This was a very simple scenario when an opportunity arose for a small 1940 game with John the Red. This time it was the turn of the French. John was the French and I took the Germans.
The French had a battalion of Moroccan tirailleurs, a single battery of 75mm guns and as reinforcements the divisional recce group comprising four Panhard armoured cars, a company of motorcyclists, another of motorised ‘dragons portee’ and a 25mm AT gun mounted on the back of a chenillette carrier.
The Germans had a recce ‘battalion’ of two armoured cars and a company of motorcyclists, a full motorcycle battalion, a battalion of motorised infantry and a battery of 105mm howitzers. They could also call in up to two Stuka strikes.
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| German recce troops negotiate their way through a long column of refugees. |
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| Armoured cars lead the way. |
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I suspected that the hotel was occupied so the best way to find out was to drive past at high speed.
Lo and behold there was a company of Moroccan tirailleurs lurking ready to ambush the Germans, which they did, knocking out one motorcycle combination. The Germans dismounted and stormed the hotel, driving the Moroccans out and across the cornfields. |
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| More refugees on the other road. |
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| The main German infantry force arrived in the shape of a motor rifle battalion. |
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| My motorcycle battalion then arrived (finally, having been delayed for two turns!) down the other road. |
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| One company chased after the refugees while the rest moved to occupy the garage, which to my surprise (not) was full of Moroccans, with mg support from the railway station just out of shot. We, the Germans, got a bit bogged down here and couldn’t shift the French from the garage. |
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A battery of French 75s engaged the German armoured cars without any success.
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| French reinforcements- their divisional reconnaissance group, of armoured cars and dragons porte. |
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| I managed to call up air support to knock out the French artillery. A Stuka duly arrived, located the target, avoided desultory anti aircraft fire then blew one of the guns to pieces. The resulting morale check forced the remaining gun to limber up and retreat, pursued by one of my armoured cars. |
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| Panhard of the 12th Cuirassiers. |
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| The refugees are still trying to make good their escape from the fighting. |
We had to stop at this point when it was just about to get interesting as my back was once again playing up. However, we shall hopefully be able to finish the game this coming Friday.
