Played using Skype with young Alan Sawyer, this battle has a strong German force trying to force a river crossing over several bridges. Having played the French a lot recently I was always going to take the Boche for Alan's and mine next battle and when I saw the forces in this one I was more then happy. The Germans outnumber the French have better firepower, more leaders, better OBDA and even aircraft, one look at Board 30 and you can see that even the terrain helps the attacker as there is good cover for the Germans attacking from the south towards the main group of bridges. With 16 turns to cross one board time is also on the German side. There is no need to rush, build up fire groups and just chew up the French a little turn by turn, and the bridges will fall like ripe plums into the German hands. Leaders were drawn via the Impartial Leader Selector and what leader they were with three + 2 leaders for the Germans and all the rest also having +1's. The French leaders were also pretty good with all their leaders having +1 benefits. The game panned out as I hoped but Alan's good defensive play made it a very frustrating battle for me personally. I sent a small force tp my left flank to tie down the four French units guarding the solitary bridge in that sector they would rush the bridge on the last turn so they would not count as being south of the river for VC at the end of the game. The rest of the force converged on the remaining bridges deployed from truck under cover formed their fire groups and move into range. This is where it got a little frustrating as Alan held fire until leader moved and then he had some amazing results. CPT 10-1-1 moves froward to direct fire, a lone sniper see's him and fires (7 DF shot double 1) he is hit an mortally wounded. Later the German COL 10-1-2 seeing that German fire needs clearer direction also advances and the same bloody sniper takes him out with the same bloody shot. This stalls the German advance for 30 mins and thereafter its a real struggle to coordinate attacks and activation's. Those two men were the only losses the Germans suffer until the final turn. Alan now starts retreating hex by hex and I push across the river but still struggle to break through, I have a luck break when he attempts to reinforce with units from the other flank when an OF shot takes out a DRG unit, and my OBDA has its one moment in the sun and get an X. These losses and my opening HMG shot along with the capture of all but one of the bridges make victory nearly certain but I still can not break out of the bridgehead. Alan had managed to contain my units so well that no German units exit the board and the final GT is a little of an anti climax as the Germans settle for what they have got. The final VP count up reveals that although I secure a minor victory I had also left a unit behind under a truck counter and had Alan managed a couple of more hits earlier in the game he may well have got a well deserved draw. I have marked this as a 2 which is a little harsh but I feel this scenario favours the Germans a lot, in our game Alan played well, had a good set up, a little luck in killing the German commander and I still thought I was not going to lose throughout the game. However the result did feel historical with the Germans winning the skirmish but not breaking through to the beaches of Dunkirk so all credit the the scenario designer and the game system for reflecting the realities of the 1940 campaign in France.