Battle of Abbeville
The Battle of Abbeville was a hard-hitting brawl that showed just how unprepared we were for the kind of fast, mechanized war the Germans were waging. After their lightning dash to the Channel, the Germans dug in around Abbeville, threatening to cut off our northern forces. The French, led in part by de Gaulle and his 4e Division Cuirassée, threw in the big boys—those heavy Char B1 bis tanks and Hotchkiss H35s and H39s. The Brits rolled up with Matilda I and II tanks, tough as hell but slower than molasses in January.
We launched a series of assaults to punch the Germans off those Somme bridgeheads, but coordination was lousy, the terrain was brutal, and too many tanks broke down before they even fired a shot. The enemy wasn’t sitting on their hands either—they had Panzer IIIs and IVs guarding the line, with light Panzers filling in the gaps and 88mm Flak guns ripping through anything we sent their way.
Despite brave pushes and a few local breakthroughs, we couldn’t dislodge them. The Germans held the high ground, held the bridges, and held the initiative. That failure didn’t just cost us a patch of land—it helped seal France’s fate. The Germans kept their corridor, tightened the noose, and by the end of June, France was on her knees.
Abbeville wasn’t the biggest battle, but it damn sure mattered. It reminded us that guts alone wouldn’t win this war—we needed better gear, tighter coordination, and leaders ready to move fast and hit hard.
~~ General Howitzer
10 VP’s
Card Balance:
Allies – 6
Axis – 6
Complexity:
4
Conditions:
Countryside
Context:
Historical
Location:
France
Year:
1940
Theater:
Western
Campaign:
Codename:
Summary:
Objectives:
10 VP’s, including two Temporary Objective Medals.
Battlefield:
A countryside with a stretch of river across one end.
Troops:
Allies – 10 Infantry, 3 Artillery
Axis – 10 Infantry, 6 Armor, 2 Artillery
Allied Strategy:
Axis Strategy
Battle Reports
Author:
Days of Wonder
Link:
