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Defending the Dyle - The Matrix Games version of West Front

Defending the Dyle Image
Campaign Series Ladder

Defending the Dyle

By Bob Cummings
Axis 8 - 2 - 6 Allies
Rating: 6.88 (11)
Games Played: 16
SM: 5
Turns: 20
Type: Stock
First Side: Axis
Second Side: Allies
Best played H2H Matrix: Leuven, Belgium (80 km east of Brussels) When the Germans attacked Holland and Belgium on May 10 the British Expeditionary Force had been deployed along the Franco Belgian frontier. The BEF received orders to advance immediately to defensive positions along the Dyle River east of Brussels. In 1940 the British Expeditionary Force was the only fully motorized army in Europe and they quickly reached the Dyle River without incident. Meanwhile the German 6th army had been marching steadily west on foot and horseback just as their fathers and grandfathers had done in 1914. Only the panzer divisions had motorized transport. The British 3rd Infantry Division was defending the city of Leuven along the Dyle River. Leuven was the northernmost position of the BEF. On the left flank of the 3rd Division Belgian army units continued the Allied defensive line to the north. General Fedor Von Bock's Army Group B was told that it was of the greatest importance to break through the enemy positions between Leuven and Namur in order to prevent the Allies from establishing themselves in those positions. The German 19th Division lost no time in attacking the BEF when they reached Leuven. Several attacks by the Germans were soundly repulsed by the British 3rd Division. The German Sixth Army later reported to Army Group B that they had not succeeded in penetrating the Dyle defenses at any point. General Montgomery's 3rd Division had defended the Dyle well. Unfortunately for the Allies, hundreds of German armored vehicles streaming through the Ardennes region to the south would outflank the Dyle Line and force the British and French to fall back.
Player Voting Stats
Member Balance Enjoyment
Huib Versloot's ProfileHuib Versloot Well Balanced 6
Steelrain60's ProfileSteelrain60 Well Balanced 8
Norry's ProfileNorry Slightly Pro Allies 9
Herr Straße Laufer's ProfileHerr Straße Laufer Slightly Pro Axis 6
Boisforas's ProfileBoisforas Well Balanced 7
Huib Versloot
It is a race against time for the Germans. Had the scenario been longer, it would have been a walk-over for the Germans. Designer needs to look wether it is not possible to give more turns for manoeuvres and keeping the game balance instead of this "run blindly to the objectives through artillery fire". Better Allied defensive positions picked with care and perhaps a bunker or 2 could improve the scenario. Layout of the battlefield and map are nice.
Steelrain60
Played with 1.02 assault rules; good-looking map, good force mix. Would be much harder under extreme assault rules. Has potential to be "Stalingrad in West" type battle.
Herr Straße Laufer
Typical foot slogger. Allies have options, German have firepower and numbers.
“The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.”― George Orwell (1984)
Schwerpunkt75
Warrant Officer
Schwerpunkt75 Wed Apr 14, 2021 7:05 pm
Needs to be re-designed. Between evenly matched, experienced opponents, it's virtually impossible for the Axis player to achieve even a draw. A victory of any level is out of the question unless the Allied player stands and fights in Leuven, and there's no incentive for the Allied player to do that.
Scud
Major General
Scud Mon Dec 19, 2022 3:23 am
The allies don't have enough to stop the German advance, so have to find a way to slow their advance until time expires. Good luck.
Resolve then, that on this very ground, with small flags waving and tinny blasts on tiny trumpets, we shall meet the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us. --Walt Kelly