Battle of Britain Scenario 3: Operation Dynamo 2 "Lets strike back".
“German advance halted”.
By 24 May the Germans captured the port of Boulogne and surrounded Calais. Captain (later Generaloberst) Heinz Guderian's engineers of the 2nd Panzer Division constructed five bridgeheads over the Canal Line, and only a single British battalion blocked the Germans from seizing the port facilities at Dunkirk. At this point, at the urging of Rundstedt and Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring, Hitler issued the Halt Order: the Panzers were ordered to stop their advance. After the war, several commanders, including Rundstedt and OKH Chief of Staff General Franz Halder, tried to put the blame for this decision exclusively on Hitler. However, according to Rundstedt's official war diary, Rundstedt ordered the halt, concerned about the vulnerability of his flanks and the question of supply to his forward troops. He was also concerned that the marshy ground around Dunkirk would prove unsuitable for the use of tanks, and he wished to save some of the armour for the upcoming advance on Paris. Both these concerns were shared by Hitler, who merely validated the order several hours after the fact. Hitler was urged by Göring
to let the Luftwaffe (aided by Army Group B) finish the British off, to the consternation of Halder, who noted in his diary that the ability to effectively use the air force was dependent upon the weather. In addition, the pilots were worn out after two weeks of battle. The order was sent uncoded, and was picked up by the British: "By order of the Fuhrer ... attack northwest of Arras is to be limited to the general line Lens-Bethune-Aire-St Omer-Gravelines. The Canal will not be crossed."
Churchill gives permission for the RAF to strike back.
Army Group B and the Luftwaffe were unable to complete their mission due to heavy activity in the area by the Royal Air Force, a lack of motorised transport that slowed the advance of the infantry, and bad weather. On 26 May, Hitler ordered the Panzer groups to continue their advance, but the delay allowed the construction of defences vital to the evacuation.
The Halt Order has been the subject of much discussion by historians. Guderian considered the failure to order a timely assault on Dunkirk to be one of the major mistakes the Germans made on the Western Front. Rundstedt called it "one of the great turning points of the war", and Manstein described it as "one of Hitler's most critical mistakes".
Ground: A suitable playing area 4x3 or two game mats in size. Left and right edges are the short edges of the playing area.
AXIS PLAYER BRIEFING
Enemy Forces: 1 single seat fighter for every 2 aircraft deployed (AI). On the Right hand edge of the playing area.
Enemy Mission: Stop Axis aircraft leaving the Right hand edge of the playing area.
Players Forces: You command 2-4 aircraft. 50% of these aircraft should be capable of carrying a single or at most 2 bomb loads (multi-engine bombers). Enter on the left hand playing edge.
Players Mission: You are to exit the playing area anywhere along the opposite edge you entered on.
ALLIED PLAYER BRIEFING
Enemy Forces: 2-4 aircraft (AI). 50% of these aircraft should be capable of carrying a single or at most 2 bomb loads (multi-engine bombers). Enter on the left hand playing edge.
Enemy Mission: Exit playing area along opposite edge they entered on.
Players Forces: 1 single seat fighter for every 2 AXIS aircraft deployed. On the right hand edge of the playing area.
Players Mission: Stop Axis aircraft leaving the table edge opposite AXIS entry point.
SCENARIO SPECIAL RULES
1. Altitude optional, if no altitude rules in play then all aircraft will remain at the same peg height throughout the game.
2. German planes carrying bombs travel at slow speed.
3. Winning and Losing: Any aircraft shot down -2
Each AXIS aircraft that exits off right hand edge +2 Axis.
Each AXIS aircraft that is stopped exiting off right hand edge +2 Allies.
Each Axis aircraft that is forced to drop its bombs +1 Allies.
Each Axis aircraft that exits from any playing area edge other than the right +1 Allies.
4. Side with most points wins.
5. Axis planes carrying bombs will automatically drop them once they have lost 50% of their damage points or are on fire. These aircraft will then not count towards Axis points if they exit the allied mat edge. They will still add to Allied points if they are subsequently shot down.
Malta Variant if required:
As above.
Allied player mission: Stop the enemy exiting off the right playing area edge and getting through to Valetta.
Axis Player Mission: Get as many planes off the right hand playing area edge.
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Originally Posted by Flying Officer Kyte
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