Panzer For!! - The Matrix Games version of East Front II

[Teamgame : 3 vs. 3 ] On 16th March, 1945, the long awaited Soviet attack on Berlin began. This was the epitaph of the entire campaign in the East.It all had started some months ago, in January, when a carefully planned Soviet offensive rolled through the meagre German defenses and in less than two weeks pushed the frontlines back some hundred of miles. After sweeping through Poland, Stalin ordered 1st Byelorussian Front (Zhukov) and 1st Ukrainian front (Rokossovsky) to halt because farther north 2nd Byelorussian front had failed to keep up with the advance and the northern flank of Zhukov's forces were dangerously exposed. When eventually 2nd Byelorussian front finally reached the Oder, Stalin could start thinking about the final assault on Berlin. The weeks that preceded the offensive were used by the Germans to strengthen their fortifications and move up troops (wherever they found them!) Unbelievably, the Führer refused to admit that Berlin was the obvious target and directed the last potent German force, 6th SS Panzer Armee, south to relieve Budapest.On 16 April, Zhukov launched his forces forward, followed 4 days later by Rokossovsky's armies. While Zhukov aimed his main assault toward Berlin proper, Rokossovsky was tasked with making a sweeping move north and approach the city from the south. For 4 days, 1st Byelorussian front was bogged down in bloody fighting in front of the Seelow heights and west of Küstrin. When 1st Ukranian front then opened their offensive, the remaining German reserves were already sent north and the attack went smoothly after the first defensive lines had been breached.69th Army (Zhukov) and 3rd Guards Tank Army (Rokossovsky) were to meet near Zossen and trap the defending German 9th Army in a large pocket. After several days of hard fighting, the 9th Army commander, Busse, realised that all resistance had become futile. However, he knew the fate that awaited any captured Germans, so he decided to swing his front around and try to break-out from the impending encirclement. What remained of his forces were mere shadows of themselves, but thankfully for him he could count on the Königstiger of 502nd s.Panzer Abteilung to lead the way. So on the morning of 28th April, his forces were ready to begin their drive to the west. With the words 'Panzer For', the German tigers took the lead for the very last time in the war.