2nd Battle of Stonne
Encounter at Denee
General background
The Gembloux gap is a portion of southern Belgium in which French and German armored divisions fought a series a tank battles during the period spanning May 12 to May 14, 1940. It was one of the few places in the offensive where French Armor was able to be employed "properly". Unfortunately for the French, the damage that they inflicted on the Germans was relatively meaningless; since, the German advance in the region was a feint designed to draw off forces from the real advance at the Meuse near Sedan.
Even though the French were pushed back by the Germans, they destroyed about twice as many tanks as they lost while being heavily outnumbered.
I will present the following game as a single scenario, but depending on the rules used and the size of your table it could be played as a mini campaign.
The Scenario
The battle takes place over gently rolling terrain northeast of
the city of Gembloux on May 13th. The battle involves elements
of the 4th Panzer Division and the 3eme DLM (Light Mechanized
Division), and encompasses air, armored, and infantry formations.
The Germans are on their advance to the channel and are in the
process of clearing French troops out of the villages before them.
The French have moved their light mechanized and cavalry divisions
forward into Belgium in accordance with the Dyle plan. The French
are poised to thwart the much anticipated German main thrust.
The Forces
The units involved in the battle were among the most modern and mobile of both armies. The Germans possessed numbers, mobility, initiative, and organization; while, the French benefited from generally superior armor and firepower.
The Germans typically practiced aerial bombardment prior to their advance and led with armor closely supported by motorized infantry. German armor from the 35th Panzer Regiment lead the fight in this area. The Pz III and Pz IV units from the 3rd and 4th Panzer divisions had been thinned out to fill out the 5th and 7th Panzer Divisions so the company strengths are non-standard. I have attempted to estimate the strength of the companies from battalion strength reports prior to the battle. The German Forces for the game are as follows:
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| 1 Flight of 4 Ju 87 B Stukas w/bombs | 1 Flight of 3 Me 110 C w/cannon only | |
Infantry PHQ has 7 men, 1 ATR, 1 MG34
Mechanized Rifle Squad has 10 men, 1 MG34
Motorized Rifle Squad has 12 men, 1 MG34
The size of Pz I and Pz II platoons could range from 4 to 6 vehicles,
additionally, Pz III platoons may have been filled out to 5 tanks
with
Pz I or Pz II.
The German aircraft are available from the start of the game.
The French forces are from the 3eme DLM and are deployed in and around the three towns.
Merdorp Group
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H-39 Company 1 H39 CHQ 5 H39 Pltn 5 H39 |
Motorized Infantry Platoon 1 PHQ w/Truck (5 men) 3 Infantry Squads 1 Truck w/Rifle Squad (14 men) |
MG Section 2 Medium MG 2 Truck |
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Anti-Tank Sections 3 25mm Gun w/Truck |
Jandrenouille Group
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Medium Tank Pltn 5 S35
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Mortar Section 2 81mm Mort 2 Truck
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Motorized Infantry Platoon 1 PHQ w/Truck (5 men) 3 Infantry Sections 1 Truck w/Rifle Squad |
Jandrain Group
Light Tank Sections Anti Tank Sections Motorized Infantry Pltn
5 H39 Pltn 4 47mm AT Gun 1 PHQ w/Truck (5 men)
5 H39 Pltn 4 Truck 3 Infantry Sections
1 Truck w/Rifle Squad
MG Section Infantry CHQ
2 Medium MG 2 Motorcycle
2 Truck (14 men) 2 Truck (16 men)
(1 Radio)
Additional Units
Armored Car Platoon Artillery Battery
3 P178 6 155mm Gun
The infantry squads consist of 9-11 (sources vary) men, 1 LMG
Only the CHQ and P178's can direct the artillery battery.
Spotters for the French mortars must be located within 100 meters
of the
mortar crew as they direct fire over field phones and have only
100 meters of wire.
The Map
The map is adapted from Michelin Map # 213 and others as well
as numerous photos from many sources for use with my modular terrain.
You may need to adapt it somewhat to fit your terrain.
The map covers an area measuring 2km by 3.5km and with tick marks
every 250m along the edges. The towns consist predominately of
simple one and two story stone buildings. The countryside is made
up of farmland and is broken up in a maze of fields by fence,
wall, and tree/shrub lines.
Setup
The French are deployed throughout the countryside with concentrations
in towns and easily defended topography. The Germans are approaching
from the east after pushing through the cities of Hannut and Thisnes.
German forces enter the table on and near the road into Merdorp
from Thisnes.
The French forces have been listed by their general setup areas.
The Merdorp Force sets up in Merdorp proper. The Jandrenouille
Force sets up in Jandrenouille and in cover north of the town.
The Jandrain Force sets up in the wooded rise south of Jandrain
and along the south and east perimeter of Jandrain itself. The
P178's would probably be retreating from the vicinity of Thisnes
and be on one of the roads along the eastern edge of the table
or set up in cover near the eastern edge; however, they should
not be in Merdorp. The artillery is controlled/directed by the
CHQ attached to the Jandrain forces.
The Historical Battle
In the actual battle, the Germans advanced down the road to Merdorp
where they began engaging H39 light tanks located in Merdorp at
about 1000 meters. The Germans broke off and using terrain managed
to close to about 600 meters before exchanging fire again. After
having little effect and taking tank, anti-tank gun, and machine
gun fire from the town, the Germans decided to swing around to
the north of Merdorp.
As the German forces swept west of Merdorp, the H39 company (11
tanks) came out of the town and engaged the Germans in the farm
fields. As the battle moved west the Germans began to draw fire
from guns and infantry weapons located on the high ground toward
Jandrain. Eventually a small number of S35 medium tanks were encountered
near Jandrenouille.
After pushing the French out of the low lying areas, they turned
and cleared the town of Jandrain where they destroyed the small
number of H39s encountered and captured several anti-tank guns.
The fighting in the area ended with the French being forced to
withdraw and re-deploy west and south. The Germans ended their
advance around 6:00 in the evening to prepare for the next day.
Objectives and Victory
The battle ends when six hours of game time have passed, when
the French are forced to retreat from the table, or when the Germans
are no longer capable or willing to continue the fight. Within
the scope of the game the German objectives are to capture each
town, force all French forces from the table (while destroying
and capturing as many as possible), and loosing few enough tanks
to be able to continue the advance (under 50%). French objectives
are to maintain control of the towns, repel the German attack,
and destroy twice as many German tanks as they loose.
I have played this out several times and the Germans have never
cleared the French from the table and been able to continue on
their march. The best German victory resulted in capture of the
three towns and complete French retreat .
The best French victory resulted in each of their objectives being
met with smashed German forces having to retreat.
Odds and Ends
There are a few odds and ends that should be included in the game,
in other words, limits on the French. The three French groups
can only communicate by messenger and should not be allowed to
coordinate otherwise. French forces down to platoon level can
only react to what they can see and hear. The Germans should have
twice the firing rate of the French. Any turn in which French
tanks change orders or action (i.e. begin or end an advance or
retreat ,etc.)the platoon commanders tank in each platoon involved
cannot fire due to the one man turret. If the CHQ radio is destroyed
and all of the P178 armored cars are destroyed, the French lose
their artillery. If the P178's are being used to direct artillery,
there should be an extra time lag as another tier of command structure
has to relay the request.
As the units included are close to those involved, but not exact,
feel free to alter the organizations. To better reflect the infantry
battle in Jandrain, add 2 companies of French and one company
of German infantry. The Germans probably had combat losses from
the battles at Hannut and Thisnes, but they are not reflected
here. Additionally, there were a large number of Pz I's attached
to this panzer regiment, so it might be reasonable to replace
up to half of the Pz II platoons with Pz I platoons.