Operation Sealion 1940
Battle Report: Expanding the Beachhead

Scenario: 

The Germans have landed on the Kent coast between Ramsgate and Walmington-on-Sea. The beachhead is small and needs to be expanded and the critical crossroads at Little Pickington captured in order to stop the British 1st Armoured Division from advancing and pushing the invaders back into the sea. The British Local Defence Volunteers have set up their headquarters at the Nag’s Head in Little Pickington.

The German ships and landing craft were mixed up during the channel crossing and many were lost to the RAF and RN. A motley kampgruppe has been pieced together from parts of the 6th Panzer Division.

Leaving a burning butcher's van in its wake, the kampfgruppe advances northwards and must take the critical crossroads at Little Pickington in order to hold up the 1st Armoured Division advancing to attack the bridgehead. If the Germans do not manage to take the village by nightfall then the 1st Armoured Division will have a clear run at the beachhead on the following day.

Paratroops have been dropped inland from the beaches and are disrupting the British command. Over a dozen nuns have already been arrested and are now sitting in their local police stations.

See full scenario instructions.

German OOB

Elements 6th Panzer Regt:
Quality: Elite
2x Pz II, 2x Pz III, 1x Px IV, 2x 251 + 4 Inf, 1x 251 + FOO
5x Battalion Lvl fire missions – may use smoke – may use pre-planned bombardment
Setup: Enter board on turn one.

Elements 6th Mot Inf Regt:
Quality: Elite
1x Stug III, 3x OpelBlitz w 5 Inf + 1 SFMG, 1x OpelBlitz w 37mm atg
Setup: Enter board on turn one.

Elements 18th Panzer Recce Regt: 
Quality: Elite 
1x 232 a/c (recce), 2x 222 a/c (recce), 3x m/c, 2x kfz78 w 4 Inf
Setup: Enter board on turn one. A/c use recce rules

British OOB

LDV:
Quality: Poor
1x 25pdr, 2x 2pdr atg, 1 FOO, 6 Inf, 2 MMG, 2x Morris a/c (recce)
5x Battalion Lvl fire missions – may use smoke – may use 2 FDF
2x Barbed-wire, 2x elements may be dug-in
1x unfinished pillbox – may not be occupied, the Germans will see that it is unfinished when they get within 6.
Setup: On Table, not within rifle range of the southern edge.

Elements 8 RTR:
Quality: Average
2x Matilda I, 2x Light Mk IVC, 1x BGC + 1x Inf, 3x 15cwt w 5 Inf + 1x MMG
Setup: Enter board on turn 2-4. Either a rod on the west or east table edge or anywhere on the north table edge. Place of entry must be marked on a sketch map before play starts. Turn of entry determined randomly.

Elements 15 Hussars:
Quality: Average
2x A9 Cruiser, 2x A13 Cruiser, 1x BGC + 1x Inf, 3x 15cwt w 5 Inf + 1x MMG
Setup: Enter board on turn 2-4. Either a rod on the west or east table edge or anywhere on the north table edge. Place of entry must be marked on a sketch map before play starts. Turn of entry determined randomly.

The Game:

The German view from the south.

The British view from the north of Little Pickington.

German armoured cars advance with caution towards Saint George's Church.

The British commander is relaxed. His troops are in cover behind hills or in fields of crops.

The Germans rush towards Little Pickington and its vital crossroads.

A Morris CS9 Armoured-Car opens fire on the advancing Germans.

Elements of the 7th RTR arrive to help defend Little Pickington.

German Panzer and Recce troops push on towards the crossroads.

German Motorised Infantry support the left flank of the attack.

German Commanders hard at work. Note that the British now have reinforcements arriving on both flanks.
The 7th RTR can be seen crossing the bridge in the foreground and the 15th Hussars entering  between the hills on the far side of the table.

The German advance looks unstoppable.

The advance of the 15th Hussars on the right flank starts to distract the Germans from their main objective.
It's hard to concentrate on the crossroads when there are some Cruiser tanks with armour as think as a tin can to shoot at!

The Germans happily advance to take on the 15th Hussars. While the 7th RTR quietly slips into Little Pickington the back way!

As darkness falls, the obsolete Matilda I tanks of the 7th RTR keep the advancing Germans from entering Little Pickington.

The Result 

Led by a brave Morris CS9 armoured car, the Cruiser tanks of the 15th Hussars, true to their cavalry roots, led a fanatical charge into the Germans allowing Little Pickington to remain in British hands. The following day, the 1st Armourded Division, using mostly London busses and taxis as motor transport, advanced through Little Pickington and pushed the Germans back onto the beaches. The Local Defense Volunteers rallied under the leadership of a somewhat rotund bank manager and attacked the beachhead in the flank. With no room to manoeuvre, and short of both ammunition and supplies, the Germans reembarked and fled the British Isles in an evacuation much less successful than Dunkirk!