Panzer Grenadier: 1940 — The Fall of France
Developer’s Preview, Part One
By Doug McNair
July 2009

The next Panzer Grenadier boxed game is all done and just waiting for the maps to arrive. So, rather than just sitting here stressing, I might as well give folks an advance look at it. Nearly a decade into the life of the Panzer Grenadier series, 1940: The Fall of France finally brings the Army of France into the system along with eight more gorgeous geomorphic maps by Guy Riessen. New toys abound, including the full roster of French armor, early-war German vehicles like the sIG33B and the Bufla, and a set of Grossdeutschland counters in the regiment’s own colors. Special rules deal with features of the French countryside like sunken railroads, while the French penchant for building barricades gets its due with roadblock counters and rules for their use.

But the most interesting aspect of 1940 is the widely-varying quality of the units fielded by the French. Some of them like the 1st Division Marocaine are magnificent, with a morale level that is superior or equal to their German attackers and thus makes them extremely hard to dislodge. On the other hand, low-morale units like the 55th Division d'Infanterie will wither and break if left to face any German attack for long, while DeGaulle’s famous 4th Division Cuirassée de Réserve only has average morale because it was thrown together on short notice and sent into battle piecemeal. And especially in the later scenarios (after the Army of France began to fracture into various groupements) forces drawn from many different units fight on the same battlefields. This means the morale of a French unit holding the line in one hex might be as high as 8/7 while that of the French unit next to it might be as low as 7/5. The French player will need to be very flexible in his tactical thinking from scenario to scenario, since in some cases he’ll have good troops that can act aggressively while in others his troops must be handled extremely conservatively to avoid disaster.

With that, here begins a preview of the scenarios in 1940: The Fall of France. Enjoy!

Scenario One
A Beautiful Morning
10 May 1940, Etalle, Belgium

The emblematic Grossdeutschland Regiment, pride of Nazi Germany, obviously had to lead the way through the Belgian Ardennes. Convinced of their manifest destiny as rulers of the world, the forward elements of IRGD sang a marching tune as they entered the village of Sirvy on the morning of May 10th. Surprising a French motorcycle platoon that surrendered with nary a shot, they kept on singing as they marched to take the bridges across the Semois River at Etalle.

Conclusion

Hauptmann Felsch was mortally wounded in the assault on the barricade at the main bridge. The attack stalled so Commandant Föst took over for him and renewed the attack, but then French motorized troops appeared to the north of the Germans and confusion reigned on the battlefield. Eventually the Germans regained some momentum, damaging or destroying several French armored cars and forcing the rest to withdraw. But then Föst took a bullet to the head and died, stunning the Germans and stalling the attack again. The arrival of German tanks finally tipped the balance in their favor and let them secure the town and bridges, but only after a delay of several hours.

Developer’s Commentary

A small, one-board scenario in which the French try to hold some bridges against advance units of Grossdeutschland. The French units have average morale, so I had to keep the scenario short or they’d simply wither under German direct and bombardment fire. On the other hand, I had to balance that against the need for both sides to get all their reinforcements into the fight. So I started the scenario later with more units on the board, and cut it down to 15 turns so the French don’t have to hold out for too long. Even so, the Germans have higher morale and a significant firepower advantage, so I made the VP schedule flat (giving each side the same number of VPs for controlling town or bridge hexes at the end of play rather than awarding the attacker more for taking them).

Scenario Two
Scratch Defense
10 May 1940, Villers-sur-Semois, Belgium

Second Cavalry Escadron of the 5th Regiment of Cuirassiers was scrambled at short notice and went into Belgium under-strength with only one officer on hand. They were to set up a first line of defense in a small village and hold it at all costs. As shots rang out to the east in Etalle the cavalrymen sent their horses to the rear, and waited.

Conclusion

Grossdeutschland Regiment immediately took casualties when daring officers scouting ahead of their column were shot by the French. The cavalrymen repulsed two successive attacks before German tank and artillery reinforcements blasted through them and set the town on fire. Small firefights raged among the burning buildings thereafter, and some Frenchmen eventually escaped but most of their horses did not.

Developer’s Commentary

Here the Germans have huge advantages in strength and numbers, so I had to make it a shell game. I let the French set up hidden anywhere on the board, and require the Germans to clear all towns to win. That way the Germans will likely have to split their forces since there are lots of small towns on the board and they don’t know where the French are.

Scenario Three
Pan, dans la gueule à Jean!
10 May 1940, Poncelle, Belgium

In the southern part of the Belgian Ardennes, French cavalry were the first line of defense on the first day of the German attack. Several squadrons of the 5th Cuirassiers were scattered in small villages near Etalle and waited for the Germans to appear. A forward platoon sent to the Ste-Marie railway station was quickly overrun, but at the village of Poncelle the cavalry held well-prepared positions and decided to show their valor.

Conclusion

The first German tanks were quickly destroyed by a French anti-tank gun, and as soon as the German infantry came into view it was “Pan, dans la gueule à Jean!” (Eat this, Kraut!”). But the German ground attacks grew in intensity along with their artillery fire, and soon the French couldn’t see their enemy due to smoke from burning buildings and dust kicked up by shellfire. French artillery support remained unavailable, and it soon became clear that the brave cavalrymen couldn’t hope to resist the German onslaught. They left the village as darkness fell.

Developer’s Commentary

The scenario begins with German infantry trying to clear a small force of dismounted French cavalry from villages and entrenchments, with mounted French cavalry reinforcements arriving piecemeal over the course of the game. Units of 5th Cuirassiers get an 8/6 morale in some earlier scenarios, and since the Germans have a big numerical and firepower advantage I upped French morale to 8/6 in this one as well. Since most of the French forces arrive during play on the German flank as reinforcements, I let that work to their advantage by saying players score victory points for enemy steps killed and for each town hex or entrenchment under friendly control at the end of play. That means the advancing Germans will have to leave forces behind to secure the towns and entrenchments they take, or late-arriving French reinforcements will get VPs for taking them back.

Scenario Four
Wagram and Tilsit
11 May 1940, Suxy, South of Neufchâteau, Belgium

On May 10th, the 1st Brigade de Cavalerie received the signal “Wagram and Tilsit,” which was their order to advance east into the Belgian Ardennes and up to the Semois River. As the brigade moved out they made no contact with the enemy, and the local Belgian populace came out to cheer them on. The Germans were actually farther to the east, having been delayed by elements of the 2nd Division Legere de Cavalerie and the Chasseurs Ardennais. Finally during the night of May 11, the French cavalry was ordered to move forward and establish a defensive line at the Vierre River near the village of Suxy. The first units arrived in the deep valley at 05:30 and dug in.

Conclusion

The Germans approaching Suxy encountered two French cavalry squadrons on the road but eliminated them quickly. They then advanced toward the bridge, but the French sappers blew it up before the Germans reached it. A long firefight ensued between the opposing forces on opposite banks of the river, but the French were finally given the order to retreat that afternoon.

Developer’s Commentary

A scenario much like the last one, except that the cavalry is trying to hold back the more powerful Grossdeutshland Regiment this time. One board is too confining for this one so I added a board to the east, and then cut the game to 18 turns to keep the Germans attacking aggressively. The French score victory points for German steps killed and for keeping fewer than a certain number of German steps from crossing the river by the end of play. The Germans score VPs for French steps killed and for each undemoralized German step that is west of the river at the end of play.

Scenario Five
Through the Ardennes
11 May 1940, between Marche and Rochefort, Belgium

At the outbreak of war, the Divisions Légères de Cavalerie were ordered into the Ardennes to delay any German advance there until Ninth Army’s infantry divisions could establish a strong defense along the Meuse River. But the cavalrymen badly misjudged German movements, expecting that it would take at least five days for the Germans to make their way through the forest. The rapid advance of the German motorized divisions caught the French forces off guard, and when they reached the Lomme River the French were not in a position to stop them.

Conclusion

At noon the motorcycle platoons and armored cars of the 1st Régiment d’Automitrailleuses clashed with the advance elements of Group Fürst, 7th Panzer Division near the Chavannes crossroad. Several armored cars were damaged on both sides before the French fell back towards the Lomme. German attacks all along the river line were putting French formations in distress, and when word came that the 4th Division Légères de Cavalerie had retreated the French sent in some anti-tank platoons to defend the river bridges while the engineers worked to blow them up. The maneuver worked, and the bridges were blown successfully after all French units had retreated behind the river.

Developer’s Commentary

The Germans have double the firepower of the French, so I gave the French an 8/6 morale (like the previous cavalry units) and also some extra off-board artillery. I then cut the game to 20 turns and gave the French lots of ways to win while making victory conditions tough on the Germans.

Scenario Six
First Armor Clash
12 May 1940, Crehen, Belgium

In the early hours of May 12th, 4th Panzer Division advanced quickly through the Belgian plains and up to the Hannut-Huy road. Meanwhile in the village of Crehen, elements of 3rd Division Légère Mécanique had taken-up positions but were unaware that the Germans had gotten so close so fast. The first tank battle on the Western Front began in a mildly-undulating landscape seemingly made for AFVs.

Conclusion

Within a few minutes, the quiet village became an inferno when about 50 panzers charged its streets. Relying on outdated tactics, Capt. Ste-Marie Perrin kept his 20 Hotchkiss tanks in fixed positions, from which they took out a few light Panzers. But then the heavier tanks attacked them frontally while the remaining light panzers attacked from the flanks at very close range. The Dragoons broke and ran around 11:00, leaving the tanks alone. Ste-Marie Perrin was killed in his tank and 11 out of the 20 Hotchkiss tanks were put out of action, with total German losses at five panzers destroyed. In the afternoon, both sides abandoned Crehen and its smoking streets full of war relics.

Developer’s Commentary

Unsupported Panzer I and IIs can’t do anything to Hotchkiss tanks, so I started the scenario five turns later when the PzIIIs and IVs have shown up. One board is too confining so I added one to the north, and then I dropped French morale to 7/6 to reflect the poor performance this division exhibited at Crehen. Giving VPs for control of town hexes made little sense since there are too many of them for the French to cover with their limited forces, but I had to make control of town hexes relevant for the Germans to maintain historical accuracy. So I said players score VPs for enemy steps eliminated, and that the German player wins if he scores more VPs than the French player AND controls more town hexes on Board 28 than the French player at the end of play. The French player wins if he scores at least five more VPs than the German player.

Scenario Seven
Race to the Meuse
12 May 1940, between Marche and Dinant, Belgium

On the evening of May 11th, General Corap ordered the vanguard elements of the Divisions Legeres de Cavalerie in the Ardennes to fall back to the Meuse. The size and power of the enemy was simply too much for the French horsed cavalry divisions, and they were in danger of being encircled. The withdrawal was carried out early on May 12th, with mobile elements covering the retreat of the slower units.

Conclusion

The French infantry divisions on the Meuse were far from ready to hold the line at this stage, so the retreating units had to make a fighting withdrawal. Taking every possible advantage of the terrain, the dragons and chasseurs succeeded in slowing down the Germans so that the less-mobile French units could cross the Meuse in safety. Quite a few panzers were destroyed all along the different retreat routes, and a sole 25mm French AT gun claimed no less than 12 German tanks destroyed in one day. Around 1600 the bridges at Dinant and Bouvignes were blown within view of the first approaching Panzers, just after the last French elements had crossed to safety.

Developer’s Commentary

This is a big scenario in which French forces are trying to cross a very wide board and exit the west edge while German forces are pursuing them from the east in an effort to stop them. I replaced the easternmost board to give the French rearguard a river behind which they can dig in, but then required the French to start farther east and lengthened the game to 52 turns because the Germans would fight until sunset to cross the Meuse if possible. I upped French morale to 8/6 since the retreating units are from the light cavalry divisions. Then to add some extra excitement I nixed the automatic bridge-blowing rules so the French ENG units have to get to work blowing bridges once they get to the river. The French score VPs for killing German steps and for exiting units off the west edge and/or having steps west of the Meuse at the end of play. The Germans score VPs for French steps that are killed or are on the board east of the Meuse at the end of play, and for German steps west of the Meuse at the end of play.

Scenario Eight
Rommel Crosses the Meuse
13 May 1940, between Anhée and Houx, north of Dinant, Belgium

Rommel’s “ghost division” beat 5th Panzer Division to the Meuse, though not by much. Oberst Werner of 5th Panzer had come very close to capturing the bridge at Yvoir, but a few Belgian engineers blew it up just in time. At Houx, some kilometers farther south, a motorcycle unit discovered a small lock with an intact foot bridge linking both banks of the river to a small island. These troops crossed the river at night on May 12th (leaving their motorcycles behind) and set up defensive positions on the west bank. At dawn the next day, the main German assault across the Meuse began.

Conclusion

From the crossing point at Houx, German infantry slowly infiltrated the French lines and sowed confusion among the newly-arrived 39th Infantry Regiment. Meanwhile, just south of Yvoir, Oberst Werner made an amphibious assault across the river but was beaten back with heavy losses by French artillery and machinegun fire. Most of the boats were destroyed, and 5th Panzer Division had to no choice but to brave heavy French artillery fire and concentrate its efforts on the Houx foot bridge. Eventually the already-weakened French 39th Infantry Regiment collapsed in the face of intensifying German infantry attacks, and by the end of the day the German bridgehead was deep enough to support a full-scale assault the following day.

Developer’s Commentary

A big scenario on a relatively small board, this one has a large German force trying to break through a river line held by a lower-morale French force. The French will have a tough job of it due to their morale disadvantage and German advantages in numbers and firepower, so I cut the game to 26 turns (otherwise the Germans will just sit back and pound the French until they break). I also instituted the cross-river communication breakdown rule from Cassino ’44 rather than making the Germans pre-designate their artillery, and made victory conditions tough on the Germans.

Scenario Nine
The Witch’s Cauldron
13 May 1940, Merdorp, Jandrenouille and Jandrain, Belgium

After an easy trip through Belgium, 4th Panzer Division met French armor for the first time near Hannut on May 12th. Its commander halted the advance and waited a day for 3rd Panzer Division to arrive on his northern flank before launching a massive attack on the French line held by the 3rd Division Légère Mécanique. The assault was brutal, with all German forces committed to a hammer blow on a narrow front and nothing held in reserve. For their part, the French were well dug-in but scattered along the line, diluting the effectiveness of their otherwise-powerful Somua tanks.

Conclusion

Often thought of as the first big tank vs. tank battle in world history, this was actually a combined-arms assault, with the Panzers having received orders to bypass village strongpoints when possible and leave the mopping-up to the infantry. The tactic did not work well, with a counterattack by French tanks from 1st Cuirassiers wreaking havoc among the panzers. Confused armored combat lasted several hours, but in the end brute force and numbers prevailed over tactical skill. The French abandoned their positions all along the line in costly retreats, and by the end of the day 3rd Division Légère Mécanique was nearly destroyed.

Developer’s Commentary

The Germans will have a very tough time in this one since their tanks are badly outclassed by French tanks and AT guns. They’ll have to let the infantry take the lead, and that’ll be slower going against an enemy with a morale level equal to theirs. So I started the game at a later hour so most of the German reinforcements can participate in the initial attack, gave them increased off-board artillery for the first four turns to reflect preparatory bombardment, and lengthened the game to 30 turns to give the infantry more time to work along a broad front. I kept the VP schedule flat because the French have large numbers of town hexes to cover and can’t afford to separate their tanks from their infantry to cover all of them.

Scenario Ten
Hell River
13 May 1940, Sedan, France

The heavily-fortified Meuse River in the French Ardennes was a formidable obstacle, so the Germans planned their assault carefully. Thorough reconnaissance pinpointed every French bunker, and spies confirmed that most of the fortifications around Sedan had not been completed. First Panzer Division and Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland would spearhead the attack on the city. A five-hour aerial bombardment fell on Sedan the morning of May 13th, and in the silence that followed the German ground forces attacked.

Conclusion

The Germans fired smoke to conceal the troops paddling furiously across the river. Still shocked by the incredible force of the aerial bombardment, the French finally emerged from their shelters and began firing at the attacking German forces. Bunker Nr. 211 was a particularly troublesome strongpoint, causing the Germans to bring up artillery and assault guns to fire directly at the pillbox openings. German engineers led the assault on the French fortifications, using demolition charges to clear the French trenches. French resistance crumbled under the seemingly-unstoppable German momentum, and the in just a few hours the Germans had established a bridgehead two kilometers deep.

Developer’s Commentary

In this scenario, all French units (but not leaders) start the game disrupted due to the massive aerial bombardment noted above. German movements will be slowed by the river and combat will all be town and trench assaults thereafter, and the low-morale French will get the worst of it fast. So, I kept the scenario short, inserted the cross-river communication breakdown rule for the Germans and said each side scores a VP for each friendly undemoralized step that is south of the river at the end of play. That means the Germans have to attack aggressively while the French have to stand up to them since the Germans have them outnumbered.

That covers the first ten scenarios of 1940: The Fall of France. Tune in next time for a preview of the next ten, which include the first of many actions at Stonne and Gembloux, and the French counterattacks on the German Meuse River bridgehead at Haut le Wastia and Dinant.

1940: The Fall of France is coming soon. Order now!