Game of the Week, May 5 to 11
Hi everyone,
It’s the start of a new week, so it’s time for Game of the Week!
This week’s Game of the Week is Panzer Campaigns: France ‘40. On May 10th, 1940, 85 years ago this coming weekend, Germany invaded France and the Low Countries. Despite the Allies having a numerical and, in some cases, qualitative advantage, the campaign was concluded in six short weeks with France, Belgium and the Netherlands subjugated.
Panzer Campaigns: France ‘40 covers the complete German campaign from May 10th to June 4th, 1940. This latest version of the game includes all the new Mike Prucha-enhanced scenarios using both the latest historical research, as well as the latest improvements in the game system. The map was specifically enlarged to include all the Netherlands, so the full campaign can be covered. Mike is one of our key developers and his innovative work on Panzer Campaigns: Scheldt ’44 and the upcoming Panzer Campaigns: Poland ’39 are showcases of his talent.
Panzer Campaigns: France ‘40 is the latest 4.05.1 version, and our product description encapsulates this campaign well:
In early May 1940, the war clouds that started in Poland the previous year blew into France and the Lower Countries as the Germans cross the border thus ending the period known as "The Phony War". With the opening of hostilities, the Franco-British Armies executed their pre-war plan and marched into central Belgium to meet the enemy and to re-fight the First World War. The Germans however had devised a new attack. A bold and risky plan to push the bulk of their mobile forces through the Ardennes Forest, outflank the Allied forces and pin them to the coast. Will the German Panzer Divisions be able to duplicate this brilliant maneuver and this time defeat the Allies before the Army can be evacuated at Dunkerque? Or will the Allies rescue the situation like they did on the Marne River in 1914?
The game includes 93 scenarios featuring all the historical forces that had been allocated to the campaign.
The longest campaign scenario is 284 turns, with most scenarios a very playable sub-30 turns.
The master map (212,288 hexes) covers all north-eastern France, Belgium and Holland. The German staging areas along the border are also included.
As well as the aforementioned scenarios and campaigns, Panzer Campaigns: France ‘40 includes a Getting Started scenario to introduce new players to the game system. The included scenarios are a good mix of small (division), medium (corps) and large (Army/Army Group) engagements.
The Order of Battle has 19,000 units from the German, German SS, Luftwaffe, Belgian, British, French, Netherlands and Polish forces that participated in the campaign.
We have packed a lot of historical documentation and notes with this title. You can review them by clicking on the links below.
There has been a range of books covering the France battles in 1940. Following are some representative examples for anyone that would like some more background on the campaign. You can click on the book images below to be taken to the publisher or Amazon, if applicable.
Informational
“The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West” by Karl-Heinz Frieser.
Amazon blurb: Here, for the first time in English, is an illuminating German perspective on the decisive blitzkrieg campaign. The account, written by the German historian Karl-Heinz Frieser and edited by American historian John T. Greenwood, provides the definitive explanation for Germany's startling success and the equally surprising military collapse of France and Britain on the European continent in 1940. In a little over a month, Germany defeated the Allies in battle, a task that had not been achieved in four years of brutal fighting during World War I. First published in 1995 as the official German history of the 1940 campaign, this book goes beyond standard explanations to show that the German victory was not inevitable and that French defeat was not preordained.
“The Battle of France: Six Weeks That Changed the World” by Philip Warner.
Amazon reviewer: This is an excellent and well written history of the entire battle. He establishes the reasons for the overall poor performance of the allied forces. He moves the reader from the social/political to the battlefield effortlessly. The entire battle is addressed not just up to the Dunkirk evacuation. Additionally, a there is a thoughtful analysis given on the impact of the battle both in regards to the Second World War but also the aftermath. The book is British centric but still addresses the other combatants. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in this campaign.
“The Blitzkrieg Myth: How Hitler and the Allies Misread the Strategic Realities of World War II” by John Mosier.
This a very interesting alternative view of the role of German doctrine and whether the portrayal of the effectiveness of ‘Blitzkrieg’ was essentially correct.
Amazon blurb: A bold reinterpretation of some of the most decisive battles of World War II, showing that the outcomes had less to do with popular new technology than old–fashioned, on–the–ground warfare.
The military myths of World War II were based on the assumption that the new technology of the airplane and the tank would cause rapid and massive breakthroughs on the battlefield, or demoralization of the enemy by intensive bombing resulting in destruction or surrender in a matter of weeks. The two apostles for these new theories were the Englishman J.C.F. Fuller for armoured warfare, and the Italian Emilio Drouhet for airpower. Hitler, Rommel, von Manstein, Montgomery and Patton were all seduced by the breakthrough myth or blitzkrieg as the decisive way to victory.
Mosier shows how the Polish campaign in fall 1939 and the fall of France in spring 1940 were not the blitzkrieg victories as proclaimed.
“War In The West A New History” by James Holland.
Amazon blurb: Are you ready for the truth about World War Two?
In the first of an extraordinary three-volume account of the war on land, in the air and at sea, James Holland reveals not only the truth behind the familiar legends of the Second World War but he also unveils those lesser known events which were to have the greatest significance.
The first book to consider the economic, political and social as well as the military aspects of World War Two, this is a unique retelling of a monumental event in all its terrible and majestic glory.
Holland has spent over twelve years unearthing new research, visiting archives, battlefields and the very people who fought and lived through the conflict. He has, in his own accessible and inimitable style, written an account to redefine our understanding of the war. It is unlike anything else on the subject.
“The Battle of France Then and Now” by Peter D. Cornwell.
Amazon blurb: In these pages, Peter Cornwell tells the story of the greatest air battle of the Second World War when six nations were locked in combat over north-western Europe for a traumatic six weeks in 1940. We begin our account in September 1939 when the newly-formed British Air Forces in France sent the first squadrons to the Continent.
Amazon reviewer: I was at once struck by the superb production standards of this huge book: it is a triple column affair printed on gloss paper and its content is a work of great dedication. It begins with an account of the 'phoney war': this is some 60 pages long and that would be more than 200 pages in a 'normal' size book. There are many personal stories here since bringing the war down to a human level is indeed the main purpose of this work.
Now for video content:
The Mack has nine episodes covering Panzer Campaigns: France ’40. The introduction episode is below:
The full playlist is here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZF8xPbQMJqfpBTW32oKN8IGedH63Bk08
AllegedlyCaleb has been recently posting a series of ten videos covering Panzer Campaigns: France ’40, scenario “The Boldest Coup”. You can see the first episode below.
The full playlist is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7uZjYDaXuo&list=PLUDVvaYnZTnRALtWEjZ03waqec6GfJwZl
Following are some historical background videos that we think are worth your time.
From Real Time History:
From History Hit:
Following are some in-game screen shots of what to expect. Each image can be clicked for a full-sized view.
As mentioned, the build we are making available today is the newest 4.05.1 version. A range of new features have been included, and you can read the Changelog here. All new purchases will be this latest version.
If you don’t already own this title, what are you waiting for? You can buy it directly from the dedicated product page.
We hope you enjoy this week’s Game of the Week. Like all WDS titles, there is a lot of game play included at a very attractive price.
I was wondering if there any plans to expand this game to Fall Rot covering the final stages of the German invasion after the Dunkirk evacuations? I will be getting this game to update my HPS version.
I only got this a few weeks ago, but I don’t feel bad about that because this game does not disappoint. An excellent game that covers the early war in France and plays great, it makes me more excited about Poland ’39 in the near future. If this is not part of your collection, you are missing out on an excellent entry and should not miss a chance to pick it up on sale!
This is and will probably always be my go-to game when it comes to the Early Campaign in the West. Since the last update it covers everything. The series plays well and it is perfect for a serious study. Now i only wait for the follow up. Case Red. I want to finish it.
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