1ooIatLard|es at 8ov|ngton, 2012

8reak|ng the "D- L|ne": Lta|ng, Irance, 2

nd
September 1918
uurlng Lhe lasL week of AugusL and flrsL week of SepLember 1918 Slr uouglas Palg's, llrsL, 1hlrd and lourLh Armles
became lnvolved ln a complex serles of operaLlons lnLended Lo advance Lhelr formaLlons Lowards Lhe formldable sysLem
of Cerman fleld-defences called Lhe '!"#$%&"#' !)#**+,$' - beLLer known Lo Lhe 8rlLlsh as Lhe -",'#,.+&$ /",#. 1he
Plndenburg Llne was more a serles of well-defended zones Lhan a slngle llne, and Palg was deLermlned LhaL Lhese
poslLlons should and could be broken qulckly as parL of Lhe on-golng Allled offenslve. Powever, desplLe Lhe rapld
advances made by Lhe 8rlLlsh and Allled forces ln early AugusL 1918, lL was accepLed LhaL Lhe lmposlng sLrengLh of Lhe
Plndenburg Llne would pose Lhe advanclng 8rlLlsh Armles wlLh profound and unprecedenLed challenges.
1he 0&121+&)34+56,) /",# (also called Lhe uC-Llne) was one of Lhe mosL powerful secLlons of Lhe wlder Plndenburg Llne.
lL conslsLed of a fronL and a supporL llne, boLh abundanLly provlded wlLh concreLe shelLers and machlne-gun posLs, and
was proLecLed by dense masses of barbed wlre. 1he vlllage of LLalng was lncorporaLed ln Lhe urocourL-CueanL Llne and
had been forLlfled by Cerman forces. lorLlfled poslLlons such as LLalng, and nelghbourlng vlllages such as uury and
789# :6& ;6.",#) <1+*' .#21=# 6,>"1+? "% <# &#2#"@#' 9#6@A B+,"?9=#,) ", 6))62C",$ )9# -",'#,.+&$ /",#
<")91+) ?+22#??D Slr Penry Wllson Lo Palg, Lelegram 29 AugusL 1918
CagnlcourL, also beneflLed from supporLlng rear poslLlons whlch could provldlng enflladlng machlne gun flre and fleld
arLlllery supporL (Lhe laLLer frequenLly belng deployed ln an anLl-Lank role).
1he Nature of the I|ght|ng
1he acLlons from Lhls perlod are characLerlsed by complex comblned aLLacks by 8rlLlsh and CommonwealLh lnfanLry and
1ank Corps forces well supporLed by carefully planned arLlllery and machlne gun barrages. Allled arLlllery by Lhls sLage ln
Lhe War possessed Lremendous power and lnLenslLy: LwenLy brlgades of fleld arLlllery and eleven of heavy arLlllery alone
supporLed Lhe Canadlan Corps' aLLack on parL of Lhe urocourL-CueanL Llne faclng uury. Allled arLlllery deployed smoke
exLenslvely Lo mask Lhe advances of aLLacklng forces.
1he losses suffered by Lhe 1ank Corps ln Lhe baLLle of Amlens ln early AugusL had led Lo a Lendency noL Lo use armour ln
advance of lnfanLry Lroops unless deflnlLe reslsLance demanded Lhelr employmenL. 1ank supporL was also
comparaLlvely meagre when [udged agalnsL Lhe very large number of Lanks employed aL Lhe sLarL of AugusL 1918: Lwo
companles of Mark v Lanks were alloLLed Lo each of Lhe Lhree aLLacklng dlvlslons of Lhe Canadlan Corps advanclng on Lhe
urocourL-CueanL Llne, slgnlflcanLly less Lhan were proporLlonaLely avallable aL Amlens. 1anks were frequenLly led up Lo
Lhe sLarLlng assaulL poslLlons durlng Lhe nlghL, Lhe nolse of Lhelr assembly belng drowned by aeroplanes flylng over Lhe
area.
8y conLrasL, 8Al supporL was conslderable. 1he newly-named 8oyal Alr lorce squadrons were deslgnaLed speclflc
LargeLs for aLLack and lnLerdlcLlon, some squadrons co-operaLlng wlLh Lanks, some deallng wlLh Cerman anLl-Lank guns
and oLhers supporLlng Allled aLLacklng dlvlslons.
laclng Lhe 8rlLlsh and Lhelr Canadlan and AusLrallan allles was a powerful, well-organlsed and skllfully-slLed Cerman
defence sysLem. 1he poslLlons on Lhe urocourL-CueanL Llne were abundanLly provlded wlLh concreLe sLrongpolnLs and
machlne gun posLs, anLl-Lank gun poslLlons and dense masse of barbed wlre. 1he cellars of forLlfled vlllages (such as aL
CagnlcourL) were also used Lo locaLe Cerman defenslve forces and proLecL Lhem from Allled arLlllery barrages.
Cerman defenslve LacLlcs were belng reflned conLlnually, wlLh a varleLy of anLl-Lank weapons belng used lncludlng Lhe
deploymenL of purpose-made 37mm hlgh veloclLy anLl-Lank guns, 86,C$#<#9& 13.2 mm anLl-Lank rlfles, fleld arLlllery
flrlng over open slghLs and, ln cases of desperaLlon, speclally equlpped ploneer Leams wlLh saLchel and concenLraLlon"
charges (Lhe laLLer comprlslng a bundle of hand grenades wlred LogeLher).
Cerman defenslve reslllence was, however, becomlng varlable by Lhls sLage ln Lhe War. 1here were pockeLs of lnLense
reslsLance, Lhe Canadlan aLLack on Lhe urocourL-CueanL Llne faced resoluLe opposlLlon from reglmenLs of Lhe 1sL and
2nd Cuard 8eserve ulvlslons and Lhe 3rd 8eserve ulvlslon. 1hese Lroops were capable of flghLlng blLLerly and skllfully
unLll reduced Lo llLLle bands of exhausLed men". lrequenLly, however, reslsLance could be lnconslsLenL or weak,
parLlcularly ln Lhe early sLages of a day's flghLlng when Cerman defenders could be overwhelmed by Lhe scale of allled
assaulLs and Lhelr command and communlcaLlons dlslocaLed by Allled arLlllery barrages. WheLher Lhe lncreaslngly large
numbers of Cermans surrenderlng ln Lhe baLLles for Lhe Plndenburg Llne was a producL of war-wearlness or as a resulL
of Lhe dlfflculLy ln holdlng poslLlons ln a rapldly crumbllng defenslve sysLem varled dependlng on Lhe parLlcular Cerman
unlLs deployed and local clrcumsLances. ConLemporarles noLed also LhaL reslsLance could sLlffen durlng each day as
lnlLlal Cerman command paralysls was counLeracLed and conLrol reasserLed.
1he Wargame
1he wargame we presenLed aL Lhe Wargames SouLh show aL 8ovlngLon lnn !uly 2012 was based on Lhe flghLlng along
Lhe urocourL-CueanL Llne ln early SepLember 1918, and ln parLlcular Lhe aLLack by Lhe 8rlLlsh 4
Lh
lnfanLry ulvlslon on Lhe
Cerman forLlfled vlllage of LLalng. 1hls was a far more moblle sLage of Lhe War Lhan Lhen Lhe baLLles of Lhe Somme and
7)9# )62)"2? <#&# ,#2#??6&"*A *#%) *6&$#*A )1 '"@"?"1,6*E .&"$6'#E .6))6*"1, 6,' #@#, B*6)11, 21==6,'#&?F )9#A
<#&# ?1=#)"=#? .&"**"6,) 6,' ?1=#)"=#? %6+*)AD
asschendaele. Powever, Lhe 8rlLlsh Army's ablllLy Lo mould an effecLlve comblned arms" force and lLs deLermlnaLlon
Lo geL Lhe [ob done" ln flnlshlng Lhe war was flnely balanced agalnsL a Cerman defence whlch uLlllsed effecLlve modern
weaponry ln well-slLed defenslve poslLlons.
1he rules used were 1hrough Lhe Mud and Lhe 8lood" from 1oolaLLardles. 1hese rules alm Lo repllcaLe ln mlnlaLure
some of Lhe key feaLures of Lhe flghLlng ln Lhe CreaL War. We hope LhaL you wlll be able Lo posL some of Lhe LacLlcal
feaLures menLloned ln Lhls hand-ouL ln our game.
Lta|ng: 2 SepLember 1918 from a 8rlLlsh 1rench Map 1: 10,000 scale
(8ed llnes and marklngs deplcL Cerman poslLlonal defences)
1ooIatLard|es at 8ov|ngton, 2012
8reak|ng the "D- L|ne": Lta|ng, Irance, 2nd September 1918
German 8r|ef|ng
?ou are PaupLmann ulrlch von 8ek of Lhe 137Lh 8eserve lnfanLry 8eglmenL, an experlenced Cerman fleld commander
Lasked wlLh Lhe defence of Lhe secLlon of Lhe !"#$%&"#' !)#**+,$ around Lhe forLlfled lrench vlllage of LLalng ln early
SepLember 1918. ?ou have been flghLlng almosL conLlnually slnce Lhe 8lack uay of Lhe Cerman Army" ln early AugusL
1918 when dle Lnglander broke Lhrough your llnes easL of Amlens.
AlLhough your men are Llred and baLLle-weary Lhey sense LhaL Lhe mosL lmporLanL parL of Lhe flghLlng Lhls year ls abouL
Lo commence as you have fallen back Lo Lhe maln baLLle llne of Lhe !"#$%&"#' !)#**+,$. lL ls here LhaL you, and Lhe resL of
Lhe Cerman forces ln lrance wlll make your sLand Lo halL Lhe Allled aLLacks and buy Llme for relnforcemenLs Lo be
broughL Lo Lhe lronL.
As you survey Lhe wesLernmosL parL of Lhe vlllage of LLalng (Lhe polnL nearesL Lhe 8rlLlsh llnes), you see LhaL lL has been
heavlly forLlfled. 1here ls a relnforced concreLe bunker concealed ln a burnL ouL resldenLlal house on Lhe maln Lrench
llne, and a concreLe second bunker enflladlng Lhe vlllage [usL ln fronL of Lhe supporL Lrench. 1he cellars of Lhe houses,
Church and hoLel ln Lhe vlllage have all belng used as makeshlfL Lroop shelLers. 1he houses and Lhe Church are also
connecLed by a Lrench whlch Lurns lnLo a Lunnel leadlng Lo Lhe crypL of Lhe Church.
8ehlnd Lhe supporL Lrench, Lhere ls a reglmenLal ald posL and an anLl-Lank emplacemenL (large enough for a 77mm fleld
gun), alLhough Lhe emplacemenL ls consLrucLed of felled Lrees and noL concreLe owlng Lo Lhe lncreaslng shorLage of
resources and aggregaLes ln Lhe laLherland. lurLher back sLlll ls a small copse whlch has furLher prepared poslLlons for
arLlllery and fleld guns. G89# 6"' B1?)E )9# 6,)"3)6,C #=B*62#=#,) 6,' )9# 21B?# <"** 6BB#6& 1, )9# !+,'6A $6=#H
All ln all, you conslder Lhls Lo be a sLrong poslLlon. ?our concern lles only wlLh Lhe forces under your command. ?ou are
shorL of Lroops, many of Lhe Zug (plaLoons) ln your reglmenL belng under-sLrengLh. ?ou are also concerned abouL Lhe
morale of your men. 1hey have been falllng back for Lhree weeks, under consLanL harassmenL from 8rlLlsh alrcrafL,
shelled repeaLedly by 8rlLlsh arLlllery and have foughL off numerous aLLacks by 8rlLlsh and Lhelr lmperlal allles. ?ou are
concerned LhaL Lhelr morale ls becomlng lncreaslngly brlLLle. ?ou wlll have Lo work hard Lo ensure LhaL Lhey sLay
focused and resoluLe for Lhe baLLle whlch ls approachlng.
A llsL of your forces ls on Lhe nexL page.
1he fronL llne Cerman forces from Lhe 2nd Company of Lhe 137Lh 8eserve lnfanLry 8eglmenL can sLarL ln any locaLlon on,
or behlnd, Lhe forward Lrench of Lhe urocourL-CueanL llne. 1he Cerman 8elnforcemenLs Cerman 8elnforcemenLs from
Lhe 3
rd
Company of Lhe 137Lh 8eserve lnfanLry 8eglmenL wlll arrlve ln Lhe urocourL-CueanL supporL Lrench shorLly.
Cood PunLlng!
1ooIatLard|es at 8ov|ngton, 2012
8reak|ng the "D- L|ne": Lta|ng, Irance, 2
nd
September 1918
German Crder of 8att|e
2
nd
Company of the 1S7th keserve Infantry keg|ment - mora|e reasonab|e, exper|ence regu|ar
llrsL laLoon - 4 8lg Men (lahnrlch !oachlm vogel (SLaLus lll), CberCefrelLer Adolf Zlegler (SLaLus ll),
CefrelLer lrlLz 8ergmann (SLaLus l), CefrelLer Pans lassblnder (SLaLus l))
under-sLrengLh plaLoon of 28 men comprlslng 20 rlflemen ln Lhree secLlons, and 8 bombers ln a fourLh
secLlon. Any of Lhe bombers wlLh hand grenades can consLrucL a $#.6**)# /6'+,$ (concenLraLlon charge)
Lo use agalnsL Lhe 8rlLlsh Lanks.
2 MC08s heavy machlne guns, each wlLh 3 crew. Any 8lg Man movlng a MC08 wlll move aL a mlnus 1
plp" per movemenL dlce Lo slmulaLe Lhe relaLlve dlfflculLy of movlng Lhese heavy machlne guns around
Lhe baLLlefleld. 8oLh MC08s have ample supplles of armour plerclng Smk. AmmunlLlon.
Cne 77mm I#*'C6,1,# 16 wlLh CberCefrelLer lellx kaLz (136
Lh
lleld ArLlllery 8aLLery)(SLaLus ll) - deploy
off Lable (dlrecL flre, buL wlLh flrlng penalLles) buL can be moved on-Lable
Cne 37mm anLl-Lank gun wlLh Lhree man crew - deploy on Lable
86,C$#<#9& 13.2 mm anLl-Lank rlfle wlLh 2 man crew
Cne snlper
German ke|nforcements - dep|oy at entry po|nt a|ong the Drocourt-uant support trench on the th|rd
turn of the Sn|fter Card.
3
rd
Company of the 1S7th keserve Infantry keg|ment - mora|e reasonab|e, exper|ence veteran
PaupLmann ulrlch von 8ek (SLaLus lv) , wlLh card '6? J*K2C '#? 8#+%#*?" (a uevll's Luck" card), one
forward arLlllery observer for Cerman SCS barrage.
2 nCCs: Cberleldwebel 8olf unger (SLaLus ll), CefrelLer Pans SLurmer (SLaLus ll)
1 undersLrengLh plaLoon, comprlslng 24 men - 8 rlflemen, 8 bombers (any of Lhe bombers wlLh hand
grenades can consLrucL a $#.6**)# /6'+,$ (concenLraLlon charge) Lo use agalnsL Lhe 8rlLlsh Lanks), 1
MC08/13 llghL machlne gun wlLh Lwo man crew, 4 sLossLruppen wlLh squlrL-guns" (elLher M18
8ergmanns or C96 Mausers wlLh snall drum magazlnes)
1ooIatLard|es at 8ov|ngton, 2012
8reak|ng the "D- L|ne": Lta|ng, Irance, 2nd September 1918
8r|t|sh 8r|ef|ng
?ou are CapLaln Ldward WesLferry of Lhe 9
Lh
8aLLallon, uuke of WelllngLon's 8eglmenL. ?our reglmenL has a famous
name, and an lllusLrlous pasL - now ls Lhe chance for you Lo add Lo your reglmenL's baLLle honours.
?ou are an experlenced fleld commander, Lasked wlLh Lhe capLure of Lhe Cerman forLlfled vlllage of LLalng on a heavlly
defended secLlon of Lhe Plndenburg Llne. 1he vlllage lles ln Lhe secLlon known as Lhe urocourL-CueanL Llne (also called
Lhe uC-Llne by Lhe sLaff wallahs and red Labs), and you know from Lhe brleflng glven Lo you yesLerday LhaL Lhls wlll be a
Lough nuL Lo crack.
lnLelllgence has been recelved from a LalkaLlve Cerman prlsoner LhaL Lhe wesL of Lhe vlllage (where you wlll aLLack) ls
defended by a number of forLlfled bunkers. ?ou also have been Lold LhaL Lhe Cermans have used Lhe cellars underneaLh
many of Lhe houses ln Lhe vlllage as Lroop shelLers. 1he 8oyal ArLlllery wlll be glvlng Lhe vlllage a good pasLlng before
you seL off, buL you are concerned LhaL Lhls may noL be enough Lo wlnkle ouL Lhe Pun.
?ou have Lwo plaLoons ln Lhe flrsL llne of your company whlch should be enough Lo flghL lnLo Lhe vlllage. Mlndful of Lhe
Lough flghL approachlng, you have deLalled Lhe second plaLoon Lo focus on mopplng-up". ?ou've Lasked llrsL
LleuLenanL Mlllwall of 3
rd
laLoon, A" company wlLh Lhls [ob. AlLhough he ls an unpopular offlcer and a very cold flsh,
he ls undoubLedly efflclenL and you're sure he wlll do a decenL [ob of consolldaLlng your galns.
As LLalng ls a prlorlLy LargeL ln Lhe '8ed Llne" of Lhe 8rlLlsh aLLack, CPC has also provlded you wlLh a secLlon of Mark v
Lanks from Lhe 1ank Corps. 1hey are led by llrsL LleuLenanL Charles klmpLon, alLhough Lhe poor fellow looks almosL
done ln. ?ou've spoken Lo hlm several Llmes abouL Lhe rouLe of aLLack lnLo Lhe vlllage - he ls very concerned LhaL lnslde
Lhe vlllage hls Lanks could geL bogged down ln Lhe rubble, buL ouLslde Lhe vlllage hls Lanks could be hlL by fleld arLlllery
flrlng over open slghLs. ?ou wlsh LhaL Lhe chap would be a blL more poslLlve - buL you expecL LhaL, glven Lhe hlgh
casualLy raLe amongsL Lhe Lankles, Lhe fellow has a rlghL Lo be a llLLle blL gloomy from Llme Lo Llme.
SLlll, boLh klmpLon and you are agreed LhaL Lhe secLlon of Lhree Lanks ls Lhe besL way you have of flghLlng lnLo LLalng.
Accordlngly, Lhey have been poslLloned sllghLly ln advance of your lnfanLry ln recognlLlon of Lhe Lough Cerman defences
whlch are expecLed. ?ou are confldenL (and more confldenL, lL appears, Lhan LleuLenanL klmpLon) LhaL Lhe Lanks can
pack a powerful punch, especlally lf Lhey can geL amongsL Lhe Pun before he comes ouL of hls bunkers from Lhe barrage.
?our forces sLarL on Lhe base edge furLhesL from LLalng. ?ou have Lhe Lhe cholce regardlng how your forces wlll enLer
Lhe Lable, ln whlch order and aL whaL Llmes.
Cood Luck!
1ooIatLard|es at 8ov|ngton, 2012
8reak|ng the "D- L|ne": Lta|ng, Irance, 2
nd
September 1918
8r|t|sh Crder of 8att|e
"A" Company, 9
th
8atta||on, Duke of We|||ngton's keg|ment - mora|e reasonab|e, exper|ence regu|ar.
Company n - CapLaln Ldward WesLferry (SLaLus lv), Lwo runners, 8rlLlsh lorward Cbserver (14
Lh
8lA
reglmenL, 8aLLery u")
2
nd
|atooon, "A" Company, 9
th
8atta||on, Duke of We|||ngton's keg|ment
SergeanL lrank 8lackwall (sLaLus ll), Corporal !ack 8eckLon (SLaLus l), Corporal Wllfrld PoxLon (SLaLus l),
Corporal Parold SLepney (SLaLus l)
lour secLlons: (l) elghL men comprlslng Lwo bayoneL men, slx bombers, (ll) elghL rlflemen, (lll) elghL men,
Lwo wlLh a Lewls gun plus slx ammunlLlon carrlers/rlflemen (lv) elghL men, four wlLh rlfle grenade
launchers, four wlLh ammunlLlon Lo acL as loaders.
Understrength 3
rd
|atooon, "A" Company, 9
th
8atta||on, Duke of We|||ngton's keg|ment
Second LleuLenanL Parry Mlllwall (sLaLus lll), Corporal Alf Shadwell (SLaLus l), Corporal 8lll Llmehouse
(SLaLus l).
1hree secLlons: (l) elghL men comprlslng Lwo bayoneL men, slx bombers, (ll) elghL rlflemen, all of whlch
are Lralned as Lrench cleaners", (lll) elghL men, Lwo wlLh a Lewls gun plus slx ammunlLlon
carrlers/rlflemen.
No. 4 Sect|on, 1
st
Company, "8" 8atta||on, 1ank Corps
SecLlon Commander, llrsL LleuLenanL Charles klmpLon (SLaLus lll).
lour Mark lv Lanks:
! Lwo Male (8lack rlnce", commanded by Second LleuLenanL 1oby Lemsford (sLaLus ll), 7 oLher crew,
and 8rlgand ll", commanded by SergeanL ulck WhlLwell (sLaLus ll), 7 oLher crew)
! Lwo lemale (8anshee", commanded by Second-LleuLenanL 8uperL Lamerwood (sLaLus ll), wlLh 7
oLher crew, and 8elladonna", commanded by Secon-LleuLenanL lrancls AyoL, wlLh 7 oLher crew).
llrsL LleuLenanL klmpLon should sLarL ln one of Lhe Lanks, buL can lead on fooL, or change Lanks as
clrcumsLances dlcLaLe. All four Lanks have sufflclenL supplles of fuel and ammunlLlon. Lach Lank has one
fasclne or cradle Lo enable lL Lo cross Lhe urocourL-CueanL forward llne (boards 3 and 6). Cnce dropped,
Lhe fasclne cannoL be moved. 1he morale of all Lank crews ls reasonable, Lhelr experlence regular.
1ooIatLard|es at 8ov|ngton, 2012
8reak|ng the "D- L|ne": Lta|ng, Irance, 2
nd
September 1918
Ump|re's Notes
!"#$%&' )%*+"$"%*,: 1he 8rlLlsh player wlns lf he has broken lnLo Lhe vlllage of LLalng ln a slgnlflcanL manner". 1hls
wonderfully elasLlc Lerm leaves Lhe umplre, or players, free Lo declde wheLher, glven Lhe clrcumsLances of Lhe game,
Lhey feel any 8rlLlsh peneLraLlon lnLo Lhe vlllage ls robusL enough Lo survlve furLher Cerman counLer aLLacks. lor players
(and umplres) wanLlng a more emplrlcal measuremenL of success, Lhe 8rlLlsh player wlll wln lf he has aL leasL one
plaLoon of aL leasL half sLrengLh and Lwo Lanks, wlLhln 24" of Lhe Cerman basellne by Lhe end of Lhe game.
-.&&/"*: 1he Lerraln we used aL 8ovlngLon was loosely modeled on Lhe 1:10,000 scale 8rlLlsh 1rench Map (reproduced
above), whlch ls avallable from Lhe lmperlal War Museum ln Cu formaL. Cur Lable slze was 8 feeL x 4 feeL, wlLh Lhe
norLh half of Lhe Lable belng no-Man's Land, and Lhe souLhern half belng a forward and supporL Lrench of Lhe Slegfrled
SLellung, wlLh Lhe bulldlngs of LLalng ln beLween Lhe Lwo Lrench llnes.
vlew of Lhe Lable from Lhe Cerman slde (on Lhe lefL) LLalng ln Lhe boLLom rlghL of Lhe Lable, and (on Lhe rlghL) Lhe 8rlLlsh
vlew.

1he Lerraln ln no-Man's land ls craLered, buL noL heavlly. We LreaLed Lhe area lmmedlaLely before Lhe forward Lrench
llne (Lo a depLh of 24", or Lhe depLh of one Lerraln board) as all llghL cover. LLalng lLself ls a forLlfled vlllage. We sued a
couple of bunkers ln Lhe game, and Lhese should be placed where Lhe Cerman player wlshes. 1he 8rlLlsh player has full
slghL of where Lhe bunkers are placed. 1he bulldlngs ln LLalng are all consldered Lo have cellars.
0&"$",1 2.34%'5.*$: 1he 8rlLlsh forces sLarL on Lhe base edge furLhesL from LLalng. 1he 8rlLlsh layer has Lhe cholce
regardlng how hls forces wlll enLer, ln whlch order and aL whaL Llmes.
6.&5/* 2.34%'5.*$: 1he fronL llne Cerman forces from Lhe 2nd Company of Lhe 137Lh 8eserve lnfanLry 8eglmenL can
sLarL ln any locaLlon on, or behlnd, Lhe forward Lrench of Lhe urocourL-CueanL llne. 1he Cerman 8elnforcemenLs
Cerman 8elnforcemenLs from Lhe 3
rd
Company of Lhe 137Lh 8eserve lnfanLry 8eglmenL deploy aL enLry polnL along Lhe
urocourL-CueanL supporL Lrench afLer 2+1u6 Lurns of Lhe SnlfLer Card
0&"$",1 7&$"44.&' 0/&&/8.: AL Lhls sLage ln Lhe War, 8rlLlsh and Allled arLlllery barrages were approachlng Lhelr zenlLh.
Many of Lhe aLLacks elsewhere on Lhe urocourL-CueanL llne on 2 SepLember 1918 would be very heavlly supporLed by
complex arLlllery barrages. Accordlngly, lL seems approprlaLe LhaL Lhe 8rlLlsh player should also have an lndlcaLlon of Lhe
power of Lhe arLlllery forces avallable Lo hlm. 1he 8rlLlsh player ls Lherefore allowed an arLlllery barrage ln supporL of hls
aLLack ln Lhe game. 1he barrage covers an area 48" lnches wlde by 12" deep, and ls selecLed before Lhe sLarL of Lhe
game. 1here ls no devlaLlon dlce for placlng Lhe barrage. 1he barrage lasLs Lhree Lurns of Lhe SnlfLer card. Any unlL
caughL wlLhln Lhe barrage suffers 6u6 for effecL, reduclng cover by one level. 1he 8rlLlsh player musL lnform Lhe umplre
aL Lhe sLarL of Lhe game when Lhe barrage ls Lo commence (elLher aL an acLual Llme, or ln Lhe Lurn of Lhe ! Lh SnlfLer
Card.
6.&5/* 9:9 7&$"44.&' ;"&.: Add boLh a Cerman SCS ArLlllery llre" card and a Cerman CommunlcaLlons uown" card
lnLo Lhe card deck. 1he Cerman player should have aL leasL one Lurn (l suggesL Lwo) ln whlch Lhe Cerman
CommunlcaLlons uown" card ls ln Lhe card deck before Lhe lnLroducLlon of Lhe Cerman SCS ArLlllery" card lnLo Lhe card
deck Lo slgnlfy Lhe feroclous 8rlLlsh lnLerdlcLlon of Cerman fleld arLlllery baLLerles wlLh hlgh exploslves and gas shells aL
Lhls sLage ln Lhe war. 1reaL Lhe Cerman SCS ArLlllery barrage as ln 8ule 10.4 of Lhe 1hrough Lhe Mud and Lhe 8lood"
rules. L1)# 1, +?# 1% 7;1==+,"26)"1,? 01<,D 26&'M <9#, +?",$ 6, !N! 6&)"**#&A 26&' O&+*# PQRQR O!+BB1&) S,")?T 6,' &+*#
RUQP O!N! I"&#TTE 6'' 6 7;1==+,"26)"1,? 01<,D 26&' ", )9# 26&' '#2CQ V##B 6 )&62C 1% )9# ,+=.#& 1% )"=#? )9#
7;1==+,"26)"1,? 01<,D 26&' 96? .##, '&6<,Q W% )96) ,+=.#& #>2##'? )9# ,+=.#& 1% )"=#? )9# !N! 6&)"**#&A ?+BB1&)
26&' 96? .##, '&6<,E )9#, ,1 !N! 6&)"**#&A "? 6@6"*6.*# O)9# &#6?1,",$ .#",$ )96) 21==+,"26)"1,? )1 )9# !N! 6&)"**#&A
.6))#&"#? 96@# .##, '"?&+B)#' )9&1+$9 21+,)#&3.6))#&A %"&# 6,' $#,#&6* 6&)"**#&A ",)#&'"2)"1,TQ
Cards
8r|t|sh German Common
8lg Men 8lg Men 1lme for a SnlfLer
8rlLlsh 8llnds Cerman 8llnds
Command lnlLlaLlve l x2 Command lnlLlaLlve l x2
Command lnlLlaLlve ll x1 Command lnlLlaLlve ll x1
Command lnlLlaLlve lll x1 Command lnlLlaLlve lll x1
Command lnlLlaLlve lv x1 Command lnlLlaLlve lv x1
1ank Corps 8onus Move (x2*) Cerman Snlper
8rlLlsh lorward Cbserver Cerman lleld ArLlllery
8rlLlsh ArLlllery SupporL Cerman MC08 (l & ll)
Cerman AnLl-1ank Cun (37mm)
Cerman AnLl-1ank 8lfle
Cerman lorward Cbserver
Cerman SCS ArLlllery
Cerman CommunlcaLlons uown
06? J*K2C '#? 8#+%#*?"
*A less generous umplre may prefer Lo glve Lhe 8rlLlsh player only one 1ank Corps 8onus Move card. Powever, Lhe
Lhlnklng behlnd allowlng Lwo was LhaL Lhe 8rlLlsh aLLacks wlLh Lanks on 2
nd
SepLember appear Lo have been carefully
prepared, wlLh few Lanks breaklng down owlng Lo mechanlcal problems. 1anks also appeared Lo keep pace wlLh Lhe
advanclng lnfanLry. A compromlse would be Lo allow Lwo 1ank Corps 8onus Move" cards unLll, say, Lhe 10
Lh
Lrun of Lhe
SnlfLer Card, followlng whlch one card ls removed.
<",$%&"#/4 :=$#%5.: 1he flghL for LLalng was harder Lhan lnlLlally conLemplaLed, requlrlng Lwo days before Lhe 8rlLlsh
and Lhelr Canadlan allles had cleared Lhe Cerman forces ouL of Lhe vlllage. A number of commenLaLors noLed LhaL
Cerman forces had been broughL forward lnLo Lhe vlllage on Lhe nlghL of 2
nd
/ 3
rd
SepLember 1918, Lhe addlLlonal
relnforcemenLs posslbly accounLlng for Lhe prolonged Cerman reslsLance.
-1. >/&8/5.: More deLalls and phoLographs of Lhe game played aL 8ovlngLon, and of oLher wargames from Lhe
WesLern lronL ln Lhe CreaL War, can be found aL Lhe koundwood's Wor|d blog.
1he Web address for Lhe relevanL page ls http:]]s|dneyroundwood.b|ogspot.co.uk]2012]07]break|ng-d-q-||ne-after-
act|on-report.htm|)
1he rules used ln Lhe wargame, 1hrough Lhe Mud and Lhe 8lood", are avallable from Lhe 1oolaLLardles webslLe aL
www.toofat|ard|es.co.uk