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| A WEHRMACHT GENERAL'S WAR |
|   Historical Background   |
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A WEHRMACHT GENERAL'S WAR
Historical Background


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   SECTION 1 -- GATHERING EXPERIENCE IN SPAIN
"To Train in Spain with Tank and with Plane..."
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-Battle for the Corunna Road-

In November of 1936, the Republicans had thwarted a concerted effort by the Nationalists to capture the capital of Madrid.  The battle had involved units from Germany, Italy, Russia, Poland and France, besides the Spanish units of both sides.  But the frontal assault failed before the end of November.  As a result, the Nationalists tried a different ploy.  In an attempt to cut off Madrid from the rest of Republican Spain, Nationalist General Jose Varela launched an attack toward the Corunna Road running 25 miles north of the Spanish capital.  The best the Nationalists were able to accomplish was holding a seven mile stretch of the road for about two weeks in early January 1937.  Although the Nationalists held off fierce Republican counterattacks, this battle is generally considered a stalemate, at best.

The scenario begins on the date of the actual Nationalist offensive, 13 December 1936.  Can you achieve what the Spanish Nationalists failed to do?  This is a rather difficult scenario -- perhaps too difficult for a campaign's first scenario.  Taking replacements liberally is almost a necessity if you wish to retain your entire core army.  But repeated playtesting has revealed that a Brilliant Victory is indeed possible if things go right and you use your bridging engineers properly.  If you don't get a BV here, don't fret -- the early date seems to result in lousy prototypes awarded in most cases.  It might even be a wise strategy to wait until the second or third scenario before you achieve your first Brilliant Victory, since the quality of prototypes available seems to increase dramatically as we move from 1936 into 1937.



-Bilbao: Ring of Iron-

At the end of March 1937, the Nationalists began an offensive against the Basque forces in Vizcaya along Spain's Atlantic north coast.  The poorly armed Basques held up their stronghold around Bilbao as a "Ring of Iron".  Basque General Francisco Llano de la Encomienda chose to give ground after German Stukas of the Condor Legion pummeled the cities of Durango and Guernica, allowing the Nationalists to capture these two cities near the end of April.  The remaining Basques withdrew to their positions in and around Bilbao to the west.  The Nationalists, led by General Fidel Davila, launched an assault upon the "Ring of Iron" in June and discovered the highly touted defenses to be vulnerable to massed artillery bombardment.  After the outer defenses were breached, the "Ring of Iron" collapsed, and on 18 June 1937, the last Basque units fled Bilbao, allowing Nationalists to enter the town unopposed the next day.

In this scenario you will begin, as the Nationalist offensive actually did, on 31 March 1937.  However, with 20/20 historical hindsight, you will simultaneously launch two separate attacks, one against Durango in the east (top of the map) and one against the overrated "Ring of Iron" around Bilbao in the west (bottom of the map).  The auxiliary Uhu scout plane, and the introductory text might help you gain clues as to the best approach in this scenario.

Bilbao is the "trigger scenario" for the Spanish section of this campaign.  This means that you go to a different scenario depending on which kind of victory you achieve.  A BV takes you to the Battle of the Ebro, a Victory results in the Drive to the Mediterranean scenario, and a TacVic will go to the Defense of Majorca.  You may want to save your game before taking the final victory hex in this scenario so you can go back later and play the scenarios you miss.  Regardless of which scenario you play after Bilbao, you will always end up at Barcelona, the final scenario in the Spanish section.



-Defense of Majorca-

On 9 August 1936 a Republican force of troops from Catalan and Valencia landed on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza, capturing it without difficulty.  One week later the Catalan units made a dawn raid at Porto Cristo on the island of Majorca -- the largest island of the Balearic archipelago.  Although the Republicans led by Captain Alberto Bayo quickly advanced as much as eight miles inland, the Nationalist garrison under the command of Colonel Garcia Ruiz, undoubtedly more alert than the Ibiza garrison had been the week before, was surprisingly resilient to Republican advances.  Italian bomber and fighter aircraft arrived on the scene and turned the tide decidedly against the Republican invaders when the Nationalists launched a counterattack on 3 September.  The Republicans withdrew quickly under fire, and re-embarked with support from the small battleship Jaime I.

Although this scenario's date is two years later than the actual battle (for reasons of unit availability in PG2), you will reproduce the harrowing initial days after the Republican invasion.  Your Nationalists must be able to hold out until your core units can arrive on the scene and turn the tide.



-Drive to the Mediterranean-

In the spring of 1938 the Nationalists attempted to capitalize on a failed Republican offensive.  Their aim was to launch an offensive with the aim of reaching the Mediterranean coast, effectively cutting the Republicans in half and isolating the two halves from one another.  The offensive into Aragon and Levante was led by Nationalist General Fidel Davila.  The capture of the village of Vinaroz on the Mediterranean coast on 15 April officially cut the Republic in two.  But their offensive wasn't technically a success until the narrow strip of Nationalist-held area along the Mediterranean coast could be widened.  When the Nationalists widened the breach by capturing Castellon de la Plana to the south, they were in a good position to eventually drive south to Valencia.
 
In this scenario you not only must reach the Mediterranean cost, but you must also consolidate your gains by widening the gap both to the north toward Barcelona, and to the south toward Valencia.  You pick up the offensive in its middle stages on 10 April 1938.  Can you reproduce the Nationalists' successful drive to the Mediterranean?



-Battle for the Ebro-

The Republicans had launched a summer offensive against Nationalist positions across the River Ebro in northern Spain, in an attempt to relieve the pressure being put on Madrid.  The offensive succeeded in drawing Nationalist forces away from the capital and large gains were made.  General Juan Modesto led the newly formed Army of the Ebro against Nationalist General Juan Yague.  Although the offensive succeeded in forcing the Nationalists back by as much as 25 miles, the offensive stalled in the fall of 1938.  Republican forces dug in and awaited the expected Nationalist counterattack.  Overwhelming air superiority and determined Nationalist ground pressure finally resulted in a breakthrough on 30 October 1938.  When the battle was over the Republicans were back where they had started the previous summer, on their side of the Ebro.
 
This scenario begins with the massive Nationalist counteroffensive of 30 October.  Can you duplicate the Nationalists' success?



-Battle for Barcelona-

With the Republic cut in two, Barcelona remained the center of the northeastern segment of Republican-held territory.  On 23 December 1938, the Nationalists launched a massive offensive encompassing no less than six Nationalist armies stretching from the French border to beyond the River Ebro.  Although the Republicans defended valiantly, they were exhausted from the years of fighting, and their backs were up against a wall.  By early January of 1939 the offensive had turned into a rout, and the Republicans didn't stop retreating until their final surrender at the end of January.

This battle marks the climax of the Spanish Civil War, and the end of the "training scenarios" in this campaign.  You will start, as the actual offensive did, on 23 December 1938.  Although you have the potential to achieve a victory every much as brilliant as the Nationalists actually accomplished, if you allow yourself to become overconfident this scenario also holds the potential for many core army losses.  In this campaign it is critical that you retain as much of your original core army as possible.  Don't fall asleep during this scenario or you will pay the price!  Remember the tenets of "blitzkrieg" that you are supposed to have learned by now:  avoid the areas of heaviest resistance, and look to outflank your foe; isolate his main body, and focus on your objectives.


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   SECTION 2 -- POLAND:  THE FIRST TEST
"With Lightning-Swift Powers Until Poland Is Ours!"
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-Invasion Poland-

Operation White began at 0440, 1 September 1939, when the Luftwaffe began to pound the Polish air force as it sat on the ground.  Shortly thereafter Bock's Army Group North crossed the Polish Corridor, linking up with East Prussia.  This group would ultimately form the northern "pincer" in a grand double envelopment of nearly the entire Polish Army.  Rundstedt's Army Group South encompassed a wider front, stretching from Silesia through the Carpathians in Slovakia.
 
Despite the conventional wisdom, the utter annihilation of the Polish air force on 1 September is largely a myth first told by the conquering Germans themselves.  The Polish air force was not entirely vaporized in one fell swoop, nor did it perform badly, considering the outdated equipment it mostly relied upon.  Similarly the tales of gallant but futile charges of Polish cavalry, with sabers drawn, being mowed down by mighty panzers is somewhat less than accurate.  Although the Poles were woefully under-motorized, and considerably under-tanked, they possessed a large and capable cadre of veteran cavalry units, which, under the circumstances, performed rather nobly in the face of superior firepower.

Still, the fact remains, the Poles, like most of the rest of the world, were practicing doctrine which the Germans made obsolete in short order.  One critical manifestation of this outmoded thinking was their general lack of mobilization despite the ominous buildup of German units along the border throughout the summer of 1939.  So, while it might be less than accurate to depict the Poles as having been caught completely off-guard, the effect, as it turns out, was the same.  It is easily understandable that the Poles, like the rest of the world, failed to realize the ramifications of the new tactical and strategic doctrines the Germans were to display.  Furthermore, it is entirely reasonable that, like the Germans in '45, the Poles felt that it was crucial that they defend their western industrial regions.  Nevertheless, the result was the shortest and most decisive of all German aggressions in the Second World War.  The vast majority of the mobilized Polish forces were bunched up along the German border, which played perfectly into the hands of the German strategy of breakthrough and exploitation resulting in massive envelopment of the Polish fighting army.

In this scenario, your units will comprise some of Rundstedt's most northerly units, driving straight for Warsaw, through the gap between Army Lodz to the south and Army Poznan to the north.  Speed and mobility was the key benefit the Germans possessed over the Poles.  Can you capitalize on these benefits and reproduce the lightning-strike that was Invasion Poland?  If you enjoy extremely challenging scenarios, I strongly suggest you do everything in your power to take a Brilliant Victory here!



-Bzura Counterattack-

With the majority of the Polish units intact, but trapped behind the German pincers, the maneuver units of the Polish Armies Poznan, Pomorze and Lodz attempted a breakout in the region of Lodz on 9 September, attempting to reach the capital before it was too late.  The battle around the River Bzura saw perhaps the most concerted effort of the main body of the Polish army to strike back at the German invaders.  It was to the Poles' benefit that this effort was performed by some of their best formations.  But, although several German divisions were forced to stall, and in some cases turn about completely, in the end the Polish breakout attempt failed almost completely.

There are two versions of this scenario.  The "Heroic!" version is only playable with a BV at "Invasion Poland."  A Victory or TacVic at "Invasion" results in a somewhat easier (thought still challenging) version of the Bzura Counterattack scenario.
 
In this campaign, your units will bear nearly the entire brunt of this effort by the trapped Polish units, some of whom you presumably bypassed in the previous scenario.  This will undoubtedly be the most challenging scenario thus far in the campaign, especially if you took the BV at "Invasion."  If you take a loss in the "Heroic!" version of "Bzura," you will be allowed to try again, but you will play the easier version which has a number of distinct advantages compared to the "Heroic!" version.  That's why the first "Bzura Counterattack" scenario is labeled "Heroic!"  If you are able to achieve any kind of victory in that one, you will be greatly rewarded with high esteem (i.e., prestige!) from the General Staff.  In fact, even a victory in the easier Bzura scenario will earn you considerable esteem with your superiors.

The Bzura Counterattack scenarios are the "trigger scenarios" for the Polish section.  Which scenario you play next will depend upon which kind of victory you achieve at Bzura.  A Brilliant Victory will allow you to take the lead role in the southern pincer attempting to meet up with Guderian's XIX Corps coming south from East Prussia in the "Wheel North" scenario.  A Victory will take you to the fun "Polish Pursuit" scenario.  A Tactical Victory goes to the "Holding the Flank" scenario.  And, as usual, each of those three scenarios ends up at "Brest-Litovsk," the final scenario in the Polish campaign.  So please don't think you have to reload just because you don't achieve the results you were hoping for at the River Bzura.  I assure you Bzura will be much easier for you the next time you play the campaign.  Simply enjoy the Victory or TacVic scenarios if that's where you end up.  Next time around you will have a better shot at the BV scenario.



-Wheel North-

Your rapid advance in the initial invasion, and your superior handling of the problem at Bzura have resulted in a greatly sped-up timeline.  Despite the historical unlikelihood of an army being able to redeploy from the Bzura region to south of Warsaw, this scenario assumes that your unexpected successes have allowed you to take the lead role as the southern pincer moving north to meet Guderian somewhere east of Warsaw.

In fact, the real German offensive was altered when Polish units began to escape to the east and south, heading for safe haven in Romania and Hungary.  To prevent the possibility of the Polish army surviving to fight another day, the planned envelopment was moved west beyond the Vistula to the River Bug instead.

Before your army can complete the encirclement of Warsaw, you must find a suitable place to cross the Vistula.  Then you should "wheel north" (hence the name) and head towards Guderian who is presumed to be just beyond the northeast corner of your map.  Of course all your maneuvering will be for naught if the Poles are allowed to infiltrate your lines.  Therefore you will also have to divert some of your units to contain the Poles who are directly north of your initial deployment areas.



-Polish Pursuit-

As previously stated, the Germans were greatly concerned by the sudden departure of so many of the Polish fighting units, seeking a safer environment across the Romanian and Hungarian border.  Therefore the Germans took steps to reduce this flow of traffic out of Poland.  Polish units which started south and east of Warsaw have a head start on your forces.  But it is your job to track down these refugee units of the Polish Army and block their would-be escape routes out of the country.  The swift panzer thrusts have left some lightly garrisoned points on the far eastern edge of the map.  The plan assumed that someone would follow up these thrusts and reinforce these vital crossroads.  That "someone" is YOU!  This second duty of yours is a critical one!  If you do not rush reinforcements to the German garrisons in the east, you will lose the scenario!  But at the same time, proceed with caution -- this is still "Injun Territory"!



-Holding the Flank-

Although you weren't able to deal with the trouble at the Bzura as swiftly as you could have, you have nonetheless achieved a tactical victory, which allows you to play an important role in the envelopment of Warsaw.  Considerable Polish forces remain trapped, and are trying to break out to escape the German pincers.  If they are allowed to break through, the efforts of those units ahead of you mean nothing!  So, although you have drawn a duty which is less than glamorous, it is a critical mission indeed!  You must hold off the trapped Polish units and work to consolidate and expand the corridor that was opened by the panzer thrusts which have proceeded you.



-Race to Brest-Litovsk-

Although most of your army is still struggling along the pathetic roadways of eastern Poland, you have a single opportunity to race a few men ahead and capture the city of Brest-Litovsk before either Guderian or the Soviets can enter the city.  To do so would win you enormous esteem (i.e., prestige!) with the High Command.  But you have only one chance to succeed.  This is one of the very few scenarios in this campaign where you will not be allowed to replay the scenario if you take a loss.  This is the last scenario in the Polish section of this campaign.


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   SECTION 3 -- SCANDINAVIAN BLITZ
"Blitzkrieg in the North, A Preemptive Blow, 
        Will Carry Us Forth, Despite the Snow"
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-Mannerheim's Gamble-

According to the German-Soviet Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact of 23 August 1939, Finland was to be included in the Soviet sphere of influence.  Secure in the knowledge that Germany would not interfere, the Soviets placed territorial demands (not entirely unreasonable demands) upon the Finns.  In exchange for other territories, the Soviets sought certain strategic bases in the Baltic and along the Arctic coast.  Although the deal was somewhat one-sided, the Finns stood to gain some potentially profitably concessions in exchange.  But the specific desires the Soviets demanded stood to severely undermine Finnish sovereignty.  So the Finns chose to decline the "offers", which, as they knew, meant war with the Soviets.

Although outnumbered five-to-one in fighting men on the front, the Finn's managed to buy enough time to mobilize nearly a quarter of a million men by the time the Soviets launched their offensive on 26 November 1939.  A number of factors were responsible for the initial Finnish successes.  They had the natural benefits of not only defending, but defending their home soil, as well as the terrain which multiplied their effective strength.  What's more, the Soviets suffered many avoidable detriments, among them nepotism, corruption, and flat-out military incompetence on the part of their officer cadres; as well as a general feeling of overconfidence and poor planning.

Mannerheim, the Finnish Commander in Chief, allocated three divisions to cover the wide and barren northern sector, which wisely traded ground for time.  This allowed him to stack a full six divisions in the southern Karelian region, two north of Lake Ladoga, one in reserve, and three south of the great lake to hold what the international press soon termed the "Mannerheim Line".  In reality the "Mannerheim Line" was, at best, a series of largely partially-completed forts and strongpoints which were not at all optimally situated at this date to support one another.  Still, the Finns held out and were able to hand the Soviets several humiliating defeats, most notably at Tolvayarvi and at Suomussalmi, as well as a general Finnish counteroffensive beginning in late December.
 
But the Finns were in a much better position (both geographically and materially) to defend than to attack, and by February 1940, the Soviets had regrouped for what would be a final and deciding offensive.  Although the USSR suffered more than eight times more casualties than the Finns throughout the campaign, the two nations' overall populations were much more disparate than that.  In the end, the Soviets prevailed through sheer weight of numbers.  Ironically, the peace treaty that ended the Winter War resulted in almost identical concessions as were offered by the Soviets before the war.

This is a fictional scenario in which Germany secretly betrays their erstwhile Soviet allies much earlier than historically by sending "volunteers" (some of your core army) to help the Finn's in their Winter War against the USSR.  In reality, the Western Allies were actually contemplating the possibility of sending troops to aid the Finns.  So a preemptive German intervention was not totally outside the realm of the possible.

This scenario begins just as the final Soviet offensive is being launched.  Mannerheim knows his line can only hold out for a limited period of time before it falls to the Soviets and their overwhelming numerical superiority.  Therefore he has devised a plan.  He thinks that if a small striking force could penetrate to the east and then drive south, it just might have a chance of outflanking the Soviet positions and winning the day.  Your units are perfectly suited for the task he has in mind.  It is a risky plan, but it is probably the only chance the Finns have of winning this war.

You may not be able to purchase new units (due to the number of Finnish units in play) to begin with.  But as Finnish units die throughout the scenario, you do have this one opportunity to add some Finnish units to your core -- although you may not be able to deploy them in this scenario.

"Mannerheim's Gamble" is another of the very few scenarios that do not offer an opportunity to replay it if you manage to take a loss.  But there is no reason to reload if you do end up losing here.  You won't be kicked out of the campaign for taking a loss here, or anywhere else.  As always in this campaign, if it comes to a choice between taking a loss or risking some of your core units, take the loss!



-The Overrunning of Denmark-

Their days of military might some centuries in the past, the Danes never really even hoped to be able to hold off a German invasion.  Therefore the Danish campaign was over almost before it began.  In fact, the reasons for invading Denmark in the first place had more to do with Norway than with Denmark.  By quickly capturing Danish airfields, the Germans were able to stage Luftwaffe units for more immediate action in Norway.

This scenario borders on the fictional in a couple aspects.  First, you will experience a great deal more fighting than actually took place, although not more fighting than the Danes were capable of.  More significantly, your units will be able to jump straight from Denmark to the campaign for Norway which would be highly improbable given the timeline.

You will have to figure out a way to reach Copenhagen.  You have a couple different options for doing so.  I'm sure you'll think of something.  :-)



-Oslo: Weserubung-

Hitler actually had no plans whatsoever for invading Norway.  He rather preferred they remain neutral.  But the British and French were actively exploring their options in regard to securing by force the shipments of iron ore from Sweden.  Once presented with the possibility, the Kriegsmarine was anxious to acquire bases among the fjords of Norway's North Sea coast.  As a matter of fact, the Germans barely beat the Western Allies in the race for Norway.  Many have called it a "photo-finish".  But the Germans definitely edged out the Allies, gaining the all-important position of defender just ahead of the Allied invasions.  Although the Germans daringly stretched themselves thin by invading in several places at once, it turned out to be the correct decision.

Norwegian resistance, if not formidable, was certainly not non-existent.  And if they would have decided to cooperate with the Allies (which is not a sure bet), had the Allies succeeded in beating the Germans in the race, it is doubtful that Germany could have won the day -- in any event it would have been much more difficult.

Although much of the campaign was executed nearly simultaneously, the opening blow of Operation Weserubung was clearly the capture of Oslo and southern Norway.  This was achieved in an unusual way.  3000 German airborne troops landed at Fornebu airfield near Oslo and brazenly staged a premature victory march through Oslo.  The bluff worked, allowing German seaborne troops to land without resistance.  This was fortunate because the seaborne units had to run a gauntlet of Norwegian coastal batteries one of which sunk the heavy cruiser Blucher with torpedoes and gun-fire before it even had a chance to offload the troops it was carrying.  In addition, the light cruiser Karlsruhe was sunk by the British sub Truant off the southern tip of Norway.  Both of these losses came on the opening day of Weserubung.  This allowed the Norwegian government enough time to escape to the north and eventually to England.

On the western coast of southern Norway, 2500 airborne troops landed at Sola while additional German seaborne landings were made at Stavanger, and to the south near Kristiansand.  These too will be a part of your mission in the Weserubung scenario.

This scenario offers the only break in the path of the Scandinavian section -- and it is a minor one, at that.  The next scenario is Trondheim.  If you are extremely speedy in securing southern Norway (i.e., a BV) you will drive cross-country to relieve Trondheim ("Push to Trondheim" scenario).  Regular or Tactical Victories result in a seaborne expedition ("Landing at Trondheim" scenario).



-Trondheim-

The Norwegians put of a fierce resistance and held out longer at Trondheim (about midway up the coast), thanks in large part to French, British, and even Polish troops which landed both north and south of Trondheim.  But the battle may have been decided in favor of the Germans when a British force spotted the landing forces bound for Narvik and Trondheim but assumed they were headed for a breakout into the Atlantic.  Once established in the city, the Germans had the upper hand despite the smallness of their numbers.  When help arrived overland, the Allies were forced to abandon their positions that threatened Trondheim.



-Relieve Narvik-

The battle for Narvik was by far the most protracted engagement of the campaign in Norway.  It was a back-and-forth affair from the very beginning.  The Germans landed barely ahead of the Allies, but the German covering force was badly beaten-up by the Royal Navy in the process.  However, the Allied troops were landed in less than ideal locations in order to hasten the engagement with the German warships.  By the time the Allies were able to assault Narvik, the Germans were well entrenched.  Still the British overpowered the small contingent and the Germans were backed all the way up to the Swedish border.  But by that time German reinforcements were approaching by land routes from the south.  Furthermore, the Battle of France and the Low Countries was reaching a critical stage, which required the Allies abandon their positions in Norway altogether.  As a final twist, the Allied ships carrying out the evacuation were harried by German surface raiders in the North Sea.  The cruiser carrying the Norwegian King and government itself narrowly escaped disaster.

In order for you to be able to fight the battle for Narvik and still make it back to the continent in time for the Battle of France, the timetables had to be pushed forward a bit unrealistically.  For purposes of the campaign, you can assume that your stunning brilliance in the previous Norwegian scenarios has allowed this revision of history.  You, as the cross-country relief force, now have the opportunity to catch the Allies before they evacuate the area and before the Offensive in the West begins.  Can you relieve Narvik in time?


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   SECTION 4 -- BLITZ IN THE WEST: FRANCE AND THE LOW COUNTRIES
"Of Course it is an Ambitious Plan; 
          But in Me They Have Chosen a Capable Man!"
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-Through the Ardennes-

Of course the German victory over France was a stupendous achievement, not only because of the opponents Germany faced, but even more so in the astoundingly short time it took to achieve victory!  But when one considers how shortly before the offensive the plans had to be changed, it becomes one of the most remarkable victories in the annals of warfare.  By most contemporary accounts, the Allies possessed a military which was at least an equal with the Germans -- both in quantity and in quality.  But at the same time, just below the surface, and with perfect hindsight, the Battle of France was a disaster waiting to happen.  The Allies had yet to fully grasp the importance of concentrated armored formations.  The Germans had a superiority in the air.  And the Allied military doctrine still relied upon static fortifications when the military state of the art had suddenly become a very dynamic style of maneuver warfare.
 
To make matters worse, for political and economic reasons the French couldn't even fully commit to the Maginot Line; while the Line was formidable along the Franco-German border, it was non-existent along the French border with Luxembourg and Belgium.  Instead, the Allies decided that, should an invasion occur, they would rush forward through Belgium and make up for the lack of static fortifications with sheer numerical superiority, building an impromptu line along the Dyle River.  Of course the Achilles heel was the assumption that the gap between the Dyle and the Maginot Line (the "untankable" Ardennes forest) was to be left relatively lightly defended.  Worse still, the Belgians distrusted the French almost as much as the Germans and wouldn't allow an early entrance by the Allied forces both for reasons of national sovereignty and for fear that such a move would only provoke the Germans.  And of course the Germans were able to capitalize on all these factors.

Hitler had ordered preparations for an attack in the west on 27 September 1939 -- the very day of Poland's capitulation.  But the General Staff's plan was lacking in ambition and originality.  Fate stepped in and altered history when, on 9 January 1940, the plans were unwittingly handed over to the Allies after a plane carrying German officers and secret documents was forced to land at Mechelen in Belgium.  The new plan was considerably more risky, but also more innovative, and, as it turned out, meshed perfectly with the plans the Allies had in place.  A massive feigning invasion of Holland would trigger the Allies' Dyle Plan, bringing almost all of Britain and France's available maneuver forces into contact with the bluffing attack, well beyond the French frontier.  Meanwhile, the real striking force of German panzers would penetrate the "impenetrable" Ardennes, exploiting the weakest link in the Allied lines.  But instead of immediately turning north to attack the French flanks, the panzer thrusts would boldly drive straight northwest until they reached the English Channel.  Infantry units would follow the panzers, reinforcing the narrow corridor they created.  This would effectively trap the largest and most significant portion of the French and British armies where there were needed the least!  With the British Expeditionary Force and the French First Army cut off from the rest of France, all the options would then lie at the feet of the Germans.

And, of course, that is exactly how it worked out.

The French section is the longest and largest section of this campaign.  Although the campaign was relatively quick, and was decided within a matter of days, it would be foolish to suggest that there was no more work to be done once the panzers reached the Channel.  We will explore much more than simply the fateful drive to the sea.

The first scenario is a battle that took place largely without notice by the Allied High Command.  For Rundstedt's Army Group A -- the panzer striking force -- the first step was to do the "impossible" and traverse the dense Ardennes Forest in Luxembourg and southern Belgium and eastern France.  Can you reproduce this "impossible" feat?  Before you answer, you should remember than in PG2, as in the real war, even the most fearsome armored units can be toppled by the type of units which excel in terrain such as the Ardennes -- the common infantry soldier!  Do not be overconfident or you could end up with a core army devoid of its armored punch!



-Crossing the Meuse-

Of all the events in the early days of the Blitz in the West, the crossing of the Meuse was foreseen as the largest obstacle (perhaps even more challenging than the Ardennes), and a successful crossing was seen to be a much-anticipated event -- the moment of truth.  Although it didn't happen immediately, one could hardly have expected it to have gone much better.  While Army Group B was overrunning Holland and threatening to outflank the Belgians, French and British on the Dyle Line, Army Group A was approaching the Meuse without nearly as much fanfare.  The French units responsible for the "hinge" between the Dyle Line and the Maginot Line numbered merely seven divisions -- all but one of which were mediocre to poor reserve divisions, woefully unprepared and dreadfully under-equipped.  Current defensive doctrines called for at least twelve divisions to cover the 85-mile sector that was the "hinge".

Finally on the 11th, numerous cavalry engagements seemed to confirm to the Allies that the Germans were making a major effort in the Ardennes region.  What the Allies did not yet fully appreciate was that the "major effort" in the Ardennes sector included no less than seven panzer divisions totaling  over two thousand armored vehicles.  Thus it shouldn't surprise anyone that the French cavalry failed to delay the Germans for more than 48 hours, compared to the four days that had originally been expected.

Despite having blown the bridges across the Meuse the French were unable to keep Rommel's Seventh Panzer Division from establishing a bridgehead on the west bank of the Meuse near Dinant on the evening of 12 May.  Rommel had been able to pass a battalion across the weir at Houk when the French battalion tasked with defending the weir utterly failed to do so.  Later that evening, after the French guns on the other side had been decimated or abandoned due to relentless attacks from German 10.5 and 15 cm artillery fire and from high velocity 88mm guns and Stukas which were able to operate entirely unmolested, Guderian was able to pass more than an entire panzer division across the Meuse at Sedan via motorized assault boats and rafts.  Across the river from Montherme PzIV tanks of the 6th and 8th Panzer Division blasted the French machine gun nests from the other side of the Meuse.  When the opposition (lacking in anti-tank weaponry) was silenced, a battalion was sent across the Meuse in inflatable rafts, and was eventually able to take Montherme despite a fierce French resistance.  By the 15th Army Group A was well across the Meuse and on their way toward Abbeville and the Channel.

In this scenario you will have the chance to cross the Meuse at several locations.  Where will your historic breakthrough come?



-The Panzer Corridor-

*DON'T READ THIS UNTIL YOU'VE PLAYED THE SCENARIO!!!*
As the panzers streaked for the coast, they largely outpaced the following infantry units who were supposed to guard the flanks and maintain the supply routes to the spearheads in front.  This created a thin corridor stretching from Sedan to the panzers in the lead.  This apparently fragile "panzer corridor" was the source of much concern by German observers.  Hitler was nearly obsessive in his fear and his generals were largely filled with similar apprehension.  When trying to view things from their perspective, it is easy to see why they would be concerned that their panzers were in a precarious position.  However, in hindsight it is plain to see that there was much less to be concerned about than the High Command believed to be the case.  Even the Germans had overestimated the Allies' possession of a sufficient mobile reserve and ability to strike back effectively.  A high percentage of France's most mobile and armored formations had been decimated or become entangled in Belgium.  The French 1st Armored Division, equipped with the superb Char B1 bis tank, had been slaughtered when they were caught in the process of being refueled by tanker truck.

Just about the only French armored units outside the trap in Flanders was placed under the command of Colonel Charles de Gaul.  On 17 and 19 May, de Gaul launched a series of armored counter-thrusts against the Panzer Corridor.  The attacks were brushed off with relative easy, and would have had limited consequences if the German High Command had been fully aware of the Allied situation.  But since Hitler was already growing concerned and overly cautious, de Gaul's attacks did indeed have some effect on the end result.  Hitler's eventual "halt-order" when his panzers were poised to crush the Dunkirk beachhead can be directly attributed (at least in part) to the fear of having his own panzer spearhead cut off from the rest of the German Army.  And de Gaul's attacks of 17 and 19 May probably had something to do with this caution.  The war might well have turned out differently if not for the "Miracle of Dunkirk," which, in hindsight, should never have come about.  If you can stop de Gaul in his tracks in the Panzer Corridor, perhaps you can change history.  This scenario is designed to startle you the first time you see de Gaul's armor in your rear areas.  But the rest of the scenario is quite easy, as the progress of the panzer spearhead at this time was also relatively trouble-free aside from the ever-present threat that orders would arrive forcing the panzers to stop and give the infantry time to catch up.



-Arras Counterstroke-

~You might want to play this scenario through the first time before reading this - it could spoil the fun for you!~
 
The introductory text is not written the way it is so that you will be tricked into thinking Abbeville and the Channel coast are your only objectives in this difficult scenario.  Rather it was written and presented in such a way as to reflect the thinking of the divisional and corps commanders at the time.  Commanders such as Rommel and Guderian had to fight their own commanding officers almost more intensely than the Allies at this time.  There were constant threats of a "halt order" coming down the line while, at the front there appeared to be very little threat of a major counterattack.  Through constant politicking, threats of resignation, and pure begging, Guderian was finally allowed to plunge forward the few extra miles required to reach the coast.  On 20 May a battalion from 2nd Panzer reached the Channel coast near Noyelles.  At the same time other units of Guderian's XIX Corps were establishing bridgeheads across the Somme at Abbeville, Amiens, Peronne, and Corbie.

Just as Rommel's 7th Panzer Division and the SS Totenkopf Division were passing south of Arras behind Guderian, the Allies launched their most serious threat at the Panzer Corridor.  Although the Arras Counter-stroke was a far cry from the pincer move by eight Allied divisions which General Weygand had planned on, this attack will be remembered as by far the most serious threat to the German Panzer Corridor.  The British 5th and 50th Divisions, along with the 1st Army Tank Brigade and portions of the French 1st and 3rd Light Mechanized Divisions and 25th Motorized Division cut through Hoth's XV Corps, being spearheaded by Rommel's 7th Panzer Division.
 
The 3.7cm anti-tank rounds from German tanks and A.T. guns bounced off the British Matildas with little effect.  But when the Matildas approached Mercatel they encountered something quite unexpected.  A battery of 8.8 cm guns was on duty there, guarding the 105 mm howitzers.  In a famous impromptu performance, these guns were turned into deadly anti-tank weapons, shattering even the enormous armor of the heavy Matilda II's as they approached.  Although this wasn't the first time 88's were used in an anti-tank role, this was the occasion which popularized their use as such, especially among the Allies upon whom the deadly 88's made an indelible impression!  The battle was far from over, but the encounter at Mercatel was the decisive moment.  Congested roads and poor communications and coordination doomed Weygand's plan to chop through the Panzer Corridor before the plan was even set in motion.

Like the Bzura Counterattack scenario in the Polish section, there are two versions of the Arras Counterstroke scenario.  Everyone plays the "Heroic!" version the first time through.  But a loss here will allow you to try again with a significantly altered version (Arras Counterstroke-2) which takes into account the changing situation that a second Arras counterattack would have wrought.
 
In the first ("Heroic!") version of this scenario you must first march a detachment of your core army up the left side of the map to liberate Abbeville.  By the time you accomplish this, the attacks around Arras will be in full swing.  You will have to operate the auxiliary 88's with skill, and help your auxiliaries to hold out until help can arrive.  That help will come in the form of your core army which can be deployed once Abbeville has been captured.  But beware of the guns from the 50th Division (represented here as static bunkers).  They can be a nasty surprise if you aren't watching for them!  Can you move quickly enough to save the day?  Good luck!



-Foiling Dynamo-

If you are able to thwart the "Heroic!" Arras Counter-stroke quickly enough, you will have a unique opportunity to alter the course of history.  Since you dispatched de Gaul's counterattack and the Arras surprise so quickly, you have instilled new confidence in the High Command, and you have been given the green-light to drive up the coast, foiling the Allies' hopes of executing Operation Dynamo.  With the entire British Expeditionary Force captured in Flanders, the British will, for purposes of our campaign, be forced to sue for a separate peace with Germany.  But only if you can succeed in securing the entire Channel coast!

This scenario is considered a "one-shot deal."  If you take a Loss here you will NOT automatically replay it.  By then Dynamo is presumed to have succeeded, as it actually did, in removing many of the trapped British and French troops.  A Loss here is treated the same as a TacVic: you will go to "Flanking the Maginot Line", followed by "Push Toward Lyon."

A Victory here at Dynamo takes you to "Ordeal on the Somme", followed by Dash Through Normandy."

A BV will result in playing the scenario "Flanders Hammer", followed by "Ordeal on the Somme."



-Flanders Hammer-

The delay of the panzers at the very gates of Dunkirk meant that, after allowing almost 350,000 Allied troops depart via the Channel ports and beaches, Army Group A (with almost all the German panzer strength) became the "anvil" while Army Group B -- exhausted and facing a solid front -- would have to act as the "hammer".  This was a reversal of their planned roles, and it didn't turn out nearly as well as it could (should!) have.

In our campaign we can change all that.  By foiling Operation Dynamo with extreme speed (i.e., a Brilliant Victory) the original plan can be maintained.  Army Group B will pin the enemy with frontal assault while you (representing Army Group A) have the opportunity to strike at the trapped Allies' weak side, falling upon their lines of communication and support units.  In essence, Army Group B will simply try to hold the enemy, acting as the "anvil", while you and your panzers strike the decisive blow as the Flanders "hammer"!

This scenario is only playable with a BV at Foiling Dynamo, which itself is only playable with a BV at the Heroic Arras Counter-stroke scenario.  If you are skilled enough to find yourself in this scenario, you will proceed from here to the "Ordeal on the Somme" scenario, which, for you, is the last scenario of the campaign.



-Ordeal on the Somme-

The destruction of the BEF and the French 1st Army in Flanders signaled the end of Operation Red.  Operation Yellow began on 5 June after a reorganization of the German units in France.  The infantry units which had taken over the holding of Guderian's Somme bridgeheads had not expanded them much beyond their original positions.  Since Weygand's plan to pinch off the "Panzer Corridor" had failed, it became even more crucial that these Somme bridgeheads should be destroyed.
 
While the evacuations at Dunkirk were still under way, the French launched an attack all along the Somme.  Toussaint's 19th Division, along with tanks from the 2nd Armored Division, restored the French front along the Somme upstream from Peronne.  Although the Germans held on to the bridgehead between Peronne and Amiens, they were pushed back and placed under considerable pressure.  De Gaul's 4th Armor was responsible for the destruction of the Abbeville bridgehead.  Striking at Lt.Gen. Blumm's 57 Division on 28 May, de Gaul created great panic in the German  lines and made significant progress as the 37mm anti-tank shells continued to do little more than bounce off the heavily armored French tanks.  But Blumm's position was reinforced with a pair of 88mm flak batteries during the night of 28-29 May, and in the morning they reproduced the devastating success that had doomed the Allied tanks at Arras.

The fact that French failed to exploit these local successes can be partially explained by the fact that there was little coordination between the various sectors and scarcely enough men to hold the wide front, let alone sufficient numbers to sustain a general counteroffensive.

On 5 June Bock's army group attacked along the entire Somme front.  To appreciate the morale-boosting effect General Weygand's presence caused one only has to read excerpts from the war diaries and memoirs of the Germans who faced the French Army after his promotion.  But despite their new-found fighting spirit, the French Army had been reduced by about one-third its pre-war strength, there was very little British presence left in France, and the line that had to be defended was considerably more than twice as wide as the line that had been defended before 10 May.  The French now had seventy-one divisions to try and hold back 143 German divisions -- seven more than had been present on 10 May.  Therefore it's little wonder the Germans were eventually able to breakthrough once again and repeat the successes that had been seen in Operation Red.

Army Group A crossed the Aisne at Neufchatel on 9 June and reached the Marne three days later.  Despite stubborn resistance around Amiens, Strauss' 9th Army reached Soissons on 6 June.  The fall of Paris was barely a week away.  In the far north, Rommel's 7th Panzer Division -- now a part of Bock's Army Group B -- broke out of the bridgehead upstream from Longpre and was on the Seine less than three days later.  It was a bad case of de ja vu for the Allies when Rommel's breakthrough trapped 46,000 British and French troops against the Channel coast.  But this time there would be no miracle rescue operation as had occurred at Dunkirk.  Instead these were finally forced to surrender on 12 June after only 3300 had managed to escape the German encirclement.

You will face your own "Ordeal on the Somme".  In this scenario you will be in charge of defending the Somme bridgeheads against vigorous Allied attacks.  You alone will be charged with choosing the right place and time to effect the counterattack that will result in a breakthrough allowing your army group to move into Normandy.

If you were fortunate enough to play the Dynamo and Flanders scenarios, a victory in the Battle of the Somme will end the campaign in a victory.  Congratulations!



-Dash Through Normandy-

If you played "Ordeal on the Somme" without having played the "Flanders Hammer" scenario, your victory on the Somme results in a breakout into Normandy.  Your goal here is to reproduce Hoth's devastating drive through the region.


If you reached the Normandy scenario due to a Victory at the heroic Arras scenario or a BV or Vic at the second (easier) Arras scenario, you will proceed to the "Breton Redoubt" scenario.  If you played the "Foiling Dynamo" scenario after a BV at the harder Arras scenario, the "Dash Through Normandy" will signal the victorious end of the campaign for you.  Congratulations!



-Flanking the Maginot-

On 9 June Rundstedt's reformed Army Group A entered the battle with crushing superiority in men and equipment.  Although the offensive began with extremely stubborn French resistance, eventually the Panzers were able once again to breakout to the south cutting off an entire Allied Army Group defending the sector west of the Maginot Line.  Your job will be to reproduce this decisive drive.  This scenario is available either due to a Loss or TacVic at Dunkirk, or because of a Tactical Victory at either Arras scenario.



-Push Toward Lyon-

After Kleist's epic breakout from the region of Peronne and Amiens, XVI Panzer Corps was sent to drive on Lyon, while XIV Motorized Corps was send towards Creusot-St. Etienne.  The result of these drives into the heart of France was eventually to be the total collapse of the French Army.

This scenario follows the "Flanking the Maginot" scenario both logically and in the campaign.  If you played "Flanking the Maginot" because you achieved a TacVic at Arras, you go from Lyon to the "Breton Redoubt" scenario.  If you played Maginot due to a Loss or TacVic at Dynamo, a victory at Lyon marks the victorious end of your campaign.  Well done!



-Breton Redoubt-

Obviously this is a fictitious scenario, but it is also based upon at least a semi-realistic idea that was bantered about in the French High Command at various points.
 
After Weygand had been appointed Commander in Chief he rejected an idea expressed by Prime Minister Paul Reynaud.  On 29 May Reynaud ordered Weygand "to plan for the establishment of a national redoubt around a war port, allowing us to make use of the sealanes and above all to communicate with our allies. This national redoubt should be arranged and supplied, particularly with explosives, to make it a veritable fortress.  It would consist of the Breton peninsula.  The government would remain in the capital and would continue the war by making use of our naval and air forces in North Africa."

Although the proposal seemed attractive, it was no more realistically possible than turning back the hands of time!  The very notion revealed Reynaud's ignorance of the resources required versus those that were available at that date.  But that didn't stop him from suggesting this idea several more times before the end of the Battle of France.

Now you get to see what it might have been like if the Germans had been forced to assault such a redoubt in Brittany.  This scenario assumes considerably more forethought than Reynaud actually possessed, including at least the partial construction of such a redoubt before 10 May.

In every case, a victorious end to this scenario marks a victorious end to the campaign.  Congratulations!  I hope you had fun!!





By Joel Whoopy-Cat Illian
       22 March 2002




 