RM Vol 4: War – Chapter 6: Case Yellow (Day 1 – Sedan)

RM Vol 4: War – Chapter 6: Case Yellow (Day 1 – Sedan)

Sedan is a quaint commune East of the Meuse River. Acting as the last "fortified" position on the Meuse, and the last before the open country of Ustio, Sedan should be heavily defended and fortified... Right?

Ironically enough, it isn't. Borrowing the words of one of the few competent Generals in the Ustian Loyalist Army, Andre-Gaston Pretelat, the defenses at Sedan are entirely inadequate. According to ONI's reports, this Loyalist General conducted a scenario in 1938 to identify a weak point in Maginot's defense. Pretelat had correctly identified the landscape of Sedan as a relatively easy terrain for armor to cross. General Preletat easily defeated Maginot with seven Divisions, most of which were motorized infantries.

"The result was a defeat of so comprehensive a nature that the wisdom of publishing it was questioned lest morale be damaged." Excerpted from Pretelat's report.

Pretelat concluded that if he could defeat Maginot with minimal armor support and in the Months of Demons no less, the Belkans would do it in 48 hours, much faster than his half a month. He attributed his success to Sedan's weakened and neglected defenses. The Ustian Loyalists had long believed that the German Army would not attack through the Sedan sector as part of their concentrated effort, and only Brigadier General Henri Lafontaine's Loyalist 55th Infantry Division, a second tier Division which consists of troops with minimal experience, was allocated to this sector.

The Loyalists happily relied on concrete to protect their front, building many fortifications as part of the Maginot Line, yet paying very little attention to the Sedan sector. Very few among the Loyalists and Allied forces believed the Belkans would advance through the Ardennes, so Sedan was protected by two layers of Maginot defenses instead of the more common three. By the end of 1938, the 2nd Army that the 55th Division belonged to, built 52000 cubic meters of concrete fortifications along its front, but very little in the Sedan sector. The protection of the Sedan bridgeheads amounted to a meager 42 bunkers in total, not nearly enough to stop any half-hearted advance, much less a full-blown attack.

To make matters worse, Sedan's defenses lack any mines. The Loyalist 2nd Army was guarding a front of 70 kilometers and was given only 16000 mines. Of that number, 7000 were given to the cavalry divisions that were intended to delay a Belkan advance through Southern Maginot, as well as to blockhouse points along the Ustian-Darscen border. That left 2000 for the defense of the river Meuse. Of those, the 55th Infantry Division got 422. Not all of these were laid, and some barriers were moved during the bunker construction in the Sedan sector at the start of 1939. Ultimately, minefields are pretty much no factor by 1939.

Due to Pretelat's unfortunately successful maneuvers, an additional 61 bunkers were constructed. Yet, the overall lack of awareness of the Belkans' true capability delayed the construction of these additional bunkers as the Allied forces wanted to reinforce Northern and Southern Maginot instead. Demonic harassment also hindered the construction teams even when materials finally arrived. Loyalist General Charles Huntziger of the 2nd Army asked for another four Divisions to work on the defenses but was refused. Ultimately, right before Case Yellow, most of the bunkers were incomplete, lacking gun port shutters for the artillery casemates. Some of the bunkers lacked rear doors, making them vulnerable to infiltration by infantry.

To the north of Sedan, on the northern bend of the Meuse, the town of Glaire overlooked the crossing points on the river. There was a gap of 2 kilometers between Bunker 305 at Glaire and Bunker 211 next to the Pont Neuf bridge. This allowed an attacker coming from the North to use the good road routes through the Fleigneux–Saint-Menges–Glaire axis to enter Sedan from the North.

Unprotected by mines and bunkers with only some token trenches and checkpoints, and with the Maginot Line decimated by the opening salvos on Day 1, this critical opening is utilized by the Reich's Iron Fist to the fullest. Under the command of the Reich Marshal, three Panzer Divisions, the 1st, 2nd, and 10th Divisions, are deployed alongside an Elite Armored Brigade Combat Team from the 404th acting as the spearhead.

In total, the Marshal can muster 80000 men and women dispersed in 25 Armored Brigade Combat Teams. These ABCTs are furnished with 2175 Leopard Main Battle Tanks and Class-C Pumas, 3800 Class-B Pumas, 450 Hummel self-propelled howitzers, and 45 Boxer APCs. Adding to the absurd numbers, there are thousands of other assorted vehicles ranging from Gepard Anti-air tanks to utility and support like Humvees. If you think this is overkill, then you clearly aren't familiar with the Belkan doctrine.

Being given the most difficult front, the 2nd Panzer Division advances through the Donchery axis, stopping just shy of the 3 kilometers of open terrain. Using their divisional artillery, the Division conducts artillery duels with the Loyalist batteries. Thanks to spotting from UAVs, the outcome of the duels always ended in the 2nd's favor. However, only the Loyalist positions at Donchery and Charleville are suppressed, the Bellevue Fortress is still very active, owing to its robust construction. Born from the WW1 mindset, the fortress lives up to its name.

The fortress is a deadly issue, as its vantage point allows its 194mm guns to provide counter-barrages. If not for the mobile nature of the 150mm Hummels and the rest of the 2nd Panzer Division, casualties would have been immense. Each salvo from Bellevue equals that of a heavy cruiser bombardment, after all. Fortunately, I have called in the big guns of the Belkan Air Force.

Launching from K-Town, a B-40 Polar Bear flies higher than what the normal eye can clearly see before dropping two guided T-12 Cloudmakers. Breaking the sonic barrier, the pair of 20-ton Cloudmaker bombs easily punch a bullseye through the thick protective roofing of the Bellevue Fortress. Penetrating through the many levels of the fortress, the bombs land themselves in the munition chambers of the 194mm guns before exploding at nearly the same time. Suffice to say, the collective blast of Cloudmakers and artillery munitions proves to be earth-shattering. The explosion is visible from kilometers away and the shockwave even ruffles the Leopard MBTs of the Panzer Divisions. Even in my Command Puma, I can feel the vehicle shake as the windows in Sedan crack all at once. Some shoddy buildings even outright collapse due to the miniature earthquake. This has been why I gather the civilians into safe clearings.

Yeah, the map will have to be changed once more as the hill that Bellevue Fortress was built on is no more. At this point, it's not a Belkan operation when something is not wiped off the map, literally.

Now that the major thorn for the 2nd Panzer Division is gone, they can advance in earnest to Donchery. However, they risk being flanked by a Loyalist encampment near Donchery, Gaulier. While not powerful enough to stop the 2nd, Hill 247, the high ground dominating Gaulier, can hamper the effort of the 2nd to cross the river efficiently. As such, I command the 2nd ABCT to assault and claim that area. If we can conveniently relieve pressure on one side for the 2nd Panzer, then let's do it to save time and effort.

The attack on the hill started with the Air Force dropping bombs on the many levels of trenches surrounding the hill, leaving only a clear path for vehicles to travel up and down the area. Then, one by one, the AMP shells from the Leopards and Class-C Pumas take out the remaining enemy bunkers on Hill 247. Cleaning out the survivors in the trenches are the Panzergrenadiers using overwhelming firepower and some magic. Finally, the command station of the bunker is surrounded by a mechanized detachment, the Loyalist command staff swiftly surrenders soon after. When the Belkan flag flies above Hill 247, it's 20:00 hours.

Around the same time, elements of the 2nd Panzer Division also eliminated Loyalist fortifications opposite Donchery. This sudden advancement is thanks to the swift thinking of the Lieutenant General of the 2nd. Since Bellevue Fortress was gone and Hill 247 was being handled by the 2nd ABCT, the 2nd Panzer Division infiltrated a mechanized unit to flush out the enemy on the opposite bank.

Ultimately, by 22:00 hours, our forces consolidate along the Meuse. The ability to deploy pontoon bridges at speed has been crucial in getting our units and material across to fortify a new frontline beyond the river. From here, we will complete the last step before cutting North to the Erusean Channel.

Soon, we will cut the head off the Central Maginot Command.