03-21-2017, 08:37 AM
After 12 years or so, I finally got off my butt (figuratively), and designed a scenario. !.
I've always wanted a big tank battle, France 1940 style, and after studying the German breakout from Sedan, and then the 'race' to Abbeville which sealed the fate of half the Allied armies, I've settled on a 'armored masterpiece', a hypothetical.
I mean, who doesn't want a clash of 1940 era armor at corps level? Nevertheless, it's about 80% complete and what better way to announce than here. Obviously its a very large battle, size 10, certainly suitable for team games. But I plan on 'trimming some of the fat', which is always key to designed a good scenario. Here is the preamble:
18th May, 1940
Marle, 100km W of Sedan, France: (Best against humans)
Following the swift German drive through the Ardenne, in which the battle-tested panzers swept aside light forces and frontier units, the Meuse was crossed at Sedan on 14 May, far too quickly for the Allies to react. Wasting no time, Guderian sent the XIX Panzer Korps, comprising the 1st and 2nd Panzer divisions, striking down the Somme valley and reaching Abbeville on May 20th. During this time, feeble efforts were made by the French against the southern flank as the Germans drove west. In the first, on May 15th, the 3rd Armored Division attacked at Stonne, delivering a sharp check to the 10th Panzer Division and the Großdeutschland regiment. On May 17th, De Gaulle with his 4th Armored Division attacked at Montcornet, temporarily halting the 1st Panzer Division in its tracks. Neither operation ultimately succeeded due to lack of support, the French having little in the way of reserves in these sectors.
In this hypothetical battle, we presume that the Allies learned well from observing the Wehrmacht in Poland. Although the French and the BEF have moved substantial forces, as planned, into Belgium following the German attack, they have left sizeable armored forces in reserve and relatively concentrated. As the 1st Panzer Division and 2nd Panzer Division form up abreast, and begin their advance towards St. Quentin and the Somme valley, the French launch a concerted attack with the 3rd and 4th Armored Divisions moving up from the south (Laon). Coming in
from the northwest is the British 1st Armored Division, reinforced with a motorized infantry brigade. Faced with this sudden powerful attack from two directions, the Germans scrap together elements of Rommels 7th Panzer Division, a Flak regiment, and the battered Großdeutschland regiment to come to the rescue!
I've always wanted a big tank battle, France 1940 style, and after studying the German breakout from Sedan, and then the 'race' to Abbeville which sealed the fate of half the Allied armies, I've settled on a 'armored masterpiece', a hypothetical.
I mean, who doesn't want a clash of 1940 era armor at corps level? Nevertheless, it's about 80% complete and what better way to announce than here. Obviously its a very large battle, size 10, certainly suitable for team games. But I plan on 'trimming some of the fat', which is always key to designed a good scenario. Here is the preamble:
18th May, 1940
Marle, 100km W of Sedan, France: (Best against humans)
Following the swift German drive through the Ardenne, in which the battle-tested panzers swept aside light forces and frontier units, the Meuse was crossed at Sedan on 14 May, far too quickly for the Allies to react. Wasting no time, Guderian sent the XIX Panzer Korps, comprising the 1st and 2nd Panzer divisions, striking down the Somme valley and reaching Abbeville on May 20th. During this time, feeble efforts were made by the French against the southern flank as the Germans drove west. In the first, on May 15th, the 3rd Armored Division attacked at Stonne, delivering a sharp check to the 10th Panzer Division and the Großdeutschland regiment. On May 17th, De Gaulle with his 4th Armored Division attacked at Montcornet, temporarily halting the 1st Panzer Division in its tracks. Neither operation ultimately succeeded due to lack of support, the French having little in the way of reserves in these sectors.
In this hypothetical battle, we presume that the Allies learned well from observing the Wehrmacht in Poland. Although the French and the BEF have moved substantial forces, as planned, into Belgium following the German attack, they have left sizeable armored forces in reserve and relatively concentrated. As the 1st Panzer Division and 2nd Panzer Division form up abreast, and begin their advance towards St. Quentin and the Somme valley, the French launch a concerted attack with the 3rd and 4th Armored Divisions moving up from the south (Laon). Coming in
from the northwest is the British 1st Armored Division, reinforced with a motorized infantry brigade. Faced with this sudden powerful attack from two directions, the Germans scrap together elements of Rommels 7th Panzer Division, a Flak regiment, and the battered Großdeutschland regiment to come to the rescue!