Operation "Dynamo"
On 10 May 1940 the Germans unleashed a series of devastating and audacious series of operations against neutral Holland and Belgium. Airborne units supported by the Luftwaffe seized key positions in the Netherlands well in advance of the main columns. Unable to match the force and ingenuity of the invaders, and disconcerted by air raids on civilian targets, the Dutch army capitulated on 15 May. In Belgium a memorable German airborne assault took place on the key fortress of Eban Emael. Although the Belgian army fought for three weeks against overwhelming odds, at midnight on 27 May it surrendered.
The German invasion of Belgium resulted in an Anglo-French advance to a new defence line intended to protect the Channel ports. The main German attack had not come where it was expected but through the Ardennes where the terrain was believed to be too difficult for an invading force and was therefore only lightly defended. In a devastatingly rapid advance, the Blitzkrieg, the Germans broke through the French line and drove northwards towards the sea. Confused, demoralised and unable to slow the German advance, the Allied armies were split in two. The British Expeditionary Force (the BEF) and the French First Army were cornered at Dunkirk.......
LW orders:
The invasion of Europe is going well, Belgium and Holland have already surrendered and the British Expeditionary Force has been pushed back to the beaches of Dunkirk. Paris will fall shortly and with it, France. The Fuhrer orders that the British are to be smashed on the beaches of Dunkirk, no englishman is to make it out of France alive. The Royal Navy is transporting men and equipment to Dover, attack and sink as much shipping as possible. Also, use land forces to attack British positions and harrass the evacuation. Destruction of the port of Dover will also hamper the evacuation efforts.
RAF Orders:
German forces are sweeping over France at unprecidented speed, Holland and Belgium have already surrendered and Prime Minister Churchill has ordered an immediate withdrawal from Europe. The BEF has been forced back to the beaches of Dunkirk and a rapid evacuation is expected. The Royal Navy and various smaller ships are being used to ferry men and equipment back to Dover. Protect these ships at all costs.
Equipment LW:109E4, Ju88, 110C4, panzer, LVT troop carrier.
Equipment RAF: Hurricane MkI, spitfire MkI (limited - 24 maximum, based in SE England), Boston (subbing Wellington), P40B (subbing for French air force), M8 (subbing British Mk13 cruiser tank), Panzer (limited - 8 maximum, subbing Char 1.bis). 3x fleets. And in case anyone feels like being one of the famous "small ships".....PT boats from Dover.
Map: Europe
Arena settings: Dot dar set to 5 miles and 500ft alt, Bar dar alt set to 45,000ft (ie no darbar), downtime set to maximum (ie, nothing rebuilds by end of frame), French airbases set to allied but only spawning at a few bases (TBD), fuel set to 1:1, icon range long.
Special Notes: Ship guns CANNOT be manned. Allied fleets are NOT under player control and will do continuous shuttle runs from Dunkirk to Dover. It is up to COs if they want to make use of ground forces.
Victory conditions: Multiple victory conditions: 1) 100% of the fleets must be sunk by the LW or 2) 2/3rds of the fleets and destruction of all ground targets at Dover including hangers or 3) 1/3rd of fleets sunk and Dover destroyed and German ground forces secure the base at Dunkirk. There are 3 areas to protect for the RAF. 1) The fleet. 2) Dover. 3) The base at Dunkirk. It is not compulsary to protect all 3 if the RAF CO wishes to concentrate his forces over the fleet since the LW MUST sink at least one of the fleets in order to win. Further note: We will be counting ships and not fleets individually, ie, there are 9 ships total, 3 ships sunk from different fleets counts as 1/3rd of the entire armada sunk.
Campaign NOTE: An RAF loss will cause a problem for the British in later frames when attempting re-invasion of Europe, due to lack of men and equipment, and a big problem if Operation Sealion (the invasion of Britain) goes ahead.
