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Scenario Author:
RhinoBones
Map Author:
RhinoBones
Author's E-mail Address:
RhinoBones@aol.com
Last Scenario Revision Date:
January 27, 2000
VERSION 1.0
The Battle of the Somme was originally intended as a joint Anglo-French offensive, however, because of the horrific battle of attrition the French were waging at Verdun, the French participation was much reduced. The battle, which started in July, would last until the middle of November reducing the British by 400,000 casualties, the French by 200,000 casualties and the Germans somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 casualties.
This battle also saw the introduction of the armored tank as a weapon of war. Although few in number and poor in results, the few tank crews which made the distance to the German trenches were able to run the defenders off from their positions. The most significant effect of the first tank attack was one which was completely unanticipated. The German command was less than impressed with the tanks, in fact their initial assessments was that development of a German tank would be a waste of resources. This assessment had the effect of inhibiting German development and delaying the debut of the German tank until the middle of 1918. It is doubtful that quicker development of the tank would have been enough to secure victory for Germany, however, it can be surmised that if a strong German tank corps had existed in 1917 the war may have eventually ended as a draw.
This scenario starts with the first day of the offensive. The
British have massed 12 divisions on a 15-mile line in the vicinity of Albert
for the assault towards Bapaume. The French are south of the Somme
River and advance towards Peronne. On the first day of the offensive,
the British will suffer 60,000 casualties.
Victory Conditions
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The Germans must prevent the allied offensive from penetrating the
defenses. Any objectives captured by the Allies must counter attacked
and retaken.
Remarks
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This scenario is designed to be played solitaire from the German side
against the AI. For PBM games, the Germans should have an extra +2
in prestige in order to compensate for the large numbers of allied troops.
Last Update Changes
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v1.0 01-27-2000, Initial Release
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