Part II

Since Narvik simulates the operations of battalions and companies rather than divisions and regiments, it is without a doubt the most tactical of the Europa games. Therefore, it has always been something of a paradox that Narvik pays no attention to armor effects on combat and the supported/unsupported distinctions made in every other Europa game. What makes this omission unacceptable is the fact that the speed with which the British were defeated in Norway had a great deal to do with their inferiority in heavy weapons. The ground battles in central and southern Norway were not decided by the oft-cited (and mythical) German martial superiority. Rather the decisive factor was that the Germans possessed adequate armor and ample artillery against opponents totally lacking in either and who were similarly innocent of anything in the way of an anti-tank capability.

It is my belief that, with the following additions, Narvik can both be given more flavor and made more historically accurate, without unduly adding either to the game's complexity or playing time. In any case, the design philosophy behind the Europa system has always been that accurate representations of unique unit abilities was well worth the cost in time and complexity which inevitably resulted.

Armor

"Their (German) tanks, meeting no effective antitank defense, were usually decisive when they appeared." (Moulton, p. 191)

Armor units (not Norwegian armored cavalry units) give the owning player an advantageous die roll modifier of +1/-1 (as appropriate) when attacking or defending, within the following restrictions.

The modifier only applies to battles taking place in either clear hexes, or in other types of terrain, if the hex contains a road (and all attacking armor entered along a road). No benefit, whether on the offense or the defense, is ever gained in a mountain hex.

If there are armor units in both the attacking and defending stacks, then their modifiers cancel each other out. The modifier gained by an attack including armor is negated if the defending stack contains an antitank or German heavy anti-aircraft unit (the 2 AA factors the Germans strip off their sunken destroyers do not constitute an AA unit, and therefore do not count for purposes of this rule).

Night Bombing

"In 1940, night bombing was a new and extremely inexact science. Since radar and radio beam navigational aids had yet to be introduced, dead reckoning was the only means available for bomber crews to find their targets. In night bomber operations during the Phony War period, the British found that only about one-third of the aircraft were actually dropping their bombs in the vicinity of the target. In Norway, where the poor weather and maze of mountains and fjords made navigation more difficult(and more dangerous), the likelihood of night bombers finding their target was that much less."

Aircraft flying night bombing missions do not automatically carry out their mission. Before forming air groups, roll one die individually for each unit attempting a night-bombing mission. On a roll of 6, night bombers (Type NB) fail to find their targets, and are returned to base. They are considered to have flown a mission that air phase (albeit unsuccessfully) and may fly no other mission that air phase. All other air unit types flying night bombing missions fail to find their targets on rolls of 5 or 6.

Support

"A second factor in the rapidly deteriorating situation (for the British) was that the folly of sending a purely infantry force to fight against a force of all arms was now claiming its penalty in the Gudbransdal. If it came to the point, no matter how stout-hearted the British infantry, the Germans could hold back and kill them off with artillery fire, firing if necessary over open sights just outside the range of small arms." (Moulton, p. 201)

A stack of units that does not possess at least one battery of artillery (not AA or AT units) for every two battalions of infantry(do not count company-sized units) is considered unsupported.

When a stack of unsupported units is attacked by supported units, the combat odds on the land CRT are shifted one column in the attacker's favor (to the right). Likewise, supported units attacked by unsupported units gain a beneficial odds-column shift to the left on the land CRT.

Weapons Unit Limitations

All field artillery, antitank and anti-aircraft units are classified as weapons units and are subject to the following limitations (except in the case of #3).

1. Weapons units may never attack by themselves and cannot enter an enemy-occupied hex unless it already contains a friendly infantry, cavalry or armor unit (these units may have been absorbed by a HQ unit).

2. If weapons units are defending alone, they do so at half strength, rounding up.

3. In combat, field artillery units (not AA or AT units) may not add more to the overall attack/defense strength of a stack than 3 times the total strength of all non-field artillery units in the hex.

Rivers

Units attacked only by enemy units that have entered the hex by crossing a river, gain a -2 die roll modifier in ground combat, which is cumulative to any other modifiers applicable.

Anti-aircraft Fire

1. Flak units conducting anti-aircraft fire at night do not have their strengths doubled.

2. The two anti-aircraft factors that the Germans strip off their sunken destroyers are just that, 2 factors. They are not subject to doubling when conducting anti-aircraft fire.

New Counter

Of all British units deployed to Norway, only the 15th Infantry Brigade possessed an organic antitank capability of 12 French 25mm AT guns. Make up a 1-4 antitank company for this unit. It arrives with its parent brigade.

Narvik Errata, Addenda, and Rambling Commentary

Introduction
Part I
Part II