Last year, we were contacted by our good friend Randy Lein from Legion Wargames about a new project called Werwolf: Insurgency in Occupied Germany, 1945-1948, which is a COIN Series inspired multi-faction game taking a look at a what if situation at the end of World War II with various possible insurgencies. He 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

#4 Magyar Honvédség

By 1945, all of the Nazi State’s allies had deserted her, with the exception of the Italian fascist rump state, and the Hungarians. When Admiral Horthy, the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary, had attempted to secure a separate peace with the advancing Red Army in late 1944, Hitler had launched Operation Panzerfaust. In what was essentially a coup, the Hungarian leadership was removed and replaced with the Government of National Unity, a puppet state under the Nazi Arrow Cross Party. Kampfgruppe Kolotay, a Hungarian battlegroup, was sent to northern Germany where it saw some action against the British 43rd (Welch) Division before surrendering. Fiercely independent, the Hungarians were no more likely to accept Soviet domination. Immediately following their liberation by the Red Army, Hungary returned to a multiparty democracy under President Tildy. In the background, pro-Soviet forces infiltrated the state security apparatus, using terror and intimidation, and leading to a total seizure of power by Soviet backed Communists in 1949. Even Hungarian Communist leaders like Imre Nagy were taken aback by the overt Soviet control, eventually leading to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the brutal response of Soviet forces.

In the game’s timeline, the Hungarians make an appearance in the form of this card, with two very different options. The top row envisions Kampfgruppe Kolotay, cut off from its homeland, joining Edelweiss and potentially battling the British in northern Germany. This is not an amazing event, but Edelweiss are often short on cash so some free guerrillas are not bad, especially since they stay eligible and can follow up with actions in the next turn. The other option may be enticing for all factions except the Soviets – it envisions the Hungarian revolt occurring earlier thanks to the ongoing insurgency in Germany. This diverts Soviet troops from the map but also raises Cold War Tensions – as indeed the real Hungarian Revolt of 1956 did. Either way, this event is not great for the occupying powers and will primarily benefit the insurgents.

If you missed the previous entries in the series, you can catch up on the posts to date by following the below links:

#26 Radio Werwolf

#85 Operation Effective

#82 The Desert Fox

#73 Soviet Space Program

#25 Otto Skorzeny

#75 Berlin Blockade

#2 Paddy Mayne’s Boys

#93 Operation Cowboy

#79 Group Pliev

#73 Berlin Uprising

#31 National Redoubt

#6 Husarenritt

#9 The Morgenthau Plan

#6 Werner von Braun

#54 Schnez-Truppe

#85 Polish Peoples’ Republic

#70 Kriminalkommissar

#91 Katukov’s Toast

#62 CIC

#3 Nuremberg Trials

#14 GI’s and Fräuleins

#5 HV Peenemünde

#52 War in the East

#57 Bundesrepublik

#17 Walter Schellenberg

Even though the pre-order numbers are increasing and nearing their ultimate goal of 250, we are still hosting these card spoilers to share more about the game and its alternate history. In the meantime, if you are interested we posted an interview with the designers and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2022/06/27/interview-with-clint-warren-davey-and-ben-fiene-designers-of-werwolf-insurgency-in-occupied-germany-1945-1948-from-legion-wargames/

-Grant