On August 3rd, 1943, less than two weeks after the Kursk offensive, the Soviets launched a massive offensive near Kharkov that ripped open the German line. The ensuing battle began their summer offensive that would take them across the Ukraine to the Dnieper River.
During August the two sides were equally matched and a tremendous war of attrition raged from Kharkov to the Sea of Azov with neither side willing to give ground. In September, bled white by the never-ending Soviet attacks, the German army retreated in haste to the safety of the Dnieper River. In October, the battle raged along the length of the Dnieper and for the Perekop Peninsula, the only land exit to the German 17th Army in the Crimea. During this three month period German reinforcements poured in from every sector, but it was never enough. Three Soviet Tank Armies and four Soviet Fronts ground through nineteen panzer and panzergrenadier divisions. German and Soviet losses were staggering. Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine, fell on November 6th.

Ukraine '43 attempts to simulate this important campaign in a moderately complex game. The design uses the conventional move-fight-exploit sequence of play and the popular Zone of Control Bond rules. Soviet tank armies and German panzer corps spearhead constant attacks and counterattacks. With both sides able to attack, the game becomes a tense battle of skill and nerves.

Game Features:
German Panzer Corps/Russian Tank Army capabilities
Soviet massed artillery
German tactical proficiency
German Tiger tanks
Soviet sappers
air power
differing capabilities for Marshal Zhukov and General Manstein
and, Zone of Control Bonds

COMPONENTS
280 full-color counters
One 22x29" full-color mapsheet and one 5x29" full-color mapsheet
32-page Rule Book
2 full-color 11x17 Player Aid Cards
1 8.5x11 Sequence of Play Card (w/ Historical Setup on the reverse side!)
Three 6-sided dice

TIME SCALE 5 days per turn
MAP SCALE 10 miles per hex
UNIT SCALE Primarily divisional.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS One or two

DESIGNER: Mark Simonitch
DEVELOPER: Tony Curtis
MAP ART: Mark Simonitch
COUNTER ART: Mark Simonitch

(BGG description:)

Ukraine '43 simulates the 1943 Soviet summer offensive across the Ukraine to the Dnieper river.

280 counters, 1 22" x 29" map + 1 5" x 29", 32 pages rules booklet and 4 scenarios. Scale is mostly divisional units, 5 days per turn, 10 miles per hex. It is medium-high complexity (6 on 9). Full campaign should last about 8 hours.

The game features a traditional basic system plus Reaction phase, Exploitation move and combat. It includes rules for Panzer corps / Russian Tank armies capabilities, massed artillery, German tactical proficiency, Tiger tanks, sappers, air power, leader special rules for Zhukov and Manstein, ZOC bonds.