Author	Schoenwulf
Method	Solo
Victor	France
Play Date	2021-10-08
Language	English
Scenario	FaoF012

Battle: At daybreak on May 14, 1940, units from both the 5th and 7th Panzer Divisions were up bright and early to continue their westward push. They had crossed the Meuse and set up a couple of pontoon bridges for their anticipated reinforcements. As dawn broke, they encountered fire French units of the 1st Groupement de Reconniassance de Division d’Infanterie. An exchange of artillery barrages did little damage in the dim light, but by 0630 artillery was taking a toll on both sides. The Germans probed the French left and center with some success, but the right was untested in the early fighting. At 0715, German troops cleared a village that anchored the north end of the French line, while the 18th Division d’Infanterie moved to reinforce and stem the German move to the south. By 0900, French dragoon units were moving to provide support to the units in the south woods, and the Germans were pressing the French on both flanks of their front line. The French center was anchored in the central village by both the 18th Division d’Infanterie (artillery, HMG and dragoon units) and the 1st Chasseurs a Cheval, 1st Division Legere de Cavalerie. The French continued to hold the center, although the Germans had eliminated both of their 47mm APX anti-tank groups by 1100 hours. Hostilities subsided shortly before noon with the French still holding a battered center surrounded by German units.

Analysis: This scenario is a 6-map, 26-turn scenario with VP’s based on enemy unit elimination for the French and hill & town hex control for the Germans. The scenario begins at dawn with limited visibility, but after a few turns, LOS is up 12 and further with the elevated terrain. There are a lot of woods to work around for firing lanes, so it takes a few turns for High FP exchanges. Both sides have enough units to establish a broad front across the map from north to south. The German setup had enough units west of the Meuse to move west and eventually assault the French on both flanks. The weak FP of the French infantry and the morale advantage of the Germans eventually favored the latter in these encounters. The Germans also have an OBA advantage that allows them to soften up the French line before assaulting. However, the French have enough units, particularly the cavalry and dragoon units with their higher morale and mobility, to slip through any holes in the German line as the latter attempt to hold hills & towns. It is an interesting scenario that gives both sides a chance to win, although the French may do so via legerdemain rather than actual success in their skirmishes. This seems a bit gamey as the Germans would probably not have worried very much about a single platoon that was hiding in the woods as they moved forward in their blitzkrieg mode, but it can cost them a victory in this scenario. This situation would be particularly true if it were played double-blind, as a single French unit in the woods on a hill could prevent a German victory. In this playthrough, the French had a couple of units on one of the wooded hills and still held five of the town hexes. Step losses were 26 for the Germans and 49 for the French, which gave the French a Minor Victory.