David Buckland - 02:20am Dec 14, 1999 PST (#394 of 402) 

In a job like mine, which requires attendance at a great many boring
conferences and seminars, one of the advantages of modern technology is
that, rather than having to look interested in the proceedings (an
increasing strain as the day wears on), I can instead keep myself
occupied by writing reviews for Consimworld on the laptop. No-one can
distinguish this from more gung-ho activities like writing notes on the
proceedings. So, after getting home and checking the details, herewith a
review of Vae Victis’ Le Matz game. I will cross-post this in the WWI
folder as well.

LE MATZ 1918: A REVIEW 

Le Matz was the issue game in Vae Victis No. 24 (Jan-Feb 1999), and
covers the Western Front battle of June 1918. 

Historical Background 

Operation Gneisenau was intended by Ludendorff to stengthen the flanks
of the salient which the earlier success of Operation Blucher (the
Chemin des Dames offensive) had won, and to draw away Allied reserves
from Flanders, where he intended to launch his final, war-winning,
attack (Operation Hagen). The German salient was particularly vulnerable
because it lacked good communications (especially rail) back to the
original German front line, which the capture of Compiègne would help to
remedy. Although there was a subsidiary attack by the German 7th Army
(Boehn) to the east, the main blow was to be delivered by the 18
divisions of Von Hutier’s 18th Army. Preceded by another Bruchmuller
bombardment, the Germans opened the Battle of the Matz (aka the Battle
of Noyon) on 9th June. For the first few days, progress was reasonable,
but the French were prepared, and – in contrast to Duchêne’s 6th Army a
fortnight earlier on the Chemin des Dames - Humbert (3rd Army) had
prepared a defence in depth. In addition, the German attack had been
predicted, and a counterattack force assembled, to be commanded by the
fiery Mangin. This was launched on the 11th, and brought the offensive,
which had been beginning to falter, to a halt. On the 12th, faced with
escalating losses which he could ill-afford, Ludendorff ordered Von
Hutier to go over to the defensive.

Strategically, the battle is seen by many commentators as yet another
tactically effective German attack (casualties were, according to one
source roughly 40,000 French, 25,000 Germans, although the article
accompanying the game gives a figure of 60,000 French losses) which was
nevertheless strategically fruitless, frittering away precious manpower
in the stosstruppen divisions, while not advancing Hagen, or even
achieving its immediate objectives, since Compiègne remained in French
hands. As a game, on the other hand, the battle has a number of points
in its favour:

a) It should provide both sides with opportunities for both attack and
defence. 

b) It being 1918, this is no futile assault on an impregnable defence:
air power and armour played prominent roles, and there should be plenty
of movement. 

c) The battle was short - only four days from start to finish – so the
game may be able to follow suit. 

d) There is no other wargame on the topic (not surprising really, given
that this was a solely Franco-German affair, except for a few British
air squadrons: most English-language secondary sources give the battle
only the most cursory coverage, and the article accompanying the game
has more detail than anything I have read elsewhere). 

The Map 

Dispensing with 7th Army’s subsidiary attack, the game concentrates on
the main assault by Von Hutier. Compiègne is at the southwestern edge of
the game map (and entering the city will probably mean a decisive
victory for the Germans), while Noyon and Montdider – on the German side
of the initial front lines - are at the northeastern and northwestern
corners respectively. The map is the usual size for a VV magazine game
(23” x 16.5”), and while four-colour, it is bland at best, with
uninspired graphics and colours (the background is beige, perhaps trying
to hint at WWI mud) - though it is at least clear. VV maps seem to
conform to this type – clear, but not eye-catching – but the Matz map is
even more ho-hum than usual. Besides the cities, the main terrain
features are the high ground and forests of the Bois de Thiescourt and
its neighbouring woods on the French right. The Matz itself is a stream
bordering the high ground to the west, and then turning east behind the
woods to run into the Oise. Of more use to the defenders is the other
tributary of the Oise, the Aronde, which runs from west to east across
the path of Von Hutier’s attackers about two-thirds of the way south of
the French front line: most of the German objectives lie beyond the
Aronde.

The other map feature worth mentioning is the French defensive system
(the German equivalent does not appear). Historically, Humbert had
arrayed his forces in the standard three defence lines: an initial line
of machine guns posts, a second line of strongpoints, and finally, the
main defence line, some five kilometres from the front. This is
simplified in the game to two trench lines (of equal defensive value),
roughly equivalent to the second and third zones (in addition, the
second zone was several kilometres deep, rather than the one-hex -1300 m
- line in the game).. The front itself at the start of the battle lies
slightly in advance of the first of the two lines, while the set-up
rules oblige the French to cover all of this original front line with
their ZOCs, thus obliging them, in effect, to post some forces in the
forward defence line (roughly one-third of the front cannot be covered
by forces in (and therefore protected by) the first trench line: as one
author noted of the battle, an “obvious open invitation to defenders
manning the front (forward) line to commit suicide”, and in the game
these units will very likely be overwhelmed in the initial German
onslaught. The remaining French At Start forces will be occupying the
first trench line in the game: probably an over-commitment of forces
compared to the actual deployment, but then Foch had instructed the
local commanders to defend step-by-step, and as a result they probably
did put more troops than usual into the second line.

The Counters 

There are roughly 200 counters in the game, mostly double-sided, and in
the normal VV style, ie. large and colourful, with Osprey-type figures
rather than NATO icons. These complement the plain-Jane map fairly well,
so overall the game’s graphics are more than the sum of its parts. Each
sides forces are broken down into corps, each with its own HQ and
(long-range) artillery (the French also have some army-level artillery),
and then into divisions, normally of three regiments, again with
supporting artillery. The various corps on each side are colour-coded
(using a band along the top of the counter), which makes the command
rules easier to implement. Indeed, one of the good features of the game
is the way that the various command levels (division & corps) above
those of the basic unit in the game (regiments) are given a role:
attacks by more than division suffer an adverse modifier, while units
out range of their corps HQ suffer movement, combat, and artillery
penalties. In addition, artillery can only fire in direct support of
units in their own formation.

The Rules 

There is an excellent translation of the rules available from Grognard
(courtesy of Charles Vasey). This is a relatively simple game:
experienced players should be able to pick it up very quickly. The rules
themselves are clear and straightforward enough, with little ambiguity,
except for the Air Phase. Here it would be wise to agree some house
rules in advance if playing with a very competitive opponent. As an
example of the problems, as written, the close escort mission for
fighters is a complete waste of time. However, this is easily solved, as
the intent of the designer (that fighters flying this mission can
protect the more vulnerable bombers, but cannot then themselves fly
ground support missions) is pretty clear. This, together with some other
ambiguities in the air rules, make them an irritating exception to an
otherwise fairly clear set of régles.

A rule which is crystal clear, but strange nevertheless, pertains to the
treatment of streams, compared to the two major rivers in the game (the
Oise and the Aisne). The combat effect of attacking across the rivers is
a –1 column shift to the left for the attacker on the CRT. Attacking
across streams attracts a –2 die roll modifier. This is odd because, to
all intents and purposes, the CRT is set up so a column shift and a die
roll modifier have exactly the same effect. The net result is that the
minor streams are a bigger combat obstacle to the attacker than the
major rivers (movement costs, on the other hand, do correctly reflect
the greater importance of the rivers).

A final oddity is the victory conditions. These are assessed in terms of
towns and villages on the French side of the line which fall into German
hands (see also below under Course of Play): if the Germans manage to
occupy 6 VPs-worth, they gain a tactical victory, with operational and
strategic victories at 12 and 20 VPs respectively. A French victory is
nowhere defined – strange for a French-designed game – and although this
is obviously holding the Germans to less than 6 VPs, there is no grading
of French victories into three similar levels.

David Buckland - 02:22am Dec 14, 1999 PST (#395 of 402) 
LE MATZ REVIEW (Part 2) 

Turn Sequence 

The game has eight turns (12 hours each), and starts with an Interphase
in which both sides calculate how many air units they will receive for
the upcoming player turn. The Allies have a built in advantage here, as
their 2d roll is modified by +2, the Germans by –2. The phasing player
then checks his units to see whether any are out of range of their corps
HQs: any units which are will suffer movement and combat penalties this
turn. One possible tactic is to bombard your enemy’s HQs in your own
turn. If you succeed in disrupting them, then their HQ range is halved,
from six hexes to three. This can be particularly useful for the French,
trying to delay the initial German advance, but it is not easy, since
the HQs are difficult to hit, and are often located in protective
terrain, with defending fighters in range to prevent air spotting or
bombardment.

The phasing side then moves their ground forces, but before combat, the
opposing air units fight one another for aerial supremacy. In addition,
friendly artillery bombards enemy positions. This can inflict disruption
(a negative combat modifier), step losses, or both. Later in the game,
as the infantry forces of both sides weaken, concentrated artillery fire
can be devastating. Movement allowances are relatively small (4 for
infantry), but stosstruppen have an easier time infiltrating enemy
positions (lower ZOC exit costs).

In combat, there is a fairly standard CRT, mixing retreats and step
losses. Modifiers cover stoss and tanks (for both attacker and
defender), with terrain (woods, trenches, streams, villages, etc) aiding
the defender. Mixing regiments from more than one division results in a
negative modifier, but this can normally be offset by the use of
stosstruppen (by the Germans) and tanks (by the French). The Germans do
have a few tanks, but far fewer than their opponents (3 steps to 16).
The battlefield limitations of tanks are neatly covered in a rule which
makes them susceptible to additional losses, over and above those called
for in the CRT. Artillery which did not bombard may directly support the
combats, adding its bombardment (for the attacker) or defensive support
(for the defender) factor to the appropriate side. The latter is
normally half or less of the value of the former, but probably the best
use of attacking artillery is still pre-combat bombardment, leaving the
defenders to fire in defensive support, where they are likely to be
limited by the artillery/command rules (units may only fire in aid of
their own formations).

After the first Combat Phase, there is a second movement (or
Exploitation Phase), with units moving at half their normal movement
allowance, followed by another round of combat. Any artillery not
committed earlier may be used in support. The combination of the two
movement and attack phases, together with the command rules, means that
almost certainly the French will see some of their forces cut off in the
first day or two of the offensive – surrounded by the attacking Germans,
they will be out of command, and thus unable to retreat out of
difficulty in their own turn.

Game Play 

The game seems to flow broadly in line with the historical course of
events. The Germans open with an offensive which looks unstoppable, with
superior force (18 divisions to 8 in the French front line) added to the
combat advantages conferred by their 4 stoss divisions. However, Von
Hutier’s forces will suffer casualties as they push forward, especially
from the French artillery bombarding the attacking formations (which
will have had to stack in strength to launch effective attacks), while
the generally superior Allied airpower will also chip away at the
attackers.. As time progresses, the infantry of both sides will be
gradually worn down – while the artillery stays for the most part
unscathed – so that, in the final turns, the two sides have
predominantly reduced strength regiments, which are very vulnerable to
adverse combat results (breaking and running, if you will). Mangin’s
counter attack force (4 divisions and a tank groupement) tends to have a
considerable effect, if only because these fresh forces can take more
punishment than the exhausted original combatants.

Victory is assessed solely in terms of geographical objectives taken by
the Germans – they will normally win decisively by taking Compiègne, but
this is difficult, and luckily there are plenty of other less
significant (in VP terms) villages scattered throughout the southern
half of the map. Both the map in the article accompanying the game, and
that used by most English-language sources, seems to indicate that,
after the French counterattack, the final line achieved by the Germans
would have resulted in zero VPs for them, and thus a French victory.
While not claiming any great level of expertise (see the accompanying
replay in the Vae Victis folder!), it seems to me that in all four games
I have so far played, the Germans have done better in the game than they
did in reality. Interestingly, on the other hand, play of the French –
on the defensive at the start – seems to be gradually improving with
each game.

While Le Matz is in general a simple game, it does (despite the odd
liberty here and there) present a reasonable view of what combat in 1918
– and this offensive in particular – were like. So, for all the presence
of tanks, stosstruppen, and aircraft, artillery is more critical than
all of them: and this is exactly as it should be, since this is WWI –
even if it is mid-1918. Both sides will find that the most critical
attacks of each turn are often the massed artillery bombardments to
prepare a position for an infantry assault (if attacking), or to
decimate the massed attackers (if on the defensive).

However, this is 1918, so the sexier elements of the new warfare are
present, and are given definite roles, but their limitations are
acknowledged. So, the stosstruppen are the spearhead of 18th Army’s
offensive, but the German player will watch in dismay as the all too few
stoss divisions are inexorably whittled down. Tanks are useful to have
in any combat, but their problems (such as mechanical unreliability) are
simulated by the additional losses they can suffer if involved in any
fighting, so tanks tend to be a wasting asset once committed. Air power
is very useful: it can hinder the effectiveness of the enemy’s
artillery, as well as adding directly to the impact of friendly
bombardments. However, the players can never count on air support (there
is a wide fluctuation in the number of squadrons available), and even
when present in force, air power is very definitely ancillary to the
activities of ground units.

Summary 

An excellent magazine game: one of the best from Vae Victis. Not too
long, with plenty of colour and action for both players, all within a
reasonable time span. All in all, not a bad addition to the growing
number of quality WWI titles. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Buckland - 02:25am Dec 14, 1999 PST (#396 of 402) 
My apologies to those who do not care for more WWI, but there follows a
replay (solitaire only, sadly) of Le Matz, which probably ranks as one
of the best VV games to date. 

LA BATAILLE DU MATZ REPLAY 

Preliminiaries 

Von Hutier’s plan is to use his two strongest corps – 8th & 17th, both
with five divisions (2 stoss and 2 frontline) – to mount the main drive
in the centre, skirting the wooded and hilly terrain on the German left,
and then swinging towards Compiégne. These two corps also have the two
German tank abteilung attached. The 9th Corps (3 divisions: 1 frontline)
on the right will assist the main assault, while 38th Reserve Corps on
the left (5 divisions: 2 frontline) will attempt to keep the French 2nd
Corps and 38th Division embroiled in a thrust down both banks of the
Oise, and prevent it from interfering with the principal attack to the
west. [Definition of a frontline division: combat factor of 4 or more.]

Defending against the 18 German divisions of Eighteenth Army is the
French 3rd Army (Humbert), with 8 Divisions in the frontline, and a
further 4 in immediate reserve behind the French second trench line. Two
more divisions will enter on the morning of the second day, followed by
the four divisions of Mangin’s counterattack force on the morning of the
third day. 

German Turn, 9th June AM 

The main German assault overwhelms the defenders from the French 35th
and 34th Corps. An 11-kilometre [9-hex] hole is ripped in the French
line from Gury to Mortemer, and two divisions (58th and 125th) virtually
disintegrate – save for an isolated regiment of the latter still
clinging to its trenches in the centre of the German assault. 36th
Division on the French left, and 10th DCP on the right are damaged as
well, but the German advance of about 3.5 kilometres [3 hexes] is not
sufficient to enable them to breach the French second line. 38th Reserve
Corps makes some progress on the left, crossing the Oise, but the French
first trench line remains unbreached in this sector.

French Turn, 9th June AM 

Humbert pulls his forces in the centre back to the French second line
for the most part, and three of the divisions in immediate reserve (from
left to right 11th, 18th, and 69th) move to take the place of the
shattered front line formations. To the French left, where 169th
Division remains in control of the original front line, 36th and 11th
Divisions man a defence line linking them to the second line: centred on
Courcelle-Epayelle, they are bolstered by the tanks of the III and XI
Groupements. Meanwhile, although the French infantry are retreating
under the weight of the German assault, the French artillery extracts a
price from the advancing enemy, who, despite their best efforts, cannot
help but offer some attractive targets for the French gunners. Biggest
sufferers are the Jaeger Division (one of the stosstruppen formations of
8th Corps), which suffers significant casulaties, and is thrown into
considerable diso rder [stoss losses to date total 4 steps out of the 24
originally avaliable]. French attempts to strike at the HQs of the
principal German corps (8th and 17th are ultimately unsuccessful (while
succeeding in the bombardment of 38th Reserve Corps HQ), but Von Hutier
realises that inadequate provision was made for air cover for his
valuable HQs, which the Germans, as the attackers, can ill-afford to
have disrupted.

German Turn, 9th June PM 

18th Army continues to make progress in the centre, less so on the
flanks. Progress is particularly marked in the 17th Corps sector, where
sections of the French second trench line are overrun – a 5 kilometre
[4-hex] stretch around Cuvilly – and the leading formations (especially
46th Reserve Division) go further and take the heights of the Bois de
Voyemmont from the remnants of the French 18th Division. Impeded by the
woods and high ground in their immediate front, 8th Corps does not make
such spectacular progress, but still manages to capture the French
second line from Marueil-la-Motte to the Matz at Ricquenbourg, as well
as successfully attacking the leading regiment of the French 162nd
Division in reserve behind it. Pressure from 9th and 38th Reserve Corps
continues on their respective flanks, if without any great progress,
although the former does capture Courcelle-Epayelle.

French Turn, 9th June PM 

35th Corps on the right pulls back to the second trench line, using the
resulting shortening of the front to strengthen the weak French centre,
although a planned attack on the German 46th Reserve Division’s
spearhead in the Bois de Voyemmont is called off as the French are
unable to concentrate enough troops. 34th Corps mans a frontline along
the heights of the Bois de Thiescourt, but is unable to extract two
regiments of the 69th Division further west between Ricquebourg and the
Bois de Séchelles, as these are out of touch with Corps HQ [out of
command, which slows movement]. 2nd Corps manages to spare a regiment of
53rd Division to reinforce 34th Corps, but is otherwise more than
occupied containing the German 38th Reserve Corps. Yet again, as earlier
in the day, it is the French artillery and Allied airforces that take
the fight to the Germans, pounding the advancing enemy to some effect
[German stosstruppen losses are now 10 steps out of the original 24, and
only two stoss regiments remain at full strength].

German Turn, 10th June AM 

The Germans continue to make progress in the centre, with the spearheads
of 17th Corps reaching the outskirts of Gournay-sur-Aronde, 12
kilometres [9 hexes] from their start-line. The weakened defenders
nevertheless manage to put up a better resistance than expected, and the
French are not decimated as much as von Hutier had hoped. On the other
hand, the Germans successfully infiltrate between several defending
strongpoints around the Bois de Ressons, and the French only extricate
themselves with difficulty [taking additional step losses by having to
retreat through enemy ZOCs]. A planned assault on the French lines along
the heights of the Bois de Thiescourt by 8th Corps is called off when it
is realised that the defence is too strong, particularly given that the
Allies are able to prevent the Germans from engaging in any effective
artillery spotting. Indeed, although 8th Corps participates in the
attacks near the Bois de Ressons, it is obvious that it is to some
extent out of position, with too many units stuck in the difficult
terrain on the centre-left of the French line. Further east, 38th
Reserve Corps keeps up the pressure, taking part of the French second
trench line near Ourscamps, and pressing ahead to the east of the
village, which even so remains in French hands.

French Turn, 10th June AM 

Given the threat posed by the German advance, Foch offers Humbert early
use of some of the counterattack force being assembled under Mangin [at
a cost of 3 VPs]. With two divisions of his right wing 2nd Corps freed
from other tasks and about to reinforce him, Humbert declines. Mangin
will in any event be able to reach the battle in full force by the
morning of the 11th. The main threat faced by the French is in the
centre, and here they pull back to the line of the Aronde near
Gournay-sur-Aronde. Despite potential command difficulties, 2nd Corps
newly-arrived 121st Division is committed here. On either side of the
German advance, the line bends back northeastwards towards the original
French trench lines: between Belloy and Wacquemont in 35th Corps’ sector
to the west, and centred around strongpoints at Antheuil-Portes and
Marquéglise in 34th Corps’ area to the west. Meanwhile, the French
artillery continues to batter the enemy, who are increasingly vulnerable
as they advance beyond the captured trench lines into open territory
beyond. German forces moving past Ourscamps are particularly badly shot
up, while the HQ of the leading German corps (17th) in Cuvilly is
severely disrupted [which will cause units of the corps more than three
hexes from the HQ to have to function out of command, with consequent
movement and combat penalties]: in the confusion, the leading units of
this corps lose touch with HQ. Von Hutier blames the airforce, which,
having a temporary air superiority earlier in the day, made an
over-ambitious attempt to bomb the French front line, rather than
retaining its generally superior fighters to fly interception missions
to protect German HQs [to make the neutralisation of HQs more difficult,
the Germans had hitherto kept back fighters to fly interception missions
over their HQs, as well, of course, as locating them in protective
terrain].

David Buckland - 02:28am Dec 14, 1999 PST (#397 of 402) 
German Turn, 10th June PM 

Von Hutier orders his lead corps – 17th and 8th – to begin the left
wheel towards Compiègne envisaged in the original plan. 17th Corps will
attack in the Antheuil-Portes sector, resting its flank on the Aronde.
8th Corps will attack Marquéglise. With artillery likely to play a
crucial role, the Allies put up three squadrons on interception missions
(to deny the Germans the benefit of their artillery spotting), but these
cannot be concentrated: more are not available, as the Allied air forces
take a badly-timed rest. The Germans send two good fighter squadrons and
a bomber squadron to the threatened area, and the result is the biggest
dogfight of the battle so far (two fighter squadrons apiece). Neither
side is able to establish air superiority, but this immediately benefits
the Germans, whose artillery remorselessly pound the defenders, many of
whom are pulverised. The weakened defenders are then attacked by the
cream of 18th Army. Despite heroic defensive support by the massed
French artillery (34th Corps backed up by 3rd Army), the defenders are
gradually overwhelmed, the Germans being helped by stosstruppen
infiltration between the French strongpoints. However, the Germans do
not advance as far as they had hoped, though they do reach to outskirts
of Monchy-Humières [a VP town]. On the other hand, the French 34th Corps
is wrecked (only 4 infantry infantry battalions out of the original 14
remain as effective fighting formations, and only one of these
approaches full strength).

[This turn represents the high water mark of the original German
offensive. The Germans in this replay have done better than the original
attackers, who did not, for example, take Gournay-sur-Aronde – or indeed
take any of the game’s VP towns/cities – according to the map in the
article accompanying the game in Vae Victis. They also look set to make
further advances.]

French Turn, 10th June PM 

The heavy losses inflicted by the Germans oblige the French to take
radical measures to shorten their line. Accordingly, the high ground of
the Bois de Thiescourt/Bois de Lourmont is abandoned. 2nd Corps pulls
back to the line of the Matz, with its left flank turning southwest
through Villers sur Coudon to the Aronde. The Aronde is defended by the
shattered remnants of 34th Corps, the 121st Division, and then the left
flank of 35th Corps. The absent Allied air forces are sorely missed as
the French artillery tries to weaken the leading German units. The
French have to fire blind as the German fighter squadrons are patrolling
in force [-1 column to the bombardment of any artillery trying to fire
into a mega-hex patrolled by enemy fighters]. Even where they manage a
major concentration on the leading elements of the German 17th Corps
near Monchy-Humières, the French attack miscarries [roll of ‘1’ on the
‘16+’ column]. More successful bombardments by 35th Corps in the west,
and on the eastern side of the battle across the Oise are scant
compensation.

German Turn, 11th June AM 

17th Corps breaks through the line of the Aronde in the French 121st
Division’s sector, advancing two and a half kilometres [2 hexes], and
capturing Monchy-Humières [1 VP] from its stubborn defenders. Meanwhile,
38th Reserve Corps’s best division, the 11th, crosses the Oise to the
east of Compiègne, taking Montmacq [1 VP]. The other main German thrust
of the day, by 8th Corps against Villers sur Coudon and the wooded
heights of the Bois de Sablons is beaten off by the French 123rd
Division. This success, together with the much less effective German
artillery (now that the Allied air forces have reasserted themselves
after their day off), means that overall Von Hutier is disappointed with
progress. On the other hand, although the Matz’s version of the 7th
Cavalry is about to arrive for the French (in the shape of Mangin and
10th Corps), they may be too late.

French Turn, 11th June AM 

The French reinforcements arrive: Mangin (2 divisions plus a tank
groupement) heads for the German bridgehead over the Aronde, 10th Corps
(2 divisions) to Mangin’s left, aiming to relieve some of the pressure
on the over-stretched 35th Corps. Meanwhile, the battered French 34th
and 2nd Corps endeavour to contain the Aronde bridgehead, while
shortening their front by abandoning Villers sur Coudon reluctantly, and
basing the new line on Coudon itself, and the wooded heights of Mont
Ganelon. Despite the need for further retreats, the French are
nevertheless heartened by a successful counterattack which wipes out a
spearhead of the German 4th Guards Division, and some successful
artillery strikes.

German Turn, 11th June PM 

18th Army’s plan is to use 17th Corps to drive a wedge between Mangin’s
newly-arrived forces, and the battered defenders of Margny and
Compiègne. Then, while 9th Corps and part of 17th hold off the French to
the west, the remainder of 17th Corps, plus 8th and 38th Reserve Corps,
crush the depleted forces to the east, taking Compiègne, and handing Von
Hutier a decisive victory. In fact, 17th Corps is not able to fulfil the
first part of its mission, honours remaining fairly even in fighting
near the Bois de Cambières, through which a tenuous link between Mangin
and Compiègne remains. Elsewhere, however, disaster strikes the French
defence when the 123rd Division defending Mont Ganelon is overwhelmed by
a concentrated artillery bombardment. This enables units of the 202nd
Division (38th Reserve Corps) to cross the Aronde near its junction with
the Oise, and adjacent to the outskirts of Margny, driving back the
French artillery which had been thought safe from attack. To the west,
the remainder of the French 123rd Division defending Coudun
disintegrates under concentrated attack from 8th Corps. Coudun [2 VPs]
falls to the Germans, as do Villers sur Coudun, Mélicocq, and St.
Léger-aux-Bois, all abandoned by the retreating French [1 VP each,
bringing the German VP total to 7, a tactical victory for them].

French Turn, 11th June PM 

The French reinforcements go over to the attack: 10th Corps crumples the
western flank of the German salient, retaking Gournay-sur-Aronde from
the German 3rd Reserve Division, while Mangin himself crushes the
spearhead of the German 17th Corps to the north of the Bois de
Cambières, thus preserving the link with 2nd and 34th Corps to the east.
The elements of the German 202nd Division which crossed the Aronde near
its junction with the Oise are driven back in confusion, an attack by
the French 2nd Corps following an effective artillery bombardment. East
of the Oise, the French line is effectively that of the Aisne. All told,
an impressive French riposte, although it is possible 10th Corps might
have been better employed counterattacking the German schwerpunkt more
directly, rather than assaulting it in the flank.

German Turn, 12th June AM 

German attacks continue, but the pace is slower than before, as
exhaustion gradually sets in. 17th Corps switches its main thrust from
east to west, and begins a drive on Hémévillers [1 VP], but progress is
slow, as most of the Corps is in fact holding the line on either side of
the main attack. Eventually, the village falls, but at greater cost to
the Germans than to the defending French 18th Division. 8th Corps
manages to push into Margny [1 hex – 2117], but again progress against
the spirited defence is slow, and the Germans are vulnerable to
counterattack, the more so as a supporting assault immediately to the
west is stopped in its tracks by one of the few formations in the French
34th Corps still capable of organised resistance: the 55/126. On the
other bank of the Oise, 38th Reserve Corps produces the highlight of the
morning for von Hutier, as its lead 11th Division captures Choisy-au-Bac
[2 VPs – the German total is now 10, two short of an operational
victory].

French Turn, 12th June AM 

The French command determines to recapture both Hémévillers, and the
northern half of Margny. Their artillery prepares the way for the
counterattack, devastating the unfortunate elements of the German 17th
Corps pressing towards Compiègne. Of five regiments from various
divisions in Margny and immediately to the east of it, only one is left
capable of offering any resistance (and that much reduced) when the
shell curtain lifts [two bombardments giving ‘E’ results, with only one
of the affected target units at full strength]. The Germans are easily
expelled from their foothold in the town by elements of Mangin's corps,
led by the Zouaves of 48th Division, plus the long-suffering 34th & 2nd
Corps. The attack on Hémévillers is not quite so devastating:
nevertheless the German 30th Division is driven out of the village,
sustaining more losses than it manages to inflict on the attackers,
mostly from 10th Corps. [German VP count falls one to nine.]

David Buckland - 02:30am Dec 14, 1999 PST (#398 of 402) 
German Turn, 12th June PM 

[At the opening of the last turn of the game, the Germans need a further
three VPs for an operational victory. The only possibilities are to
recapture Hémévillers and take both hexes of Margny, and then hold them
against the inevitable French counter attacks. This is a tall order,
especially Margny, which will have to be attacked by the much-reduced
17th Corps. German prospects for the upcoming turn are, however, boosted
when, yet again, the Allies fail to establish air superiority,
outnumbered 5 to 6 – in fact, the Allies have only once had the kind of
clear advantage the air rules would seem to confer on them, and that was
on the second turn.]

The afternoon of 12th June proves that the German 18th Army has shot its
bolt. The attack on Margny by the battered 17th Corps is easily repulsed
by the defending French 48th Division, despite an effective German
artillery bombardment. The 17th Corps second attempt to take Hémévillers
is at first defeated, but a renewed attack is successful [in the 2nd
Combat Phase, the French having run out of defending artillery – German
VP count goes back to 10]. Elsewhere though, the Germans execute some
tactical withdrawals to shorten the line, and free up additional forces
for the attack.

French Turn, 12th June PM 

[The French need five VPs to prevent the Germans gaining a Tactical
Victory. One VP, for Hémévillers – a German salient – is obvious. The
other possibles are Choisy-au-Bac and Coudun, both worth two VPs each,
and both likely to be very difficult to capture.] 

Hémévillers is easily recaptured by elements of the 10th and 35th Corps
– indeed, the defending Germans are lucky to escape being surrounded.
Further east, Mangin launches a do-or-die assault towards Coudun. The
enfeebled German 46th Reserve Division, although a stoss formation, is
easily swept aside, but the defences of the village itself, which the
French are forced to attack across the Aronde are somewhat tougher: 2
regiments of the German 202nd Division, plus some artillery. Amazingly,
the elan of the attack enables the French to take Coudun, albeit with
heavy losses [a 1-to-1 +2, yielding only a one-in-three chance of
success]. Disappointingly, however, the German 38th Reserve Corps has
erected such formidable defences at Choisy-au-Bac that, even when
offered the help of a tank groupement from Mangin’s formation, the 2nd
Corps calls off the assault on the village as having no chance
whatsoever of success [the preliminary artillery bombardment yielded
only meagre results].!

[German VPs are down three on the last French turn for a final total of
seven, well short of the 12 needed for the next level of victory. So the
result is a German Tactical Victory]