Teenage Memories of Wurzburg

I have never been to Wurzburg, so one might wonder just what memories I could possibly have regarding a place I have never been.  In fact, I don't think I have even looked at a single book or article about that city until recently, and certainly not in the halcyon days of the 1970s.  Yet, I have poured over any number of maps (in hexagon format) over the area from any number of SPI games.  Those are the memories that I have regarding this relatively minor location, where the citizens never dreamed that they would become the epicenter of some cardboard counter battle.

My first encounter with the city was in 1974 with SPI's Modern Battles Quadrigame.  I remember buying this game at a LGS and being quite impressed by the graphics and counters.  Color!  The map geography could have been completely fabricated for all I knew about southern Germany, but the chance to have a full Soviet Combined Arms Army fight a US Corps was pretty exciting.  If I recall correctly, the game was pretty well balanced, even without the use of nuclear weapons.  The units were battalion sized, with some Soviet ones plussed-up with the various divisional assets.

The "Wurzburg" map from SPI's Modern Battles Quadrigame.

 Wurzburg showed up in my next SPI game postulating a Warsaw Pact invasion of West Germany.  "Fulda Gap, The First Battle of the Next War" was a favorite from its publishing in 1977.  Here the units were unknown combat strength brigades, with a nasty habit of turning out poorly at the most inconvenient time.  Wurzburg, located at the southern map edge, didn't figure too importantly in the invasion.  The game was pretty good, though I think NATO had a bit of an edge, especially with the air assets available.

SPI's "Fulda Gap" map.  The rectangle in red is the approximate area of the quadrigame map.  North is the top of the map.

If some Cold War was good, more must have been better.  "The Next War," SPI's monster game of the Warsaw Pact Invasion of Western Europe had 3+ maps and thousands of counters.  Unit size was a division, with lots of naval and air available.  I think I played this only twice or three times, which was still a lot in that era as it took a LONG time to get through.  I think the use of nuclear weapons would have been a relief to all of the teenagers involved, just to get some resolution.  I don't think Wurzburg was ever important in the times I played, but since that was last millennium and my memory may be a bit rusty (especially since I lost both times if I recall correctly), I could be mistaken.

The center map for "The Next War."  Wurzburg is almost an afterthought here.  Once again, North is to the top of the map.

Both Wurzburg and I survived the 1970s and SPI's next incantation was the Central Front Series of Games (Hof Gap, Fifth Corps and BAOR) published in the early 1980s.  If the "Next War" was tough to get through, the Central Front series was even tougher when linked together.  You really NEEDED to use nukes just to free up the map to an acceptable counter density, otherwise there was too much to remember.  Wurzburg shows up in "Hof Gap."  Since I didn't really play these games to any result, I can't really say if it was an important location or not.  It doesn't look like it would ever be some sort of Bastogne or St. Vith in terms of the road networks anyway.  Units were battalions and regiments once again.

SPI's "Hof Gap" map.  North is toward the upper right hand corner.  Wurzburg's area is not that different from the first game. 

Looking at the road makeup today, I still don't get the feeling that Wurzburg is that important in any major Soviet thrust into southern Germany.  Admittedly, the road network is not the same as it was in 1985, but it's probably close enough.  

The graphics are not as colorful as 1977 in this current map of southern Germany.  

Anyway, as I continue to build up my Soviet tank horde to smite the running dogs of American Imperialism and their lackeys, I will use the first "Wurzburg" map and units as my touchstone.  Its the least I can do to keep memories true, even the losses.