Case Yellow - how the Allies **** it up even more

[warspite1]

16th May 1940
German Army Turn

The River Chiers has been breached. Elements of two infantry divisions west of Montmedy - the 68th and the 36th (plus 16th Army artillery reserves) - head over the water...... The weak 41st Division could not hold on any longer.

Liege and Eindhoven are both cleared of any remaining resistance

[warspite1]

16th May 1940
French 2nd Army and the French situation generally

The question for Gamelin and Huntziger is what to do now. A counter-attack is bound to fail and will probably allow a quicker exploitation by the Germans and a widening and consolidation of the bridgehead over the Chiers.....

There are no reserves available to plug the gap and so it would fall upon 2nd Army to both mount any counter and to provide units for a fall back position....and there just aren't enough.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: loki100

ORIGINAL: warspite1

15th May 1940
French First Army

General Blanchard is seemingly getting his units in place. The Cavalry Corps have been ordered south to bridge the ever widening gap between 1st and 9th Armies.
....

This set of updates sounds, worryingly, as if you feel you are getting some control over the situation?

warspite1

With my wargaming...ahem....capabilities, there is never any chance that I feel I have control over anything [:(][:)].

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: warspite1

15th May 1940
French 2nd Army

With the Germans seemingly double-backing on themselves, the focus I believe will be around Sedan and environs. To reflect this the French regiment of the 3rd Colonial Division defending the city are pulled back across the Meuse and the bridge is successfully blown.

Giving Sedan to the enemy without a fight?! Is that the courage that the French forces are famous for? [X(]

[;)]

warspite1

Well I tried holding Montmedy north of the river, but we've seen what good that did [;)]

[warspite1]

16th May 1940
French 2nd Army

Gamelin orders 2nd Army's right flank to fall back to the Meuse. He will order maximum air strikes to try and upset German plans to exploit the earlier breach in the river line. Meanwhile 71st Infantry will be rushed to the scene to try and help plug the hole to the left (red crosses) while the other hole will need to be plugged from available resources. The white line shows the area that XVIII Corps will hopefully be able to form a line behind.

[warspite1]

16th May 1940
French 2nd Army

Huntziger orders XVIII Corps to disengage as far as possible in order to try and set up a line behind the Meuse. A brigade each from the 1st and 3rd Colonial Divisions and 2 brigades from the 41st and Montherme Fortress Divisions are to be used as rearguards. The remains of the 2nd Cavalry will add their support to this operaton.

A brigade from the neighbouring X Corps' 3rd North African Division will assist this operation by providing flank protection between the Meuse and the Chiers. The remainder of the Corps will hold the sector up to the boundary with 9th Army. The reserve 71st Division is now in line.

Air strikes have been ordered against the most threatening German formations utilising anything and everything that can fly....

[warspite1]

16th May 1940
French 9th Army

The 9th Army are likely to be assaulted next. German formations have been probing the line but the actual assault across the river is expected south of Fumay, where elements of 10th and 1st Panzer Divisions are in position. Aerial and artillery bombardments are laid down where possible but these appear to have little effect. The good news is that most bridges are blown in 9th Army's sector, although those around the town of Givet remain stubbornly intact.....

Corap rallies the units of 4th North African Division that are likely to bear the brunt of the attack (Free). PP remains at 4 for the French.

[warspite1]

16th May 1940
French 1st Army

The stupidity of asking 9th Army to cover so much ground with so few forces, means that Blanchard changes his mind on the ground to be held. It is hoped that by shortening the line - albeit at the expense of the river barrier, enough troops will be freed up to allow a Corps of 9th Army to act as a reserve for the holding corps. The Belgian VII Corps will be asked to man the river line to provide a temporary obstacle to the Germans in the meantime.

[warspite1]

16th May 1940
Belgian Army

The movement today centres on VII Corps' attempts to hold the river line vacated by Blanchard's troops. Command and Control is at 60% and, the AP loss to VII Corps is 22.... Belgian losses are currently 22% and loses 1 morale point due to this.

Looking at the German formations bearing down on their exposed salient, this may not prove to be the best tactic ever employed. The RAF have been asked to provide assistance against the lead German elements but no units are available.....

To the south, the valiant remnants of K Corps blow all bridges in their sector.

[warspite1]

16th May 1940
Belgian Army

General van der Vekan orders the 4th Infantry Division to defend with all the resources at their disposal (2 x Free Cards) and so the units defending Hasselt will have a +25% bonus. Bridges across the Albert Canal from the town have all been blown. To the west units of the Cavalry Corps blow bridges at Aarschott.

[warspite1]

16th May 1940
Dutch Army

The Dutch continue to resist, but with Eindhoven now gone in the south it is surely just a matter of time....

Free cards are played on the 5th and 6th Infantry Divisions but they are about to be swamped by massed units of the XXVI Corps converging from north and south

[warspite1]

17th May 1940
German Turn

The Losses table after the German turn....

[warspite1]

17th May 1940
German Turn

Despite valiant work by regiments of the 1st and 3rd Colonial Divisions (ringed in white) the Germans XII, XIII and XXIII Corps push the French 2nd Army west southwest of Montmedy.

Worse however is that on the left wing of 2nd Army's sector, a panzer regiment from the 8th Panzer Division has breached the Meuse! That is a wholly unwelcome turn of events.....

[warspite1]

17th May 1940
French 2nd Army

The French have no tanks in the area, but recognising the need for speed, X Corps commander General Gransard orders artillery and air support before committing the 71st Division in trying to eliminate the small German bridgehead. The panzers however simply prove to powerful and bat away wave after wave of attack....


To what extent has this counter-attack weakened the overall defence?...

[warspite1]

17th May 1940
French 2nd Army

No time to think about that now. General Huntziger orders the previous plan to continue and so his right wing continue to pull back in order to try and gain a defensive line behind the Meuse.

The bridges are blown in XVIII Corps sector, but the biggest problem in X Corps. 55th and 71st Divisions are pretty much spent....

[warspite1]

17th May 1940
French 9th Army

The French III Corps from Blanchard's 1st Army is struggling to get in position to the south of the Sambre. This means that XI Corps remains in line, and cannot be used as a reserve in support of 9th Army's other two corps. The sooner they get in position the better. The question is whether the Germans make the breakthrough before that happens....

French artillery opens up all along the sector and a couple of desultory air strikes are ordered. The Germans appear to be probing for weaknesses in Corap's defences. But an assault cannot be far away. Lead elements of all panzer divisions of Army Group A are menacingly just east of the Meuse all along the front....


High level look at 9th Army's over-extended line. To the south is Huntziger's 2nd Army which appears not far from being broken, and to the north is Blanchard's 1st Army which I hope will be able to head south and shorten 9th Army's front. Meanwhile Giraud's 7th Army is still painfully making its way south to act as a reserve for either front. Finally general reserve units are heading east for the same purpose.

[warspite1]

17th May 1940
French 9th Army

Taking a closer look at 9th Army, let's see what cards are available.

Libaud's XLI Corps looks like it needs bolstering. The weak 102nd Fortress Division holds Mezieres and looks like it could benefit from a rousing speech from their corps commander (Free Card) that gives +25% to their defence.

[warspite1]

17th May 1940
French 9th Army

Corap recognises the vulnerability of the 4th North African Division west of Montherme and order additional supplies (Free Card) allowing +25% readiness.

[warspite1]

17th May 1940
Belgian Army

5th Panzer Division have begun wearing down the Belgian 8th Infantry Division, defending the river line in the Hannut-Huy-Namur salient. The most badly affected regiment is taken out of the line and replaced buy one that is frankly not much stronger. General Deffontaine, the VII Corps commander, urges additional effort from his troops (Free Card).

An artillery bombardment is launched against the 5th Panzer unit south of Hannut, although the results seem pretty ineffective.

[warspite1]

17th May 1940
Dutch Army

I assume the Dutch - having survived 2 days longer than historically - will depart pretty soon. They have 13PP and so it would be silly not to use them. The Dutch High Command order the flooding of the Polderlands, but this order is given before the front line units have a chance to retreat behind the line.... (10PP expended on this card). However, most of the units are able to scramble back west of the flooded area.


A before and after shot