Arras

21/5/40

Pictures of the game

The German attack on on France was a startling success. By the 19/5/40 the Germans had broken through the Allied front line and were pushing to the channel, leaving a vulnerable salient pushed deep into the Allied rear. The situation was ripe for a counter-attack against the flanks of the incursion but the French dithered. The British grew impatient as the Germans pushed westward and decided to launch their own counter-attack on the 21st. However the British, didn't have enough troops, didn't liaise well with the French, didn't have air superiority, didn't plan any artillery support, didn't have effective radios, didn't train for effective tank infantry co-operation and were up against Erwin Rommel one of the Germans' better generals. What could possibly go wrong? Luckily Rommel had been especially impetuous and sent his panzers ahead of his infantry and the Allies struck the gap between the two. What's more the British Matilda tanks were pretty much invulnerable to anything except the "88", though it was a shame most were only armed with a single MG.

Map and Order of Battle

Wartime map of the Arras: http://digitalarchive.mcmaster.ca/islandora/object/macrepo:8876

German Deployment

The Germans deploy first, however if the Germans deploy I/6 SB, II/7 SB and I/3 SS-T first the Allies can then deploy their forces simultaneously with the rest of the Germans

I/6 Schützen Bataillon deploys within 6" of Achicourt but not further west than the adjacent railway line, and not touching the village

II/6 Schützen Bataillon deploys within 6" of Beurains but not touching any BUA

I/7 Schützen Bataillon deploys within 6" of Mercatel but not touching any BUA

II/7 Schützen Bataillon deploys within 6" of of point W (where the ridgelines join) but not touching any BUA

I/3 SS-T deploys between Simercourt and Beaumetz, but may touch neither

II/3 SS-T Schützen Bataillon deploys within 6" of Riviere but not touching any BUA

III/3 SS-T Schützen Bataillon deploys within 6" of Ficheux but not touching any BUA

3 Kp Aufklarungs Abt SS-T enters the table turn 1 between points E & F

III/76 Artillery Abt enters the table turn 1 between points D & E

I/23 FlaK Abt enters the table turn 2 between points E & F

23 Panzer Regiment enters the table turn 7 between points A & I

Stab 7 PD (Rommel) enters the table turn 1 within 6" of point H

Other stabs can be placed within 6" of any subordinate unit

Representing logistics units is optional in this scenario as its unlikely that the British will be able to attack them. Remember that 25PR and 3 Kp Aufklärungs Abteilung SS-T do not have logistics.

Allied Deployment

4th RTR deploys within 6" of  Dianville but not in the ZOC of any German unit

6th DLI deploys within 6" of point V (where the road crosses the railway)

206 AT Battery deploys within 6" of point U (where the railway crosses the ridge)

7th RTR deploys within 6" of  Berneville but not in the ZOC of any German unit

8th DLI  & 260 AT Battery deploy within 6" of  Warlus but not in the ZOC of any German unit

365th and 368th Batteries 92nd Field Regiment are deployed off table. The 365th is in support of the 6th DLI (only) and 368th is in support of the 8th DLI (only)

Y Company 4th Northumberland Fusiliers can be deployed within 6" of any British unit, but must not start in an enemy ZOC

The 4th East Yorks enter the battle turn 5 between points C & D

HQ 50th Infantry Division may be placed touching any British unit except Y Company 4th Northumberland Fusiliers

British logistics enters turn 1 between points A & B, Use of allied logistics is optional as they can hide in a village where they will be relatively invulnerable to air attack.

Patrouille 12 Cuirassiers starts the game in Duisans

13e & 35e BCC enter turn 1 between points A & B

5e Brigade Légère Mécanique enters turn 2 between points A & B

II/11 RDP and the logistics enters turn 2 between points A & B

III/11 RDP enters turn 3 between points A & B

III/11 RDP  and PC 11RDP enters turn 6 between points A & B

Terrain

The table is 6ft x 4ft if playing 6" = 500m.

The open terrain is farmland. This is for the most part open fields with no significant field boundaries, so counts as open in the game.

The red lines are roads, they have no game effect

The black dashed lines lines are railways, they have no game effect except where bordered by brown dotted lines. The brown dotted lines represent embankments for the most part, though where the line traverses a hill it represents a cutting (which is treated like an embankment)

Arras is a BUA. It is out of play to both sides (but see special rules below). It is treated as a town centre BUA

The grey squares are villages and count as suburban BUA

The brown areas are level 2 hills. To simplify the terrain level 1 is not included. The brown lines are level 2 ridgelines

Aircraft

On turn 5 the Stukas arrive. From turns 5-8 every turn the Germans get two Ju-87B attacks

Special Rules

The game is 9 turns long. The last two turns are in darkness.

The German infantry was caught mounted and unprepared for the assault. In turns 1 & 2 all German units are rated as tactically incompetent to reflect this.

Both DHQs are HQ-0 so only give a command bonus to those units they are touching, In addition Rommel makes any non-SS German unit he is touching tactically competent (including in turns 1 & 2). If he is touching two units the player decides which one gets the bonus.

The British artillery in the battle was very bad. Thus it is called on a 5-6.

Arras is out of play to both sides:

• Any German unit within 6" will be attacked by 2FP if it is also subject to another British attack (artillery must be called down successfully if its the only other attack) the bonus applies to all shooting at targets within 6" of the town.

• British units subject to involuntary moves (ie forced back) may enter the town. Once in the town they must roll each turn to activate and leave the town. Any British unit at least partially within the town may not shoot.

Victory Conditions

There are three victory locations in villages: Beaurains, Mercatel, Ficheaux. The road from Walrus to Duisans is also a victory location.

At the end of the game if the British have a large base unit within 3" of any of the victory location villages AND the Duisans-Warlus road is not held by the Germans it is an Allied victory

At the end of the game if the British have a large base unit within 3" of any of the victory location villages OR the Duisans-Warlus road is not held by the Germans it is a draw

Any other result is a German victory

To hold the road the Germans must have a large base unit touching it

References

1er Cuirassiers: http://www.chars-francais.net/2015/index.php/journaux-de-marche/liste-des-journaux?task=view&id=1605

2e Cuirassiers: http://www.chars-francais.net/2015/index.php/28-documentation/jmo-historiques/1614-1940-2e-regiment-de-cuirassiers

3 DLM: http://www.tanaka-world.net/?p=3

7 Panzer Division Situation Map: http://ww2talk.com/index.php?attachments/dsc_0322-medium-jpg.83161/

11RDP: http://www.tanaka-world.net/?p=359 

12e Cuirassiers: http://www.chars-francais.net/2015/index.php/journaux-de-marche/liste-des-journaux?task=view&id=586 

25 Panzer Regiment at Arras - map: http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=478hdma&s=1

35e BCC: http://www.chars-francais.net/2015/index.php/engins-blindes/automitrailleuses?task=view&id=617 

65th AT Regiment RA: http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/65-anti-tank-regiment-royal-artillery-1940.36990/

72nd Field Regt RA: http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/72nd-field-regiment-r-a-northumbrian-t-a.49474/ 

151st Brigade War Diary: http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/151-brigade-anti-tank-company.62296/ 

Arras 1940: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=92493 

A Bias For Action : The German 7th Panzer Division In France & Russia 1940-1941, RHS Stolfi: https://archive.org/details/biasforactionger00stol 

Blitzkreig Legend, Karl-Heinz Friseser

British tank Operations in the Vicinity of Arras Maqy 19-23 1940: http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/the-arras-tank-attack.59130/

Northumberland Fusiliers: http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/oi-careful-of-my-combination-4th-battalion-royal-northumberland-fusiliers.9718/page-3 
 

RATTT: http://frisee.skyrock.com/538784413-regiment-d-artillerie-tractee-tout-terrain-type-DLM.html 

Totenkopf in May 1940: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=144899

Totenkopf Officer Losses (put  3SS TK at Arras): http://www.dws.org.pl/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=124918

The War In France and Flanders 1939-1940, Major LF Ellis: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Flanders/UK-NWE-Flanders-6.html

Ungleicher Kampf: Die SS-”Totenkopf”-Division bei Arras 1940: http://www.dmz-netz.de/2013/10/08/ungleicher-kampf-die-ss-totenkopf-division-bei-arras-1940/