France'40 Solo on Vassal

Well, with COVID19 it looks like face to face games ain't gonna be very frequent for a while.  Let's see what fun I can have with France'40 on Vassal.

The Germans launched four attacks.  All were successful, but with losses to both sides. The French tried a desperate defence of Charleville but failed, with losses.  Two GQG markers failed to stick in the south.

The French start to move reinforcements to the front.  The 2nd Army makes a counter attack towards to Sedan.  It causes losses to both sides, but the German determined defence holds.

On the second day the Germans launch seven attacks. Rommel has a 7 to 1 attack and throws a one.  He rerolls and gets another one.  At least he's advancing. Overall the Germans suffered four step losses. At this rate they will run out of fighting power pretty quickly.  At least they have a sizeable bridgehead at Charleville and Rommel is also across the Meuse.

In the north the French pull back to the Dyle Line.  In the centre they try and form a line.  In the south they counterattack just to the west of Sedan, inflicting a further loss on the German motorised troops.

Day 3 sees seven German attacks.  These produce mostly French retreats.

The French counterattack against Rommel in the North, inflicting losses and pushing the Germans back.  It could get interesting...

Day 4, May 16, the Germans make six attacks.  Two to the north of Namur, successfully breaking through the Dyle line after the failure of a French desperate defence.  Three to the centre, creating a large hole in the French line, and one to the south to secure Sedan.  The panzers are heading east!

This has also been the first turn that the German attacks have produced some Full Retreat outcomes on the French.

The German supply lines through the Ardennes are possibly vulnerable to some bold French counterattacks.

The French attack in the north to try and contain the Dyle Line breakthrough (they were lucky in that this is where there reinforcements turned up).  They also make an fruitless attack against 6th Panzer.  They have moved to block the road network north of Charleville, but really need to get their troops free from GQG paralysis in order to mount an attack towards Sedan and Charleville from the south.

De Gaulle has arrived and he's immune to GQG indecisions.  GQG is the French High Command, (Grand Quartier Général).

Day 5 and the Germans launch eight attacks, two of which are automatic defender shattered results.  Their attacks have broken the Allied lines in multiple places.

De Gaulle counterattacks, but to no avail.  The attack towards Sedan was slightly more successful.  Allied reinforcements arrived to the north and south east, just where they were needed.

Day 6 sees a further eight attacks, including another automatic as the Germans fight to secure Sedan, mop up some pockets and try to breakthrough north of Namur.  The French suffered heavy casualties defending their positions.

The French start a staged withdrawal from the Namur salient.  Units freed from GQG incompetence attack north.  This opens up the way to Charleville, but right into the jaws of the Wehrmacht. De Gaulle pulls back to try and form a new line in the west.  Good luck.

Day 7 and the Germans make twelve attacks, two of which are automatic. 1st Panzer captures St Quentin.  Mauberge is occupied in the north.  While the attempts to pinch off Namur failed, the city itself was captured.  A disaster of a turn for the Allies!

There are no French attacks.  Allied forces arrive in the nick of time to store up the north and south east.  The focus for the remaining units is to secure important cities controlling rail junctions.  The Germans have an infantry division not far from the the lead 1st Panzer Division (it is with the Gross Deutschland Regiment).  As a consequence Hitler is quiet relaxed about the rundown state of his panzers.

The Germans launch eight attacks on the eighth day of the offensive.  Laon is occupied by 13th Motorised. 2nd Motorised captures Douai after Rommel takes Cambrai.

De Gaulle surrounds 1st  Panzer, but it conducts a determined defence and holds on.  The isolated units around Namur start to perish.  The only bright news is the 87th African Division, with its attached 17th Tank Battalion, manage to breakout of its encirclement.

Another eight attacks on the following day see the Germans capture Reims, Soissons, Amiens and see them placed perilously close to cutting the north south railway line.  They have also started blocking entry hexes (which provides additional victory points).

Three much needed British units arrive in the north, however French reinforcements come on in the south east.  The Allies strike out through the gap separating the lead German units from the bulk of the army, seriously threatening their supply lines.

And in turn ten, the last turn, the Germans make ten attacks, two automatic.  Critically, they are able to cut the north south rail line in two places.

The French launch four attacks.  Maybe they can clear the Germans from the north south rail line?  The GD regiment is destroyed, but the 1st Panzer hangs on around Abbeville.

The Allies get two points for having destroyed two German units.  The Germans get five points for having blocked Allied entry points.  The Allies can not trace a rail or road line from north to south.  The Germans get ten victory points for that. While some German mechanised units would be out of supply next turn, this has happened too late for them to become isolated and provide any additional victory points to the Allies.

Result 15 to 2 German victory.

Let's see that again.