Getting started can be problematic for me. I like the planning, the assessing the reviewing the rules reading. Playing a detailed, level game with significant rules overhead is often a wonderful way to procrastinate your life away!

But here it is, the Germans kick things off with a bang. :

The game starts very differently. Germany goes first with no respondent turn from the Allies.  Germany rolls for supply. OMG!!! Yes 16 SP for supply. Are you shitting me says Hitler!!  Wundabar!

Plus the German board is full of SP, they are replete, they have as El Heffe says “a plethora”. Moving South to North in the Southern portion of the Maginot line some divisions move to engage and threaten. 2nd Panzer and 1st Panzer go into Blitz mode. The German player feeling spiffy with truck loads of ammo following on pristine roads roars deep into the foreboding woods. The expected losses are in the 5-7 % range for our first over run! But wait what is this? Oops. Wooded hills half combat values….both sides are forced to take an option. The lone Belgian unit takes a loss rather than retreating.  We will blame that on first date nerves.

Quickly pretending those losses never happened the 1st Panzer moves on and parks next to another unit in the way of Sedan. While the 10th take up an option position allowing it to head West or South depending on what happens next turn. The Lehr and GD regiments motor up westward travelling with a  swag of Strategic movement mode infantry and others.

2nd Panzer and Kliest secure the village of Recoange. II Pioneers supports 1st Pzr’s attacks in 24.19 to boost odds. The rest of 1st Panzer sits in Marche-en Fameme.

Further North towards Liege the 7th Panzer is slowed by failed Stuka attacks and combats and sits at the banks of the slow moving Meuse River. Radioing back to the 11XXX they brings reinforcements and the 27 XXX decides to engage the Koch Kommandos at a key fortress on the Western side of Liege near Maastricht. The fortress holds and in fact only loses one step….The German hereditary instinct recall the quagmire of WWI. Surely we are not doing this again they think collectively during the assault.

Further North the 7th MG Battalion is the first unit across the Maas River. Here the Germans misallocate their forces as a better attack awaited them just a little South closer to Liege. That attack now waits until the Combat phase and the vagaries no Over run boost.  Nevertheless the 7th motors bravely forward. 3rd Panzer in Reserve eases forward towards the Maas.

The 9th Panzer overruns units in Arnehm and with the Witzig Commandos capture the bridge there. The 9th takes a painful loss tho, even with just a 10% chance of Axis losses they are forced to take 2 steps if they want to keep moving. Armored cars pay that price.

The Dutch retreat and rather than move off the road sacrifice themselves to absorb 3 more MPs from the 9th Panzer in a follow on Over run. Whilst noble, the Germans this time crush the Dutch in the open. The SS armored cars take advantage of the now clear road and tear thru the lowlands with the rest of the 9th Panzer. Below we see their deep advance.

The 3rd inching forward in Reserve:

The 7th FJ bravely chute in and succeed in all their landings. Quickly capturing an airfield in Leiden and landing adjacent to Utrecht the FJ’s put fear in the hearts of the clog wearing Dutch!

With the landing field secured the 22nd LL and aircraft arrive to reinforce the 7th along with 2T in supply.

After pausing to check supply and radio in barrage plans the Germans gear up for the offensive phase of the 10th of May. A barrage DG’s the 4s French unit marking the first casualties of the game for the French in the Ardenne. Combat ensues and the First Pzr. prepares for a sub optimal attack, taking an Ao1 giving a d101, which forces the French to retreat but the Frogs keep the road to Sedan blocked for now.

The German attack chips away at the fortress line over the Meuse:

Heavy bombardment by Dorniers knock the fight out of the Border Bns on the Maas and in Nijmegen. Heinkel 111’s finish off a Border Bn in Fort Dordrecht. Alas all is not well, the bombing of Amsterdam under perfect conditions fails, several bombers fall from the sky shot by AA.

In a move to separate the Allied forces from the Dutch the 3rd Panzer and 20th Motorized drive deeply into Holland and take up positions along canals. The Germans gamble that they will rectify supply considerations and stun the French and Belgians into inaction long enough to deliver a coup de grace.

Now with combat complete and roads open the units in reserve and those prepared to Exploit do so! The results above show the situation in the Northern sector of the map.

More detail on the 7th and 22nd LL positions:

Summary

Overall despite some mistakes on game play, and forgetting some planned attacks, the Germans did fairly well turn one. IF they pick up initiative there is a good chance for some serious carnage turn 2.  If not then the French may be doing the creation of carnage…. if you know what I mean. The overall situation Turn 1 May 10th.

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