0510_07: No Artillery, No Reserves, No Hope - PzC 12 France '40

The Battle of Mill, 10 May 1940: In the pre-dawn hours of May 10th detachments of German Brandenburgers disguised as soldiers, civilians, and police sneaked into the neutral Netherlands with the mission of securing bridges over the wide Maas River and disabling Dutch demolition charges. These operations failed at nearly every point (some Dutch border guards grew suspicious of the Brandenburgers' paper-mache helmets), but one team managed to secure the key railroad bridge at Gennep. At 05:35 (04:35 French time), the main invasion commenced. The 18. Armee was assigned the subjugation of the Netherlands, its advance spearheaded by armored trains and entrained infantry. Eisenbahn-Panzerzug 1, followed by an entrained battalion from I.R. 481, sped over the captured Gennep bridge, past the forward Maas Line and past the main Dutch defenses on the Peel-Raam Line. The infantry were deposited behind the Dutch positions and fanned out, while the armored train backtracked to the Dutch positions at Mill. Suddenly an explosion wracked the train - Dutch soldiers had manned their defenses and had placed land mines under the tracks. Though badly damaged and partly derailed, Eisenbahn-Panzerzug 1 poured suppressing fire onto the Dutch positions. Meanwhile, German infantry, well supported by medium and heavy artillery, crossed the border. Outmanned and outgunned and under pressure from the front and from behind, General Schmidt's ad hoc Peel Divisie had a nigh impossible task... [Size: Small] Design note - This scenario starts one turn after the German invasion with the armored train and infantry battalion already deposited behind the Peel-Raam line. The absence of Dutch HQ units is intentional - General Schmidt's headquarters was at Eindhoven, far removed from the battle. The Dutch Peel Division does not pose a serious threat to the German army, but the wet terrain and the clock will provide a substantial challenge. The German player must act quickly and decisively or he may run out of time. The isolated train and infantry battalion have been provided with a supply source at hex 13, 20.