A Very Different Tank Battle

Hoogvliet, Netherlands, 13 May 1940

Germans attack to seize the oil tanks at BPM Pernis

The oil refinery and tanks at Pernis, just to the west of Rotterdam, were part of one of the largest complexes in Europe. They were the destination for ships from the oilfields in Dutch East Indies and were a high-priority target for the Germans when they invaded The Netherlands. They were also a high-priority target for the British, as they had identified in their pre-war planning that Germany's shortage of oil would be a targetable vulnerability. Hence, when the Germans invaded The Netherlands, one of the tasks was to seize the plant at Pernis and the British, for their part, were determined to destroy the plant if The Netherlands looked like falling.

The oil tanks and refinery at Pernis were on a peninsula, as they still are today. 

The Dutch start astride the peninsula while the Germans will attack from the southeast. Should the British engineers arrive, they will enter from the north and cross the Nieuwe Maas. The Germans have to defeat the Dutch and occupy the facility to pre-empt the British.

The refinery and oil tanks make for some interesting and unusual scenery. This a view of the complex looking north.

The refinery building borders the Neiuwe Maas River. The model is by Walthers as is the piping.

The generator is also a Walthers model.

The oil tanks are cut from an old cardboard roll I had. The transfers came from the Walthers kits. The oil loading platform is also a Walthers kit. The ships are all paper ships from Fentons Paper Models. The railway stock is from Paper Models. Note that the scale of these items is consciously all over the place: the railway stock is 1:100, the ships are 1:250, the refinery is 1:87. The rules used are Command Decision which uses a ground scale of 1:2000. What I am after here is the 'feel' rather than strict scale relationship. 

After what is fairly impressive and unusual scenery, the troops are quite ordinary. The Germans are a standard reinforced infantry company from II Battalion, 73rd Infantry Regiment, 46th Infantry Division. They are Veteran, Morale 9. The battalion commander is present, as is an 81mm mortar and MMG. Note the extra stands so that the key weapons can be depicted either moving or deployed to fire.

The Dutch are a Trained, Morale 7 Infantry Company. The British sappers will enter on turn 10.

The Dutch deploy across the neck of the peninsula, with their MMG on the corner closest to the Germans and their command stand in depth.

The Germans deploy just north of Hoogvleit with their Battalion command stand controlling the mortar and MMG, and two infantry platoons.

The company commander and one other platoon are astride the railway line.

An overhead shot showing the relationship between teh two forces at the start of the game.

On the first turn the Germans move to within 12" of the MMG stand. The MMG doesn't fire but still has to check for morale. Given how precarious the Dutch morale is, on the second turn the MMG does fire, despite being Suppressed by the mortar. Being only Trained troops, the MMG only manages to send back the company minus on the railway axis before being destroyed by a hail of fire from the Germans.

Turn 3 and two Dutch platoons are forced back.

The forward Dutch position folds fairly quickly.

The Dutch make a virtue of necessity and Disengage back amongst the oil tanks to reform.

The Germans follow up cautiously.

The Germans deploy for the attack on the next Dutch defensive line, including pushing their MMG to the flank to fire along the railway line through the line of oil tanks.

The Germans rush the Dutch from two directions.

The Dutch have some minor success, pinning the Company coming straight down the road from the main gate. The Dutch do lose two platoons of their own.

The Dutch pull their remaining platoons back behind the small creek but manage to fire some desultory fire at the pinned Germans. Amazingly, in the morale phase, the Germans are Shaken.

The two Ducth platoons are back on their last delay position. Pinned, and just hanging on.

Some good news at last for the Dutch. On the first possible turn, the British engineers arrive on the far bank of the Neiuwe Maas.

The Germans make a bold decision. Instead of staying to rally the Shaken company, the Battalion commander pushes on with the MMG and an infantry platoon in order to get across to the refinery to forestall the British engineers.

The Company minus is left behind. Will the bold move pay off or will the Germans miss these stands?

The Dutch have to hang on to allow the British engineers time to destroy the refinery.

The British are across the river and start moving through the refinery. They appreciate that they will have to help the Dutch see off the Germans before they can set their demolition charges.

The Germans have now moved through the oil tanks and are in position to clear away the last of the Dutch.

The British engineers move around the refinery, ready to adopt their secondary role as infantry and confront the Germans.

The Germans now have a platoon across the small watercourse. It will have to be removed before the demolition.

The British and Dutch now have the numbers advantage over the Germans, who are now sorely missing the Shaken company that was not rallied.

The Germans do have one important advantage: a stationary MMG. It, and the stationary infantry platoon concentrate their fire against the engineers. Two platoons are blown away and with that the game is over.

A very interesting game in some unusual scenery. With such a small number of stands the game played very quickly: 13 turns in a little over 90 minutes. I hope you enjoyed the scenery and the AAR.

The game is one of the fifty scenarios in my Dutch volume, available at: Blitzkrieg in the West 1940 Volume III 50 Wargame Scenarios Dutch vs Germans - MGK Military Simulations | Wargame Vault

 Advance of the Matildas II

Wailly, France, 21 May 1940

7th RTR leads the right-hand column at Arras

The British counterattack at Arras is one of the most famous actions in the campaign in France in 1940. Part expedient, part myth, part successful and part a failure, the action saw the only tank brigade of the BEF in action against Rommels' 7th Panzer Division.

There was at the time, and there still is, some confusion of ideas about what is commonly known as the British 'counter-attack' at Arras.​

Lord Gort's original intention, the role of Frankforce as set out in an order given to General Franklyn early on May the 20th, was to 'support the garrison in Arras and to block the roads south of Arras, thus cutting off the German communications [via Arras] from the east'. He was 'to occupy the line of the Scarpe on the east of Arras' and establish touch 'by patrols' with the French. Nothing was said about a counter-attack or any larger objective, nor was there any suggestion that the French would be associated in the operation.​

This section of the action covers the part 7th RTR played when it diverged from 4th RTR and headed south-east towards Wailly.​

The board is 4m x 2m representing an area 8km x 4km.

The Germans start deployed, with scattered elements all over the map. The British 7th RTR sets up in the NW corner behind the railway line while the 4th RTR may enter on the northern edge opposite Agny.

The board is the open rolling countryside you would expect to the west of Arras. This a view northeast through Wailly to Agny

Looking north towards Agny along the railway line 

Looking west from Agny towards Wailly. 7th RTR will use the railway line in the NW as their Line of Departure.

Looking southeast from the British FUP. All they have to do is cross the valley to the far ridge where the windmill is.

Some scattered German troops stand in the way of the British. A battery from SS Totenkopf starts deployed in Grenville-la Fermont. They are equipped with FHM 100mm Czech guns.

An SS Totenkopf AT battery is deployed in the open between Grenville and Wailly. This battery is equipped with Czech 37mm AT guns (although, for those eagle-eyed-Czech-AT guns-of-WWII-fans you will note that the models are actually 47mm guns).

A battery form I Battalion, 78th Motorised Artillery Regiment, 7th Panzer Division starts in a very exposed position just north of Wailly.

3/59 Self-propelled Anti-aircraft Company with their SdKfz 10/4s starts in a similarly precarious position north-east of Wailly. 

Some infantry elements from II Battalion, 7th Motorised Infantry Regiment, set up in Wailly.

The Germans have been caught mid-stride. While some forces have managed to hastily deploy, others are still moving into position, including this anti-tank company just south of Agny and Beaurains.

The Luftwaffe's 86th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, with its critical 88mm guns, is at Mercatel, furthest from 7th RTR's start point.

 The remainder of II Battalion, 7th Motorised Battalion is on the road near Ficheux.

The three companies of 7th RTR set up ready to advance.

The game begins. 7th RTR roars forward at break-neck speed (ie: 12" for the Matilda I moving Hasty)

The Germans move their all-important 88s forward.

While Rommel personally leads the motorised infantry column.

The forward anti-tank company deploys on the ridge between Agny and Beaurains.

The Germans juggle their forces: the motorised infantry advances to occupy the villages whilst the light anti-aircraft displaces to the rear.

The British for their part have had mixed fortune in their initial surge forward. At least one company has withdrawn after confronting anti-tank and artillery fire.

Results are not all one-sided though: the forward artillery crew in front of Wailly is killed...

...as are two of the three SS anti-tank crews.

Meanwhile, the Germans begin to deploy their guns in depth on the second ridge.

4th RTR enters between Agny and Beaurains and charges straight at the German anti-tank guns with one company..

Another company 'makes faces' at the German infantry in Agny. Without infantry to clear the Germans, the British can only hope to break the German morale.

On the other flank, 7th RTR has overrun the SS anti-tank guns and has almost reached the Crinchon stream to the west of Wailly.

The Germans are feeling a little more confident as their 88s come into action on the second ridge.

Far from breaking the German morale, it is the British who withdraw from Agny.

While the German anti-tank gunners stare in happy bewilderment as their volley of fire causes the British to flee. Some very special rolls were required. The Gods of War are definitely not with the British today.

With 4th RTR's attack over almost before it began, 7th RTR struggles forward on the west flank.

The 88 crews keep checking the range, but 7th RTR studiously stays just beyond maximum range.

What could make 4th RTR's day worse? A visit from these guys. Stukas 'drop in'.

With careful cajoling, encouragement and harsh words, CO 7th RTR manages to Rally his teams and push the first company across the Crinchon stream.

Not without some aerial attention from the Luftwaffe.

The British gallantly push forward, with one company reaching the objective on the second ridge.

 

The British confront some German light guns and an SS artillery battery in depth.

The highwater mark of the British advance, with two companies of 7th RTR on the second ridge.

One of the bored 88mm crews decides to check the range and discovers that one of the Matildas is just within range.

It's a long shot, but one of the Matildas is nailed. That's enough for the British player and he calls it quits.

A long tough game for the British in particular. The Germans have the ability to shuffle their forces around to present continual dilemmas for the British. The British for their part have no ability to change axis, given the slowness of their tanks, and have to just keep grinding forward. 7th RTR continually rallied and got their companies moving again, whereas 4th RTR fell at the first hurdle.

A big game that saw some unusual models used. Very enjoyable, I hope you liked the write up.

If you would like a copy of this scenario, it is available for free at: Scenario 65. Free Download to preview Blitzkrieg in the West 1940 Volume II 50 Wargame Scenarios British vs Germans - MGK Military Simulations | Wargame Vault

There is also available a compendium of 10 games dealing with the battles around Arras: Blitzkrieg in the West 1940. 10 Wargame Scenarios. The Battles for Arras - MGK Military Simulations | Wargame Vault

All of these are taken from my larger volume on the BEF: Blitzkrieg in the West 1940 Volume II 50 Wargame Scenarios British vs Germans - MGK Military Simulations | Wargame Vault