not need to play with the victory conditions on a Gettysburg game. So, let us "Cry Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war" once more on these Pennsylvania fields.

 Most of us will have at least a few maps etc. that were made by Richard Neil "Rick" Barber in our game collection. What some people may not know is that Mr. Barber was also a very good game designer. He even designed his own magnum opus on Gettysburg called 'Summer Storm'. You can easily see that the map was one of Mr. Barbers. The other interesting thing about Summer Storm was one counter/artwork that he included with the game. He has a counter with a zombie looking dead Jackson for use in an alternative history scenario. The reason I mention Mr. Barber is because we wargamers lost a giant in our hobby with his passing. As a matter of fact, A Most Fearful Sacrifice is dedicated to him (very nice touch, Flying Pig Games). There is even a card with his portrait on it included with the game. The monster map that comes with AMFS is a testament to his genius and artistry.

Some of the beautiful map and counters

 This is what comes with the game:

1 – Full color rulebook

1 – Full color scenario Book with THIRTEEN scenarios. Nine use one of the two maps, four use both.

2 – Game Maps totally FIFTEEN SQUARE FEET of gaming goodness

4 - Sheets of a total of 352 13/16” (that's big) counters  

1 – 5/8” counter sheet (176 counters) for the admin markers

90 - Cards to activate corps, initiate planned events, trigger unplanned events and create fog of war.

1 – Player Aids

2 – large, 11" x 17" Command Displays 

6 – Dice (2 red, 2 black, 2 white)

Another map and counter close up

 This is a blurb about the game form the Portable Porcines themselves:

"A Most Fearful Sacrifice is an epic two-player wargame with over 15 square feet of playing area and 526 playing pieces depicting the fighting that occurred during all three days of this decisive clash. The game utilizes a new ACW operating system called the Black Swan system, which is closely related to the popular Blind Swords game system first introduced in the game The Devil’s to Pay! by Tiny Battle Publishing. This version of the system is specifically designed to handle larger-scale battles yet keep rules overhead low. Players can simulate huge encounters in a reasonable amount of playing time. This is accomplished in one way through the use of card draws rather than chit pulls. Also, players will trigger activations by Corps instead of by lower-level formations, but they still have tactical decision-making choices by needing to determine which Divisions get activation priority. Though at a grander scale, this system maintains a tactical feel about it and still emphasizes the three “FOW’s” of war … the Fortunes of War, the Friction of War and the Fog of War. Players will be challenged to deal with a constantly developing battle situation, never quite sure of what the Gods of War will throw at them, and thus they must always be prepared to deal with historically realistic “black swan” events."  

Confederate Cards

  The box itself weighs a good amount. I did not bother to weigh it, but you could use it for curls as a warmup weight, if you are in shape. Since the game was released, the map has garnered every form of adulation available in the English language, some others also. A mounted map this large is a rare breed indeed. A map that was done with such artistry is also exceedingly rare. Then add in all of the incredible details put onto the map and you have a map that you can only use the phrase c'est magnifique! about. There are some other things in the box, but who cares look at that map, said slightly in jest. The 13/16"counters are 'big huuuge' (a phrase one of my sons used to describe anything larger than himself). The pictures on them match the rest of the components, but do not hide any of the information needed for the player. The fact that the troop illustrations on the counters are historically correct does help with immersion. If they wore Zouave uniforms, it is there (Yay! for my Louisiana Tigers). The artillery also shows the correct cannon that the unit possessed. They come pre-rounded for those who have psychological problems with corners. They come off the sprues with no hint of cardboard tags on them. I think they hired Uri Geller to pull off that stunt. The 5/8" counters are your standard squares. The information on them is plainly visible for anyone but the most myopic. The game comes with three Command Display foldouts in hard stock (two Union, one Confederate). These are nice and large. The three Player Aids are also hard stock. They are: The Scenario Setup Guide, Terrain Effects Chart, Combat Results Table etc. They come on two sided sheets. The only real knock on the presentation of the game is the very small writing on the Player's Aids. Flying Pig Games has developed larger sheets that are available for download on their site. I will have the link below. The Cards have the cover picture on the front and the information needed is large and easy to understand. The Rulebook is thirty-two pages long with a full index. The rules are only just over twenty-four pages long. It is in full color and has plenty of large sized examples of play etc. The type is also large sized. The Scenario Book has thirteen scenarios in it. These have pictures of the map to help with placement. Again, it is in good sized type and easy to follow. The Confederates do not have a necromancer handy so there is no variant for a Jackson brought back to life. There is a 'Reynolds Lives' variant for the two Grand Battle Scenarios. 

 Flying Pig Games was nice enough to send me the Kickstarter add-ons to the game. These include three Union and three Confederate die. Next up is a large pack of Flying Pig Games card sleeves and a very nice mouse pad with some of the map around Gettysburg with some Union units. Then comes four 14" border strips. There are two Union and two Confederate of these strips. I spoke too soon about the absence of a necromancer. You get five cards to show Jackson at the head of the Second Corps. So, he is just replacing Ewell.

Jackson Cards

 We can talk all day about the other components, but there will still be the elephant in the room. Once the map is out on your table it immediately becomes the center of attention of the whole room. Yes, it is that good. However, you will not see a picture of the entire map in this review. You would need a cathedral ceiling and a drone to get the full map, but you would not be able to see any of the magnificent details.

Confederate Counters

 This is the Sequence of Play:

"A Most Fearful Sacrifice is played in a sequence of Game Turns, the actual number of which is determined by the scenario being played. Each Game Turn represents about one hour of time and is broken down into a series of consecutive Phases. Each Phase must be completed before proceeding to the next Phase. A Game Turn is played following the standard Sequence of Play:

1. Advance Game Turn Marker Phase

2. Command Decision Phase

3. Preliminary Bombardment Phase

4. Card Draw Phase

5. Activation Phase

a. Order Step

b. Fire Combat Step

c. Movement Step

d. Assault Combat Step

e. Rally Step

6. End Phase"

Union Counters

 I am a self-proclaimed Hermann Luttmann groupie. He could probably design a game about volleyball, and I would have to have it. As was mentioned, AMFS has been created around his new Black Swan rules. The rules went to cards instead of picking chits. Although, in actuality it pretty much serves the same purpose. The most important thing to remember about these rules for us budding generals, instead of just the complete hit or miss of chit pulls you can get a myriad of different outcomes. You might be able to activate an entire corps, or it will just sit there. On the other hand, you could get a result to be able to activate one division. You could possibly only be allowed to activate one brigade. Take a look at this from the rules:

"No Orders: No units are activated.

• One Brigade –or- One Hex of Artillery: The player may

activate only one Brigade of his choice from the Division

or all Artillery units from the listed Artillery Brigade that

are stacked in the same hex (this includes all Artillery units

arriving as Reinforcements at the same hex).

• One Brigade + One Hex of Artillery: The player may

activate only one Brigade from the Division plus all Artillery

units from the listed Artillery Brigade stacked in the same hex

(including all Artillery units arriving as Reinforcements at the

same hex).

• Division Group + One Hex of Artillery: The player may

activate all units of the Division but each Brigade must be

assigned the same Order (see G-2). In addition, all Artillery

units from the listed Artillery Brigade stacked in the same hex

(this includes all Artillery arriving as Reinforcements at the

same hex) may also activate.

• Division Group + Artillery Brigade: The player may activate

all units of the Division but each Brigade must be assigned

the same Order (see G-2). In addition, all Artillery units from

the listed Artillery Brigade may also activate (regardless of

where they are located).

• Division By Brigade + Artillery Brigade: The player may

activate all units of the Division but may give each Brigade of

that Division its own Order and activate it separately. Players

may opt to substitute the Division Group result (above)

instead if they would rather have the Division operate in

unison with one Order. In addition, all Artillery units from the

listed Artillery Brigade may also activate (regardless of their

location)."

 Like I said, a myriad of possibilities.

 The game has been described as card activated, but not card driven. Movement Points depends on the Order assigned to the unit/units. Learning to maneuver your troops by using the rules is probably the part of the rules that will take longer to understand or use effectively. Remember, when looking at this and some other rules, Mr. Luttmann was going for playability and not making a simulation game. I think he succeeds in juggling between historical accuracy and great gaming perfectly. 

Confederate Border Strip

Union Border Strip

 This is the epitome of a 'playable monster'. There are games that are meant to recreate the battle of Gettysburg down to every Minie Ball. This is not one of them. You do not have to keep track of spent ammo. There are no printed off sheets to keep a tally of casualties. Hell, there aren't any facing rules. Sometimes it is great to lose yourself in a twenty-pound rulebook. I know the feeling well. If you cannot play a wargame without minutiae, then this game is not for you. If you have to count every artillery shell on hand, again you can live without this game. However, if you want to play a really big, beautiful game and actually remember your first moves without looking at your notes, do I have something for you. The game rules and cards give you more than your fair share of 'friction'.  The action is tense and furious. Can your troops make that one more charge, or are they truly spent? It seems to the player that behind every enemy unit there is a Chamberlain waiting to pounce. You will make grandiose plans to see them dissolve like sand at the beach. The game has leaders' abilities, or detriments, but they are not present on the field.

Union Counter up Close

 Thank you, Flying Pig Games for letting me review this modern masterpiece. Some games are beautiful, and they just sit on your shelf. Some other games will get played all the time. The fact that nine of the scenarios only use half of the map will help a lot of players with having the game on the table. Despite its size, you will not need to have it sit there for three months before you finish playing it. If you have looked at the game and said, "I do not have the room", or "I do not have the time", guess what? You have both. It has actually sold out, but they are going to do another Kickstarter for the game. Do yourself a favor and buy it this time. It deserves every bit of the hype the game is getting. Please take a look at the rest of Flying Pig Games offerings while you are at the website. 

Robert

Flying Pig Games:

Flying Pig Games

A Most Fearful Sacrifice:

A Most Fearful Sacrifice | Flying Pig Games

 WINGS OF GLORY

Is there anyone out there in the wargaming world who hasn't heard of Wings of Glory, just one of the most accessible and enjoyable games on the air war in WWI.  Dogfighting, balloon busting, reconnaissance - you name it, you got it.  Superb pre-painted models of all the famous planes and then some!  All in a system that's so easy to get into, quick to play, but not simplistic.

Well, now courtesy of Direwolf Digital and Steam, you can take to the skies again online.  This is a direct modelling of the original game and contains a range of features that were introduced through various expansions.

So, overall here's what's included.  As with most computer games I'm familiar with, you start with a Tutorial, which, in this case, has three sections: Basic Rules, Damage and Altitude.  Each steps you through a number of simple scenarios, instructing you what actions to take. With those rapidly under your belt, it's time to move on to what will constitute normal play either solo or against an online opponent.  

I've already seen a number of comments online about the few opponents as yet available.  At first I assumed, with some surprise, that the reason was a lack of players buying the game.  However, it may be that they're encountering my problem, which is that whatever name or password I've tried in order to create an account for online play I get the identical message that this account already has been chosen!! 

However, until I make that significant breakthrough, I have plenty to occupy my time with what on the game's menu is headed Local Play which is subdivided into Solo and Challenges.  Both of these categories are purely for solo play and have an element of overlap.

Solo covers four scenarios headed: Dogfight, Bombing Run, Bullets in the Mud and Reconnaissance. While Challenges cover 

Earning Yours Wings: Ace Skills

Trench Buster: Strafing

Bombing Run: Bombing

Here you can see proof of my success at the Trench Buster Challenge and I didn't even need it on easy Level!

The variety offered encompasses the following elements:-

Play as either Entente or Central Powers

A.I. Difficulty: Easy/Normal/Hard

Rules Level: Basic/Standard/Advanced

Map Size Default/Bigger/Huge

Then there is the Hangar where you can select from a list of historical Ace Pilots with pre-set skills to match the real life pilot or you can create your personalised pilot choosing from a range of skills.  To be expected, the Hangar is also where you select the model of plane you wish to fly. and both plane and pilot are purchased with points earned in action.  Good news is that going through the Tutorial builds up a number of points to easily get you started.

Who Else?

So, lets get down to game play, which stripped to its absolute bare essentials involves two main actions.  The first action starts the game by simply choosing a type of plane and taking the associated deck of manoeuvre cards.  The latter item creates the crucial differences between types of plane - mainly by allowing/restricting the number and manner of varying plane moves in a deck.  For example, one type of plane might have more right turn manoeuvres than left turn ones or might include more sharp turns or  some planes can't make the famed Immelman turn.

The second action is the secret choice from your manoeuvre deck each turn of a sequence of three cards.  Each player will then play them out  alternately and, after each card play, check whether they have an enemy plane in range to fire at.

The fact that the program handles so much of the work is both a boon and a drawback.  It does mean that your whole attention is on flying your plane, trying to out guess your opponent whether a live online one or the solo A.I.  The greatest benefit is not having to constantly run through your deck of cards trying to find exactly what you want, as you plan each turn's sequence of three.  

Instead you have a display of all your cards with small dots indicating how many of each type of manoeuvre you are allowed per turn.  No problems about remembering sequences that might be illegal, as a given card immediately changes colour to show that it cannot be chosen as the next card!

Here you see a shot from the opening tutorial, with all possible manoeuvres available and  I hope you can see the small dots that indicate how many of each card you have in your deck.  Each card also has a small arrow to show whether a manoeuvre is to the left, right or straight ahead.  I know you might be thinking that is so obvious why bother, but many's the time in the heat of the moment of the original board game I've managed to somehow choose left rather than right or vice versa. [Duh!]

Equally useful is that the program automatically registers if an enemy plane is in firing range and opens fire on it.  No need for measuring rods.  A fast playing game becomes even faster and the hidden nature of the damage done to an enemy plane makes solo play a genuinely accurate depiction of two player action.  On the down side, I must admit that I miss that extra frisson of tension as you turn a damage card, especially as the damage starts to mount.

On the other hand, I do like visuals such as the small flickering flames that show you engine's on fire or the coloured firing arc that appears and the tracery of bullets that lance out towards your enemy, though it's not as much fun when they're inbound, homing in on your own plane!

Also on the plus side is that you can handle up to 3 planes with ease - a task which is heavy weather if you were playing the physical board game. It's no mean feat handling three separate decks of cards, potential damage cards for three different planes and all the associated laying of the manoeuvre cards on the table and placing each card in front of its respective plane and then transferring your planes into the correct position!

For me there is a single major downside in comparison with the board game - no beautiful scale models which are a sheer delight to handle and to place on whatever gorgeous terrain mat inevitably bound to buy.  

Still this digital version offers for less than £12 the perfect recreation of an all-time great.

Many thanks to Dire Wolf for supplying a review key code.

 Almoravid

Reconquista and Riposte in Spain, 1085-1086

Levy & Campaign Series - Volume II

by

GMT Games

  His name was Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, we know him as El Cid. He was given the moniker Al-Sid by the Spanish Moors. It morphed into El Cid, meaning 'The Lord'. The Spanish knew him as 'El Campeador 'The Champion'. What I knew about him for a long time was derived from the 1961 movie El Cid. First things first, he did not resemble Charlton Heston in any way. I must admit to be sorely lacking in Spanish history during the Moors or the Reconquista. I was under the impression that he was from a later century than the Almoravid game is based in. So, I was a little bummed out to find the actual time the game portrays. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the mighty El Cid was actually in the game, and my timeline for his life was completely wrong. I have tried to play the game using a profile look like Heston, much like John Barrymore, but my attempts were futile. You cannot really see the board and my nose was not meant for it. So, just like any good wargamer, at least I hope, my job was to read as much as I could about the times portrayed in the game. As usual fiction beats the cold light of history by a mile, although it is not always the case.

 This is GMT's writeup about the game:

"Al-Andalus, 1085. The western jewel of Islam had broken into pieces. The petty Taifa emirs who inherited the once-mighty Caliphate squabbled and fought, then paid the Christian lords Parias in gold to avoid fighting at all. Alfonso VI, Christian king of a unified León and Castilla, could now put his extorted dinars to work. He would muster a great feudal host—not merely for plunder but to rip out the heart of Muslim Spain. He would seize the ancient Visigothic capital of Toledo and with it the great central plain to declare himself imperator of all Iberia.

But Alfonso would find there was fight left in al-Andalus, as Christian strikes radiating from Toledo were too much for even the emirs in their pleasure palaces to bear. Al‑Mutamid of Sevilla, the strongest among them, would risk the Taifa dynasties’ independence and call to arms a Muslim force unlike any that the Christian Kings had faced. Granada and Badajoz would join him to invite the Almoravid fundamentalists in to save the Muslim faithful. Yusuf, Sultan al‑Murabitun, had secured his Berber empire in Africa and seized a port and fleet just across the Mediterranean strait from al-Mutamid's Algeciras. A titanic campaign for Spain was set to unfold."

This was a promo picture that I just love

 This is what comes with the game:

A mounted game board 22" x 25 1/2" 

• Sixteen Lord cylinders (7 yellow, 9 green) 

• A Lords sticker sheet (apply to cylinders) 

• Sixteen Lord mats 

• One Battle/Storm mat 

• 78 Horse wedges (26 silver [Knights], 23 steel [Sergeants], 10 

blue [African Horse], 19 brown [Light Horse])

• 83 Foot bars (30 steel [Men-at-Arms], 14 blue [African Foot], 

33 brown [Militia], 6 tan [Serfs])

• Three sheets of markers and counters. 

• Four decks of playing cards (26 Christian and 26 Muslim Arts 

of War cards, 27 Christian and 33 Muslim Command cards)

• Two player aid foldouts (summarizing Sequence of Play, 

Commands, Forces, and Battles) 

• A Taifa Politics and Orientation Map reference sheet 

• Two screens 

• Six 6-sided dice (three yellow, three green) 

• A background booklet (not needed for play) 

• This rules booklet. 

Lord Mat

 This game was designed by Volko Ruhnke, who also designed Nevsky: Teutons and Rus in Collision, 1240-1242. That game took the wargaming world by storm when it was released. Sadly, I have not had the chance to play it. However, Almoravid is the second game in the 'Levy and Campaign Series'. It uses much of the same rules and playing as its older brother, but naturally has been fine tuned for this time period in the Iberian Peninsula.

One of many of the Player's Aids

 As mentioned, the map is mounted. However, that is just like saying the Mona Lisa has a frame around it. It is a beautiful pseudo-medieval map of some of the Iberian Peninsula. Movement on it is from point to point, but the points are mostly cities that are done in an elegant style. It looks like a map that might have come from an early edition of Lord of the Rings. The Lord Maps are like army holding boxes from other games. They look like oversized square coasters. They are not overly adorned, but work well with the other components. The four Decks of Cards do not have much art on them, but again work with the rest of the game parts. They are very easy to read and follow. There are three hard stock Player Aids. They are also in full color. Two are a four-page foldout for each player. One page is for Commands, and the others are for Forces, Strongholds, Battle & Storm, and the Sequence of Play. The third Player Aid has a map of the game to see where the Lords from both sides start on the map. The other side is for the Taifa Politics. The Rulebook is in full color and large type. It comes in at thirty-five pages. However, the rules themselves are only 23 pages long with the rest being the scenarios. There are five scenarios and the Campaign Game. The Background Book is worth its weight in gold. The first eighteen pages are filled with Examples of Play. From there until page forty-eight is a history of how the events came to pass. It also has small biographies of each of the Lords in the game. This part of the booklet is worth the price of admission alone. Then comes a separate write up for every one of the Arts of War Card deck. The counters are large sized and easy to read. They also seem tough enough to take a lot of game play. You do have to put sixteen stickers on their respective round Lord wooden pieces. GMT Games was very nice in adding another sixteen stickers as spares. The piece de resistance is the two-fold out screens for each player. The outside of the screens looks like a medieval tapestry. The inside has all of the different Lords on each side and their flags. The separate pieces are excellent, but the entire ensemble is wonderful to behold. You will be playing this game in style.

Picture of some of the Cards

 So as I mentioned, I had some reading to do before actually getting down to playing this game. It is absolutely essential for me to know the history behind the times/campaigns of the games I play. I want wargames to not only play well, but also to put the player into the shoes of the adversaries as much as possible. Nothing turns me off on a game more than feeling that you could put Cataphracts or Tanks on the map and it would feel the same. With this game we have nothing to worry about in that sense.

The Lords that play in the game

  This is the 'General Course of Play':

"In Almoravid, two players (or teams) take the roles of Christians (yellow) and Muslims (green), respectively. The Christian and Muslim sides are Enemy to one another. The Christians represent the rising kingdoms of northern Spain and their allies. The Muslims comprise the dynasties ruling a patchwork of Andalusian emirates and their allies, including an Islamic Berber army from Africa. 

In turns covering 40 days (a traditional period of military service), Christian and Muslim players will levy lords and vassal forces, gather transport, and recruit capabilities. Each lord’s forces and assets are laid out on a mat. The players then plan and command a 40-day campaign with their mustered lords. A cylinder on the map represents each lord, while markers on a calendar show how much time remains in the lords’ service, influenced by hunger, pay, and success or failure on campaign.

DESIGN NOTE: Christians and Muslims in medieval Iberia warred not only on each other but on their co-religionists. 

“Christian” and “Muslim” in this game refer to the player sides, even though each side features adherents of either religion."

Counters

 You will find a Sequence of Play on two of the Player Aid Cards:

 I never had the chance to play Nevsky, so I was a total tyro to the Levy & Campaign Series. I did not have any problem in learning the rules. It does have some rather simple game concepts. The problem I think people will have with the game is its adherence to history. This is a game where you have to think and play the long game. Getting your different Lords to do what you want is chief among your worries. The game is based on the medieval realities. You will need wagons and mules, and then sometimes when you have them your plan goes poof. The Taifa (Muslim Lord) Politics will also make you lose some hair. Do not get me wrong, these are all good if not excellent points in the games favor. If you are looking for a game that puts you in the shoes of a Lord in medieval times, look no further than this series. If you are looking for a game where you can do what you want with your pieces at any time, then look away. 

These are from the Vassal Module, but the game pieces look the same

 This game is another in a growing line of games that are a cross between a Euro game and a wargame. This does not mean that you get the worst of both parents. The DNA in these types of games seem to mesh only the good parts of both. So, you not only get a 'real' stimulating wargame. The game and its components are a sight to behold to old grognards eyes. Thank you very much GMT Games for letting me review this excellent game. Of course, I also have to thank you for once more giving me another chapter of history to read about. By the way, in reality El Cid was a mercenary who fought for both sides, and this is in the game.

 For those of you who are not aware these two Deluxe Editions of older games have been released by GMT Games:

Great Battles of Julius Caesar - This contains both 'Caesar: The Civil Wars, and 'Caesar: Conquest of Gaul'

Musket & Pike Dual Pack - This contains both 'This Accursed Civil War', and 'Sweden Fights On'

Robert

GMT Games:

GMT Games

Almoravid: Reconquista and Riposte in Spain, 1085-1086:

 GMT Games - Almoravid: Reconquista and Riposte in Spain, 1085-1086

Stalingrad: New Perspectives on an Epic Battle

by

Christer Bergström

I will be reviewing the new expanded version of Black Cross Red Star next

 The author, Christer Bergstrom, really needs no introduction. He has written many volumes on World War II. His books, if they can be found now, cost a pretty penny, and are worth every cent. He now has started his own publishing company Vaktel Books. The idea is to print both new and reprints of the old. Do not be fooled, these reprints are new and very expanded editions compared to when they were published. The outlet for them in Canada and The U.S. is Lombardy Studios. This first volume is in stock in the U.S., along with the first volume of Black Cross Red Star. The next volumes will be done through Kickstarter. They are using a Kickstarter campaign simply to gauge the number of books to import. The costs of shipping have skyrocketed, as you can imagine. The link will be below.

 The book itself is over 300 pages long. It has many black and white photos throughout the book. Most of these have never been in print before. All of the maps are available online to download if you so choose. This is actually a multimedia book. I had to look that one up. It means that besides the maps, there are also links provided to videos about various parts of the book. In the back of the book there are QR codes for the videos etc. There is also no Index included with this book. However, there is an online one that you can access that is an absolute marvel. It will show you pretty much where anyone or anything is mentioned. Welcome to the 21st century. 

  Almost from the beginning of the book the author gives the reader verse and chapter of new/seldom seen information. This information will make you question much you have read and think you know about Operation Fall Blau. The author goes into how Hitler changed his policy about murdering all of the Soviet prisoners from the very beginning of 1942. He realized that workers were needed for German industry to support a long war. Long gone were any ideas of kicking in the front door and the Soviet Union would collapse. The reader is shown how oil became uppermost in both sides' minds. 

 One more interesting tidbit that the book offers is the Soviet view about the fall of Moscow. It seems many in the high command did not see its fall as the death knell that we have been taught it was, because the Soviets had done such a complete job of moving most of their factories out of German clutches. Their minds were focused on keeping the oil from the Caucasus flowing, much more than needing Moscow.

 The author then shows us a very interesting and significant intelligence coup on the Germans part. Operation Kremlin was done by the Germans to make the Soviets think that the next attack in the summer was going to be against Moscow and its environs, while we are used to reading about the Allied powers using fake information on the Axis. This is one that was very successful for the Germans. By using faked orders left on dead officers, (Calais invasion anyone) to radio chatter etc., the Germans made Stalin and Stavka completely miss the next German target. Most of the Soviet men and armaments were in the north to counter Operation Kremlin. 

 One of the appendices goes into the diary of Generaloberst Franz Halder. This diary is often seen as gospel as far as information from the German side during the early years of the Eastern Front. In 2020 Paul Frohlich published 'Der Generaloberst und die Historiker', an investigation into the diary. What he found and presented is that a lot of the diary had been reworked from 1945 - 1947. The diary, even as it is now, contradicts itself often on many key points. Frohlich's points are that Halder changed the diary to put as much blame on Hitler as possible and tried to clear the German High Command of any mistakes and war crimes. As mentioned, Halder's diary has been used verbatim for years in histories. Mr. Bergstrom has been able to separate the wheat from the chaff with this new information.

 These are some pictures and a map from the book:

 

 This will take you to an excerpt from the book:

stalingradexcerpt1.pdf (lombardystudios.com)

  I have read untold books in my fifty-seven years of reading. Mr. Bergström's books have been some of the best I have ever read, as far as military history. This volume is no exception. He goes into details that few other authors give you. He is able to go from the highest information about the war to the ground level effortlessly. On page sixty he shows the comparison of Germany's and the Soviet Union's GDP for the years 1940 and 1942. In 1940, Germany's GDP was 387 billion, and the Soviet Union's was 417 billion. In 1942, Germany's GDP was 417 billion, and that of the Soviet Union was 274 billion. "In early 1942 Germany produced 80% more coal and 70% more steel than the USSR." The decrease in the Soviet population was just as drastic. According to the author, The Soviet Union's population went from 195 million in 1941 to 125 million in 1942. The largest decrease was because of the population that was still left in the conquered parts of the Soviet Union. 

 Thank you, Lombardy Studios for allowing me to review this absolutely needed and wonderful military history book. This first volume takes the reader from the end of Barbarossa to September 12, 1942. The author shows us that Operation Fall Blau was not the walkover that it is often painted to be. He also shows us that the German High Command was well aware of the danger that might be lurking in the Russian Steppes. However, they believed that only once Stalingrad was taken could they turn their attention to the gathering forces around them. 

 Below is the link to Lombardy Studios. Please take a look at what else they have to offer while you are there. As I mentioned, I am going to do a review of the expanded Black Cross Red Star. I will also be doing a review of their book 'Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Army' in the future. I just received this book today, and to steal a quote from the movie 2001: "My God it's full of stars". Yes, the book looks that good.

Robert

Welcome to Lombardy Studios - Lombardy Studios

This is a link directly to the Kickstarter:

https://lombardystudios.com/?s=kickstarter