S3 #48 - France Is Kaput - Europe May 1940

Luftwaffe Hidden Rules

• Bf110 use - all pure fighter squads must fly the Bf110C4 at least one frame of the series. Larger squads may split up half of their number and fly a mix for two frames instead.
• dual purpose squads - dual purpose squads may fly some all or none of each type depending on the missions assigned and a/c steps allocated to them by the Frame CO.
• contested locations – if a battle is raging on the ground at a contested location and the entire field or tac area is in danger of falling that location will turn uncontrolled(white) and then back to a country colour once it is determined during the play who controls it. Strikes still may be conducted against uncontrolled fields.
• tac strikes – tac locations will require extensive bombing and buildings will not be as easy to destroy as before. Expect multiple sorties and accurate bomb hits to be necessary to damage these locations. The major buildings should be targeted first and will take the most damage.
• Targets - only airfields and those tac locations specified in the Frame orders may be attacked. No radar plinking other than those specified in the spec ops or at legitimate target locations.
• A/C steps - Luftwaffe will have some steps left over after assigning the maximum to all the available fields. This will form a reserve that subsequent Frame COs can use to position.

Frame 1 - map

Points Scored = 3 for squad losses, 5 for missions, 0 for spec-ops missions = 8 Points

Situation Report - we have launched a full-scale offensive across the Belgian and Dutch frontiers. Four major thrusts have been started with panzer columns rolling and heavy air attacks are needed to help with our breakthroughs. Conduct heavy attacks on enemy airfields attempting to destroy as much of their air units on the ground as possible. The Low Countries are especially vulnerable to this being so close to our airfields. We plan the heavy use of paratroops to capture important positions, Ju52s are forming up and waiting for the word to go. Stukas should prove crucial in hitting the towns blocking our panzer thrusts, we will need multiple sorties to pound the enemy into submission allowing our men to continue the advance. Bombers will need to reach farther afield and hit enemy airfields destroy as many of their aircraft on the ground as possible.

• NW Advance(Xanten to Nijmegan) - damage Nijmegen(T38) first to allow our panzers to exploit to Deelen(T45). Then concentrate on the town and three spawn points there. These forces must advance and link up with our paratroops in Holland or they will be in serious trouble. This is an important advance, we need to knock out Holland quickly before they can organized a defence behind the polders and flood their lowlands. 2 Points
• Central Advance(Aachen to Maastricht) - damage Maastricht(E spawn of T42) and close the nearby airfield first then attack the N spawn of Liege(T43) and hit the Belgian fort west of Liege so our paratroops can then take it while the defenders cower in their bunkers. 2 Points
• South Advance(Trier to Bastogne and Luxemburg) - damage the Bastogne(T37), close the airfield there and then hit the two other spawn points to the NW and E. We have an entire Panzer Army waiting for a breakthrough her, the enemy will never expect them to be able to come through the forest and hills here so strong support to break any defences is crucial. Luxemburg will fall without much of a fight so only limited air support is needed to the south of Bastogne. 1 Point

Air Suppression - expect to see the large fields at L27, M25 and M24 suddenly full of RAF and French units pushed forward to defend Belgium. Damage to these would reduce the number of both Belgian and Allied a/c.

Fighter Battle - the Dutch have 2 steps of excellent Fokker G.I(110Cs) and the Belgians 1 step of Hurricanes. These should not be disregarded and we expect to see a large number of RAF Hurricanes operating on Belgian soil in defence of their little BEF. Our 109s are clearly superior to anything the enemy has and must maintain air superiority over our advances and make any air operations very costly to the enemy.

Strike Battle - multiple attacks and sorties against hard ground targets is the order of the day. Stukas will shine here because of their ability to land at small tac fields and conduct two sorties to a bombers one. Bombers will do well hitting the airfields damaging both operations there and any exposed a/c steps.

Paratroopers - AI Ju52s will conduct three drops at set times during the frame. Fighter cover is important for any success as they will be low and vulnerable. Damage to defending AA is also important as they will be quite low and take heavy losses if substantial AA remains.

• T+50 - begins at C59 in flight at 3000 heads direct to the bridge NE of T34.
• T+90 - begins at C57 at 3000 heads direct to the fort E of T43. The fort must have their AA defences down or heavy casualties will ensue.
• T+120 - begins at C59 at 3000 heads direct to Deelen. The defences at Deelen and the spawn point to the south must be down or heavy losses will occur.

Special operations - only two of three may be conducted during the frame. Petrol stockpile hit = 1 pts

• Mine Laying - at least 2 He111s must take mines and drop them in the channel south of Vlissingen(M23) to block the passage of British ships bringing Matilda tanks to Belgium.
• Army C&C - at least 4 Do17 must locate and hit the Belgian C&C(radar) positions at Hertogenbosch(T34), Eindhoven(T36) and Neerpult(T35) taking them down hurting the Belgian Army control in the NE.
• Petrol Stockpile - at least 4 Ju88s must sneak into Belgian airspace and hit a large petrol dump located just south of Antwerp(oil storage). Damage as many petrol tanks as possible and return home.

Frame 2 - map

Points Scored = 4 for squad losses, 6 for missions, 0 for spec-ops missions = 10 Points

Situation Report - our initial attacks have been largely successful but heavy air attacks by the e/a on their ground units in the Deelen and Maastricht areas has slowed the breakthrough and exploitation in those areas. Panzers have penetrated through defenceless Luxembourg and taken Bastogne and this attack must be supported with all our efforts, it is here the Battle of France will be won. Panzer columns were last reported racing toward Sedan and NW of Bastogne, a possible breakthrough to unhinge the Allied armies is in progress in this area but information is only coming back to HQ slowly. In the centre and north the situation is uncertain and heavy fighting is reported at Liege and Hertogenbosch but no breakthrough has yet been reported though our infantry and paratroopers are pushing hard to allow this to happen. Both T39 in the south and T45 in the north are now open for our air operations.

• NW Advance(Hertogenbosch area) - damage the town that is still holding out(T34) but do not hit the airfield to the west or the bridge to the east, our infantry is still fighting at both locations and it is too hard to determine the front. T34 is uncontrolled(white) and can be hit by both sides, the situation is chaotic. 1 Point
• Central Advance(Liege area) - damage the SW spawn of Liege(T43) and the NE spawn of Namur(T30). T43 is uncontrolled(white) and can be hit by both sides, the situation is chaotic as many enemy locations have been bypassed so expect to recieve ground fire from the T43 area. Support the advance from Maastricht to the NW toward Schaffen(T42) by damaging the town defenses there. T42 is uncontrolled(white) and can be hit by both sides, the situation is chaotic. 3 Points
• South Advance(Bastogne to Sedan and Dinant) - damage the town of Dinant(T31) and its two spawns to the S. Also attack and damage Sedan(T32) and its two spawns to the NW and NE. Expect to see heavy air cover from the French in this area as they attempt to counterattack our breakthrough, hitting our exploiting panzer columns heading to Dinant and Sedan. This breakthrough must be supported with the full force of the Luftwaffe and our attacking troops covered at all times. 2 Points

Air Suppression - expect to see the large fields at M24, L27 and M25 packed with bombers and fighters. Damage to these would reduce the number of these important a/c. Most of the tac fields are out of operation to the enemy T34, T42, T43 and T37 have been abandoned in the face of our ground advances.

Fighter Battle - many 110s were flown in Frame 1, to be successful against these very experienced RAF and French fighters we must use more 109s with only a few 110s. The 109 is clearly the better a/c and we have to take advantage of that. Operations will be somewhat more difficult this frame as the enemy has moved to forward airfields and will have more concentrated defences than in Frame 1. A strong fighter CAP has to be maintained over our exploiting panzers especially in the south. RAF battles caused significant damage to our ground forces last frame in the north and centre.

Strike Battle - the stukas and bombers did excellent multiple attacks in Frame 1. HQ expects more of the same but the defences will be stonger especially in the Dinant-Sedan area so strong fighter CAP and escort is necessary even if NOE approaches are used.

Paratroopers - AI Ju52s will conduct three drops at set times during the frame. Fighter cover is important for any success as they will be low and vulnerable. Damage to defending AA is also important as they will be quite low and take heavy losses if substantial AA remains.

• T+80 - begins at C59 in flight at 3000 heads direct to 3.5.2.9 dropping south of Rotterdam and capturing the bridges into the islands there.

Special operations - only two of three may be conducted during the frame. None conducted = 0 pts

• Mine Laying - at least 2 He111s must take mines and drop them in the channel south of Vlissingen(M23) to block the passage of British ships bringing Matilda tanks to Belgium.
• Army C&C - at least 4 Do17 must locate and hit the French C&C(radar) positions at Sedan(T32) and Verdun(T33) taking them down hurting the French Army control in the north.
• Rotterdam - at least 6 He111s must terror bomb Rotterdam to show the Dutch to resistance is futile. Damage as many city buildings as possible and return home.

Frame 3 - map

Points Scored = 7 for squad losses, 4 for missions, 2 for spec-ops missions = 13 Points

Situation Report - Holland is about to fall, only their defences around Amsterdam still resist. Our paratroops have captured the main bridges leading south to Antwerp and our forces have begun the encircling movement south. They must link up with our advance through Schaffen(T42) to take the city. Liege is ours and forces continue to move slowly on Namur(T30) to the southwest. Namur must be taken to allow the majority of our panzer forces to breakthrough at Dinant and Sedan. Heavy air attacks hurt our advance here slowing supplies and replacements to our hard fighting panzerwaffen. Reports indicate that substantial French armour forces have moved to stop both our panzer spearheads. It is crucial that our drive is maintained and the French tanks are driven back with heavy losses. Stukas must take out the heavy French tanks which are too powerful for our lighter faster panzers.

• NW Advance(Antwerp area) - Belgian defences center around the oil and armament factories in Antwerp, these must be hit hard and reduced, shocking the defenders into submission. Our advances from T42 and north of Antwerp must be protected from the deadly battles the RAF seem to keep getting through. 1 Point
• Central Advance(Liege to Namur) - damage Namur(T30) and its two spawn points while protecting our infantry advance toward the town from air attack. 1 Point
• South Advance(Bastogne to Sedan and Dinant) - damage Dinant and its spawn as well as Sedan and its two spawn points. It is crucial to close the two airfields at Sedan, this will stop the constant air attacks our panzer forces have faced. Support our panzer advances and defeat any French counterattacks, hit their tough tanks hard and force them to give up the battle. 2 Points

Air Suppression - M24 airfield has been suppressed, many e/a destroyed on the ground and closed for operations. Expect to see the large fields at L27 and M25 take up the slack. Damage to these would reduce the number of these important a/c. Most of the tac fields are out of operation to the enemy but T32 and T33 will be full of French fighters and bombers. We now have T34, T37, T42 and T43 in air operations for the Luftwaffe.

Fighter Battle - the fighter battle just got more difficult with reinforcements to both the French and RAF, expect to see more Hawks, Dewoitines and Spitfires. A strong fighter CAP has to be maintained over our exploiting panzers especially in the south. RAF battles caused significant damage to our ground forces in that location. Look for more attacks on our crowded air bases as the enemy was quite successful at L54 destroying our stukas on the tarmac.

Strike Battle - the stukas and bombers did excellent multiple attacks in Frame 2. HQ expects more of the same but the defences will be stonger especially in the Dinant-Sedan area so strong fighter CAP and escort is necessary even if NOE approaches are used. Stukas will have to take out the counterattacking French tanks and this will not be easy. They must be free to get the job done and any fighters intercepted before they can get low and attack the vulnerable dive bombers.

Special operations - only two of three may be conducted during the frame. 2 Missions conducted - 2 Points

• Port Attack - at least 3 He111s must bomb Dunkirk to slow the deployment of British reinforcements to the battle.
• Army C&C - at least 3 Do17 must locate and hit the French C&C(radar) positions at Sedan(T32) and Verdun(T33) taking them down hurting the French Army control in the north.
• Army C&C - at least 3 He111s must locate and hit the two Belgian C&C(radar) positions at Antwerp(C28) taking them down hurting the Belgian Army's defence of the city.

Frame 4 - map

Points Scored = 7 for squad losses, 3 for missions, 2 for spec-ops missions = 12 Points

Situation Report - Holland has surrendered and we expect the Belgians to soon follow. The BEF is conducting a fighting retreat westward and our panzers have broken through at Sedan and are now racing for the channel to separate the two armies. Stiff resistance and heavy air attacks in eastern Belgium have slowed our advances there so all effort has been ordered to support our one major breakthrough out of Sedan. The advance panzer armies are fighting off stiff counterattacks from the north by the British and from the south by the French. Maximum effort must be conducted by the Luftwaffe in supporting our panzer advance to the coast and defeating these counterattacks along our exposed corridor.

• North Advance(N of M15 area) - British tank counterattack is being met by the 7th Panzer, this is the largest use of tanks by the tommies and we expect them to support it with heavy AA cover and motorized infantry. Our panzers are at a disadvantage here and need strong stuka support to take out the enemy tanks before they can route our follow-up supply columns and cut off our lead advance. This is the major threat to our success. 1 point
• NW Advance(S/SW of Bryas area) - damage Bryas(S21) and Berck-sur-Mer(M12) and stop the British counterattack forming near Bryas by pounding it from the air. Protect our two panzer spearheads toward the coast from air attack. 0 point
• SW Advance(Roye Amy to Beaumont-sur-oise) - recently captured Roye Amy(L18) is the scene of confused fighting, our infantry is moving south to hold the lines of supply open for our exploiting panzers, a french counterattack is forming just north of Beaumont-sur-oise(L17). Damage this important airfield and hit the French tanks coming north hard. Our infantry cannot hold against the heavy CharBs they need stuka support. 2 points

Air Suppression - Expect to see the large fields at L19 and L17 very active with enemy operations against our panzer thrusts. Damage to these would reduce the number of these important a/c. Most of the tac fields are out of operation to the enemy or captured by our units. We now have T32 and Tergnier(M15) deep in France ready for air operations by the Luftwaffe.

Fighter Battle - the fighter battle just got more difficult with reinforcements to both the French and RAF, expect to see more Hawks, Dewoitines and Spitfires. A strong fighter CAP has to be maintained over our exploiting panzers so they can reach the coast. RAF battles and Blenheims caused significant damage to our ground forces and airfields last frame. Look for many quick attacks on our panzers from the nearby airfields, a rotating system of CAPs must be committed to the area if not for air superiority but to extract the most losses on these effective strike a/c whenever they show. Tergnier(M15) was rushed into operations just for this but will prove a very dangerous place to operate from until the enemy can be cleared from the skies. French Hawks took heavy losses but expect to see the Spitfires of England show themselves finally.

Strike Battle - the stukas and bombers did excellent multiple attacks once again. HQ expects more of the same but the distances will be greater and many of the targets will be on enemy ground positions. Strong fighter CAP and escort is necessary even if NOE approaches are used. Stukas will have to take out the counterattacking French and British tanks and this will not be easy. They must be free to get the job done and any fighters intercepted before they can get low and attack the vulnerable dive bombers. Bombers are needed to hit the difficult targets of Berck-sur-Mer(M12) and Beaumont-sur-oise(L18) from altitude as the flak in these areas is expected to be fierce.

Special operations - only two of three may be conducted during the frame. 2 operations conducted = 2 points

• Port Attack - at least 4 He111s must bomb Dunkirk to slow the deployment of British reinforcements to the battle.
• Army C&C - at least 4 Do17 must locate and hit the French C&C(radar) positions two near L17 and one near M14 taking them down hurting the French Army control north of Paris.
• Paris Terror Bombing - at least 5 He111s must bomb city structures in Paris but they cannot hit the Eiffel Tower, this will just stiffen French resistance we want them to surrender.

Frame 5 - map

Points Scored = 2 for squad losses, 4 for missions, 2 for spec-ops missions = 8 Points

Situation Report - The two main counterattacks by the British in the north and the French in the south were stopped with heavy losses but our defending forces suffered heavily as well from enemy bombers. This has secured our lines of communication for the time being. Our advancing panzers were hit over and over again by constant air attacks and could not make much headway. It is imperative now that we have pushed the French and British apart that we reach the coast and stop any retreat south of further French forces. The British are already withdrawing their forces from Dunkirk and Berck-sur-Mer and we must delay them as much as possible until our panzers can round them up and put them into captivity.

• North Advance(Bryas to Mardyck area) - Bryas(S21) is uncontrolled by both sides and is being fought over as we speak. Protect our exploiting panzers heading to the Mardyck(S20) area and damage the airfield there as heavily as possible. Stop the British counterattack forming south of Mardyck by pounding it from the air. Also hit Dunkirk port area with as much bombs as possible to slow the boarding of ships for the evacuating British Army. 1 Point
• NE Advance(Bryas to Wevelgem area) - damage Wevelgem(L19) and stop the British counterattack forming near Wevelgem by pounding it from the air. Protect our two panzer spearhead toward the important airfield from air attack. 2 Points
• NW Advance(Bryas to Berck-sur-Mer) - Protect our exploiting panzers heading to the Berck-sur-Merk(M12) area and damage the airfield there as heavily as possible. Stop the French counterattack forming south of the area.1 Point

Air Suppression - Expect to see the large fields at L2 and L19 very active with enemy operations against our panzer thrusts. Damage to these would reduce the number of these important a/c. We now have Tergnier(M15) and Roye Amy(L18) deep in France ready for air operations by the Luftwaffe. Roye Amy(L18) is still heavily damaged so only 3 steps may base their for the frame. Fighter Battle - A strong fighter CAP has to be maintained over our exploiting panzers so they can reach the coast. RAF battles and Blenheims caused heavy damage to our ground forces and panzers last frame. Look for many quick attacks on our panzers from the nearby airfields, a rotating system of CAPs must be committed to the area if not for air superiority but to extract the most losses on these effective strike a/c whenever they show. Few French Hawks were evident last frame and Hurricanes took heavy losses but expect to see the Spitfires of England show themselves finally.

Strike Battle - the stukas and bombers did excellent multiple attacks once again. Two steps of fighters were destroyed on the ground by bombing of S20 and M12. HQ expects more of the same but the distances will be greater and many of the targets will be on enemy ground positions. Strong fighter CAP and escort is necessary even if NOE approaches are used. Stukas will have to take out the counterattacking French and British tanks and this will not be easy. They must be free to get the job done and any fighters intercepted before they can get low and attack the vulnerable dive bombers.

Special operations - only two of three may be conducted during the frame. 2 operations conducted = 2 points

• Ship Attack - at least 4 Do17s attack shipping off Dunkirk to slow the evacuation of British forces. Ship Attack - at least 4 Do17s attack shipping off Berck-sur-Mer(F12) to slow the evacuation of Allied forces.
• Mine Ops - at least 4 Do17s drop mines off Ramsgate(L2) to damage shipping using that port area.

S3 Clarifications - the S3 staff reserves the right to make a ruling on questions or game situations not answered completely or missed by the rules. For further clarification please post on the S3 forum or email Jabo.

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