Strategy & Tactics #280: Soldiers 1918 – Decision in the Trenches is a two-player tactical wargame that immerses players in the desperate final battles of World War I. Designed to simulate a typical American infantry attack against entrenched German defenses on the Western Front during the summer or autumn of 1918, it captures the tension, chaos, and uncertainty of modern industrial warfare’s closing moments.

• Historical Context: By 1918, the Allies were mounting a series of offensives designed to break the stalemate of the trenches. In Soldiers 1918, one player commands the U.S. 1st Army attempting to penetrate heavily fortified German positions, while the other takes command of a German Kampftruppenkommandeur (K.T.K.) – a seasoned front-line commander fighting to prevent a breakthrough. The game simulates the first 30–60 minutes of an attack, offering an intense, small-scale look at the realities of trench warfare.
• Gameplay & Objectives: The American player must coordinate a divisional assault to push through the German lines, while the German player fights to inflict maximum casualties and hold ground. The game uses a dual-play format — each player attacks once, then switches sides — comparing penetration depth to determine the winner. Draws are possible, and the system allows for solitaire play with ease.
• Scale & System: Each hex represents 25 yards (22.8 meters), and each game turn equals five to ten minutes of real time. Every unit counter represents a platoon of infantry or heavy machine guns, with supporting units such as mortars, engineers, and light artillery abstracted into the infantry formations — reflecting the integrated nature of late-WWI combat.
• Tactical Realism: The game emphasizes terrain, cover, morale, and command coordination. Players must balance aggressive assaults with tactical restraint, managing attrition and morale under fire. The result is a realistic yet fast-playing system that captures the brutal, close-range decision-making of trench warfare without overwhelming complexity.

Game Components & Features:

• 1 x 22” x 34” full-colour tactical map of a Western Front battlefield
• 228 die-cut counters representing American and German platoons
• Playable in head-to-head or solitaire format
• Quick-play design focused on tactical realism
• Ideal for players interested in WWI combat and tactical command systems

Scale:
Players: 2
Level: Platoon
Hex: 25 Yards (22.8 m)
Turn: 5–10 Minutes

Other Articles in This Issue:

• Attack Helicopters as Ground Support: A study of rotary-wing aircraft in combined-arms warfare.
• The Jewish Revolt, AD 66–73: The uprising that reshaped the ancient Roman East.
• West Point in the American Revolution: The key role of the Hudson River fortress in America’s fight for independence.

Strategy & Tactics #280: Soldiers 1918 – Decision in the Trenches offers a tense, highly tactical recreation of the final phase of World War I. With its manageable scale and emphasis on battlefield decision-making, it’s an ideal entry point into historical tactical wargaming — a brutal and evocative portrait of the closing battles that ended the Great War.

Available now from Milsims Games — Australia’s trusted destination for historical wargames, strategy titles, and military simulations for over 50 years. Price-match guarantee and fast shipping from Mont Albert, VIC.

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