Using Wargames to Understand the Battle of Kursk
Question: What does playing Kursk scenarios teach us about the historical battle that reading doesn't?
Approach: Played multiple Kursk scenarios across different game systems, analyzing what choices players face and what constraints the games model.
Findings: Wargames make visible the operational dilemma: German forces had to attack despite unfavorable conditions because waiting meant letting Soviet defenses strengthen. The games teach through constraint, not narrative.
Reading about Kursk tells you what happened. Playing Kursk wargames shows you why certain decisions were made and what alternatives existed.
Every game models the same core problem: the Germans need a decisive breakthrough, but the Soviets have prepared defense-in-depth. The clock is ticking, and the weather won't hold.
What you learn from play: the historical commanders were facing genuinely hard choices with no good options. The game makes their constraints tangible in a way that text cannot.