Sunday 30 November 2014

KISS My Arras!

Initial thinking

Apart from going arf arf about the title I have doing some thinking. This is largely based on the account in Julian Thompson's Dunkirk book (Sidgwick & Jackson 2008) which seems to follow the official history very closely. So we have a very uncoordinated attack by a composite British force, supported by the French, against the flank of 7th Panzer Division and SS Totenkopf. This lasted a short time before being stopped by a German gun line.



Much has been made of this fairly primitive episode. It certainly wasn't the major counter-attack that some histories present it as. Nevertheless, it does show how both professional and dedicated the pre-war BEF was but also its limitations on a modern battlefield, especially its very poor communications.

From my point of view it has Matildas I and II. I have only just realised that the Matilda I was produced in very limited numbers (139) and this was its major outing. It also has the "what if" possibilities that make for a great game, just like the Bulge!


A foggy Matilda I
I want to use my 8 by 6 hex grid and some 1/300 tanks. This looks like a job for KISS Rommel with some hex grid type adjustments.

First go is the attached OB for the battle, leaning very heavily on Bob Mackenzie's Bathtub Command Decision scenario. Next may well be a happy 1/300 shopping experience.

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