Eighty years on. 13th May 1940

Historical

In Norway the Allies launched an amphibious assault to capture Bjerkvik and Øyjord for use as staging post for landings at Narvik across the Rombaksfjord.  The Cruisers HMS Aurora and Effingham and the battleship HMS Resolution bombarded Bjerkvik at midnight, broad daylight.  The French Foreign Legion and light tanks came ashore at Bjerkvik in landing craft.  French motorcycle troops rode along the coast and took Øyjord unopposed.

Rommel sent motorcycle troops across River Meuse over a weir and lock gate at Dinant, while Guderian’s troops crossed later in rubber boats at Sedan.  Despite French artillery bombardment they both established bridgeheads and by the evening they had pontoon bridges in place for tanks to cross.

9th Panzer Division reached the outskirts of Rotterdam and 22nd Flieger Division continued to bridges in the city.  Dutch Queen Wilhelmina left at noon on the destroyer HMS Hereward.  Her government left for London on HMS Windsor.

In Belgium the Battle of Hannut continued. Groups of Panzers easily punched through the thin line of French tanks, causing havoc in the French rear.  Over 2 days French lost 105 tanks, the Germans 160.

Winston Churchill entered the House of Commons as Prime Minister, accompanied by his predecessor Chamberlain.  Churchill gave his “Blood, toil, tears and sweat” speech (http://www.fiftiesweb.com/usa/winston-churchill-blood-toil.htm)

Game day 256. Germany

Two warships off the east coast of the USA moved north-west to be in position to intercept ships sailing from the USA to Britain.

In Norway three troop transport ships set sail from Narvik southwards to fetch reinforcements from Germany.  One transport sailed from Denmark with an armoured battalion which landed at Bergen.  The three battalions at Narvik did not attack the Norwegians, being outnumbered two to one.  In the south, the newly arrived armour and the infantry battalion near Oslo attacked three Norwegian infantry battalions from east and west.  The Norwegians lost a battalion but the German armour was also wiped out.  The Germans called in an airstrike to finish off the Norwegians, diverting aircraft from the attack on the Low Countries.

In the Netherlands a total of eight armoured and six infantry battalions attacked the six defending Dutch infantry divisions.  The Dutch lost four battalions and fell back to the west.  The Germans lost one armoured battalion.

In Belgium six armoured battalions attacked six infantry battalions.  The Germans came off worst, losing two battalions to the Belgians’ one.  The Germans were pushed back.

Along the French border, from north to south: 

Six armoured battalions against six armoured battalions.  The French lost four, the Germans none.

Two infantry battalions supported by five fighter squadrons attacked three infantry battalions. The French lost one battalion.  The Germans lost a battalion and a squadron.

Six armoured battalions and six infantry battalions attacked six infantry battalions.  The French lost five battalions and fell back.  The Germans lost one armoured battalion.

Six bomber squadrons were called in to bomb the Netherlands.  The remaining Dutch battalions were eliminated and The Netherlands fell to Germany.  No bombers were lost.

Credits:   Historical information:  http://www.worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com, Wikipedia, Chronicle of the Second World War (JL International Publications, 1994).  Background image to game maps: Hasbro Ltd.