Scenario 30 "Ad Hoc at Beaurains"
Scott B
AD HOC AT BEAURAINS
SCENARIO 30, CRESCENDO OF DOOM
AFTER ACTION REPORT
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Guderian reached the channel on 20 May, only seven days after crossing the Meuse. The Panzer Corridor split the Allies, trapping the British and French forces in the north. The objective of operation Sichelschnitt had been reached. However, the German foot infantry was far behind and between them a void that stretched the Panzer divisions vulnerably thin.
The British Plan
What started as a limited operation to relieve Arras quickly grew into a coordinated four division attack to close the corridor. CIGS Ironside bulldozed the French into acting on the 21st. Except the French were too disorganized to carry it out. Communications between armies north and south of the corridor was lost. The French air force was ordered to support the attack but never provided a front, targets nor zero hour. The British never changed the original orders of the limited operation. Furthermore, the attacking units of Frankforce were diluted by assignment to reserve and flank protection. In the end, only fifty-eight machine gun armed Mark Is and sixteen 2 pounder armed Mark IIs were available for the assault. The French provided the 3rd DLM (Prioux) to cover the right flank. However, they did not attack from the south at all.
The Action
General Martel formed two columns to “clear and capture the area south of the River Scarpe from inclusive southern outskirts of Arras including Pelves and Monchy, thence line of Cojeul river as far as road Arras-Bapaume.” Bapaume was thirteen miles south and halfway into the Panzer Corridor, an optimistic objective considering the size of Frankforce. The Right Column had twenty-three MK Is and ten Mk IIs and the Left Column had thirty-five Mk Is and six Mk IIs. Priox had Somuas. At 14:30 Martel began his operation, simply fighting through or driving over any resistance that got in his way. He continued until eventually brought to a halt by German resistance outside Beaurains.
On the night of 20th, Rommel advanced from Cambria to the outskirts of Beaurains by 6:00 and assumed defensive positions south of Arras. On the 21st Frankforce attacked, throwing the defenders into disarray and penetrating the positions. The German anti-tank guns could not penetrate the Matildas, infantry retreated, sweeping up the gun crews with them. Rommel tried to create order and established a line of guns between Agny and Beaurains. He personally assigned targets to each gun. Finally, the divisional artillery and 88mm AA guns halted the British. However, the Germans suffered heavily, with casualties four times greater than the break-through into France.
The German Command Reaction
Frankforce struck a German nerve out of all proportion to the number of tanks and sent a jolt of panic to the very top. The S.S. Totenkopf had abandoned its first line in haste. Rommel believed there were hundreds of enemy tanks and five divisions attacking. Kliest’s Army Group A was temporarily halted until the situation was resolved. Finally, it infected Hitler himself with a nervousness and cautiousness that would help the British evacuations at Dunkirk. On the 24th, Hitler ordered a halt with Guderian barely ten miles from Dunkirk.
RESOURCES
“Ad Hoc at Beaurains.” CRESCENDO OF DOOM. Baltimore, MD: The Avalon Hill Game Company, 1980.
https://storage.googleapis.com/archivesqlt/CAJ00030A.pdf
The Battle of Arras. Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arras_(1940)
Horne, A. (1988). To Lose a Battle: France 1940. Penguin. (An excellent companion to CRESCENDO OF DOOM.)
The History of the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiments
1940 – 1941. (n.d.). 4and7royaltankregiment.com. Retrieved August 16, 2023, from https://4and7royaltankregiment.com/1940-1941/ (includes eye-witness account)
Rommel, Erwin (1982) [1953]. Liddell Hart, B. H. (ed.). “The Rommel Papers”. New York: Da Capo Press.
Ellis, L F, Major. The War in France and Flanders 1939-1940. United Kingdom Military Series. London, 1954. Hyperwar.
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Flanders/UK-NWE-Flanders-6.html
Mike. (2021, February 28). Arras France 1940. Mike’s Research. (Matilda's names) https://mikesresearch.com/2021/02/28/arras-france-1940/
INITIAL SETUP
A board’s width is ten hexes x four boards is forty hexes to cross, as the bird flies. The Mk Is could exit the board in seven turns, if one could go straight across without obstacles or combat. The Moving Vehicle rule is introduced, allowing vehicles to continue movement during the enemy player turn. They received a 10% MP bonus and are a moving target to hit. Moving firer DRMs apply during their player turn, and SPG may not fire their MA at all.
GAME TURN ONE TO FOUR
British Comments
The armor is thick but these tanks are slow. The Mk1s move along at the sedate pace of six movement points, the same pace as infantry with a leader. It takes two turns to reach the second level of a hill. They decided to run the gauntlet instead, Matildas are not afraid of 37L guns, even a lot of them.
German Comments
The first German reinforcements on the board were two 37L ATGs and their trucks. I hoped to set these up so that the threat of these guns would force the British armored column to move through the woods/road to the east. Unfortunately, it became clear that the British wanted to chase them down and kill these units before they could deploy. Fortunately, the one advantage the Germans have at this point is speed. The trucks and their towed guns fled south to meet up with other reinforcements coming in from that direction. Good deployment spots were passed along the way as there was not enough time to deploy before the Matilda's arrived.
The reinforcements from the south reach the ATGs and they set up together.
GAME TURNS FIVE TO SIX
British Comments
The Matilda 1s have moved less than the width (not length) of two boards in six turns. I honestly don’t know how the British designed such slowness into a tank. The Matilda IIs protect the herd as they lumber down the board. So far the Germans haven’t shown themselves to the 40L, they are probably waiting for the 88s to arrive.
German Comments
The German dilemma is that they do not have big enough gun calibers to penetrate the Matilda’s armor. At the same time, the British 40Ls can be lethal. So far, British shooting has not been good, but it will likely be only a matter of time before they find their mark.
The Germans set up a perimeter around the British advance to try and get as many side shots as possible for immobilizations when the Brits roll through. They wait for their infantry and the 88s to arrive. The infantry could take on the Matilda IIs as they have only AP ammunition and 2 FF CMGs. The armor/88s should deal with the Matilda Is as they have only CMG and one man turrets. The first step at this point is to make the British button up.
GAME TURN SEVEN TO EIGHT
British Comments
The British are a shambles. The Matilda I’s are so slow that I lost patience and pushed my armor onto the hill and surrounding area to engage the MkIIIs. It is a sad state of affairs when the Matildas succumb to the 37L guns not once but twice. Other parts of the battle are no better. Four Matildas are either destroyed, Immobilized with disabled MA or fleeing the battlefield, that is ⅓ of the OB.
It is embarrassing when the Matildas attack a truck five or six times and don’t scratch it. It's humiliating when it is finally finished off by its own OBA.
It is tragic when your Matildas go against the 37L’s TK shots of ‘3’ and ‘4’ and lose twice, without inflicting any damage in return.
It is cruel when the dice goddess finishes the turn with a ‘6,6’ and followed up with a repair dr of ‘6’.
I cannot even think about the pending arrival of the 88s.
German Comments
The Germans had no choice but to contest the hill with their small 37L guns. If the British could get to the top, they would create a real headache for the German defenders. That fight went unexpectedly to the Germans as the reverse slope defense fired everything they could at the British and destroyed two tanks. Additionally, a Matilda II malfunctioned its MA permanently and a Matilda I was stunned. That stunned tank will have to withdraw out of the fight.
All British tanks are now buttoned up for fear of getting another tank stunned. This means that the Matilda Is will be subject to radioless vehicle problems. There are now only 9 advancing British tanks and the 88s have not entered. This means that at least 8 of them will have to exit.
GAME TURN NINE
British comments
Well, the 88s arrive this turn and the British need to exit eight tanks, one more KO or immobilization loses the game . The Germans gain battery access and call down an FEE. It knocks out one of the Matilda’s as it moves through for a German win. And that was that.
German comments
The final trick was to take enough side and rear shots at the remaining tanks to get the German win. The FFE did the trick.
AFTERMATH
British Final Comments
The British played a less than competent game and deservedly lost. They should have taken the height and engaged the Panzers with their superior guns. Instead the Germans flanked them, shot them up, stunned and immobilized them. The 88 were not needed to win. Better British play may have changed the results.
It felt like the Germans were firing 88 shells from their 37L guns. However, when one considers the two rate of fire, multiple hits, shock and penetration then the probability of success was not so bad. Good German employment of his forces provided the opportunity to play the odds.
German Final Comments
The Germans have the advantage of speed, but their pea shooters can punch through the British frontal armor. To even up the odds, the Germans have to maneuver into the sides/rear of the advancing British.
Additionally, the two types of British tanks present different countermeasures to be used against them. The Matilda II has poor defense against infantry as they only have AP ammunition for their 40L and 2 fire factor CMGs. The Matilda I only has CMGs and lighter armor and should be engaged by the German tanks.
In this game, a combination of German OBA, infantry threats, point blank fire, and good luck did the trick. If the British took the high ground early and luck had been more even, this game might have had a different ending. Thanks to Scott for a great game.
APPENDIX
BRITISH ARMOR
Tank Chats #43 Matilda I | The Tank Museum. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp1m01ezzMg
Inside the Tanks: Matilda II. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://youtu.be/Z_DxsuVm_vY
Matilda II Pt 1. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSxQPCv1vXU, Part II https://youtu.be/PfTDDhNmRN4, Part III https://youtu.be/PisX0dELMfY, Part IV https://youtu.be/CVxBFzC6SYQ.
GERMAN ARMOR
Sd.Kfz.251/10 Ausf.D in Action. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://youtu.be/vTVHJqlEiBE
Panzer I - II Light Tanks. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://youtu.be/BgbrLuA2oQE
Panzer III Part 1. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://youtu.be/W9l2_8rh1vs, Part II https://youtu.be/O8N_70he_G0.
Panzer 38(t) Ausf.A Part 1. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://youtu.be/MpM5T8o1XGo
Under New Management | Panzer 38(t) Ausf.A Part 1. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://youtu.be/MpM5T8o1XGo
WW2 Panzer 35(t) - LT vz. 35 - Panzerkampfwagen 35(t) - footage. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023, from https://youtu.be/E5n4OdiwqGA
ORDER OF BATTLE
