All,
It's 0715 on 15 May 1940, and KG Klink, attached to the 7th Panzer Division, is on the move. The 7th Panzer Division has broken through the French front line and is on the road to Flavion, with reconnaissance elements pushing both north and south of the city in search of a way to by-pass the city, or at least find an undefended back door. North of Flavion, recce elements of KG Klink have discovered a ford over the River Moiste near a small farming hamlet; led by KG Klink's Reconnaissance Company Commander, 1st Lieutenant Wehner, the Germans quickly push across the river and secure a small bridgehead on the western bank, before sending for reinforcements. Colonel Klink, the Kampfgruppe Commander, immediately broke off a detachment of infantry and armor to reinforce Lt Wehner at the ford. But time is of the essence; French forces under Captain Cognac have spied the German bridgehead and are already forming up for a counterattack.
Overview, north is up, with the German baseline at right (east) and the French at left (west). The River Moiste is at center, running north to south, and the key ford is at center right, where the dirt road intersects with the river. The ground is flat, rolling fields, with heavy stands of trees at far right, bottom center, left, top left, and far left. Cabbage fields abound, providing no significant cover or concealment nor real impediment to movement, but there is a stone wall (the sideways 'V' at center left/bottom) that halts movement and is only barely passable to tracked vehicles; similarly, there is a wooden fence running along the northern side of the main, east-west running road. The fence itself is not the problem, it's the drainage ditch running just below, invisible to the naked eye ;) , the fence. At top left is The Farm, consisting of a residence, an outbuilding, and a barn. At center is the tollkeeper's house, and at top center right is Mademoiselle Chevelle's home.
The objective of the game is possession of the ford, with possession being defined as having troops on the enemy's side of the river at the conclusion of the fight. The Germans start the game in defensive positions, with guidance being to set up a significant amount of their forces on the western (French) side of the river. The French begin the game at The Farm, in the northwest (top left), which is their marshalling area for the counterattack.
Sgt Graebner's Pz IVC, sheltering behind Mademoiselle Chevelle's home, fires on a Somua S35. To see how the fight turned out, please check the blog at:
link
Anyway, hopefully we've given you an entertaining battle report to enjoy, some food for thought regarding the rules, and some food for thought regarding the future of KG Klink (and go ahead and toss your thoughts my way, please). Thanks for reading, hope you liked it.
Please leave a comment on the blog if you're willing and able.