The Gembloux gap is a portion of southern Belgium in which French and German armored divisions fought a series a tank battles during the period spanning May 12 to May 14, 1940. It was the only place in the offensive where French Armor was able to be employed "properly". Unfortunately for the French, the damage that they inflicted on the Germans was meaningless; since, the German advance in the region was a feint designed to draw off forces from the real advance at the Meuse near Sedan.

Even though the French were pushed back by the Germans, they destroyed about twice as many tanks as they lost while being heavily outnumbered. I will present the following game as a single scenario, but depending on the rules used and the size of your table it could be played as a mini campaign.

The Scenario

The battle takes place over gently rolling terrain northeast of the city of Gemb

The Germans are on their advance to the channel and are in the process of clearing French troops out of the villages before them. The French have moved their light mechanized and cavalry divisions forward into Belgium in accordance with the Dyle plan. The French are poised to thwart the much anticipated German main thrust.

The Forces

The units involved in the battle were among the most modern and mobile of both armies. The Germans possessed numbers, mobility, initiative, and organization; while, the French benefited from generally superior armor and firepower.

The Germans typically practiced aerial bombardment prior to their advance and led with armor closely supported by motorized infantry. German armor from the 35th Panzer Regiment lead the fight in this are

The German Forces

1 Medium Tank Company
2PzIV D CHQ
3 PzIV D Pltn
3 PzIV D
6 PzII B
6 PzII B

2 Light Tank Companies
2 PzIII E CHQ
4 PzIII E Pltn
6 PzII B
6 PzII B
6 PzI B

1 Recon Platoon: 6 Sdkfz 221/222

1 Mechanized Infantry Company
1 CHQ (15 men)
-- 2 Staff car
-- 1 Truck
-- 4 Motorcycle
3 Infantry Platoons
-- 1 Sdkfz 251 B/10 PHQ
-- 3 Sdkfz 251 B w/Rifle Squad

1 Motorized Infantry Company
1 CHQ (15 men)
-- 2 Staff Car
-- 1 Truck
-- 4 Motorcyle
3 Infantry Platoon -- 1 Opel Blitz PHQ
-- 3 Opel Blitz with Rifle Squad

50mm Mortar Section: (3) 50mm mortars with truck
75mm Gun Section: (2) 75mm IG 18 with truck
37mm Gun Section: (2) 37mm Pak 35 with truck

1 flight of 4 Ju87 B Stukas w/bombs.
1 flight of 3 Me110 C w/cannon only.

Notes: Infantry PHQ has 7 men, 1 ATR, 1 MG34.
Mechanized rifle squad has 10 men, 1 MG34.
Motorized rifle squad has 12 men, 1 MG34.

The size of PzI and Pz II platoons could range from four to six vehicles. Additionally, Pz III platoons may have been filled out to five tanks with Pz I or Pz II. The German aircraft are available from the start of the game.

The French Forces

They are from the 3eme DLM and are deployed in and around the three towns.

Merdorp Group
H-39 Company:
1 H39 CHQ
5 H39 Pltn
5 H39

Motorized Infantry Platoon:
1 PHQ with truck
3 Infantry squads
1 Truck with rifle squad

MG Section:
2 Medium MG
2 Truck (14 men)

Anti-tank Section (3) 25mm gun with truck

Jandrenouille Group:
Medium Tank Platoon 5 S35

Mortar Section: (2) 81mm Mortar 2 Trucks

Motorized Infantry Platoon
1 PHQ with truck (5 men)
3 Infantry sections
1 truck with rifle squad

Jandrain Group:
Light Tank Sections:
5 H39 Pltn
5 H39

Anti-Tank Sections:
(4) 47mm AT guns
4 Truck

Motorized Infantry Platoon
1 PHQ with truck (5 men)
3 Infantry sections
1 Truck with rifle squad

MG Section:
2 Medium MG
2 Truck (14 men)

Infantry CHQ
2 Motorcycle
2 Truck (16 men)
1 Radio

Additional Units: Armored Car Platoon 3 P178

Artillery Battery: (6) 155mm Guns

Notes: The infantry squads consist of 9-11 men (sources vary), 1 LMG. Only the CHQ and P 178Ős can direct the artillery battery. Spotters for the French mortars must be located within 100 meters of the mortar crew as they direct fire over field phones which have only that much wire.

The Map

The map is adapted from Michelin Map # 213 and others as well as numerous photos from many sources for use with my modular terrain. You may need to adapt it somewhat to fit your terrain. It covers an area measuring 2km by 3.5km and with tick marks every 250m along the edges. The towns consist predominately of simple one and two story stone buildings. The countryside is made up of farmland and is broken up in a maze of fields by fence, wall, and tree/shrub lines.

Setup

The French are deployed throughout the countryside with concentrations in towns and easily defended topography. The Germans are approaching from the east after pushing through the cities of Hannut and Thisnes. German forces enter the table on and near the road into Merdorp from Thisnes.

The French forces have been listed by their general setup areas. The Merdorp Force sets up in Merdorp proper. The Jandrenouille Force sets up in Jandrenouille and in cover north of the town. The Jandrain Force sets up in the wooded rise south of Jandrain and along the south and east perimeted of Jandrain itself. The P178's would probably be retreating from the vicinity of Thisnes and be on one of the roads along the eastern edge of the table or set up in cover near the eastern edge; however, they should not be in Merdorp. The artillery is controlled/directed by the CHQ attached to the Jandrain forces.

The Historical Battle

In the actual battle, the Germans advanced down the road to Merdorp where they began engaging H39 light tanks located in Merdorp at about 1000 meters. The Germans broke off and using terrain managed to close to about 600 meters before exchanging fire again. After having little effect and taking tank, anti-tank gun, and machine gun fire from the town, the Germans decided to swing around to the north of Merdorp.

As the German forces swept west of Merdorp, the H39 company (11 tanks) came out of the town and engaged the Germans in the farm fields. As the battle moved west the Germans began to draw fire from guns and infantry weapons located on the high ground toward Jandrain. Eventually a small number of S35 medium tanks were encountered near Jandrenouille.

After pushing the French out of the low lying areas, they turned and cleared the town of Jandrain where they destroyed the small number of H39s encountered and captured several anti-tank guns.

The fighting in the area ended with the French being forced to withdraw and re-deploy west and south. The Germans ended their advance around 6:00 in the evening to prepare for the next day.

Objectives and Victory

The battle ends when six hours of game time have passed, when the French are forced to retreat from the table, or when the Germans are no longer capable or willing to continue the fight. Within the scope of the game, the Ge

French objectives are to maintain control of the towns, repel the German attack, and destroy twice as many German tanks as they loose.

For those of you interested, I have included the following point system:

5 points for forcing the enemy of off the table.
5 additional points to the Germans if they loose less than 50% of their tanks.
4 points to the French if they do #1 above and achieve a 2:1 kill ratio in tanks.
2 points for each town controlled at the end of the game.
1 point for each enemy tank or infantry platoon destroyed or captured.

I have played this out several times and the Germans have never cleared the French from the table and been able to continue on their march. The best German victory resulted in capture of the three towns and complete French retreat with a score of 18-9. The best French victory resulted in each of their objectives being met with a score of 16-4 in favor of the French.

Odds and Ends

There are a few odds and ends that should be included in the game, in other words, limits on the French. The three French groups can only communicate by messenger and should not be allowed to coordinate otherwise. French forces down to platoon level can only react to what they can see and hear. The Germans should have twice the firing rate of the French. Any turn in which French tanks change orders or action (i.e. begin or end an advance or retreat ,etc.) the platoon commanders tank in each platoon involved cannot fire due to the one man turret. If the CHQ radio is destroyed and all of the P178 armored cars are destroyed, the French lose their artillery. If the P178's are being used to direct artillery, there should be an extra time lag as another tier of command structure has to relay the request.

As the units included are close to those involved, but not exact, feel free to alter the organizations. To better reflect the infantry battle in Jandrain, add 2 companies of French and one company of German infantry. The Germans probably had combat losses from the battles at Hannut and Thisnes, but they are not reflected here. Additionally, there were a large number of Pz I's attached to this panzer regiment, so it might be reasonable to replace up to half of the Pz II platoons with Pz I platoons.

I found this to be a nice change from the usual 1940 battle; where, the French get to die, retreat, and surrender. I hope that you will enjoy it as well.