Battle of France PDF
Preview Battle of France
Contents What is This Book? Campaign Overview Introduction The Phoney War The Phoney War Scenario 1: Reconnaissance Patrol Clash The Aftermath Fall Gelb Fall Gelb Scenario 2: The First Day The First Day – A Mini Campaign The Aftermath Two Days From the Meuse Scenario 3: Crossing the Meuse The Aftermath The Great Feint Scenario 4: The Battle of Hannut The Aftermath The Failure at Sedan The Allies Counter-attack The Allies Counter-attack Scenario 5: The Arras Counter-attack The Aftermath Scenario 6: The Defence of the Escaut The Aftermath The Retreat Scenario 7: The Battle of Boulogne The Aftermath The Calais Sacrifice Scenario 8: The Last Defenders of Calais The Aftermath ‘Only Course Open’ Scenario 9: Dunkirk New Units The Aftermath The Final Defence Scenario 10: The Maginot Line The Aftermath Irrendentismo Italiano Scenario 11: The Battle of the Alps New Unit The Aftermath Birth of the Resistance Scenario 12: The Battle of Saumur The Aftermath ‘…such a valiant opponent’ Operation Catapult – The Most Hateful Decision Ever New Units New Belgian Units New British Units Infantry Sections and Teams Armoured Cars New French Units Headquarters Infantry Squads and Teams Armoured Cars Tanks Tank Destroyers New German Units Infantry Squads and Teams Armoured Cars Transport Intelligence Units Intelligence Officers and Intelligence Units National Rules New Theatre Selectors All-Nation Theatre Selector Generic Anti-tank Gun Reinforced Platoon British Theatre Selectors BEF Motorcycle Platoon Grenadier Guards Frankforce French Theatre Selectors Chasseurs Alpins Reinforced Platoon Defence of Saumur Reinforced Platoon DLM Armoured Platoon German Theatre Selectors 1940 Panzer Division Armoured Platoon Early War Anti-tank Gun Reinforced Platoon Kraftradschützen Reinforced Platoon Infantry Regiment 9 – Potsdam Italian Theatre Selectors Italian Army Group West Reinforced Platoon Special Rules Dug In: Barbed Wire, Foxholes, Trenches and Gun Pits Dug In Rules Dug In Vehicles Dug In With Hidden Set-up Dug In vs Preparatory Bombardment Digging In During a Game Barbed Wire Minefields Minefield Rules Effect of Minefields Clearing Minefields Frostbite Amphibious Assaults Movement in Water Air Battles Air Battles The Attack Run Medium Bombers Flak Strafing Fighters Company Commander Free Units Senior NCOs Campaigns Post Battle Experience and Advancement Casualties Retreating and Fleeing Replacements Simultaneous Games Multiple Tables and Cross Table Moving Tank Wars Credits Bibliography This book is an expansion to Bolt Action, the 28mm scale tabletop wargame set during the Second World War. Whilst there is historical detail within the narrative, this volume is not a history book – it is first and foremost a wargaming supplement. The team who put this book together took feedback from reviews of previous supplements and opinions from the Bolt Action community via various Bolt Action social media groups. With this information to hand, the intention was to provide a good mixture of scenarios, new units, and new rules whilst still giving some historical background for context. Some previously published rules and units have also been reprinted – this is to save players the expense of buying additional books for content which is vital to this volume, but might form only a small part of other books. The Battle of France was an explosive and violent campaign, with actions taking place on two fronts and in neighbouring countries. Several key engagements have not been presented as scenarios in this book, merely due to the constraints of the book size and the author’s wish to present a variety of very different scenarios for players. For those who are interested in a more in depth look at the actual historical events surrounding the campaign, a bibliography is provided. CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW The beginning of the Second World War is sometimes defined differently depending on the nation. For example, in Southeast Asia the war can logically be seen as a natural progression of the Second Sino-Japanese war which began in 1937, whilst conversely direct US involvement did not begin until as late as December 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. For Western Europe, the Second World War began with the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. Both France and Britain had given guarantees to Poland that if Polish independence was threatened they would provide assistance. Consequently, Hitler was delivered ultimatums by both nations to withdraw his forces from Poland – when this demand was ignored, both France and Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September. Military assistance to Poland from both nations was sparse and following Germany’s success, Western Europe was drawn into a stalemate known as the ‘Phoney War’, where ground and air forces were involved only in limited skirmishes – although the war at sea was fully waged by both sides from the outset. But this was not to last. As the spring of 1940 approached, Hitler and his generals planned a lightning assault of France and the lowlands, intending to exploit speed and mobility to quickly smash through the Netherlands and Belgium and into France. This would avoid becoming bogged down in a static war centred around France’s extensive network of modern border defences, thus repeating the grim outcome of the First World War. But the military might of France was impressive – over 2.2 million soldiers made up the active and reserve divisions of the French army, with more troops stationed on the border with Italy and garrisoned across the French colonial empire. A concerted effort to expand and modernize the French fleet had also resulted in one of the largest and most potent navies in the world. Germany’s plan hinged around rapid action and seizing key objectives before France’s massive military might could be mobilized. The campaign lasted only six weeks and in a few masterfully executed operations, saw Germany eliminate one of the world’s key political players. But, despite popular myths which have materialized in the interim, this six week campaign was far from easy and, despite being abandoned and betrayed by a weak government and the ineffective upper echelons of their own military, the front line French soldiers suffered massive casualties as they stoically dug their heels in and, in many areas, fought to the last man. A venerable FT-17 tank supports French Infantry
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