Counterstroke at Ilovaysk - The Matrix Games version of East Front II
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| Rating: | 8.4 (164) |
| Games Played: | 242 |
| SM: | 2 |
| Turns: | 18 |
| Type: | Stock |
| First Side: | Axis |
| Second Side: | Allies |
Near Ilovaysk 25km E of Stalino: [Best played against Human oponent or as Axis] Recovering from the tragic loss of the Sixth Army at Stalingrad, General von Manstein watched as Soviet forces poured west towards the Dnepr River. By the end of February 1943, reacting to the continuing Soviet winter offensive with careful planning and masterful execution, over 200,000 Russians had been cut-off or destroyed. The Russian counteroffensive was broken and Soviet survivors were streaming back to the Donetz River. Kampfgruppe Hansen, also known as the 15th Composite Panzer Regiment, was dispatched to swing southeast around Stalino and cut off the retreating Russians. On February 28th they were met by elements of the 89th and 117th Tank Brigades east of Stalino, near Ilovaysk, in a desperate attempt to stop the German thrust and save as many of the shattered formations as possible.
| Player Voting Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Member | Balance | Enjoyment |
 Azazel |
Slightly Pro Axis | 8 |
 Maximus |
Well Balanced | 7 |
 Blitz Shadow Player |
Well Balanced | 8 |
| Blitz Shadow Player |
Slightly Pro Axis | 7 |
| Blitz Shadow Player |
Well Balanced | 7 |
| Gaming Records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Side Player | 2nd Side Player | Result | Score | ||||||
|
 |
Panzerjaeger | vs. | Dust Particle |  |
|
Axis Minor Loss | 8 | 18 |
|
 |
Herr Straße Laufer | vs. | itlnprd |  |
|
Allies Major Victory | 24 | 4 |
|
 |
Yossarian | vs. | majog |  |
|
Allies Major Loss | 4 | 24 |
|
 |
Laza | vs. | Sir Killalot |  |
|
Allies Major Loss | 4 | 24 |
|
 |
Tank Killer | vs. | Hughen Tanken de Tote |  |
|
Axis Minor Victory | 18 | 8 |
A real nail-biter this one is...almost no armour left on both sides by the end of the game....
Take note of snow movement. Russian follow-on forces are very slow into the fight due to distance and snow slowing reinforcements. Scenario may be too short for Russians to maneuver follow-on forces much because of the slow rate of movement.
An excellent fight, but the Russian player needs to use some ingenuity to speed up his forces; otherwise, the infantry lags behind due to deep snow movement. Germans have long range advantage and Russians have mass. KV-1's underperform due to high cost of moving in snow. German player has to fight using combined arms and good positions to exploit the German range advantage.
Great scenario with a great opponent... A tough fight... for both sides...
Absolutely the greatest CS battle I have ever played!! I would love to play it again trying several different approaches... It was neck and neck, back and fourth, with my opponent throughout the entire battle... This battle will be listed as one of my all time favorites... JRS
Don´t know why I haven´t played it before. Fine little scenario with a lot of armor.
Difficult fight in the snow... Many courses of action for both sides... Recon and flexibility are extremely important..
As the German player, this scenario is really challenging, but it also really entertaining. The Soviets have KV-1 and T-34 tanks; the Germans are still relying on Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs.
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