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The Cadets of Saumur - June 19, 1940 - June 20, 1940

Battle on the Loire
Western Front By: jdrommel - Last update: 01/04/2012
Axis Player: Allied Player:
x10 x12 x8 x12
first You play first    


Historical Background:
Saumur - June 19, 1940. The Battle of France is lost; the Germans are now ready to cross the River Loire.

The meager French troops standing ready and lined up to defend it are the Officer Cadets from the Cavalry School at Saumur, reinforced with a Battalion of the Infantry School at St-Maixent and hodgepodge remnants of the French army.

At the first sight of the enemy, they blow the bridges. Embarking on rafts, the Germans soon attempt to cross the river on the islands at Gennes and East of Saumur. The cadets, dug-in and with no real option for retreat, resist heroically, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Their valiant efforts are not enough however, and by June 21, the Germans are already breaking through to the South-West. The following day, June 22, 1940, the French army capitulates: The armistice is signed at Rethondes, and takes effect on June 25.

The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. The rest is history.

Briefing:
Axis Player
[Germany]
Take 10 Command Cards.
You move first.

Allied Player
[France]
Take 8 Command Cards.

Conditions of Victory:
12 Medals.

The two Town hexes marked "Gennes" and "Saumur" respectively are Permanent Medal Objectives for the Axis forces.

Special Rules:
Air rules are optional: If used, shuffle both Air Sortie cards into the deck, at game start.

The Allied player may not play any Air Power card (nor any Air Sortie, if Air rules are used). When he draws an Air Power or Air Sortie card, he immediately discards it and draws a replacement card instead.

Blitz rules are in effect (Actions 15 - Blitz Rules).

Place a badge on the German engineer units (Troops 4 - Combat Engineers).

All German Infantry and Engineer units are equipped with Rafts (Actions 5 - Collapsible Rafts & Boats).

The French artillery unit with one figure represents a mortar. Its destruction counts as a medal for Axis forces.

The Allied forces may attempt to Blow Up Bridges, using Option 2 (Actions 2 - Blowing Up Bridges).

For the Axis forces, Pontoon Bridges rules are in effect (Terrain 33 - Pontoon Bridges).

Scenario Bibliography:
- Militaria Magazine hors-série n°64 - Les derniers combats de 1940.
- Troupes d'élite, volume 1 - Les cadets de Saumur.

Set-up Order
1
2
2
1
1
3
16
8
23
32
8
1
5
12
2