Background
The Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries during the Second World War. In six weeks from 10 May 1940, German forces defeated Allied forces by mobile operations and conquered France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, bringing land operations on the Western Front to an end until 6 June 1944. Italy entered the war on 10 June 1940 and attempted an invasion of France.
The German plan for the invasion consisted of two main operations. In Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes and then along the Somme valley, cutting off and surrounding the Allied units that had advanced into Belgium, to meet the expected German invasion. When British, Belgian and French forces were pushed back to the sea by the mobile and well-organised German operation, the British evacuated the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and several French divisions from Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo.
After the withdrawal of the BEF, the German forces began Fall Rot (Case Red) on 5 June. The sixty remaining French divisions made a determined resistance but were unable to overcome the German air superiority and armoured mobility. German tanks outflanked the Maginot Line and pushed deep into France. German forces occupied Paris unopposed on 14 June after a chaotic period of flight of the French government that led to a collapse of the French army.
The Germans renewed their offensive on 5 June on the Somme. During the next three weeks, far from the easy advance the Wehrmacht expected, they encountered strong resistance from a rejuvenated French Army. It had fallen back on its interior lines of supply and communications, and had closer access to repair shops, supply dumps and stores. Moreover, 112,000 evacuated French soldiers were repatriated via the Normandy and Brittany ports. It was some substitute for the lost divisions in Flanders. The French were also able to make good a significant amount of their armoured losses and raised the 1st and 2nd DCR (heavy armoured divisions). De Gaulle’s division—the 4th DCR—also had its losses replaced. Morale rose and was very high by the end of May 1940. Most French soldiers that knew about the defeats, and were now joining the line, only knew of German success by hearsay.
Surviving French officers had increased tactical experience against German mobile units; increased confidence in their weapons after seeing their artillery, which the Wehrmacht post-battle analysis recognised as technically very good, and their tanks perform better in combat than the German armour. The French tanks were now known to have heavier armour and armament. Between 23 and 28 May, they reconstituted the French Seventh and Tenth armies. Weygand decided on hedgehog tactics, which were to implement defence in depth operations and use delaying tactics, to inflict maximum attrition on German units. He employed units in towns and small villages, as well as major towns and cities and fortified them 360° along their perimeter. Behind this, the new infantry, armoured and half-mechanised divisions formed up, ready to counter-attack and relieve the surrounded units, which were ordered to hold out at all costs.
Army Group B attacked either side of Paris. Of its 47 divisions it had the majority of the mobile units. In fact, after 48 hours into the offensive, the Germans had not made any major breakthroughs. The Germans had been “stopped in their tracks”. On the Aisne, the XVI Panzerkorps employed over 1,000 AFVs, two Panzer divisions and a motorised division against the French. The assault was crude, and Hoepner soon lost 80 out of 500 AFVs in the first attack. The German 4th Army succeeded in capturing bridgeheads over the Somme river, but the Germans struggled to get over the Aisne. Weygand had organised a defence in depth and frustrated the crossing. At Amiens, the Germans were repeatedly driven back by powerful French artillery concentrations and came to recognise improved French tactics.
The German Army relied on the Luftwaffe to provide decisive assistance in silencing French guns, enabling the German infantry to inch forward. German progress was made only late on the third day of operations, finally forcing crossings; the French Air Force attempted to bomb them but failed. German sources acknowledged the battle was “hard and costly in lives, the enemy putting up severe resistance, particularly in the woods and tree lines continuing the fight when our troops had pushed passed the point of resistance”. South of Abbeville, the French Tenth Army under General Robert Altmayer had its front broken and it was forced to retreat to Rouen and south along the Seine river. The rapid German advances were the sign of a weakening enemy. Rommel and his 7th Panzer Division headed west over the Seine river through Normandy and captured the port of Cherbourg on 18 June. On the way to Cherbourg, Rommel forced the surrender of the British 51st (Highland) Division on 12 June. In close-quarter combat, the Luftwaffe was struggling to have an impact. However, in an operational sense, they helped disperse French armour. The German spearheads were overextended and vulnerable to counter strokes, but the concentration of the Luftwaffe denied the French the ability to concentrate, and the fear of air attack negated their mass and mobile use by Weygand.
The Game
Terrain
- Table is 9’x5′.
- All open areas are fields.
- Woods are impassible to tanks
French Forces
- French Reserve Infantry Company (Reluctant Trained) with:
- HQ and 2iC with 1 x sniper.
- 3 x Reserve Infantry Platoons
- 1 x Reserve HMG Platoon
- 1 x Reserve ATG Platoon
- 1 x 81mm Mortar Platoon
- (All reserve platoons are understrength by two stands.
- 1 x 75mm Artillery Battery (4 tubes)
- French DCR Company (Confident Trained) with:
- R35 HQ
- 3 x R35 Platoons (4 x R35)
- 1 x Char B1 Platoons (3 x CharB1)
German Forces
- German Motor Rifle Company (Confident Veteran, Guards) with
- Full HQ
- 3 x Motor Rifle Platoons (each with HMG attached)
- 1 x Panzer Pioneer Platoon
- 1 x Heavy Platoon (MMGs and 81mm Mortars)
- 2 x 37mm ATG Platoons
- Stug Platoon (turn 3)
- 105mm Artillery Battery (6 tubes)
- Dedicated Stuka support
Set Up and Victory
- French set up dug in anywhere on the table. No platoon may be within 6” of another platoon (independent teams can be anywhere). French armor must be deployed south of the main east-west road.
- Germans enter from the north (top).
- Victory is based on control of town. Whomever has the top town after eight turns wins.
Recap
The French opted to spread out their platoons and cover a majority of the board. One infantry platoon was placed in the town, with another on the right flank and third in reserve behind the town (along with all support platoons). French armor spread out south of the road to cover all terrain.
The Germans started their attack be concentrating on the woods to the west of the town, with pioneers and ATGs pinning the rest of the French front. This move resulted in the French armor engaging across the front and not concentrating against the German assaults. The German envelopment was able to overcome the exposed French flank platoon and slip into the town as the French moved up their reserves. With the support of their artillery, the Germans were able to slowly grind down the French forces, securing the town on the last turn of the game. The game ended in a historical German victory.
– Mantueffel