Strategy in 'Strange Defeat'
By Doug McNair
July 2006

Strange Defeat easily takes the crown as Quick and Bloody 119694_avalanche Press Game of the Decade (so far). The third in our series of fast-playing, easy to learn strategic-level World War II games, Strange Defeat depicts Germany’s blitzkrieg against France, Belgium and the Netherlands in the spring of 1940.

The game is only seven turns long, and the outnumbered, outclassed and disunited Allies stand little chance of holding back the German onslaught, or even surviving the game with more than a few units intact. But politics and public perception were everything at this stage of the war, so Strange Defeat players score points for achieving political objectives just as often as military ones.

So even if the Allies get pushed into the sea, they can win by racking up political points for destroying as many German units as possible, effectively managing the defense or surrender of Paris, hanging onto as many Allied ports as possible, and knowing when to evacuate Allied forces before the Germans can destroy them.

Allied Strategy

The Allied defensive line is strongest where the Germans are least likely to attack it. The Maginot Line is fully garrisoned, and with the bulk of the German forces to the north, the Maginot garrison units would seem to have a good shot at crossing the Rhine and delivering a crippling blow against the south flank of the German onslaught. But unfortunately, the German Siegfried Line gives the Germans across from the Maginot good protection, and early German advances to the west will probably force Maginot units to pull out and head west to stop them. The Germans also get bonus points for exiting at least four units off the south board edge, so the Maginot Line units must maintain a defensive line to prevent this, whether they stay on the actual Maginot Line or not.

Due to Allied unpreparedness, many Allied units can’t move on the first turn. This means German armor has a good chance of encircling scattered Allied units in the Low Countries, leaving them Out of Supply on Turn 2 if they’re not dead by then. Rather than trying to rescue such unfortunate units, the Allied player should seek out weak, reduced and exposed German units, going for easy kills to keep up a constant stream of points to counter German point gains (the Allies score the same number of points per destroyed German unit no matter how strong it is).

But the Allied player should send reinforcements to Antwerp and other ports near the German advance, since he gets points for every turn after the first in which the Germans don’t control three Allied ports. Similarly, he should defend Paris for as many turns as possible since he gets points for keeping the Germans out of there. Finally, he should avoid being overly aggressive, since he tends to do better defensively than offensively given German advantages in armor and air power, and he loses lots of points when British units are destroyed.

That said, the Allied player’s best chance at destroying large numbers of German units is to attack the flank of an overly extended German advance, maneuvering behind the forward German units to cut their supply lines and halve their combat strength. Such out of supply German units are much more vulnerable to destruction, and will have to pull back and delay their advance if they wish to regain their supply lines.

German Strategy

In addition to points for destroying French and British units (not other countries’ units), the Germans score points by forcing Belgium and the Netherlands to surrender. Since Allied defenders in the Low Countries are scattered and limited in mobility on Turn 1, the Germans should hit Belgium and the Netherlands with every possible unit right away to destroy their native armies and cut the French and British off from the ports there. If successful, the Germans should push westward to occupy as many French ports as possible and prevent another Miracle at Dunkirk. This shouldn’t be hard to do IF Guderian and Rommel in the German center can keep up a constant pressure on De Gaulle and Prioux by pushing toward Paris. Control of Paris is crucial for both sides, since the Allies score points for keeping it each turn from the third turn onward.

German motorized units are critical to German success, since they are the only ones that can use exploitation movement and combat. German armored units are particularly important because they hit on every roll of 5 or 6 (not just 6 as with all other units). So, the German player should always try to keep his motorized units stacked with foot units, using the foot units as cannon fodder when he takes step losses. Similarly, when German motorized units use exploitation movement to advance deep into Allied territory, the German player should keep his Armored units stacked with non-armored Motorized units whenever possible so that the non-armored units can absorb step losses and protect the armored units.

Finally, the German player should keep his Siegfried Line units in reserve, waiting for the Maginot Line units to pull back west. When they do this, he can advance to occupy the Maginot Line and thereby rack up easy points for controlling French major fortress hexes. Keeping the Siegfried Line units back isn’t a drag on the German advance, because the German player gets replacements every turn after the third, allowing him to build up his damaged frontline units.

Game Summary

Here’s what happened in a recent game. Note that players keep a running tally of points scored, with the French player scoring positive points and the German player scoring negative points. For the Germans to win, the net point total at game end must be -20 or less. For the French to win, the net point total at the end of the game must be 0 or more.

Turn 1

The second week of May.

German

The German player gets 5 air points, which he can use to increase the dice rolled in any attacks he wishes (no more than 2 air points per attack).

At the beginning of the movement phase of the first turn, the German player gets to drop two parachute regiments into any hexes of the Netherlands or any fortress or city hex within 5 hexes of German units elsewhere. German units ignore the penalty for attacking across a river if the hex attacked into contains a German parachute regiment, so the German player drops one regiment each into Liege and Nijmegen in Holland. He then moves his northern units up to the opposite bank of the river.

Unfortunately, both parachute regiments roll poorly and are eliminated before combat (+4 points), so the attacking units will have to suffer the river penalty. But the SS VT motorized division is able to circumvent Nijmegen, cutting the Dutch Field 1 Corps off from supply while other German units attack it across the river. Meanwhile, a German armored and infantry corps plus a cavalry division attack Amsterdam, and the rest of the German line advances west, with Guderian and his two motorized divisions plunging forward to the south flank of the Belgian line at Arion.

It’s very important for the Germans to breach the Belgian and Dutch river defenses, so the German player puts 2 points of air support into the attack on Nijmegen and 2 more into the attack on the Belgian Ard cavalry corps north of Liege. Rommel hopes to destroy the Belgian cavalry, drive behind Liege and cross the river there to cut it off from supply. The final air point goes into Guderian’s attack on the Belgian 7th Corps near Arion.

The German attack on Amsterdam scores only one hit, while the Queen Wilhelmina’s royal guards and the Amsterdam garrison fight like lions, inflicting 3 hits in return. The Dutch hold Amsterdam while the Germans retreat past Apeldoorn. The attack on Nijmegen also fails, scoring no hits while the German 20th Motorized Division (the only full-strength German unit there) takes a step loss, and the reduced German 22nd Glider Division is eliminated (+2 points).

But the Belgians fare far worse, with the German attack across the river north of Liege scoring 6 hits on 19 dice, eliminating the Dutch Reserve and 3rd Corps. The Belgians score two hits in return, reducing two German infantry corps. Rommel then destroys the Ard Cavalry Corps south of Liege, advancing west after combat with the 7th and 10th Panzer Divisions to the hex south and across the river from the major Belgian fortress at Eben Emael.

Then Guderian destroys the Dutch 7th Corps south of Arion, allowing the GD Motorized Regiment to cross to the west bank of the river beyond. Guderian and the 19th Panzer Corps destroy the 1Sp French Cavalry Division holding Sedan across the river (-2 points), but don’t advance because that would put French ZOC behind them and leave them out of supply.

The German attack southwest of Sedan gives and receives two hits, but the German 41st Panzer Corps and a supporting infantry corps score four hits on the major fortress on the north end of the Maginot Line. But the British and French units manning the line score six hits on 8 dice in return (they hit on a 5 or 6), obliterating the German panzer and infantry corps (+5 points), while the French and British units take one step loss and retreat three hexes southwest. The Germans facing the Maginot Line pull back from it so they don’t have to attack it this turn.

In the German exploitation movement phase, the German 20th and SS VT Motorized units move onto the same land mass as Nijmegen, cutting it off from supply, while the German 16th Panzer Corps launches another attack on Amsterdam. Both sides take one hit, reducing the German panzer corps and eliminating the Dutch Fort Corps. Rommel, two armored divisions and a motorized corps move west to attack into France north of Mezieres, sending a motorized regiment north to destroy the major fortress at Eben Emael and leave Liege surrounded by German ZOC.

Rommel’s attack wipes out the 4DLC Cavalry Corps (-2 points), which does no hits in return. Rommel keeps his units together for maximum defense against the French, and doesn’t advance since the French line is strong to the west. Then the German 5th Panzer Division takes the major fortress at the north end of the Maginot Line (-2 points), and it and Guderian’s 19th Panzer Division attack three French units southeast of Sedan. The Germans do 3 hits while the French do 2 on 4 dice, and Guderian’s units retreat one hex while the Polish 3rd Division is eliminated and the remaining two French units retreat two hexes.

Allied

The Dutch Field 1 Corps in Nijmegen is Out of Supply. All other Allied units are in supply (Liege is a fortress). The Allied player gets no air units this turn. The Allied player rolls a 5 and successfully evacuates Queen Wilhelmina from the Netherlands to Britain, since her royal guards would have had no chance holding Amsterdam by themselves and the other remaining Dutch unit in Nijmegen is surrounded by German ZOC and can’t save her. Nobody gets any points for the evacuation (the Allies would have gotten a point on a roll of 6).

Alexander moves west to Namur with the British Expeditionary Force to attack Eben Emael and relieve the German siege of Liege. A French armored division from Valenciennes comes to join him and attempt the politically-required Franco-British combined attack for the turn. French units from Dunkirk move up to support his north flank. The Allied player rolls for all his MR units, and only the 2DLC cavalry corps and the 41st Fortress Corps are able to move. That’s not enough of a force to mount an effective attack on any German units, so they stay put and hold the line. Prioux moves south to reinforce the south end of the French line at Mezieres.

Alexander rolls a 6 and the combined Anglo-French attack on Ebaen Emael goes forward. The attack just barely succeeds, scoring one hit on 10 dice and destroying the German motorized unit there (+3 points). The two British armored units advance to Eben Emael and don’t attack in the Exploitation Combat Phase, preferring to hold the line and impede German westward movement through Belgium while maintaining a retreat route for the Belgians at Liege.

At the end of the turn the net point total stands at 6.

Turn 2

The third week in May.

German

The two German motorized units west of Nijmegen are out of supply, and the German player receives 5 air points. The OOS German units move to occupy Rotterdam and Amsterdam, while the other units that were attacking Holland move south to support the attack on Belgium. The Germans in Belgium move to attack Alexander at Namur and Eben Emael, plus the Belgians at Liege. Rommel and Guderian move west to attack Prioux at and around Mezieres. The line of Germans facing the Maginot Line moves one hex northwest through the rough terrain, maintaining their guard of the south German flank while keeping their distance from the French.

The attack on Alexander does only one hit, taking a hit in return. But the attack on Liege succeeds, wiping out the Belgian 7th Corps and allowing the Germans to advance into it and destroy the fortress. The attack on Namur and the hex to the north results in three hits scored by both sides, causing the Germans to retreat back to the Maastricht area while the French 16th and the British 3rd Infantry Corps take one step loss each and retreat to Brussels.

Rommel destroys the French 3rd Infantry Corps northwest of Mezieres (-2 points), and the 14th Motorized Corps advances two hexes to get behind Prioux at Mezieres, putting him Out of Supply. Then Guderian attacks him, scoring 7 hits on 18 dice (8 of them hit on a 5 or a 6) and wiping out Prioux along with his 2DLC cavalry corps and his DLM Armor Corps (-4 points). Prioux does only one hit in return. Guderian’s two panzer corps advance to join his motorized corps, and he and Rommel are both two hexes east of Reims. But the three German infantry corps attacking the two weak French corps to the south only eliminate the French 10th Corps (-2 points), so the south flank of the German advance is not quite secure, especially with de Gaulle waiting to charge in from just east of Troyes.

The German panzer corps in Belgium are both reduced, so rather than attack Alexander and risk destruction they stack with infantry corps north of Liege. Guderian moves south to destroy the remaining French infantry division threatening his south flank, while Rommel hits the French 11th Corps directly in front of him. Guderian’s attack destroys the French corps (-2 points), but Rommel’s only does one hit and takes one in return.

Allied

The Netherlands surrenders since Amsterdam and Rotterdam are German-occupied (-1 point). The Allied player rolls a 6 for RAF reinforcements, and Britain commits the bulk of the RAF to the defense of France (+1 point). German air points are reduced by two per turn for the rest of the game. The Allied player gets 2 air points this turn.

The Allied player launches a daring pincer movement, sending Alexander from the north and De Gaulle from the south to pinch and strangle the German bulge west of Luxembourg. If it works, Rommel and Guderian will be cut off from their supply lines. Six French corps and a cavalry division converge on Rommel’s position northwest of Mezieres, while Alexander, three British corps and a French corps attack the three German corps guarding the line from Liege south to near Arion. Maginot Line units shuffle northwest to assist the British attacking the south flank of the German bulge, and a couple advance north to hit the Germans in the rough terrain north of the Maginot Line. Then de Gaulle leaves the French 3DCR armored division just southwest of Chalons Sur Marne, and takes two other divisions to help the British attack on the south flank of the bulge, behind Guderian.

Both Allied air points go into Alexander’s attack across the river north of Arion. The British 2nd Corps soaks off against the Germans at Liege and is destroyed (-3 points). But Alexander’s attack scores no hits, and neither does the German defense.

De Gaulle’s attack does much better, scoring 3 hits to 2. The Germans would like to take one hit and retreat two, thus preserving all their units, but doing so would let De Gaulle advance to Sedan, gravely endangering Guderian’s supply path. So they take two step losses and lose the 6th Infantry Corps (+2 points), retreating the remaining two infantry corps to Sedan. De Gaulle loses the 2Sp cavalry corps (-2 points), takes a step loss from the 2DCR armored corps, and chases the Germans north, tightening the noose on Guderian.

The attack on Rommel does 2 hits to 1, forcing him and his 7th Panzer Division to retreat to Sedan and the 10th Panzer to retreat to Arion (the only way to avoid overstacking). A French cavalry corps takes a hit and the French advance. The French attack north from the Maginot Line at Kaiserslauten and the hex to the east scores 3 hits to none, inflicting two step losses and forcing two German corps to retreat north.

In the Exploitation Movement Phase, Alexander and the British units with De Gaulle close the pincers on Arion, attacking the reduced-strength 10th Panzer Division there at a strength of 4 dice to 2. One hit will destroy it, put Alexander in Arion, and put Rommel, Guderian and the entire German breakthrough out of supply. They roll one hit, destroying 10th Panzer (+2 points) while 10th Panzer also does one hit and eliminates the British 51st Infantry Division (-3 points). Alexander occupies Arion, and the trap snaps shut.

The net point total is now down to -8.

Turn 3

The fourth week in May.

German

Rommel, Guderian, five infantry corps, one motorized corps, two panzer divisions and a panzer corps are all out of supply in Sedan, Mezieres, and on the east bank of the Marne. The German player receives one infantry replacement this turn, so he flips 3rd Corps in Liege to its full-strength side, hoping it can help cut a supply line through the British and back to Rommel and Guderian. With the RAF commitment, the Germans only get 2 air points this turn.

The German units in Belgium attack southwest en masse toward Namur and the British 1st Corps southwest of Liege. The German 30th Corps moves west to hit Alexander while the rest of the Siegfried Line units stay put to deal with the French attack north from the Maginot Line. Guderian pulls back from the Marne to hit de Gaulle, while Rommel turns around to hit Alexander. The three German corps in Mezieres have no choice but to stay put and hit the adjacent French.

The German attack on the advancing Maginot Line units does 3 hits to 1, forcing a retreat back to the fortress line. The attack on Namur does one hit, eliminating the French 16th Corps (-2 points) but leaving the British 3rd Corps. The Allies do no damage, but the Germans do not advance and don’t force a supply line through to the south.

The German 15th Corps’ fails to force its way across the river against the French 1DCR armored division, doing no damage but taking a hit for its trouble. This leaves the British 1st Corps a retreat route, and when the Germans attack it they do only one hit on 15 dice, meaning it doesn’t have to retreat at all.

The cut-off German units have one hope left — the powerful German 30th Corps, attacking the reduced British Reserve Corps that helped closed the pincers at Arion. Thirtieth Corps rolls 7 dice . . . and gets no hits, once again taking a hit for its trouble.

The cut-off, out-of-supply units have no choice but to cut their own way out. Rommel has a slim hope of fighting his way back across the river from Sedan to Arion and opening a supply line to Guderian, so he attacks first. He’s halved in strength for being out of supply, and reduced for attacking across a river. His panzer division would be useless in this circumstance, so it attacks the Reserve Corps again, while his two infantry corps attack Alexander. Rommel and his 7th Panzer inflict two hits on the British Reserve Corps, destroying it (-3 points) and advancing west to re-establish the supply line. The thus-rejuvenated attack on Alexander at Arion scores one hit and destroyes his RAC armored corps (-3 points), capturing Alexander in the process. Guderian then attacks de Gaulle at a full 10 dice strength, hitting on a 5 or 6 . . . but only does one hit while de Gaulle does two! The weak 5th Panzer division is eliminated (+3 points), and since his only legitimate retreat route (through Mezieres) is blocked by his own troops, he loses the reduced 14th Motorized Corps as well (+3 points). Finally, the three German corps in Mezieres who blocked Guderian’s retreat attack, but neither side does any damage.

In the Exploitation Movement and Combat phases, the weakened 16th Panzer Corps in Liege crosses the river south to try and finish off the British 1st Corps. It succeeds (-3 points) and advances west. Rommel and Guderian then gang up on De Gaulle, hoping that eliminating him and his armored units will help clear the way to Paris. They destroy de Gaulle’s units with 5 hits, eliminating his two armored divisions (-4 points) and advancing westward again.

Allies

They still control Paris (+2 points), and all their units are in supply. They get one French infantry replacement, so the French 11th Corps near Mezieres flips to full strength. The Allied player gets one air point this turn.

King Leopold of Belgium courageously takes his royal guard forward to reinforce the British at the fortress at Namur. The Belgian 4th Corps joins him there, leaving a French motorized corps to guard Antwerp. De Gaulle pulls back to join the 3DCR armored division across the river at Chalons Sur Marne, but four fresh French corps and a reduced cavalry division attack the three reduced German corps in Mezieres while more advance to attack the weak German units across the river north of Arion. The Maginot Line units shuffle northwest, with two corps from Metz reinforcing the French attack on Rommel’s reduced 7th Panzer Division. If they take Rommel out, Guderian will be cut off again.

The French attack across the river north of Arion eliminates the German 15th Corps (+2 points). The French attack on Mezieres does only one hit on 22 dice, destroying the German 2nd Corps (+2 points) but taking 3 hits in return, forcing the French forces to retreat a hex west and lose the 1Sp Cavalry Corps (-2 points). But the attack on Rommel destroys the 7th Panzer Division (+3 points), and Guderian is out of supply again.

All but one British unit have been eliminated, and that one is happily guarding Namur, so the turn ends with no Allied exploitation movement or combat.

The net point total is now -10.

Turn 4

The first week in June.

German

Guderian is out of supply and caught between three French corps to the east and numerous corps with de Gaulle to the west. All other German units are in supply. The German player gets one infantry and one armor replacement, so he restores the powerful 18th Corps in Mezieres and the 16th Panzer Corps south of the river and adjacent to Eben Emael. The Germans get only 2 air points this turn due to RAF commitment.

The Germans at Mezieres fan out to run a supply line up to Guderian, cutting the three French corps next to him off from supply in the process. The rest attack Antwerp, Namur, and across the river northwest of Arion.

The attack on Antwerp does five hits, wiping out the French motorized corps from Dunkirk (-2 points), which does one hit in return and destroys the German 4th Corps (+2 points). All German motorized units involved advance down the coast toward Ostend. The attack on Namur results in one hit on each side, but the attack across the river near Arion does five hits, wiping out the French 4th and 41st Corps (-4 points) and letting all units cross the river. Then Guderian’s attack on the three French corps that cut him off does six hits, wiping them out (-6 points).

Guderian only has two Panzer corps left, and he can’t afford to lose them to a lucky French shot. So he has them pile in with him south of Mezieres rather than attacking the French secondary line east of Reims. But the three motorized units in Belgium reach Ostend, and . . .

Allied

Belgium surrenders (-2 points). Paris is still under Allied control (+2 points), and the Allied player gets 1 air point.

With Belgium breached, the fast German motorized units there have a northern route to Paris. De Gaulle must pull his forces northwest to meet them, meaning the Maginot Line units must take on the task of stopping Rommel and Guderian. De Gaulle’s units use strategic movement to form a line from Chalons Sur Marne through Reims, Quentin and Amiens up to the sea. The Maginot Line units spread out as thinly as they can, while the last British corps pulls back from Namur and uses strategic movement to join the French armored division anchoring the north end of the line at the sea. Since the French did nothing but retreat, there are no attacks and the turn ends.

The net point total is now -20.

Turn 5

The second week in June.

German

All German units are in supply, and the Germans use their replacement to restore the powerful 30th Corps with Rommel (with 7th Panzer destroyed Rommel has no effect on play, but the German player has left him on the board to more easily identify the units with him) near Sedan. German air support for the turn is 3 points.

The Germans in Belgium rush west, with a cavalry division from Eben Emael and a motorized and armored division from Ostend attacking the reduced French corps at St. Quentin. All other German units head straight for the closest French units, with the Siegfriend Line units attacking the weakened Maginot Line, and Guderian massing on de Gaulle across the Marne.

The Maginot Line attacks get bloodied, with the Germans losing their 33rd Corps (+2 points) but forcing the French to abandon Metz. Rommel’s attack goes nowhere, but Guderian’s attack on the Marne does eight hits to three, wiping out two French corps and a mechanized division (-6 points) while the Germans lose their 23rd Corps (+2 points) and retreat. But the German attack on Reims gets annihilated, doing three hits but taking four, causing three reduced German corps to be wiped out (+6 points)! The French retreat to the west bank of the Marne. The attack on St. Quentin is also repulsed, with the Germans losing their cavalry division (+2 points).

In the exploitation movement phase, Guderian takes his two panzer units west to Reims, and the Germans attack St. Quentin again but are once again repulsed, losing the SS motorized unit (+3 points).

Allied

The French player uses his infantry replacement to recreate the 3rd Corps in Paris, and gets two air points for the turn. Paris is still under his control (+2 points) and he gets two air points this turn.

The Maginot Line units come out in force, attacking the weakened Siegfried Line units to go for more points. They also move a corps down to St. Quentin to counterattack the weakened Germans there. The Maginot attack has to retreat but destroys the German 24th Corps (+2 points). Then the French put both their air points into the counterattack from St. Quentin, but neither side does any damage. There is no exploitation movement, and the turn ends.

The French battled back mightily this turn, and the new net point total is -7.

Turn 6

The third week in June.

German

All German units are in supply, and they use their infantry replacement to restore the 40th Corps behind Guderian. The Germans get 2 air points this turn.

The Germans coming out of Belgium split their attacks between St. Quentin and Amiens, and Guderian drives west through the rough and all the way to Paris while his infantry attack the two corps guarding the Marne to the east. The rest of the Germans attack French units on the Marne and the Maginot Line.

The Germans lose their 25th Corps in the Maginot attack (+2 points), Rommel’s attack goes nowhere again, but Guderian attacks across the river to take one hex of Paris, destroying the French 3rd Corps (-2 points). But his infantry to the east fail to budge the two French corps guarding the Marne, doing only one hit on 21 dice, and taking a hit in return. But the attack on St. Quentin finally succeeds, doing 3 hits to none and driving the two French corps there back toward Paris. But the attack across the river at Amiens is stopped, with the loss of the German 11th Corps (+2 points).

In the exploitation movement phase, Guderian sends one of his armored corps to take the other half of Paris (-3 points).

Allied

The Allies receive the Canadian 1st Corps and the British 52nd Corps as reinforcements at Caen. All Allied units are in supply, and the Allied player gets one air point this turn.

The British and Canadian reinforcements head south toward Paris (they’ll get there in the exploitation movement phase) while the remaining British corps abandons the river line at Amiens to join its fellows and head for Paris. The remaining French hit the Germans who just advanced beyond St. Quentin. The two French corps east of Paris can’t move and have to attack the six German corps there at an overwhelming disadvantage. More pull west across the Marne, and the rest stay in the Maginot Line.

The attack on the St. Quentin advance does no good, losing the French their 11th Corps (-2 points), and the two corps defending the Marne are destroyed (-4 points). The British then advance on Paris during the exploitation movement and combat phases, but their attack is driven off with the loss of the British 52nd Corps (-3 points).

This turn, the French have imploded as mightily as they fought back last turn. The net point total is now -17.

Turn 6

The fourth week in June.

German

All German units are in supply, the Germans use a replacement to restore their 40th Corps, and they get 2 air points this turn.

It’s the last turn of the game, and the Germans need 3 more points to win. They have Paris, and they can’t get any units off the south board edge, so the only way to get more points is to destroy more enemy units. The richest point harvest is from British corps, so Guderian would like to go after the fleeing Brits and Canadians west of Paris, but doing that would expose his reduced Panzer corps to destruction. So the Germans gang up on the French, surrounding de Gaulle and the French 9th Corps at Chalons Sur Marne and the French 23rd Corps and 1DCR armored division two hexes south of Amiens. The Germans across from the Maginot Line retreat north so the Maginot Line units can’t hit them without response at the end of the turn.

The French 9th Corps at Chalon is annihilated (-2 points) and de Gaulle captured, and Guderian wipes out the remaining French corps and armored division near Amiens (-4 points). But they die bravely, inflicting two hits on the Germans on four dice, and since all German units are reduced, the 5th Corps dies (+2 points) and the rest of the units retreat one hex. Guderian’s mechanized units then retire to Paris in the exploitation movement phase, staying across the river from the British.

Allied

The net point total is -21, so the only way the Germans can not win is if the Allies make suicide attacks and do at least one step loss while not taking any themselves. The only Allied units left on the board are the Canadian 1st Corps and British 3rd Corps north of Chartres, and five French corps on the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line units can’t catch the Germans, and the British are far too sensible to engage in kamikaze tactics (and have no desire to die for France anyway). So they head west and will take ship home, and the Germans win!

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