Foretaste of Disaster - The Matrix Games version of West Front

Neufchateau, 40km ENE of Sedan, France: [Best played as Axis] When the long awaited German attack came on 10 May 1940, the infantry divisions of the French Ninth Army moved forward as planned to take up defensive positions along the Belgian sector of the Meuse River while cavalry formations fanned out into the Ardennes. For the panzertruppen of the XIX Panzer Corps, the first day of the offensive had gone very well with only a few delays caused by Belgian obstacles after racing through Luxembourg. The situation began to change on the 11th when the 1st Panzer Division approached Neufchateau and discovered its defenses occupied by the 5th Regiment of the Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais and a support column from the French 5th Light Cavalry Division. Eager to clear the route to the Semois River in their drive to Sedan, Kampfgruppes Balck and Kramer sliced into the defenders' positions, giving the allies a first unpleasant foretaste of the disaster that awaited them on the western side of the Meuse. However, the Belgian and French defenders were not yet ready to throw their hands up in defeat and fought with determination in the hopes of inflicting heavy losses on the German spearhead.