View Full Version : The French in Rethel 40
As the firts AAR, I played it with ER Chaser, it was a playtest for the tourney.
Turn 1.
Turn 1.
When the first German units came down to them, along the Aisne river, my troops were entrenched and ready to receive the shock. However, while the first line was already in place, the HQs weren’t dug in and unable to provide their artillery fire in support. ER Chaser IRs, some split, dodged in and out of my main positions. particularly to the West where the Château-Porcien defense was quickly isolated from the rest of the first line, even if the road to the South remained open. The same thing happened to the East where the battalion on Attigny found itself back in the same situation. Just before his assault the enemy decided to soften some strongpoint with his artillery in direct fire. The infantry attacks were well prepared, and if ER Chaser needed some rounds for that, his IRs forced French positions in several places. A surrounded battalion was wiped out to the center.
When my turn opened I was in difficulties to the center, but the wings hadn’t suffered too much, even if the situation was critical everywhere. Instead of retreating the still intact units on the Aisne river, I decided to place my units against the German line. Of course I kept a little number of units in reserve, notably an armored cavalry regiment. At this moment I didn’t see that I exposed my front between the static units and the Château-Porcien positions, with no unit to hold this opening. So I only let a little number of units in my rear, positioning them without many calculations. The first positions themselves suffered a lack of depth and didn’t seem able to absorb the next German attacks. At the same time I gave orders to launch counterattacks with the hope to take some hexes again, and then time, to ER Chaser to the center and to the West. And at the end of the tun I had many very risked positions.
Picture of turn 1 after my first movements.
The end of the turn, after few counterattacks.
Turn 2.
The 23 AK units started the turn with overruns leading them around a little town, Saulces, to the North of the Pauvre position, to the East. One of this IRs pushed its advance toward the South, bypassing the strongest defenses. Its raid brought it to the hearth of my defense, isolating him without any support form other IRs. To the West and the center ER Chaser had to lead some assaults, my battalions holding there positions during several rounds. But at the end the main part of my defenses broke, and two units were eliminated. So when I opened my turn the West showed an empty picture concerning the French, but with gray German counters eager to fill all that. There were not many French to contain the enemy advance toward Le Chatelet. There are more people in the center and in the East, but some units are exhausted, with this little orange or red button. The turn 3 and 4 would certainly be difficult on the left wing. To the right the situation looked better, even with the German overrun during the ER Chaser’s turn 2.
My defense became chaotic and I organized it without too much thinking. However and despite the fact that I was going to withdraw troops from the left, I decided to surround and attack the isolated IR in my line to the East with every available units. And the idea was good, the rgt didn’t resist a long time, evaporating from the first assault. But, then, the defense before the German invader at the end of the turn was as well organized as an ant’s nest after a kick. It was only some scattered pockets of resistance, weakly supported by HQs of which a great part was overunned or routed.
The situation after the first movemens.
Turn 3.
The replay began with the Pz units appearing to the South of the Aisne river. They ran toward Alançon and the static units. Facing a weak resistance, they rushed between my positions. There wasn’t a lot to stop them. The defense on Alançon swept out, the road to Le Chatelet was open, with only one armored cavalry unit to hold the town. To the center and to the East, facing better organized defenses, the IRs should launch several attacks before progressing in the direction of the South.
At this moment my defense didn’t seem able to stop anything, with the impression that the castle would collapse quickly. So my turn was short. The two armored cavalry counterattacked a reco battalion being adjacent to Le Chatelet. The assault repulsed it rapidly and its hex was occupied. There was now a (very thin) barrier between the first German units and the little town. I would have split one of the two units at least, which could have maybe resisted with the artillery support to the attacks. At the same time this defenses were easily destroyed the last turn… To the center it was worse, and only one cpie stood up before the German IRs on the Alincourt road. Otherwise a good defensive line still held Saulces to the East. Finally two battalions were in the middle of the German lines, and silencing them would take time and units. The French armored units, Groupe Buisson, were going to be released the next turn. They would be really alone when they would have to facing the German fury.
The Guderian PzK to the West.
Turn 4.
The Germans drove from the field everything there was around Le Chatelet. Some overruns cleaned up the West of the town, and my two French cpies in the sector were accompanied to the South of the La Retourne river. More or less surrounded, the two cavalry regiments wasn’t able to hold their positions a long time despite my hopes, and gave Le Chatelet with not many resistance. Maybe a lack of artillery support, some of my HQs being routed or badly positioned. In the second part of the turn it was a frantic retreat to the West, and the Germans reached the hexes before Alincourt. And one of the two pocket was reduced to the center, after fierce fights. At the same time nothing happened to the East, no attack.
So this turn began for me with the West and the center torn to shred, with a pocket in the middle of German troops on the road of Perthes, and a good defensive line to the East. And of course with the Groupe Buisson’s units waiting to the South West of the map. They were ready now. Trying to take lost ground again was pointless, and I decided to install a little defense around Alincourt for the next turn, more exactly around Juniville, Alincourt already being German, as the picture of the turn shows it. To the East the 14th DI attempted in vain to take an hex adjacent of Saulces. But a engineer battalion held it until the end of the turn.
Turn 4 in the East.
Turn 5 and 6.
The survivors of the left wing were repulsed to the South without difficulties, and Warmeville felt without resistance at the start of turn 5. The pressure on Juniville, on the La Retourne river, became more pronounced in the center. And an attack ended to repulse the units holding the city. But, misfortune for the Germans, no attacking unit came to occupy the position, which remained French. The German advance was relatively weak this turn, even toward the South West of the map. It was possible that the turn ended early, avoiding ER Chaser to make other attacks, notably on the surrounded pocket to the center, where a battalion still scoffed at the German forces at the end of the turn.
The defense going through Saulces remained quiet, ER Chaser not attacking in this zone. Maybe for the next turn ? The armored units blocked the access to the Eastern sector by holding a line from the North of Juniville to the South of the map. The road to Reims, to the West, was occupied by a mechanized regiment, with the goal to stop the Germans. Some fits were made in the defenses around Juniville, to prevent any bypass to the East. It was a quiet turn, with few movements and without any counterattacks, the HQs were placed on better positions.
I have no picture for this turn.
The German turn 6 was very calm. ER Chaser tried to reduce the pocket on the central road, without success. And desiring not to sacrifice soldiers without good reason, I decided to do nothing important too, except some movements.
And then, after a eventful game, and a weak defense to the West and some counterattacks without interest, I gave the victory to ER Chaser who had known how to lead his attack.
La Palice.
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