by Paul LaFontaine, 8 February 2026
Three players participated in this Battle Decisions Kriegsspiel of a battle from the Second World War. Lewis++ commanded the German force and the French were commanded by Rebelsqurl and NicktheNuker.
Two players and the umpire had physical sets at their locations, one player used Tabletop Simulator as his battle boards. The umpire reports were images with only numbers and shapes indicating scenes of the action and the players kept their own maps to develop their picture of the situation. The map used was the Battlefield Decisions Base map.
This is another of a series of Kriegsspiel AARs very similar to the events in our Wargame HQ at the Origins Game Fair. You can find the original article here.
The German plan was to send a smaller force through the forest in the south that was to draw reserves in that direction and weaken the northern defense, where the main effort would be. The French plan took into account there were not enough forces to cover a broad frontage and they chose the south as the more important avenue to defend.
Historically, poor coordination by the German commanders and a stubborn, disciplined defense by the French ended with the attack being unsuccessful. Though the French victory was overwhelmed by a change in fortunes in other parts of the theater, it stands as an example of how the French could fight when pressed. This game also ended with a French victory as the German commander missed a key opportunity.
The Problem
The Germans must concentrate their armor forces to punch through the more numerous enemy infantry. The French have to defend in depth and absorb the power of the enemy armor.
French (Blue) Briefing
Your force: 24,000 infantry, 12 guns, 4 armored vehicles. You have two infantry divisions assigned to defend along the Kleindorf–Bergenthal line, anchoring your positions to the terrain to deny the enemy a rapid advance. Enemy reconnaissance elements have been identified at the location marked by the red dot, indicating likely preparation for a larger armored movement into the sector.
most images can click to enlarge
Your order of battle:
- Infantry – Force 1: 6 pieces (12,000 men @ 2,000 men/piece)
- Infantry – Force 2: 6 pieces (12,000 men @ 2,000 men/piece)
- Artillery (Support): 4 pieces (12 guns @ 3 guns/piece)
- Armor (Support): 1 piece (4 vehicles @ 13 vehicles/piece)
Your task is to organize the defense to absorb the initial contact, identify the enemy’s main effort as it develops, and commit reserves and anti-armor assets to blunt and contain the attack before it can rupture the line.
German (Red) Briefing
Your force: 15,000 infantry, 8 guns, 52 armored vehicles. You command two armored forces tasked with breaking through prepared French positions in order to reach the river beyond and seize a bridge to open the route for follow-on formations. Intelligence reports indicate that enemy defenses are concentrated in the areas marked on the map, suggesting deliberate blocking positions rather than a continuous line. Your problem is to penetrate these zones under fire, maintain momentum through the engagement, and secure a bridgehead before the French can regroup or destroy the crossings.
Order of Battle (Game Pieces)
- Infantry – Force 1: 4 pieces (8,000 men @ 2,000 men/piece)
- Infantry – Force 2: 4 pieces (8,000 men @ 2,000 men/piece)
- Artillery (Support): 3 pieces (8 guns @ 3 guns/piece)
- Armor (Support): 4 pieces (52 vehicles @ 13 vehicles/piece)
Success depends on synchronizing armor, infantry, and supporting fires to rupture the defense at a decisive point, exploit rapidly toward the river, and hold the bridge long enough for the next echelon to pass through. You must seize one bridge across the river to open the way for the following forces.
Turn 1 – 0800
Lewis++’s decoy force moves as quickly as possible through the woods (1) to ensure it is the first to be seen by the French. The German main effort moves more slowly on the northern avenue (2) with the intent to attack next turn. The German artillery is placed to maximize northern support (3)
NicktheNuker has positioned his force in the north so it has flexibility (4), but only one battalion is on the avenue where the main German force will shortly arrive. Rebelsqurl has placed the southern French force at the crossroads (5) to ensure he can cover any approach in that area as he expect that area to be the enemy’s main effort. He also sends one battalion to the far south (6) to act as a screen. This battalion will be out of play for the remainder of the scenario, lessening the available French forces.
Turn 2 – 0900
As the German’s hoped, NicktheNuker’s force is drawn south by a first contact (1) and multiple battalions start fighting in the woodline. Rebelsqurl sends dispatches to try and find out what is happening as his force remains in the south (2). Lewis++ launches his attack in the north (3) and breaks through by roughly handling the lone battalion defending there. The German guns (4) are firing south, keeping the German Decoy force supported.
Turn 3 – 1000
Lewis++ turns his entire main effort south (1) with the intent to defeat NicktheNuker. Nick defends well, and they fight it out along that line. The Germans drops artillery on the crossroads at the same time the French try to flex their small armor force and it knocks out quite a few tanks, weakening the French response force. The German Decoy force holds in the woodline (3) and though it has taken losses, remains viable. Rebelsqurl, realizing the action is north, starts marching (4) to support his colleague.
Turn 4 – 1100
The German main effort pulls back and reconsolidates (1), and here Lewis++ missed an opportunity. If he had marched west with a subset of his forces he would have seized the bridges. He remained focussed on the forces to his south. The German Decoy force (2) has done its job and attracted the attention of both NicktheNuker and Rebelsqurl (3) who attack it. The German guns create a lot of losses for Rebelsqurl‘s force.
Turn 5 – 1200
The German armor is ordered into the attack once again as Lewis++ looks to knock out the French force to his south. NicktheNuker uses the woodline (2) and artillery support to fight off the strong tank attack.
Rebelsqurl pulls back to Kleindorf (3) and it hit by German artillery, so their losses continue. The German Decoy force pulls back out of contact (4) and consolidates, having kept up the fight all morning.
Turn 6 – 1300
Lewis++ sends in the armor for another attack (1), pinning Rebelsqurl on the ridgeline north of Kleindorf. NicktheNuker is trapped (2) between the German infantry from the main effort in the north and the Decoy infantry. It is a bloody fight in the woods, with artillery dropping indiscriminately, and both sides lose crucial strength.
Turn 7 – 1400
NicktheNuker’s force is exhausted (1) and remnants withdraw as their parent units are no longer combat cabable. Rebelsqurl pulls back to the ridgeline (2), consolidating on Kleindorf. Though NicktheNuker’s force paid the price, the French are between the Lewis++ and the bridges.
Turn 8 – END OF SCENARIO
The French force, having stalled the German advance, withdraws back to the river to consolidate there and try to protect the bridges. The Germans are exhausted, having battled in the woods throughout the day. They cannot exploit their successes and seize the bridges, so the mission has not been achieved. The French are victorious today, even if marginally.
Historical Campaign
The First and Second Battles of Perbais, fought on 15 May 1940 during the German advance through the Gembloux Gap, were marked by repeated German armoured and infantry assaults that failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough against determined French defence, particularly by Moroccan infantry divisions supported by strong artillery. German attacks by 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions repeatedly stalled at anti-tank obstacles and the railway line running through Perbais, Ernage, and Gembloux. Poor coordination between German armour and infantry, premature commitment of tanks, difficulty suppressing French artillery, and mounting losses led to confusion, halted advances, and local withdrawals.
French forces, especially the Moroccan regiments and the 110th Infantry Regiment, absorbed severe punishment but inflicted heavy losses on German tanks through artillery and anti-tank fire. Leadership losses among French junior officers and ammunition shortages strained the defence, yet repeated local counterattacks and disciplined withdrawals prevented a collapse. German command oscillated between overconfidence and caution, ultimately cancelling renewed attacks and postponing further efforts until later dates. Although some German infantry briefly seized Perbais and advanced beyond it, these gains could not be sustained under French fire and counterattacks.
Tactically, the battle represented a defensive success for the French at the point of contact. Operationally, however, the situation was rendered moot by the German breakthrough at Sedan to the south, which threatened the flank and rear of the French First Army. As a result, despite holding the Gembloux position against superior armoured forces, the French were ordered to disengage and withdraw toward the Franco-Belgian frontier. Both sides pulled back during the night, the Germans having failed to break through directly, and the French yielding ground to avoid encirclement rather than defeat on the battlefield.
Conclusion
This scenario highlights how important it is to keep the mission in mind as we make command decisions. Lewis++ came up with a superior plan, and his initial breakthrough was a success. With momentum behind him, and a miscalculation by NicktheNuker and Rebelsqurl about the approach of the German force from the south, he had the opportunity to seize the bridges and accomplish his mission. But he turned south, and the scenario ended with the French forces being able to wick away his ability to continue the fight.
Rebelsqurl and NicktheNuker were forced to coordinate, so they had a disadvantage of a split command. Even with this to contend with, they reacted well to blunt the effect of Lewis++ superior armor force.
Three players had a clean and smooth experience in this game. We played 8 turns in 65 minutes, which gave us eight minute turns. Learning from previous games, the forces allocated were the forces each player used and this kept from having to reorganize on the fly. Much more efficient. We modeled long range artillery well and without slowing play. As fire missions were called a red bead on the map indicated target areas, which allowed for easily umpiring. We did not add in air strikes which were a part of the historical battle. The time it would take to explain how that worked was not available and it was not included.
The decisions were solid and the gameplay enjoyable as the players reported it, even with a limited number of blocks in a Second World War scenario. This was the inaugural use of counters from the prototype of the Battle Decisions Kriegsspiel boxed wargame, and they worked well. The testing confirms it. There are many ways to represent physical units on the board and this allows us all more opportunities to play.
We’ll see you out there.
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