Dave Shaw
dshaw62197@home.com
Dynamo: Dunkirk 1940
Wargamer #53

Dynamo: Dunkirk 1940 simulates the German drive to the English Channel
during the French campaign of 1940 and the subsequent evacuation of
Allied forces in the Dunkirk pocket. The small map depicts the area of
northeastern France from the Somme River to the Franco-Belgian border.
Units represent divisions and regiments; each turn represents one day of
real time.

The game covers the period from the first days of the German armored
breakthrough at the Meuse to the lifting of the final British and French
troops from the beaches of Dunkirk. The German player must destroy as
many Allied units as possible (losing as few of his own units as he can),
while the Allies must break through the German spearhead to the Channel.
Failing that, the Allies must evacuate as many units as possible before the
Germans overwhelm the surrounded armies.

Two scenarios are offered: the historical battle, and a "no stop order
issued" fight where the Germans are allowed to vigorously attack the
Dunkirk perimeter. The historical battle usually proceeds as history
did: the Germans reach the coast; the Allies attempt a breakout (which
has a decent chance of succeeding - no "idiot" rules to keep the Allies
in an impossible situation); and some sort of Allied evacuation takes
place (either off the Channel coast or into France past the Somme).

The ahistorical scenario is more exciting, in that it lets the German
player answer the age-old question, what would have happened if the
Germans assaulted the fleeing British armies, rather than let them slip
away. DD40 makes the case that it would have not been easy for the
Wermacht: the canal-lined, waterlogged terrain around the Dunkirk make
it hard for the German player to eliminate the BEF without suffering a
lot of casualties - making it difficult for the Germans to get a
clear-cut win.

Overall, DD40 is a good game. It has some genuine tense moments to
offer, and is fast-playing enough to be finished in one sitting.  Perhaps its
strongest point, though, is that it allows players to examine a crucial
point in the Second World War and answer the question, "What if?"