Storm of Steel: Ju-87 STUKA, Eastern Front is a solitaire tactical air wargame where you take the role of a Staffelkapitän – Flight leader. Select, equip and fly your aircraft, lead a squadron of Stuka dive bombers and execute close air support missions along the Eastern Front from the opening day of Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941 up to the Kursk offensive in 1943.
Take command of the legendary Stuka dive bomber on combat missions over the vast battlefields on the Eastern Front. Select and equip your Stuka Staffel with individual and historically named pilots and gunners or create your own. Lead your unit during the opening days of Operation Barbarossa, targeting Soviet airfields, troop concentrations, rail lines, convoys, tank formations, and more. Attempt the final drive on Moscow during Operation Winter Storm. Continue your career to participate in Case Blue and the offensive on Stalingrad. Use the newly converted Ju-87G Stuka tank killer during Operation Citadel to destroy enemy armor. Conduct maritime missions to sink, and disrupt the Red Navy on the Gulf of Finland and the Black Sea utilizing specialized ordnance.
Manage StG-1, 2, or 77, and fly with your Staffel of up to ten Stukas deep into enemy territory. Avoid enemy fighters, bad weather, and murderous anti-aircraft fire to deliver your deadly payload accurately to its target. Log your missions, scores, gain experience for yourself and your unit. An experienced-based promotion system provides an increased level of proficiency for your crew. Between missions; manage replacements and repairs of your aircraft as well as your wounded and KIA crew.
Become a legend while leading your Staffel to victory, or forever disappear into the vast Russian Steppes.
Game Features:
Solitaire Play
Historical Units and Missions
Mission & Campaign Generator specific to each historical period. Never play the same mission twice
Individual Pilot and Gunner Careers with dozens of historical Stuka crew counters or “name your own”
Campaign play spanning Barbarossa, Case Blue, and Kursk
Experience-based promotion system
Historically accurate payloads and specialized ordnance to choose from
Crew Stress mechanic adds an additional dimension to player’s tactics
Simulated enemy fighter presence according to specific periods
Detailed Aircraft damage model
Customizable Unit composition
Crew and Aircraft Repair, Replace and Recovery system
Product Information:
Complexity: 5 out of 10 (Medium)
Solitaire Suitability: 10 out of 10 (designed for solitaire play)
Time Scale: Variable/Single Missions-Operations-Grand Campaign
Map Scale: Abstracted Zones representing average Ju-87D Range
Unit Scale: Single Aircraft, Squadron (Staffel), and two to three Stuka formations
Players: One (solitaire game)
Playing Time: 15 minutes per mission, 2-3 hours per segment, longer for Operations and Campaign
Components:
Air Operations Display Mat (full size 22″ x 34″)
2 counter sheets (9/16″ size)
16 Aircraft Cards
24 Event Cards
Rules booklet
Mission Log (Sheets)
3 Player Aid Cards
Sequence of Play Card
One 10-sided and two 6-sided dice
Box and Lid
Game Credits:
Designer: Joe Fernandez
Artist: Bruce Yearian
Project Director: John Kranz
Please Note: The countersheet images at the end of the rulebook include three redundant counterbacks that were removed before printing. Players use the Mission Ordnance counter on the Mission Ordnance Table on the left-hand side of the game board to mark mission ordnance for the entire Staffel/Kette.
