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Valley of Death - The Matrix Games version of East Front II

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Valley of Death Image
Campaign Series Ladder

Valley of Death

By TankerTony
Allies 6 - 1 - 12 Axis
Rating: 7.6 (13)
Games Played: 19
SM: 6
Turns: 28
Type: Custom
First Side: Allies
Second Side: Axis
Downloads: 415
Mir, 95 km SW of Minsk: Operation 'Bagration' had been a resounding success for the Red Army . On July 3rd, Rokossovsky's and Chernyakhovsky's forces had linked up west of Minsk, trapping over 100,000 Germans. On July 4th Stalin assigned his commanders new and ambitious objectives. While one Front was sent northwest toward Lithuania and one Front sent southwest toward Brest-Litovsk, Zakharovs Second Belorussian Front was left behind to mop up the remains of Army Group Center. Meanwhile, the 5th SS Panzer Division 'Wiking', after their debacle at Cherkassy the previous winter, had been withdrawn to Cholm to recuperate and re-equip. The reconstituted but cosiderably weakened division next saw action in July 1944, being sent to help bolster the Vistula Front in Poland. In this semi-historical battle, the Wiking runs smack into the 2nd Guards Tank Corp, as it attempts to rescue as many Germans as possible southwest of Minsk.
Player Voting Stats
Member Balance Enjoyment
Oberst's ProfileOberst Well Balanced 8
Huib Versloot's ProfileHuib Versloot Well Balanced 5
LEGXXIIPRPF's ProfileLEGXXIIPRPF Well Balanced 9
Kai's ProfileKai Slightly Pro Allies 8
Relayer's ProfileRelayer Slightly Pro Axis 8
Huib Versloot
Lieutenant General
Huib Versloot
It's a promising scn but needs some work.
positive:
-The scn has a well chosen scope and an interesting force mix.
-The map is interesting
negative:
- visibility IMO is a bit too extreme. This leads to very awkward LOS situations with so many units on a small area.
-Objective/victory values are too low to compensate for the losses one has to endure when taking them, especially for the Allies that will be under severe fire of a whole bunch of big German guns both Armor and arty.
I lost big time as Allied and gave up after 14 turns, but can't really comment on balance. Maybe I should have dared more, but my opponent certainly did nothing much special to get this easy win. He just shot up my units with big guns and arty.
Conclusion: promising scn. If the designer works on it a bit more it can become a 4 or 5 star scenario.
LEGXXIIPRPF
Lieutenant General
LEGXXIIPRPF
played with Extreme Assault turned OFF
Death~Dealer
Major
Death~Dealer Mon Nov 09, 2015 6:28 am
Big Cats dominate the open areas in this one.
RADO
Major
RADO Mon Nov 09, 2015 2:44 pm
Not a great scenario for team games, IMHO, from the German perspective.
Askari19
First Sergeant
Askari19 Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:05 pm
The terrain heavily favors the Axis, with LOS ranges optimum for the Panthers, Tigers, King Tigers, and Nashorns with which they are liberally endowed. The burden of offense is on the Allies, and there are opportunities for maneuver, but it always comes down to fighting and they are outclassed by the qualitative difference. With AF On, the Allies may as well surrender early and move on. With AF Off, Allied players with a masochistic nature might give it a go.
Tankertony
Lieutenant General
Tankertony Sun Jun 19, 2022 3:00 pm
My idea with this scenario was to make another 'Tank Graveyard at Minsk'. Lot's of map, lot's of armor, etc. Yes, the 20 hex LOS does give the Germans a certain advantage, so the Russians must adapt. There are plenty of woods and hills to minimize this advantage. There are several strategies and tactics also. In this last game, I moved the Russians quickly and in force towards the southern side of the map, where there are plenty of woods and a good road network. Also, the exit hexes are towards the south. With 28 turns you have plenty of time to maneuver these very mobile units into advantageous positions. If the Russians charge head-long down the center highway, they are playing into the German strengths. I would suggest the better player takes the Russian side.