The following several pages are a scenario generator provided me by Jim Birdseye. It is designed as a small group or one against the GM. The best set up is to have a GM, one Axis and one Allied player. I was going to make comments with the various entries that Jim has come up with, but my scanner decided on this most inopportune time to go belly up on me so comments here will have to suffice. Though Jim may be an expert on the Philippine campaign, he has missed several points when looking at the force structures for the forces in northern France in 1940. Also lacking is an outline of the German forces available or the rules to be used for actual combat. Both of these are solved by using Spearhead rules and a little imagination and research (or just read on). German Forces: Since Jim's basic rules use Rommel's 7th Panzer, and their basic AFV's are Panzer 38t's and Pz IVD's. The one game I have run we used 1 Panzer battalion and 1 Schützen (mot) battalion, along with a randomly determined company from the Rifle regiment of the Schützen brigade. Air support is also not well defined, so I just had the Germans roll a 1d10 and that was the number of Stuka flights available. They still had to be called up as per the Spearhead rules though. The one thing I'll rag Jim about is his selection of AFV's for the Allies. Yes, things were confused once the Germans broke thru the Ardennes, but not as much as he has provided. For the French, normally whether a Battalion de Chars de Combat (BCC) or a Compagnie Autonome de Chars (Cie. A), all the vehicles were of the same type. The same hold for the BEF where Armored Regiments held 'cruiser' tanks and 'Tank' regiments had the heavy infantry support types like Matilda I & II's. There were 7 Mechanized Cavalry Regiments using little Mk VI's and one with Morris armored cars. These were placed into 2 Armored Recon Bdes. A game described: This action took place at our weekly game session, with Barry West as the Allied commander and Mike Randals as the German. The objective was quite simple: the German to travel 144" of movement (using Spearhead rates) along a road. Unknown to the German, he only had a total of 6 Stuka air missions available. Terrain rolled along the road and the first forces encountered were a truck mounted British maintenance section. One truck was picked off quickly but the others scattered like a covey of quails. Barry's card draws tended to be highly weighted to the BEF, his luck! The next event card was a French air strike, which picked on the towed 15cm IG from the regimental supports and it was destroyed. The next enemy element encountered was a section of 2pdr a/t guns and a platoon of infantry. These were readily dispatched (Barry's shooting was lousy). The terrain rolls produced a town ahead and then a stream which caused the remaining trucks to head one for the bridge (bad choice) and the other x-country. The next event card was the dreaded Ace of Hearts, so we named the town Arras and the counterattack was on! I personally feel that there should be more Matilda I's here and no Cruiser tanks, but hey, it's Jim's game! With the units as called for, the Brits came rolling on (the truck that moved x-country made it). The Germans beat the Brits to the town and set up defensive positions in the outskirts. Though they lost 3-Pz38t's, the Stukas & remaining tank fire held. A Near Thing, but an Allied victory. Only 70" moved. Run to the Channel A World War II Scenario Generator In May 1940 the 7th Panzer Division under the command of General Erwin Romel broke out from the Ardennes and headed to the English Channel. The scenario below can be used to generate actions for a table-top game or as a "campaign" that can be played over a few days or one long day. To play the game set up the German force (the spearhead of the 7th Panzer) and arrange the terrain, one long road from one end of the table to the other. The table should be at least 48 inches wide and six to ten feet long. The terrain will be "scrolled" past the column. The terrain of northern France is relatively flat and easy to simulate. Major features will be moved along the column rather than moving all the vehicles and troops. Adjustments in the column can be made by calculating movement differentials and adjusting units or figures within the overall formation. The movement rate is variable and regulated by die rolls. The formation moves 4d6 each turn by moving the terrain down the formation the number of inches equal to the die roll. Cross country movement is 3d6 per turn. If the Germans elect to move some of their units off road along side of the column then use the slower rate for the whole column and also deduct the cost of moving around or over terrain obstacles such as woods or streams. For the campaign you can set the number of inches to the Channel it can be as many as 1,500 inches. Events Events will be generated at the start of each turn by a two D6 roll of doubles or seven. Use two different colored die with those that are used for the movement roll for the terrain and events. If the roll is even roll one D6 on the terrain table and place it thirty inches in front of the column. If an event is rolled up, seven or doubles on the set of two D6s that are the same color, draw a card from a standard 52-card dock with the joker added. Check the event list and implement the required event. Event List 2-3 clubs One of your tanks breaks down , roll a D6 for each tank until a D6 roll of six. That tank breaks down. Can not move, if blocking road must be moved off road. 4-5 clubs French infantry company marching down the road towards you D20 plus I Oinches to your front. 6-8 clubs French armored cars approach on a side road. (D4 cars) Odd roll left side, even roll right side of column. D20 plus ten inches away. 9-10 clubs French tanks, 5 each R35's approach as above for side of column and D20 plus 10 inches away. Jack clubs French tanks with infantry company on your flank as above. Queen-King clubs French hasty road block defended by infantry company and two anti- tank sections, D20 plus 10 inches to your front. Ace clubs Hasty mine field D6 inches deep and D10 inches wide. Vehicles entering will be knocked out on d6 roll of 1,2,3 or 4. 2-3 diamonds French artillery bombardment targeted on the center of your column for d6 turns, six rounds a turn d12 direction D10 inches dispersion. 4-5 dianionds French supply trucks in road headed your way D20 plus 10 inches from your lead vechi 6-7 dianionds French 75mm section deployed just off the road D20 plus 10 inches to your front. 8-9 diamond, Luftwaffe regrets that there wll be no support for D10 tur 10 diamondsFrench infantry battalion road-block with antitank section to your front D20 plus 10 inches. Jack diamonds (11) French tank section 2 each Char B1 to your front D20 inches Queen diarnonds (12) French tank section 2 each Somua S35 to your front D20 inches King diamond ( 13) French tank section I each H39 and H35 to your front D20 inches Ace diamonds As in 11 above with French infantry company on your lefl flank D20 inches 2 heartsAs in 11 above with French infantry company to your front D20 inches. 3 heartsAs in 12 above with French infantry company to your front D20 inches 4 heartsAs in 12 above with French infantry company to your right flank D20 inches 5 heartsAs in 13 above with French infantry company to your front D20 inches 6 heartsAs in 13 above with French infantry company to your left flank D20 inches. 7 heartsFrench counterattack mixed tanks (2 ea. Char B 1. 2 ea. S35, 1 ea. H35, 1 ea H39. and 5 ea R35) with Infantry battalion and two sections of 75mm gun% to tour left flank D20 plus 10 inches. Includes two turns of artillery bombardment of six rounds each. 8 heartsFrench antitank section to your front D20 inches, French will fire first. 9 heartsStukas attack your lead elements with two bombs. 10 heartsYou seem to be lost. stop for D6 turns while you figure it out, you may deploy while you wait, roll each turn as if you are moving. Jack heartsFrench heavy artillery battery on the road to your front D20 inches moving away at 1/2 your speed. Queen hearts French pioneers preparing to blow up a bridge D20 inches to your front add creek to terrain. King hearts German artillery bombards the road D6 inches from your lead vehicle for three turns of six rounds each. D12 direction and D20 dispersion. Ace hearts British counter attack 2 each Matilda's and 14 each Cruiser Mark Is with infantry platoon on your fight flank D20 plus 10 inches away. Includes one turn of British artillery bombardment (six rounds). 2-3 spades One of your platoons reports it is short of fuel move only half the die roll each turn until it refuels which will take D6 turns. 4-5 spadesFrench command post D20 plus 5 inches to your front. Vehicles and MG covering approach. 6-7 spades Refugees block your path D10 inches to your front. 8-9 spades French MG sections and Anti tank sections to your front D20 plus five inches 10 spades British 2 pounder Anti-tank guns and infantry platoon D20 inches to your front Jack spades Allied maintenance section in the road D20 inches to your front. Queen spades If there is a Bridge on the table the French will bombard it D6 turns six rounds a turn D12 direction and d10 deviation, If no bridge, the target will lie the center of the table King spadesAllied fueling operation on the road ahead of you D20 plus 10 inches. includes D6 tanks and other vehicles Ace spadesAllied field trains assorted vehicles on and off the road covered by MG sections to your front D20 plus 5 inches. JokerMatrix turn both sides may write an event and three good reasons why it should occur. Compare events and then roll a chance for it to take place. Event Notes Units (in the flank may move/fire before Germans, units on the front which ate deployed may move/fire first. Germans may move/fire first in all other cases. Combat Notes Stuka attacks: Germans mark target location and aircraft attack two turns later. D12 direction and D6 minus 2 inches distance. Burst radius is 2 inches and units in the radius are hit on D6 roll of 1.2,3, or 4. *Target morale is cut in half. A staffel is four attacks. Artillery burst radius is two inches. Items in the target area are hit on a D6 roll of 1,2.3,or 4 and the owner rolls to save. Mortar attacks burst radius is one inch items hit as above. Tank and direct fire D20 roll higher than the range in inches scores a hit. D20 roll of 20 is always a hit, a D20 roll of one is always a miss. French or British units who fail morale within ten inches of a German unit will surrender and need to be guarded by the German player. See tactical rules in details on combat. Terrain Is generated on the following tables. Once generated it moves along side the column the number of inches rolled each turn. The main axis of advance is the road in the center of the table. Die Roll Terrain Table 1 Landmark Table 1 Woods creek-bridge church 2 cross road small hedge on road side road sign 3 open cross road large umpire's choice 4 Village land mail, table umpire's choice 5 Single house hill/ridge river/bridge 6 Table I road blocked/trees canal/bridge Umpires choice: can include things like churches. ruins. major rivers, mine fields. fortifications. monasteries, rail road crossings. large hills and ridges, "Y"s in the road or forks in the road. If the umpire has in interesting piece of terrain he/she wants to play this is the time to do it. Wood: 25-40 Square inches of woods in any shape. Cross road road runs in straight line to the edges of the table Village: can include cross road and 7- 10 buildings, 2-5 out buildings church. municipal building and park with hedges and walls. Single house can include walls. hedges and out buildings, May be up to 10 inches from the mod and include ten square inch orchard and twenty inches of hedge tow around field. Open area: may include small hill end or woods of 10 Square inches or less. These must be places more than ten inches from the main road. Book Stream Bridge: The stream will extend in a random way to both edges of the table arid may include small woods, marshy areas and fords. It should be 1-3 inches wide and the bridge should be able to handle the traffic. Mount it or set it up on foam board to make it easier to move down the table. Back to Dispatch Sep. 99 Table of Contents Back to Dispatch List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by HMGS Mid-South This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com