Counter-Attack at Arras

Thanks to the unfolding success of their Blitz, the Germans rapidly pushed the Allied armies back, forcing the British Expeditionary Force to seize the town of Arras and dig-in, to try and hold the German tide there. But these forces …

1940-05-21

1290

Thanks to the unfolding success of their Blitz, the Germans rapidly pushed the Allied armies back, forcing the British Expeditionary Force to seize the town of Arras and dig-in, to try and hold the German tide there. But these forces were quickly swamped to, and by May 20, the city was surrounded. In a bid to relieve the pressure on the British forces, Viscount Gort, Commander-in-Chief of the BEF, decided to counter-attack on Arras, in an advance known as Operation Frankforce. From there on, the British forces would drive south and link up the divided Allied armies. Unfortunately, the push onto Arras, originally supposed to come from a force about the size of an armor corps, fell well short of its objective; many forces simply could not be mustered, while those that did, were further divided by a futile pincer move attempt, dooming the Allied strategic goal from the start. On May 21st, General Erwin Rommel, in command of the 7th Panzer Division, easily repulsed the British counterattack.

Agny, France

The Battle of Arras took place on 21 May 1940, during the Battle of France in the Second World War. Following the German invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May, French and British forces advanced into Belgium. The German campaign plan Fall Gelb had evolved into a decoy operation in the Netherlands and Belgium, with the main effort through the Ardennes. German units crossed the Meuse without waiting for reinforcements at the Battle of Sedan. Instead of consolidating bridgeheads on the west bank of the Meuse, the Germans began an advance down the Somme river valley towards the English Channel.

Wikipedia: Battle of Arras (1940)

German

British

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Available