Emergency Miniature Work - 15mm USMC Super Cobra
80th Anniversary Games and Shows
We’re working on a new mini-project, commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the the opening of “Fall Gelb” (Case Yellow) – the great German blitzkrieg that smashed into France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg on May 10, 1940.
So far we’re working up some Panzer Leader armies for use in a May 10 game, to be streamed live by the Sitrep Podcast Channel.
Initially we’re looking at Belgian and French forces that fought many of the key initial engagements through May 10 – 15 against German Army Group “A”. Later we’ll be looking B.E.F. units that fought at places like Aras and the approaches to Dunkirk.
We hope you’ll join us as we follow the 80th Anniversary course of this earth-shaking campaign (some of the effects linger with us to this very day) through May and into June … charting, gaming, and remembering the course of this world-altering WW2 campaign.
Our first game is scheduled for Sunday (live stream at 5 PM US EST). The map shows where it takes place at, the yellow rectangle is scaled for the actual size of our gaming table. So leading elements of Panzergruppe Kleist, spearheading Army Group A, have smashed completely through Luxembourg in about half an hour and are now entering southern Belgium. They will be met by Belgian forces along the border, who KNOW that can't stop the Germans, but hopefully will delay them until French allies arrive from behind them. For reference, note the far upper left, the city of Lillie (where some of the last delaying actions for the Dunkirk evacuation will be held in about three weeks), and the lower right we see Verdun. Closer to the imminent battlefield, we see Belgian towns like Neufacheteau and Bastogne ... this fight will take place on nearly the exact battlefields as the Battle of the Bulge 4 1/2 years later ...
Here is the Panzer Leader map I have drawn up for our first game. We're looking at 150 meter hexes. The town of Martelange marks the border between Luxembourg (east) and Belgium (west). Belgian forces will be allowed up, then the Germans will enter from the east end of the table. Objective hexes (marked in yellow) must all be taken by the Germans. 
The Belgian counters made up for this game. Obviously some counters will be duplicated many times for multiple units on the actual table. The overall unit will be a battalion of the 1st Chasseurs Ardennais Regiment, 1st Chasseurs Ardennais Division, "Group Keyaerts."
Now the overall Allied plan for defense was for the Belgians to delay as long as they could, then withdraw to a line generally described by the River Dyle, where French and BEF units would be coming up INTO Belgium from the west and join them in a united defense. Of course it didn't work out this way, especially in the Ardennes region of southern Belgium. Light, fast French units like the 5th DLC (Light Cavalry Division), part of the Second Army, were supposed to rush up and support the Belgians. But historically they didn't arrive until May 12-13. Here, we bringing in limited forward elements of 5th DLC (NOT all these tanks, this is a list of ALL the French counters we'll be using in the CAMPAIGN) in something of a "what if" scenario ... what if the French mobilization and reinforcement, and coordination with the Belgians, had been but a little better. 
Again, this is a "warehouse" of ALL German units we'll be toying around with during this project, they certainly won't all be in this first game. But for now we'll be looking at the 1st Panzer Battalion, 1st Panzer Regiment, 1st Panzer Division, leading the way for Guderian's XIX Motorized Corps, Panzer Group Kleist, Army Group A. They be backed up by motorized infantry, panzerjaegers, reconnaissance armored cars, and course Stukas.
This may be interesting :
https://www.grebbelinie.nl/page/10mei1940
Unfortunately it is in Dutch, but Google translate does work on the page.
It is a pretty detailed account of the events from 10th of May
Oh no! Jim is back at Panzer Leader! 😀 Seriously. these new counters and map look great! I’m sure the gae will be epic, and seems to mark a big date too.
Oh hey @gladesrunner ! Thanks for the quick post, and thanks for the +1s on the thread! 😀 😀 😀 😀
Yeah, I hope the game will go well. Our opponent is schedule to be @elessar2590 . Of course, with today being Mother’s Day in much of the world, we might not draw the biggest audience. But this is a date we couldn’t miss.
Sweet I get Cavalry @oriskany certainly knows how to make me happy.
Ha! Indeed, @elessar2590 I thought you’d appreciate commanding a French force in southern Belgium … maybe things will turn out different today for “Blücher’s Prussians.”