By mid April, 1918, the British 5th Army had been badly battered and driven back by a series of devastating German attacks. In less than three weeks the British had fallen back some 30 miles along a 50-mile front, and Amiens, the key communications center was for the British forces in France, was in danger of being lost. The front fines were stabilized as the Germans outran their supply lines, but the situation was such that Haig had found it necessary to issue his famous "Backs to the Wall" order in the hopes of stiffening his men's will to fight.
The key to the British line before Amiens was a small plateau to the east of the city. Possession of this ground would give the Germans an excellent point for observation down the Somme River Valley into Amiens itself. The British line had managed to stabilize itself atop this plateau, but had not been able to prevent the Germans from taking the eastern half of it. However, as long as the British could keep the German observers off the western rim of the plateau, and out of the village of Villars Bretonneux which crowned the western slopes, they would be able to deny the grounds advantage to the Germans. For the Germans, conquest of the village and the western rim of the plateau would enable them to continue their drive on Amiens.
This scenario can be played as an entire game, or broken down into brigade-sized actions. The information below is divided into three sections, one for the British player(s), one for the German player(s), and one for the referee.
More Amiens: April 24, 1918: Villers Bretonneux
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© Copyright 1993 by Greg Novak.
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