Counter-attack of the BEF

France, May 1940 - With the first of Guderian's Panzers reaching the English Channel near Noyelles-sur-Mer, the Allied forces find themselves cut in two. The situation soon becomes untenable. Thankfully, Lord Gort's British Expeditionary Force (BEF) has withdrawn from Belgium …

1940-05-21

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France, May 1940 - With the first of Guderian's Panzers reaching the English Channel near Noyelles-sur-Mer, the Allied forces find themselves cut in two. The situation soon becomes untenable. Thankfully, Lord Gort's British Expeditionary Force (BEF) has withdrawn from Belgium and is now in the vicinity of Lille. He orders General Francklin, commander of the 50th Infantry Division, to lead a counter-attack. He splits his forces in two: on the left, the 4th Royal Tank Regiment and the 6th Durham Light Infantry; on the right, the 7th RTR and the 8th DLI, now providing the "Franckforce" its backbone. The French of the 3° DLM (3rd Mechanized Light Division) provide cover on its right flank. The British armored columns circumvent Arras by the South, taking Rommel's 7th Panzer "Phantom" Division by surprise. Panicked, the motorcycles of 7.Kradschützen Rgt make a hasty retreat; the German anti-tank guns find themselves powerless against the heavily armored Matildas, and are soon crushed. But Rommel's personality saves the day: he orders his campaign artillery and flak to score direct hits on the British tanks. Then, with evening fast approaching, the Luftwaffe puts a decisive end to the Allied counter-attack. During the night of May 21-22, the BEF falls back on its initial position. Lord Gort is now left with a single option - ordering evacuation of the BEF by sea, at Dunkirk.

Arras, 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

French / British

Game Type: Breakthrough

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Available