Scenario: May 11, 1940.
Yesterday, the Germans invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Against all odds and forecasts, they quickly advanced through the Ardennes. The resistance of the Belgian and French troops varies: some units fight hard, some run at the first sight of the enemy. The main problem for the Germans is how to get their thousands of vehicles through the hilly landscape. There are traffic jams as far back as the Rhine.
In the late hours of 10 May, German troops capture the town of Auville, and the bridge over the Semois. The Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais offer fanatical resistance, but they are no match for the Stuka divebombers that bombard Auville: the Belgians hastily withdraw to the hills surrounding the bridge.
It is now May 11, 6am. The Germans (played by Jürgen C. and newbie Luke) attempt to expand their bridgehead at Auville. The Ardennes Hunters (played by Juvanov) try to stop them, aided by reinforcements in the form of a French armored column (played by Willie).
The German tanks move over the bridge, but are stopped by three strategically placed anti-tank guns from the Ardennes Hunters. The Belgians are soon strengthened by French tanks: Somuas and Char B1Ss that the German light tanks (Pz 35t and 38t) have difficulty destroying.
An heroic charge of four Belgian T15 tankettes against a screen of three German 88mms ends predictably in the immediate destruction of the tankettes. A nice story for the history books, but also a pointless waste of life and material. Meanwhile, the Ardennes Hunters evict the German infantry from Auville.
The battle ended in an Allied victory, thanks to:
the clever deployment of the Belgian anti-tank guns
pretty much constant poor dice rolling by the Germans
Willie's luck on rolling to arrive with his reinforcements on the table very quickly
and finally, German nonchalance in not reading the briefing properly!
The Stipsicz Hussars