Background
Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (German: Unternehmen Seelöwe) was Nazi Germany’s code name for the plan for an invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. Following the Fall of France, Adolf Hitler, hoped the British government would seek a peace agreement and he reluctantly considered invasion only as a last resort if all other options failed. As a precondition, he specified the achievement of both air and naval superiority over the English Channel and the proposed landing sites, but the German forces did not achieve this at any point during the war and both the German High Command and Hitler himself had serious doubts about the prospects for success. A large number of barges were gathered together on the Channel coast, but, with air losses increasing, Hitler postponed Sea Lion indefinitely on 17 September 1940 and it was never put into action.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sea_Lion)
We generally followed the general play of the Beasts of War Operation Sealion Campaign from late 2016. Parts 1-5 can be found at:
(http://www.beastsofwar.com/search-results/?q=sea+lion)
Terrain:
The 5×14 foot battlefield was played side to side, with a beach stretching from end to end along the southern side of the table. A main road runs along the high water mark with three roads running off the northern edge. Along the northeastern edge is some bluffs where last week’s game was fought. The western edge of Folkestone is on the eastern edge and four other villages dot the table. There were a number of bunkers and Tobruk style HMG nests along the water line along with a mixture of minefields, barbed wire and dragon’s teeth obstructions.
(https://www.google.com/maps/@51.0705382,1.098623,12z/data=!3m1!1e3)
The Game:
Forces:
The initial British deployment was two Territorial Army Companies of three platoons each deployed primarily near the waters’ edge with HMG, mortar and 2 pdr AT gun support. A 5.5” coastal defense battery was positioned overlooking the beaches on the bluffs near the northern edge of the table. The villages contained Home Guard of two to three stands each. Delayed reserves consisted of another Territorial Company. The British units were allowed only Universal Carrier Patrols as the remaining British tanks were carefully husbanded into two armoured formations inland.
The Initial German landing forces consisted of three platoon Infantry Companies landing on Turn One with attached amphibious tank support. On Turn Three, a Panzer company was available for anding. The Germans received Priority Stuka Air Support and three HE 111 strikes.
Special Scenario Rules:
Landing rules (modified rules in the old BattleFront Amphibious Assault pdf.)
- Roll for Current direction
- 1-3 left
- 4-6 right
- Roll for Drift
- 1 – Land on target
- 2 – Drift 4” down current
- 3 – Drift 8” “
- 4 – Drift 12” “
- 5 or 6 Delayed until next turn
- Swamping
- Every swimming vehicle must roll each turn,
- 1 – Drift 6” down current
- 2 – Drift 12” down current
- 3 – Drift 16” down current
- 4 – Swamped or sunk
- 5-6 – Delayed
- Roll for beaching
- landing craft with bow ramp – 2+, otherwise craft is landed sideways
- Barges with bow ramp – 3+ “
- Unpowered Barges – 4+ “
- Tugs and fishing boats – 4+ “
- Disembarking
- Infantry, Pioneers, HMGs – same turn
- Tanks – D6 roll 1-3 two turns, 4-6 one turn
- Anything horse drawn – 2 turns
- Artillery (medium or heavy) – 2 turns
- Units existing the beach
- Beach is considered to be difficult terrain
- Use crossing roll for each turn on beach
- Landing Craft withdrawal off beach
- 4+ roll otherwise stuck on the beach, try next turn
- Return two turns later.
Germans
- Decide first wave composition. Primarily infantry or pioneers.
- One Pak38 battery for each company
- 81mm Mortars and HMGs
- Schwimmpanzer PZII (First wave)
- Tauchpanzer (PZ III) (First wave)
- STuG IIIA on landing craft (Second/third wave)
- PZ IIIG on landing craft (Second/third wave)
- Flammpanzer II on landing craft (First wave)
- Nebelwerfers (second/third wave)
- Priority Stuka support for entire game, regardless of losses.
- Get a total of three double wide bombing template strikes for HE111 attacks, aligned with flight path. If the German Player(s) elect, the HE111s can be used to interdict and delay the British reserves one turn per strike. Can also be used against the Coastal Batteries.
- 8” Coastal Gun support. The Germans could see the beaches from the French coast and be able to preplot their 8” guns from the beginning of the game (before British set up). The observer can take over later (observer in second wave). If they move the aim point, they must wait one turn for the barrage to come in. Use regular template.
- The Germans also received naval gunfire support from four Destroyers every other turn.
British
- Two Territorial Infantry Companies on the board initially.
- Home Guard in villages and Folkestone. Roll one D6 for number of stands.
- Have 8 minefields/barricades and 8 barbed wire fence sections to be place on land or in the shoreline.
- Have 6 HMG pillboxes and 2 nests.
- Have off board 25 pdr support for first five turns
- 5.5” gun battery in Gun Pits.
- Start rolling for delayed reserves starting on Turn 5.
Victory Objectives:
- For every German unit destroyed – 1 point
- For every German unit that exists the beach – 2 points
- For every British unit held off the table – 1 point
Narrative:
Opening Phase: The west Infantry Company of two infantry and one pioneer platoons landed near the beach obstacles next to the village on the western edge of the table. Of the 6 LCVPs, one beached and three were delayed off the table. Of his PZ III Tauchpanzer (amphibious) platoon, two sunk and two were delayed. Several of his Flammpanzer II Flamingoes got bogged down ether in the landing craft or on the beach. On the east section, the other Infantry Company of two infantry and one pioneer platoons to the west of Folkestone and ran into similar problems. Two of his Swimmpanzer IIs bogged on the beach, while one of his barges beached sideways. However, it was able to get three Swimmpanzer IIs ashore along with his four Char B1 Flammpanzers. To support the troops, the Germans used two of their three HE111 strikes along with their coastal defense battery gunfire support to knock out half of each British 2pdr battery. While the German infantry was floundering on the beaches, the British called in heavy fire on the hapless German troops, destroying one gun platoon and decimating the infantry. Things were not looking good for the Germans. A number of landing craft were unable to pull off the beach on Turn Two, which delayed German reserves.
Mid-Game: By Turn Three, both German Companies were heavily attrited and pinned on the beaches. However, the German armor was able to carry forward, as the British had little to hurt it. The Panzer Company landed on the West beach and seized the initial village and moved into the British reserve line. On the East beach, the Flammpanzers drove forward and began knocking out all British gun units to their front, moving deep into the British rear. The Germans relied on their heavy firepower to neutralize the British defenses. The British 5.5” gun battery was destroyed by heavy artillery and air attacks.
End-Game: By Turns Four and Five, the German tanks had shattered due to the German tank attacks. British reserves started to slowly arrive on turn seven. However, the British had nothing that could engage the rampaging Panzers. The British held on to all but one of the towns, but everything in between was open to the Panzers.. The first Panzers exited on the North Beach on the bluffs to the rear of Folkestone. At this point, the game was called, as the German infantry was totally attrited and hunkering down on the beaches, the British held most of the towns, but the German Panzers had free reign.
After Turn seven, the game was called as a German victory. However, the British managed to slow the German landings and heavily attrited the German Infantry.
– Manteuffel