I played the following scenario as a solo game on a roughly 4'x4' playing area. The inspiration for the game came from a passage in To Lose a Battle by Alistair Horne, the most comprehensive account of the 1940 campaign in the west that I have ever come across. Horne describes that in desperation the French tried to tie up key crossroads using armored "corks" consisting of 1 Char B and 2 Hotchkiss light tanks. As a strategy it was a dismal failure, but I thought it would make for an interesting skirmish. I gave the French a little additional infantry to keep things entertaining. French Forces: 2 Infantry Platoons: each with NCO, LMG, Rifle Grenadier and 7 Riflemen 1 75 mm field gun with a horsedrawn limber. 2 Hotchkiss H39 Cavalry Tanks 1 Char B Heavy Tank The French objective was to hold the crossroads as long as possible. The French deployed one infantry platoon in the central farm and the other in the ruined farmhouse. The 75 mm gun was put in the southern woods to cover that flank. The 2 H39's were positioned behind hedges by the southern crossroad covering the southern exit of the main crossroad. The Char B was behind a hedge north of the farm covering the northern exit from the main crossroad. The Germans had ordered a motorized rifle company to seize and secure the crossroads. The infantry attack was to be preceded by a reconnaissance of the area to determine the best avenue of attack. Tank support was available to the infantry company if needed. Part One- The Reconnaissance Battle: German Forces 1 Sdkfz. 13 Adler MG Car 2 Sdkfz 232 (6 wheel) Armored Cars 1 Pzkw. I The German entered from the east in column with a 232 armored car leading, followed by the Adler, the other 232, and finally the Pzkw. I. The lead vehicle turned south at the split and was brought under fire by the two H39's, but failed to spot either vehicle. The desperate driver tried to break west crosscountry and the commander finally spotted one of the French tanks. He cranked the turret around and riddled the light tank with 20mm fire. Unfortunately he did not spot the other the other H39, which avenged the loss of its comrade with a point blank shot with its 37 mm main gun. The German armored car rolled to a stop, smoking. The Adler had turned north at the split and was horrified to see the huge Char B lumbering out onto the road in front of it. The driver quickly dashed off through the fields and headed back the way he had come. The big French tank was unable to hit the fleeing German vehicle. The other German 232 and the Pzkw. I heard the tank fire ahead and pulled off the road before the crossroad. They set off through the fields to the south to try and find a route around the French defensive line. The two vehicles first took small arms fire from the ruined farmhouse and then the 232 drove across the sight of the French 75. Two quick rounds of 75 mm fire set the armored car ablaze. The Pzkw. I had had enough by this point and followed the Adler MG car off the table. Quiet fell over the battlefield marred by the popping of small arms ammunition in the burning vehicles. Interlude The German company commander was disappointed. The reconnaissance of the French positions had been costly and uninformative -- the French seemed to be strong throughout the crossroads position. One thing he was sure of: the French heavy tank would have to be dealt with before he sent in the main attack. He decided to bring up his tank support (3 Pzkw. 38t) and attempt to knock out the Char B. He could then regroup for the main assault. One infantry platoon would feint towards the ruined farmhouse while the tanks used the terrain to cover their approach to the farm. The destruction of the Char B would be the trigger for the main assault to go in. The German commander was also informed that he would have a Henschel 126 ground attack plane in direct support. The French had also been reorganizing their defense. The tank commanders considered shifting their positions but decided to return to their original deployment. The French forces were bolstered by the arrival of a weapons platoon with 1 MMG, 1 light mortar, 1 Flamethrower team and 1 Sniper. The mortar, MMG and the sniper were added to the defense of the farm and the flamethrower was attached to the other platoon in the ruined house. Phase Two: Char B Safari German Reinforcements 3 Pzkw. 38t 1 Motor Rifle Platoon, 1 SMG, 1 Rifle Grenadier, 8 Rifles 1 Henschel 126 Attack Bomber with 2 LMG and 4 light bombs in direct support French Reinforcements: 1 Weapons Platoon with 1 MMG, 1 Light Mortar, 1 Flame-thrower Team, 1 Sniper As the Pzkw. 3 8's entered the table, the Henschel 126 roared in on a bombing run on the Char B's position. The bombs missed and the French crew remained steady. The German tanks advanced with one tank proceeding down the road towards the Char, drawing fire and attention away from the two other tanks advancing to a flanking position through the woods. The visible tank and the aircraft harried the Char B and kept it suppressed until the other two tanks burst from the woods on the French tank's flank. One Pzkw. 38 found its mark and immobilized the heavy tank. The shell-shocked French crew abandoned the vehicle and fled for the farm. At this point the remaining H39 arrived from the other side of the battlefield having driven to the sound of tank fire. The tank put a scare into the German tank commanders, but they recovered quickly and knocked out the H39 without a loss to themselves. The two Pzkw. 38's advanced beyond the farm, but were recalled by the German commander who needed them to support the infantry attack. Before they turned around, however, they unwittingly flushed the French mortar crew from its position behind the farmhouse around into the main courtyard. While they were setting up the weapon in the courtyard, they were strafed by the German plane and lost over half the crew. The German feint towards the ruined farm was a disaster. The riflemen dismounted their truck and were immediately plastered by accurate mortar and sniper fire. After taking 50% casualties, the platoon fled the field. Phase Three: The Assault German Reinforcements 1 Pzkw. IV 2 Motor Rifle Platoons, each with 1 SMG, 1 Rifle Grenadier, 8 Rifles 1 MMG Platoon with 2 tripod-mounted MG34 sections The German plan for the assault was for two rifle platoons to attack though the woods to the north of the farm to try and capitalize on the damage caused by the tank attack. The infantry would be supported by the tank platoon, a section of two MMG's, and a Pzkw. IV. As the German attacked started to develop, the French commander saw that the German assault would fall on his weakened left flank. He sent a runner to the ruined house with orders for the 75 mm gun to shift it position to be able to support the farm and for the infantry platoon to attack to the north and try and catch the German attack in the flank. He also used members of the rifle platoon holding the farm to try and bring the MMG and mortar crews back up to full strength. The mortar scored an early success by knocking out a Pzkw. 38 that had taken up a position at the crossroads. The Germans continued to advance quickly and the French position was soon in desperate shape on the left flank. The French forces on the right flank could not reposition in time to halt the German attack. The field gun deployed in a position that was only lightly protected. Their few shots at the German armor missed and then the gun was destroyed when the Pzkw IV found the range. The French infantry riposte moved too slowly to catch the main German attack, although they did silence both the German machine guns. A combination of the Pzkw 38's and the constant air attack broke the French resistance at the farm and the survivors surrendered as the German infantry moved in. The other French platoon saw that the cause was lost and escaped to the south. Conclusion This was an interesting and fun game to play, in spite of the fact that a German victory was almost a foregone conclusion. The unpredictability of the card-driven turn phases kept an element of tension in play throughout. If the 75 mm gun had been able to get one more round of fire in before the Pzkw. IV knocked it out, it could have gone hard on the German attack. The low rate of fire of French tanks is a crippling handicap that makes French armor very difficult to use effectively, but adds real historical flavor to the games. If you are interested in the early-war period, I would encourage you to give these rules a shot. I have also been putting on games using these rules at recent HMGS conventions so watch your event listings! Rules Back to MWAN #113 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum 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