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Western Europe, May 10, 1940, German army of 292 units opposed to Allied army of 313 units for a battle of complexity 1.52 at Division(XX) level on a 20 Km/Hex map for 46 turns of Full Day each. by Brian Topp submited on 02-02-2003 Rugged-Defense Playing Statistics
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Battle for France 1940 Version 1.0 This scenario This scenario simulates Operation Fall Gelb - the Axis invasion and conquest of France in May and June of 1940. The game proceeds in daily turns, beginning on May 10, 1940 and ending June 25, 1940. The campaign is simulated at "Europa" scale. In this theatre, that often means that units are best used stacked together as corps. This scenario comes in four paired versions, all included in the zip file you've opened to read this. Two are for solo play as the Axis against a computer-controlled France (variant 1/solo sets up the game more-or-less historically. Variant 2/solo sets up the PO-controlled French and British forces "freely", with the benefit of historical hindsight and thus a keen awareness of the vulnerable French front facing the Ardennes). Two are for PBEM play (variant 1/PBEM requires the players to operation within the constraints of 1940 strategy. Variant 2/PBEM allows players to operate freely, perhaps setting up a much more challenging game for the Axis). This scenario cannot be played as the allies against a computer-controlled Axis. Victory Victory points are awarded for the following Additional awards available to the Axis If the British Expeditionary Force is withdrawn: 50 victory points to the Axis. Each BEF division destroyed (nine in total): 20 victory points to the Axis. Levels of victory at the end of the game SOME OTHER RULES AND NOTES Historical PBEM game The historical PBEM version of this scenario allows players to play through a roughly-historical game. The French player must respect the following house rules:
The Axis player must respect the following house rule: The BEF In 1940, Britain deployed most of her professional army into France, in an expeditionary force commanded by Lord Gort. If this force is destroyed, Britain will be largely defenceless against a German sea-borne invasion. In the result, this scenario punishes the British player for permitting this crucial force to be destroyed. The loss of each British division costs 20 victory points - a total of 180 points for the loss of the entire initial force. Beginning on turn 6, the British can trigger a theatre option withdrawing the BEF from France. Triggering this event removes the BEF from the war and awards 50 victory points to the Axis. (A PO-controlled allied player will be thinking about withdrawing each time it looses a British division, and will also take a dim view of the loss of Boulogne, Calais or Dunkerque - the BEF's supply and escape route). A careful calculation is therefore required. As long as the BEF is in supply and in good positions, it can be kept in the battle. But if it is in danger of being encircled and destroyed, the British are well-motivated to bring it home. German forward supply resources The German panzer group includes a forward supply unit. Playing as the Axis, try to keep this unit reasonably close to your spear-point. A number of northern French towns (from Sedan to Abbeville) become forward supply heads if taken by the Axis - they thus reward being defended by the French. The Dutch and the Belgians Holland will surrender if Amsterdam falls. The Belgians will disintegrate - a little more slowly - if Bruxelles is taken. Italian entry An exclusion zone keeps the Italian units out of the war. This zone disappears - and Italy enters the war - in early June. Some considerations on strategy Division-for-division, the best 1940 French and British divisions could stand nose-to-nose with the best German divisions of the time and prevail. French tanks were superior in some ways to German models. In the rare circumstances where they were led properly, French and British troops inflicted significant reverses on the invading Germans. Germany won this campaign by out-manoeuvring the French, not by out-slugging them in an attrition battle. To this end, the Germans did everything they could to make the Allies believe they were going to rerun the Schlieffen plan - wheeling through Belgium and seeking to flank the allied armies along France's channel coast. Allied strategy therefore placed the BEF and the two best French armies on the left wing, and called for them to advance into Belgium to seek a meeting engagement there with the German spear point. In fact, the German advance into Belgium was a diversion - the waving of a cape designed to provoke the charge of a bull. The German spear point went through the Ardennes, through Sedan and Charlesville, and due west to the Channel coast - pocketing the strongest allied armies. Some very considered timing was required to pull this off. If the Germans had moved too quickly through the Ardennes, they might have tipped the French off to the real plan and perhaps have allowed the allies to see their peril and respond. In either solo or PBEM games, if you want to simulate the historical campaign, avoid "gamey" moves and operate as if you were the front commander under clear orders from your supreme command. The French should stand against the Marginot line and Italy, and advance into Belgium with enthusiasm with their left wing until released from this order. The Germans should focus on conquering the low countries (and Luxembourg) for the first few turns to entice the allied left wing into Belgium - and then execute the Ardennes offensive in a second phase. Design Battle for France 1940 is modelled on Game Designers' Workshop's venerable The Fall of France. Scenario set-up and design by Brian Topp. Map by Benny Wahlberg (part of a complete "Europa" map). French order of battle based on information from france1940.free.fr British and Axis order of battle based on information from Dr. Leo Niehorster's Armed Forces of World War 2 site. TO&Es based on the France 1940 scenario included with the game. Comments and suggestions welcome. Please send them to Brian Topp |