Panzer Leader 1940
Panzer Leader 1940 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
New Rules
PANZER LEADER, 1940 uses all the standard rules of the regular PANZER LEADER game, with optional and experimental rules used as agreed by the players. A few extra rules will be added here, to represent some special units and situations not present in the regular game.
1. Chenillettes
This vehicle had a very limited transport capacity. For that reason, only infantry type units may be carried by it. No towed guns or mortars of any kind may be carried.
2. French Tanks
French tank units represent companies (10 to 13 vehicles) instead of platoons. Therefore, all French tank units are counted as two units for stacking purposes. If a French tank unit is destroyed, it must be replaced by two wreck counters instead of one. This rule does not apply to other French armored units like the Chenillette 37L carrier and the Panhard 178 armored car. As per the standard rules, no more than three wreck counters may be placed in the same hex, even if two French tank units are destroyed in it.
3. Infantry Tank Mark I (A11) and Renault FT-17 Tank
The British A11 tank and the French FT-17 tank both have a Movement Factor of 2. It costs them only 2 MP to enter a slope hex. Other movement rules are unaffected.
4. Amphibious Landings
With the Germans engaged in this business (and the Allies on the receiving end), this section of the standard rules must be changed to reflect the new situation. All rules applying to the German player will now apply to the Allied player and vice-versa. Other than that, the rules will remain unchanged.
5. Amphibious Tanks
The Pzkw II, with its flotation device, is used in the game in the same way as the Sherman DD tank. For each amphibious Pzkw II, a die is rolled (as was the case for the DD) and the unit lands normally with a die roll of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. With a roll of 6, the unit is sunk and removed from play.
Amphibious (Pzkw III's and Pzkw IV's, being submersible tanks, behave in a slightly different way. All the rules for DD Shermans apply, except that the Allied player may not fire at a submerged tank (Hopefully, this requires no explanation). For each one of these units, a die must be rolled and the unit is lost with a die roll of 6. With a die roll of 1 through 5, the unit lands unharmed, but may not move in the turn in which it lands on the beach. Once on the beach, it may be attacked like any other unit and it may move normally in the turn following the landing.
6. Airpower
Contrary to the regular game, here the Germans have airplanes and the Allies don't. Therefore, the German Player Segment in each turn must have an Air Phase after the Combat Phase. All Airpower rules in the standard game remain in effect., with the Germans taking the place of the Allies and vice-versa. The German observation airplane is the Henshel 123 and all rules applying to the L-5 apply to it. The Stuka is the German fighter-bomber and all fighter-bomber rules apply to it.
Unit Classification Data
The classification data lists each unit type with its composition, weapon class, attack modes, target class, movement and experimental-rule columns, as printed in the magazine. Counts in the NO. column are the number of units in the set. The symbol art in the SYMBOL column is not transcribed. Entries marked "na" and the "i" mark under CAR are printed that way in the magazine; the article does not explain them, so they are shown as printed.
Abbreviations follow the column headings: DF, IF, OR, CA, AA are the attack modes; PASS is passengers, STACK is stacking, QM is the QM column, TUR AFV, ARTY FOF and SSC are the EXP columns.
Tanks (magazine page 11)
| Name | No. | Composition | Weapon | Attack modes | Target | Stack | Exp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panhard | 2 | Five Panhard 178 armored cars, (25mm), about 20 men | H | DF, OR | A | yes | TUR AFV |
| A11 | 6 | Five A11 tanks, five MGs | I | DF, OR (na) | A | yes | TUR AFV |
| A12 Matilda | 3 | Five A12 tanks, (2-pdr), five MGs, 20 men | A | DF, OR | A |
Towed Guns, Infantry, Transport, Cars, and German Tanks (magazine page 12)
| Name | No. | Composition | Weapon | Attack modes | Target | Movement | QM | Exp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37mm | 4 | Four 37mm anti-tank guns, about 37 men | A | DF | NA | PASS ½, STACK | ||
| 88mm | 4 | Four 88mm anti-tank guns, 111 men | A | DF | NA | PASS, STACK | ARTY FOF (C) | |
| 20mm | 4 | Six 20mm anti-aircraft guns, 40 men |
Notes on the page 12 table as printed: the Wagon row has no weapon or attack mode. The 1/2 in the PASS column is printed beneath the PASS dot in the magazine. The "C" entries in the ARTY FOF column and the (H) and (M) weapon classes are printed as shown.
Unit Compositions
The magazine's UNIT COMPOSITIONS charts (pages 14 and 15) show each formation's counter stack as a row of counter diagrams. The diagrams are not transcribed here; the printed formation captions are, verbatim, below. Each formation's counter stack is shown in the magazine's charts.
French
- Infantry Division: three Infantry Regiments, one A-T Company, one Light Artillery Regiment, one Heavy Artillery Regiment, one Infantry Recon Battalion, six Engineer.
- Motorized Infantry Division: three Motorized Infantry Regiments, one Motorized A-T Company, one Motorized Light Artillery Regiment, one Motorized Heavy Artillery Regiment, one Motorized Recon Regiment, two Motorized Engineer Companies.
- Division Legere Mecanique: one DLM Armored Brigade, one DLM Recon Regiment, one Dragons Portes Regiment, one Motorized A-T Regiment, one DLM Artillery Regiment, one Motorized Engineer Battalion.
- Division Cuirassee: one DCR Armored Brigade, one DCR Motorized Infantry Battalion, one DCR Artillery Regiment, one Motorized Engineer Company.
British
- Infantry Division: three Infantry Brigades, three Artillery Battalions, one A-T Regiment, one AA Battalion, one Engineer Battalion.
- Armored Division: two Cruiser Tank Brigades, one Engineer Battalion, one Recce Battalion, one Mechanized Artillery Regiment, one Mechanized A-T Regiment, one AA Regiment, one Infantry Battalion.
German
- Infantry Division: three Infantry Regiments, one Artillery Regiment, one A-T Battalion, one Engineer Battalion.
- Panzer Division: one Tank Brigade, one Motorized Infantry Regiment, one Motorized Artillery Regiment, one Recon Battalion, one Motorized Engineer Battalion, one A-T Battalion.
- Motorized Infantry Division: one Tank Regiment, one Motorized Infantry Regiment, one Motorized Engineer Battalion, one Motorized Artillery Regiment, one Recon Battalion, one A-T Battalion.
The Situations
The scenarios collected here portray the French, British and German armies both in attack and defense, baring the strengths and weaknesses of them all. The French Army is a slow war machine, hampered by weak infantry and insufficient firepower, deficiencies which its good divisional artillery cannot really compensate. As you would expect, French armor is less effective than the British or the German armor, due to its one-man turrets and the lack of radio. The British Army suffers from the same problems its ally has: weak infantry and insufficient firepower, although its tanks are a bit more effective. Unlike the French, however, most British tanks carry only machine guns, thus placing virtually the entire weight of the battle on the small gun-armed fraction of the armored force. Finally, there is the German Army, with infantry at all levels superior to its Allied opponents and with artillery second to none. German armor, like the British, suffers from its small number of effective tanks. Only the few Pz III's and Pz 38's are a match for Allied armor, a fact which the German commander may only ignore at his peril. The German armor is an instrument which must be carefully handled to be effective, unlike the German infantry, which is usually strong enough to tolerate some bungling from above.
The various scenarios are more or less self-explanatory, but a few words here may put things in perspective and help to clarify what's going on.
Situation 21
After the Germans invaded Belgium, the Allies entered the country. The vanguard of the Allied force was Prioux's Cavalry Corps, made up of the 2nd and 3rd DLM's (Division Legere Mecanique). Two days after the invasion, they met the German spearhead, Hoepner's XVI Panzer Corps, made up of the 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions. The battle that followed (the first big tank battle of WWII) took place in Merdorp, West of Hannut, and both sides lost about 100 tanks. The Germans were disconcerted by the thick armor of the French tanks, but soon discovered their weak point: Their poor coordination due to lack of radio. It was also relatively easy to approach a French tank from the rear, their commanders had so many things to do that no time was left for them to look to their backs. In the end, the Germans held the field.
Situation 22
The Meuse is one of the major rivers of Western Europe and, from the German viewpoint, the major obstacle to their advance. Lacking any armored amphibious vehicles, any German attempt to cross the river could have been repulsed. Even after the crossing, with only lightly armed infantry holding the beachhead, it would have been relatively easy for the French to retake it. Instead, the French allowed the Germans to get across the river at Sedan and waited a whole day before counter attacking. Guderian, the German corps commander, seized the opportunity and began to send his tanks across and to expand the beachhead immediately. The French earmarked two infantry regiments and two independent armored battalions for the attack, but only half of this force actually took part in the battle. The result, needless to say, was a defeat for the French, a consequence of their "too little-too late" approach to warfare.
Situation 23
After Guderian broke through at Sedan, he sent most of his forces westwards, while the French tried to stop him by striking at his flanks. The first attempt was at Stonne. This village had been taken by the Germans and was a critical position in their southern flank. The attack shown here lasted all morning and the battle for the village lasted several days, during which the village changed hands several times. This is another example of the French "too little-too late" approach to warfare. In the end, the Germans held the village.
Situation 24
After the Germans penetrated the Allied front, the French tried in vain to stop them by throwing units in their path. The last barrier between Guderian's forces and the open and defenseless French plains was a stop-gap force made up of the 3rd Brigade of Spahis (a cavalry unit) and the 152nd Infantry Regiment (14th Division). It was easily pierced. Incidentally, the 152nd was commanded by Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, who would become a hero of the Liberation four years later.
Situation 25
Another attack on Guderian's flank was done by the 4th DCR (Division Cuirassee), under the command of Charles de Gaulle. His "division" was made up of three tank battalions, a few independent tank companies, a handful of guns and an infantry battalion in buses. These units met for the first time on the eve of their first battle, depicted here. De Gaulle, aware of the importance of the time element, decided to attack Guderian's flank at Montcornet on the morning of May 17, with whatever forces reached him by that time. And attack he did, but in vain. For three days he kept trying to interfere with the German progress, but it was a hopeless task, for his improvised division was not strong enough for the job and was pulled out of the front.
Situation 26
This is De Gaulle's second attack, again a vain attempt to slow down the German juggernaut by striking at its flanks. In later years, perhaps out of nationalistic pride, De Gaulle and some French historians exaggerated the results of the attacks depicted in this situation and in the preceding one. The fact is that these attacks did not achieve much and the Germans did not pay much attention to them. This implies no slur against De Gaulle and his 4th DCR, for the unit was no match for even one Panzer division and yet it dared to challenge an armored corps. It could not have done more than it did. De Gaulle's 4th DCR has the unique distinction of being the only French armored division (out of 3 DLM's and 4 DCR's which was not destroyed or crippled in its first encounter with the enemy.
Situation 27
When the Allies realized that their armies in Belgium were in danger of being cut off, they tried to coordinate a massive attack on the German pincer both from the North and from the South, to isolate its armored tip. From these grandiose plans came a small, local attack by an improvised Anglo-French force. With the immediate purpose of relieving the German pressure on Arras, 74 British infantry tanks, 2 battalions of British infantry (on foot), a gun battery and a few French tanks went to the attack. They had a field day against the German infantry, which lacked armored support and whose anti-tank guns were useless against the thick British armor, but had to withdraw, at heavy cost, when the Germans counterattacked with tanks that afternoon. Nevertheless, heavy losses were inflicted on the German infantry, specially to the 7th Panzer, whose commander had sent his tanks too far ahead for them to be able to come back on time. At that time the Germans believed that the attack had been carried out by five Allied divisions and feared another attack, on a larger scale, that might cut off their armored forces in France. Thus, the German High Command ordered the Panzer divisions to stop and even sent the 5th Panzer Division back, to assist the 7th. This delay gave the Allies the time they needed to fortify the Dunkirk perimeter, making possible the evacuation that would take place a few days later and would save the British Expeditionary Force from the German prison camps. On the other hand, the commander of the 7th Panzer Division also profited from the lesson he received that day. His name was Rommel.
Situation 28
With the Allied armies cut in two and the Germans racing northwards along the coast to surround the northern forces, the British finally sent to France the armored division held in reserve in England (the only other British armor was in Egypt), which had been idle all this time. One tank regiment and two motorized infantry battalions were sent to Calais, to hold the city and its port and to delay the German forces advancing toward Dunkirk by the coastal road. This force landed on May 22 and began operations the following day, with some success. The Germans countered by increasing the pressure against the besieged city and, on the 26th, the few surviving tanks escaped from the city, running along the beach and reaching the relative safety of the Dunkirk perimeter, from which the men, if not the machines, would have a chance of returning to England.
Situation 29
Surrounded and with their backs to the sea, the Allied forces trapped in the Dunkirk perimeter had no other escape route than by sea, to England. It was a desperate situation and desperate action was needed. Unable to stop the Germans, the Allies had to settle for slowing them down with raids and spoiling attacks like the one depicted here. This one was an attack on a German bridgehead across the La Basee canal, near Givenchy, held by an infantry battalion. It was an attempt to pull on Rommel the same trick tried before in Arras, but this time he had his armor close at hand, and the British tanks were quickly driven off.
Situation 30
Needless to say, this situation never took place. It was included because it was the only chance to use the German amphibious tanks. Besides, it gives the Germans an opportunity to get even for all the beatings they take in the "D-Day" scenarios of PANZER LEADER. Both sides seem to be rather weak in this situation and that deserves some explanation. The reasons for the British weakness are fairly obvious: With so much equipment lost in France, they just did not have the resources to adequately cover the beaches. Besides, they had not had neither the time nor the slave labor to build defenses like those the Allies faced four years later. For the invasion, the Germans had plenty of men and equipment, but lacked the ships to get them across the English Channel. Landing craft were scarce and there was a serious shortage of warships for escort and bombardment, due to the naval losses suffered in the conquest of Norway.