Gary Grigsby's War in the East

Gary Grigsby's War in the East: The German-Soviet War 1941-1945 is a turn-based World War II strategy game covering the Eastern Front from division and brigade level. You command forces across a map scaled at 10 miles per hex, where terrain, weather, orders of battle, logistics and combat results are modeled in detail. Campaigns and scenarios span the war through Summer 1945, with strategic and operational challenges shaped by supply, fatigue, experience, morale and the abilities of divisional, corps and army leaders.

Campaigns and scenarios

The game includes five major campaigns starting in 1941, 1942, 1943 and 1944, plus an alternate-victory campaign starting in 1941; each extends to Summer 1945. It also has 11 scenarios ranging from 10 to 25 turns. The map runs from 100 miles west of Berlin to the Ural Mountains, and from 150 miles north of Leningrad to Bulgaria and Baku.

Command and combat

Weekly turns use an IGOUGO system. You can play against the AI as either side, or watch the AI simulate the war, with five categories of help levels for each side to adjust difficulty. Traditional Play by Email and the server-based PBEM+ systems are also included.

The database contains roughly 4,000 units, and you can create many more. Maneuver units are division-sized, with thousands of battalion- and regiment-sized support units. Support types include artillery, engineers, ski, anti-tank, pioneer and tank destroyer units, among others. German forces have Corps, Army and Army Group HQs; Soviet forces have Army and Front HQs.

Supply, fuel, ammunition and support personnel are accounted for, along with losses among individual vehicles and squads. Reports show the modifiers that affect how efficiently units receive what they need. Troops and vehicles can be disrupted, disabled or fatigued, and units need training before entering combat.

Air forces and production

Air units are generally organized into groups and can fly day and night missions, including missions with night fighters. You can upgrade aircraft in units manually or automate the allocation of new aircraft. Production is modeled in detail, including the evacuation of Russian factories, production penalties and rebuilding delays. Detailed ground-element and aircraft statistics affect in-game performance, and spreadsheets and reports present extensive game data.

Leaders and battlefield conditions

More than 500 historical commanders have promotion systems and ratings across eight fields, covering attributes from combat skill to political rating. Leaders can be dismissed, executed, fired or killed in action.

Weather zones and river ice levels are modeled in detail. Scenarios can use fixed weather patterns or randomize them. Fog of War rules include unit detection levels, with units rated for their ability to conceal themselves and reconnoiter other forces. Two optional rules let you adjust the First Winter Blizzard Effect and Soviet Combat Doctrine.

Scenario tools

A full scenario and data editor includes CSV export and import functionality.