Dawn's Early Light (1st Edition)

May 14, 1985

The Soviet First Tank Army crosses the border into Germany and strikes into the Eisenbach Gap, seeking to rip open the belly of NATO's defenses. American and German troops scramble from their bases to try and delay the Soviets, for if they get through, they will drive all the way to the Rhine. Over two thousand tanks will meet in the decisive engagement of the war.

The Corps Command system returns with a modern twist! Asset chips allow players to bring in reinforcements and influence the battlespace with gunships, chemical attacks and electronic warfare. New defensive fire rules give an attacker a reason to sweat and encourage players to match their units to the right terrain. All of this with the same lean, mean and simple system as the first game in the series, Corps Command: Totensonntag.

The Soviets hit hard but fold fast - as their units wear down they lose initiative, making them less and less capable, and the clock is against them. The NATO (American and German) forces defending the Gap are highly capable but are outnumbered and playing for time. Both players are being asked to do the impossible - to win the greatest tank battle of all time.

Dawn’s Early Light, the next stand-alone module in Peter Bogdasarian’s award-winning, operational-level Corps Command game system, has been expanded! And we’re not just doubling your pleasure. Now, instead of just one scenario depicting the first crucial battle of World War III, on May 14th, 1985, there are five scenarios. Yes, that’s right: five! Five times the fun in this lean, mean and simple system.

Aside from the original title scenario, “Dawn’s Early Light,” in which two Soviet divisions strike into West Germany’s Eisenbach Gap to seize its vital bridge and the Stahlhammer Air Force Base (and obligatory golf course), the four new scenarios include “The High Road,” “South Thrust,” “Call the Cavalry,” and “Dropping the Guillotine.”

Each is described below:

“The High Road,” designed by Mark Walker, is a shorter scenario based on the Soviets’ northern advance against the West Germans. Can the 1st Guards Tank replicate its brilliant victory from May 1985? Or will the West German 1st Panzer Division stop them? The outcome is up to you!

“South Thrust” depicts the Soviet Operational Maneuver Group’s deep strike into West Germany. After punching through the 1st Panzer, the Soviets, however, still had to rid themselves of the threat posed by the American 5th Armored Division and the Canadian 4th Mechanized Brigade in the Eisenbach Gap. Can the Soviet 1st Tank and 33rd Motor Rifle Divisions achieve their mission? Reinforcements on both sides, including the American 2nd ACR and Engineers plus a West German Territorial Brigade and the Soviet 2nd Airborne and 87th Rifle Regiment, will surely play an important role.

“Call the Cavalry,” features a daring rescue. The American 5th Armored Division’s stand in the Eisenbach Gap has left numerous detachments scattered around the countryside. Not wanting to abandon these men to a merciless fate, NATO launched a rescue operation with the combat elements that were at hand—a mixed force comprised of the Canadian 4th Mechanized Brigade, three Cavalry squadrons from the 2nd ACR, a Panzer Battalion from the 1st Panzer Division, and an Armored Battalion from the 5th Armored Division. The Soviet 33rd Motor Rifle Division and the 87th Rifle Regiment, reinforced by a regiment from the 1st Tank, stand in their way. Can NATO prevent their scattered men from having to surrender? Only time and the combatants’ nerve will tell.

“Dropping the Guillotine,” NATO, desperate to slow the pace of the Warsaw Pact’s vanguard, assembles a scratch force to counterattack the enemy’s tenuous supply line, which stretches through the Eisenbach Gap. For NATO, elements of the American 2nd ACR, augmented by the 5th Armored Division, and the West German 1st Panzer Division lead the counterattack against the supply convoy. Defending the convoy are the 33rd Motor Rifle Division and the 87th Rifle Regiment. The outcome of this engagement will greatly affect what’s occurring on the frontlines.

With these additional scenarios, the scope and import of the first battle of World War III is intensified. Whether you’re a veteran of Corps Command: Totensonntag or you’re new to Corps Command here with Dawn’s Early Light, this easy-to-learn system puts you in charge of forces that can change the outcome of a war. Are you up to the task?

The Game Ships With:

A 17" x 22" map that beautifully depicts the lush, West German landscape of the Eisenbach Gap.

136 colorful, 5/8" counters, representing the battalions and brigades that fought the first battle of World War III.

Easy to learn, quick to read, rules. Be up and playing in less time than it takes to set up other games. Better yet, if you know how to play Corps Command: Totensonntag you know the basics of Corps Command: Dawn's Early Light.

Players' Aid card and Terrain Effects Chart.