Defensive Victory at Targul Frumos - The Matrix Games version of East Front II

Targul Frumos, Romania, 330km NNE of Bucharest: [Best played as Axis] At Targul Frumos, Panzergrenadier Divison Grossdeutschland conducted one of the greatest combined arms defenses in the face of waves of Russian armor. So well-fought was this battle that in the 1980's NATO commanders would study it for clues to help them defeat a Soviet onslaught if it was ever to come. Yet, in 1944, General von Manteuffel's key to victory was not just the well chosen ground, well prepared positions or expert handling of his panzer reserves, it was the well trained and disciplined soldiers of Grossdeutschland. The division commander later wrote "In spite of the most careful preparations, the decisive factor in defense was the combat potential of the troops. It was this which allowed the defense to achieve the result it did: a huge fiasco for the Russians!" And what a fiasco it was; by the end of three-day battle, the GD division had destroyed over 350 Russian tanks and damaged over 200, at a loss of only 10 tanks!