Author	Schoenwulf
Method	Solo
Victor	Germany
Play Date	2021-10-17
Language	English
Scenario	FaoF013

Battle: As the sun rose on May 14, 1940, units from the French 7th Bataillon de Chars Légers and 213th IR were moving north along the road to Connage en route to Sedan. At 0645 hours, they ran into resistance from elements of the Kampfgruppe Beck-Broichsitter, IR Grossdeutschland, and a heated skirmish commenced. By 0745, a German 37mm group in the small hamlet near the north/south road inflicted damage on a FCM36 unit, but the hamlet was then assaulted by a French combined arms force that drove the German forces out by 0800. At that time, a small combined-arms force had advanced north of the woods and the German lines, but they were surprised shortly thereafter by a large German force. The German reinforcements had arrived with elements of both the 43rd Sturm Pioneer Battalion and 2nd Panzer Regiment. As the Germans advanced south, one of the French FCM36 units eliminated a Pz.Iva group, but the German engineers and other foot units pressed on under heavy fire. Two of their armor groups skirted the French right behind the cover of woods, and they eventually came rumbling into the fray. At 1000, the Grossdeuschland infantry began close assault combat in the north edge of the primary town. Shortly thereafter, the Bufla unleashed it’s 88mm and destroyed two FCM36 groups. By 1100, the Germans had secured enough territory to take a break for lunch.

Analysis: This scenario is a single map, 20-turn scenario with VP’s based on enemy unit elimination and town hex control. The scenario begins at dawn with limited visibility, but after a couple of turns, LOS is up to 12 hexes. There are many hill and woods hexes for cover and defensive advantage, both of which the Germans need as they must survive the first eight turns with a very small number of units. After that, they have a die roll chance for reinforcement. All French units must be set up surrounding a single hex, while the Germans must begin at least five hexes from the French with two units hidden. The Germans set up with units in the two towns along the east/west road with a hidden HMG and 37mm unit dug in along the road in between. The French have a significant advantage until the Germans get their reinforcements, which they start rolling for on Turn 8. They were fortunate to have only lost a single step by the time those units arrived on Turn 9. At that point, the low French morale values put them at a disadvantage. The Germans advanced but were unable to take a large number of town hexes, which were worth 2 VP’s each. At game end the Germans had eliminated 11 French steps and held 3 town hexes for a total of 17 VP’s, while the French had only eliminated three German steps while holding five town hexes for a total of 13 VP’s. The 4-VP differential resulted in a Minor German Victory.