Before we get into this series of Event Card Spoilers I want to say this. Werwolf: Insurgency in Occupied Germany, 1945-1948 is not a glorification of Nazism. Nor is it an attempt to change the narrative, although this game is an alternate reality look at the occupation of Germany by the Allies immediately following the fall of Berlin and the resistance from various groups to that occupation. This game will not be for everyone and may offend some with its portrayal of the events and participants in this struggle. I would say give it a chance to develop over the next year or so as the game has just been placed on pre-order with Legion Wargames. I have long been enthralled with the COIN Series from GMT Games for its attempt to tell the less than squeaky clean side of some of the most infamous struggles in history. This game is not an official part of that series but is COIN Series inspired.

I have seen lots of information put out by the design team of Clint Warren-Davey and Ben Fiene and it appears that these two have done their homework and extrapolated some theories that may or may not have been totally 100% accurate but are based in some semblance of plans or partial historical information. I think that it is good to explore history in these type of games.

With all of that being said, we were contacted by our good friend Randy Lein from Legion Wargames a few months ago about this project and asked if we would be interested in doing some coverage through an interview and possibly some other mediums, such as our Event Card Spoilers format that we have used in other games, and we were immediately intrigued by the concept and the fact that the game uses some of the elements of one of our favorite series. I have been in communication with one of the designers Clint Warren-Davey since that time and he has shared lots of information with me, including the rules and some of their background work on this one, and I wanted to make sure we gave it some light to give you a chance to understand what the game is so that you can make an informed decision about whether you plan to order this one or not. Clint has been great to work with and has agreed to write a series of short articles on the Event Cards and their basis in history as well as how they are used in the game.

If you are interested in ordering Werwolf: Insurgency in Occupied Germany, 1945-1948, you can pre-order a copy for $72.00 from the Legion Wargames website at the following link: https://www.legionwargames.com/legion_WER.html

#6 Husarenritt

Operation Solstice (referred to in German as Unternehmen Sonnenwende or Unternehmen Husarenritt) in February 1945 was the last German armoured offensive on the Eastern Front in World War Two. Severely battered and understrength, with only 3 days’ worth of fuel and ammunition, the Germans nonetheless managed to scrape together 7 Panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions with close to 1,000 tanks (Panzer IV’s, Panthers, Hetzers and a handful of King Tigers) for a limited counter-offensive in Pomerania. While achieving penetrations of 8-12km in some parts of the front, it was inevitably crushed when the Soviets committed their reserves. While the Soviets were also suffering horrendous losses in the opening months of 1945 and had many units whittled down to remnants, the balance of power in the war overall was decisively against the Germans and this was not going to change. The only real result of Operation Solstice was to delay the Soviet attack on Berlin by two months, as the Red Army focused on clearing up all resistance in Pomerania.

In the game’s timeline, Operation Solstice has not occurred as a conventional armoured offensive, but its title has been used by the Edelweiss Movement as a codename for a hypothetical large-scale co-ordinated attack in several provinces or cities. This is an Edelweiss Key Event Card, meaning that the player can choose to play it on top of the current Event Card, replacing it. It will only be possible to play it when the insurgents have built up their cadres of guerrillas to a sizeable level – and this card will require the Edelweiss player to have the majority of their pieces on the map. The Wehrmacht veterans in Edelweiss would no doubt use any captured or salvaged tanks available for this attack, making it something approximating the last doomed ride of the Panzers in Pomerania. Like the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, it should take the enemy by surprise but it will leave the guerrillas exposed to a counter-attack. As such, it should only be attempted later in the game when the other three factions are exhausted from fighting each other or when a clear opportunity arises to strike without reprisal. Remember that this card also keeps Edelweiss eligible to act again immediately in the next turn – this may provide a chance for a follow-up attack to finish off the enemy in the three locations chosen for the original Husarenritt!