Let's Play Fall Gelb (Allied #6 - To the Dyle!)

[zool]

You should keep Belgian forces at the Gembloux gap rather than joining the rest of the army. Keeping that line is very important, north not so much.

That's true, but I only have one Belgian supply truck for the north. Meanwhile, I'm forced to keep the second one south to provide supply to the three Belgian divisions at Namur, which is kinda of a waste. the fact that there is no enemy aerial interdiction in the Gembloux region offers a unique opporutinity to reorganize the divided Belgian forces. I'm still hesitating though.

How much is the dug in bonus? Your forces gain any advantages by staying in place? I dont remember if you covered this.

The dug-in bonus is not very important (an additional -1 shift for the defender). However, entrenched units are harder to overrun, which is the main reason why it is important to entrench one's units.

By staying in place without moving for two consecutive turns, a unit gets an important bonus to its refit (eg refueling for motorized units, and recuperating energy for foot units). For example, the BEF's slow infantry brigades have expanded nearly all their energy during their walk toward the Gembloux Gap. Now that they're entrenched on a solid defense line, I'm going to try to move them as little as possible for the two upcoming turns, so they can fully refit and get back their original mobility reserve.

 

[zool]

Turn 5 (Allied) - The Belgians regroup

Not much happening this turn: in Holland, the Dutch took advantage of their last turn before their surrender to destroy an additional German unit and inflict some damage to a few others. In Belgium, I've decided to take the risk of moving my Belgians units from the Namur area to the north in order to join the main body of Belgian forces. Finally, I've hastily plugged the hole created by the German breakthrough of the Maginot line near Longwy.

Next turn, the weather is going to be cloudy, which means that my opponent will only get a small number of air interdiction (and with smaller radius than usual). This should give me some room to maneuver without being hampered by the Luftwaffe on halft the front.



Holland: last-ditch effort

Taking advantage of their last occasion to act, the Dutch troops leave their defensive positions and use their last bullets to attack targets of opportunity, hoping to bring a few more Germans into the grave with them. The lone German fallschirmjager battalion which had been holed up in The Hague for three turns is finally destroyed. Other attempts to destroy exposed German 2-step recon battalions fail.
The Dutch have fought well, destroying two German units in total (the only Axis casualties so far) and pushing my opponent to use one of his precious Stuka special attacks on turn 5 to finish the job. Next turn, all Dutch units will disappear from the map, and the Axis forces will only have to destroy the three remaining Dutch strongpoints in Utrecht, Amsterdam and The Hague to prevent me from getting the 10 VPs per turn each of those cities are giving me.

Belgium: the Belgians regroup

Belgian troops evacuate the southeasternmost sector of Antwerp and regroup in the inner city, where a new defense perimeter is set up. The strategic bridge over the Escaut estuary is blown up by Belgian engineers, thereby crushing Hitler's dream of a quick crossing which would have potentially destabilized my whole front. The remaining Belgian troops in Antwerp, which are all infantry units, will evacuate the city next turn and cross the estuary. Only one motorized AA unit will have to be left behind.
Between Mechelen and Wavre, the withdrawal behind the Dyle river is delayed by a Belgian AA unit short on fuel which cannot reach the Dyle this turn. Hopefully, next turn's bad weather will prevent Luftwaffe interdiction and make it easier to achieve a full retreat toward the Dyle.

Further south, the calm situation in the Gembloux/Namur area and the absence of the Luftwaffe offered too good an opportunity to regroup my Belgian forces. The three or so Belgian divisions which had escaped from Liege and the Ardennes and which were fighting around Namur cross the Gembloux Gap and join in with the rest of the Belgian army. This will allow me to strengthen my perimeter on the Dyle as the German 18th Army, which has now finished the job in Holland, is expected to flow south toward Belgium. Moreover, it will be much easier to manage Belgian supply with their two supply trucks rather than with a single one.
At Dinant, French units are unable to push back the powerful German units from the west bank of the Meuse. They dig in and wait for the shock, hoping to block German attacks. If it takes more than 10 turns for the Germans to finally break out of their bridghead, a huge tactical victory will have been achieved here.

France: plugging the hole

No action in the Monthermé-Sedan area: with the arrival of the 71st Division at Sedan, I pull the 3rd DIM out of the line and prepare to send it northwest to Dinant.

The heavy Luftwaffe interdiction near Longwy makes it difficult for me to move my units to form a new line. However, I manage to hastily form a new defense line by abandoning short portions of the Maginot line east and west of the breakthrough in order to shorten my line. Let's hope it will be enough to contain the 1st Pz-Div and its accompanying infantry. Longwy is abandoned, with a regiment of the 51st Division entrenched inside the town for a last stand (there is also a fortress on that hex).
FInally, a tactical success is achieved between Montmédy and Longwy: the French 41st Division, supported by an elite independent B1-bis tank battalion, manages to retake a strategic village which had been conquered by the 1st Pz-Div during its inital offensive there two turns ago. All German troops have not been pushed back behind the river yet but this is still a very good news.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Good job so far, zool, things are looking surprisingly positive for you!

 

[Malakal]

So, couldnt you overwhelm ze Germans trying to make bridgeheads? Cant you, for example, cut off their supply lines via bombardment and then strike? IRL they would have to be supplied by pontoon bridges and boats, easily destroyed by artillery.

Or are your troops that ineffective?

 

[Orgasm]

Ask the enemy dude to write what he is doing every turn. Post it afterwards.

 

[Kashmir Slippers]

To the last efforts of the Dutch troops!

Everything is looking good right now. (No questions )

 

[zool]

Good job so far, zool, things are looking surprisingly positive for you!

They are indeed. There hasn't been any major disaster so far, only minor inconveniences, and my front is getting stronger every turn. Still, with an opponent who knows the game engine very well and has über Pz-Divs at his disposal, I'll have to be cautious until the very last turn.

So, couldnt you overwhelm ze Germans trying to make bridgeheads? Cant you, for example, cut off their supply lines via bombardment and then strike? IRL they would have to be supplied by pontoon bridges and boats, easily destroyed by artillery.

Or are your troops that ineffective?

My troops lack the necessary punch to push back the very powerful elite German units which have crossed the Meuse (Pz-Divs, motorized infantry, Grossdeutschland regiment...). My only unit with some powerful offensive capability is the 3rd DLM, which has already lost one of its two Somua tanks regiment in a Stuka attack. My infantry units are good for defending but don't have much offensive capability. I have a reasonable amount of artillery to support a potential counterattack but so far, I've used it to interdict the right bank of the Meuse because I haven't been able to get good enough odds to attack.

I've also used all of the aerial interdiction I got so far there. I know those units on the west bank of the Meuse don't get any supply, but they've enough emergency supply to continue attacking for a few turns. However, I can't destroy the German pontoons and bridges with artillery or air power alone - I need to attack those pontoon units direclty with my own units. Note that this isn't completemy unrealistic: historically, French and British bombers were ordered to attack and destroy bridges and pontoons over the Meuse. However, despite numerous attempts and heavy losses, they were unable to hit any of them - bombers' accuracy wasn't top notch at that time.

Ask the enemy dude to write what he is doing every turn. Post it afterwards.

I've actually asked him already: he said he would try but that he might not have enough time on his hands to write a full review of every turn he plays. Considering that he sends back his turns much faster than I do, I don't feel like I'm really in a position to criticize him for not doing so.

Salute To the last efforts of the Dutch troops!

Everything is looking good right now. (No questions Razz)

The Dutchies have fought well indeed. Even though I knew this would actually be a good news on the strategic level, I had hoped my opponent wouldn't use his special Stuka attack to hasten the fall of Rotterdam, so I could have fun with them a couple more turns.

No worries, keep those questions coming!

 

[LusciousPear]

I don't know what's going on, but it *looks* fun! Props!

 

[zool]

n

Turn 6 (Axis) - Standstill


During his sixth turn, my opponent has failed to obtain any decisive victory along the front from Antwerp to the Maginot line. His only real success this turn is that his infantry managed to push back the Belgian units holding the center of Antwerp (where the Belgian supply source is located). This means that I won't be able to defend the city for long, due to the difficulty to provide supply to the defenders on the other side of the Escaut river.
The rest of the front sees a number of violent frontal attacks from German forces. Thanks to good dice rolls, they all succeed. However, even though they inflict losses, the panzers are still far from achieving any large-scale encirclement maneuver.


Holland: after the surrender

All Dutch forces have surrendered during the night. The German forces now occupy the country, with only two weak strongpoints left to destroy in Amsterdam and The Hague. This is probably going to be the last shot you see of Holland, where Anne Frank just locked herself in for a couple of years.

Belgium: frontal assaults


German infantry dislodges Belgian units holding the center of Antwerp, where the Belgian supply source is located. This means that I won't be able to defend the Belgian port for long, due to the difficulty to provide supply to the defenders on the other side of the Escaut river. Meanwhille, the 3rd and 4th Pz-Divs were partly pulled out and are visibly looking for a weak point in my defense line further south.
Most of the action in the sector takes places between Mechelen and Leuven, where the German forces have launched a series of frontal attacks on the weak Belgian line there. Thankfully, my troops fell back in good order, even though they incurred losses. More importantly, no enemy deep infiltration in our lines is reported.
The German infantry also attacked near Wavre, with similar results.

At the Gembloux Gap, the Germans still seem to avoid taking position in the gap, visibly fearing a trap.Instead, the Gemran armored corps in the area prefers to attack the BEF units holding the north defenses of Namur: the Brits suffer losses and have to retreat on the second line of defense. Namur's centre, where the Meuse river veer south, is still held by a Belgian elite regiment, the sole survivor of the 1st Ardense Jagers division. Its goal will be to sacrifice itself by holding as long as possible when the BEF is forced to retreat from the city. Holding this stategic crossroads for an additional one or two turns will further slow down the Germans.
At Dinant, my opponent got excellent dice rolls, which allowed him to push back my units entrenched into the woods and further expand his bridgehead. As you can see from the length of the movement arrows, we're pretty much in a static war in this sector, which is exactly what I was hoping. The Pz-Divs can only use their punch to try to make some headway in the woods. Their movement capability is wasted here.

France: the situation cools down


Not a single shot has been fired in the Monthermé-Sedan area, where my thin defense line is mostly held by substandard French infantry divisions. The heavily forested terrain and weak road network has visibly discouraged him from attacking there.

The enemy has failed to exploit his breakthrough near Longwy. The town itself has been taken and the French regiment defending it destroyed. However, my hastily assembled defense line south and southeast of the breakthrough hasn't been attacked.

 

[Malakal]

Static war yay.

Still, I am astonished by German ability to easily overrun your fortified positions in forests and cities. I guess those tiles dont offer enough defense bonus. Stalingrad couldnt happen in this game.

You should fall back towards Brussels and prepare a defensive line there. You are too exposed in that area. Other than that frontline looks solid and not threatening.

 

[Kashmir Slippers]

You seem rather optimistic for losing two defensive cities along your line. Do you intend on trying to push your way back to the supply hex in Antwerp, or are you going to cut your losses?

It has been said before, but I will say it again: This scenario seems to be pretty Axis-weighted. Granting that your opponent did get good rolls this turn, he is just wiping to floor with your units, so to speak. It appears that his job is just to hit you until your lines eventually give whereas you have to juggle logistics, an enormously elongated defensive line, and depressingly substandard troops. Do you have any other plan than simply grinding him to a halt, or is such a stop even possible. I see how the line held this turn, but there were no real "wins" for you, you just had lucky, uniform retreats.

Anyway, forgive my nay-saying. Fight on and give those damn Krauts a damned licking!

 

[Undead Phoenix]

Looking good. For you being a punching bag, that is.

 

[zool]

Thanks for the comments guys, keep them coming!

Static war yay.

Still, I am astonished by German ability to easily overrun your fortified positions in forests and cities. I guess those tiles dont offer enough defense bonus. Stalingrad couldnt happen in this game.

You should fall back towards Brussels and prepare a defensive line there. You are too exposed in that area. Other than that frontline looks solid and not threatening.

I've stated since the beginning that forcing my opponent into a static/attrition war was my objective, and it seems I'm on my way to achieving it. The scenario creator imposed pretty harsh requirements for the German player to get a victory in terms of global VPs: basically, if he cannot find a way to occupy all of Belgium and northern France AND to destroy a large number of Allied units (mostly through pocketing), he will lose. That's why forcing him into a static war is good for me.

Forest and city tiles offer very good defense bonuses. My opponent got lucky in Antwerp: even with the maximum odds (10-1) he achieved, he could only force a retreat if he rolled a 5 or a 6 - he rolled a 5. So Stalingrad is possible: on average, it should take him 2 turns before he can dislodge units defending in cities. Woods and towns are a little less favorable, and clear terrain is shit for defending. Basically, when it comes to defending:

City/Forest > Town/Woods > Clear

A fall-back behind the Dyle river is planned: it will shorten my front a little and defending behind a river will help holding out a little longer.

You seem rather optimistic for losing two defensive cities along your line. Do you intend on trying to push your way back to the supply hex in Antwerp, or are you going to cut your losses?

It has been said before, but I will say it again: This scenario seems to be pretty Axis-weighted. Granting that your opponent did get good rolls this turn, he is just wiping to floor with your units, so to speak. It appears that his job is just to hit you until your lines eventually give whereas you have to juggle logistics, an enormously elongated defensive line, and depressingly substandard troops. Do you have any other plan than simply grinding him to a halt, or is such a stop even possible. I see how the line held this turn, but there were no real "wins" for you, you just had lucky, uniform retreats.

Anyway, forgive my nay-saying. Fight on and give those damn Krauts a damned licking!

Unfortunately, I don't have nearly enough artillery to get good enough odds to retake the supply hex in Antwerp. Moreover, as I wrote above, I would have to be lucky with the dice. Finally, my Belgian units still in Antwerp are nearly out of supply and I don't want to waste it on an hopeless counterattack. Antwerp will fall soon, my only objective now is to evacuate those troops to the left bank of the Escaut.

Your description of the scenario and of the Allied commander's job nails it perfectly. There is no way I will ever push him back behind the Rhine. I will have to fall back slowly in Belgium because overall, there are too many areas with clear terrain where I have no chance to stop him for good. The "win" for me is to fall back at my own pace and to prevent any medium or large-scale encirclement of my troops. If I can achieve this, it will be a total victory for me. In other words, recreating a WWI situation > getting defeated by the German blitzkrieg.

Looking good. For you being a punching bag, that is.

You can expect more of the same until the end of the scenario, except if my opponent manages to break through and blitzkrieg me into defeat quickly.

 

[zool]

Turn 6 (Allied) - To the Dyle!


The sparse Luftwaffe interdiction has allowed Allied troops to maneuver unhindered this turn. My defense system is now fully in place, with tactical obile reserves behind my lines at regular intervals. In spite of a few worries at Antwerp and the Maginot line, I'm very satisfied with the overall situation.


Belgium: to the Dyle!

The Belgians have completed their withdrawal behind their main line of defense: the Escaut and Dyle rivers. There, a solid line has been established and it will take serious German assaults to push us back. Moreover, the French 1st and 2nd DLMs are now fully refueled and positioned at strategic locations behind the front from where they can quickly intervene in case of a breakthrough. The only real area of worry there is Antwerp, where I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to save my nearly-out-of-supply unit stuck in the city on the right bank of the Escaut.

Mauled British units near Namur are taken behind the front to refit and fresh infantry brigades take up the gauntlet. The German assault on Namur will be bloody for both sides.
At Dinant, the French double defense line in the woods seems impregnable. If the enemy gets a little less lucky with the dice than this turn, he won't make much progress.

France: waiting for reinforcements

Still no action in the area. The 3rd DIM and 5th Cavalry have been pulled off of the front. They will be more useful elsewhere.

Taking advantage of my opponent lack of punch last turn, I strenghten my defense line south of Longwy. Two fresh infanty divisions will soon arrive in the area from the map's edge.

And for a general feel of the strategic situation:

 

[Orgasm]

You know what rocks? Text-in-picture rocks. Since you started doing it, it became possible to tell whats going on and where.

 

[Malakal]

Will the 9th panzer division together with that SS one give Germans enough punch to try and assault your northern line? You only have Belgians there...

Nice looking trap at Gembloux Gap. Hopefully something falls into it.

Also its strange that he concentrated so much forces in the middle of the frontline. With mobile enough forces he could throw them all along the front but the central area itself has horrible terrain.

Finally if You pulled back 3th and 4th army from the east it looks like you could use only one to establish a defensive line south 2th army current position. How is the terrain there? Cause map favors such movement.

 

[zool]

Bad news (or good news, depending how you see it): my opponent threw in the towel, saying his opening moves were subpar and that he now had next to no chance to win. He also said the Allied artillery interdiction capability (which I used massively at Dinant and on the Maginot line) was overpowered.

It's really frustrating for me, as I was rather happy with my opening moves and was looking forward to see how the situation would develop now that the historical breakthrough had been averted. I was particularly looking forward to how the Belgians would hold out in the north once the German 18th Army reached the area. Oh well, I guess it's understandable: it's always hard to force oneself to play the remainder of the game when you know you've probably already lost. Still, bummer.

 

[Orgasm]

Called it.
Still disappointed by the dude, looking at german oob he should have enough to continue. Cant be that hopeless.

 

[Malakal]

BOO-HOO tough luck Mr. German player show us some great skills to compensate for bad opening!

He should have at least tried forcing a breakthrough with a massive attack on the whole frontline...

But well, good job, congratulations on winning the scenario!

 

[zool]

Yeah that really sucks. As a last resort, he could have shifted to a Schlieffen plan, massed his Pz-Divs in the Belgian plains and tried to force his way through. I hate it when people bail out on me because things aren't looking good for them.

A true warrior fights to the bitter end. :honourblade:

 

[Undead Phoenix]

The French (with a little help from the Belgians, the British and the Dutch) beat ze Germans? Fucking hell, I didn't expect a surrender from the axis side.

LP was good and promising as well

 

[Malakal]

Now he has no other option but to do another LP of a grand strategy game and carrying the torch till the end!

 

[zool]

For now, I'm thinking of asking for a rematch with us switching sides, so I can take the Germans and try to prove him that the scenario is not unbalanced. Or we could play a smaller scenario (Creta, Sicily...).