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Morris CS9 armoured cars of 'C' Squadron, 12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales' Own) at Villiers St Simon, 29 September 1939
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I have been thinking further on armoured options available in the Pint-Sized Campaign Many Rivers to Cross and preparing to run it.
The flexibility of the campaign is that you can take any of the 1940 nations and play them against the Germans, selecting support as appropriate. However, there is a twist in this campaign in that the Germans do not have access to any armour or wheeled support until Turn 4 - this means it is entirely possible for the German player to face heavy Allied armour early campaign with pretty much zero capability to drive it off. In my set-up for the campaign, the British could take Matilda II's on the first table and hold it indefinitely.
The campaign needs to be fun, balanced and achievable for both sides and I am a big fan of the mantra "Play the Period not the Rules".
So what armour was knocking around in this area for the 5th Glosters or the Infanterie-Regiment 82?
German armour was limited in the Tournai–Escaut sector in mid-May 1940 because Army Group B was never intended to deliver the decisive blow of the campaign. Its panzer divisions, such as 3rd Panzer Division and 4th Panzer Division, were initially committed in Belgium to draw Allied forces forward (notably at Hannut and Gembloux), but once the breakthrough was achieved further south at Sedan, they were rapidly redirected toward the Channel.
By 18–20 May, when fighting around Tournai and the Escaut was taking place, these armoured formations had already moved away, leaving infantry divisions like the 31st Infantry Division to continue the advance with only light reconnaissance vehicles. The absence of tanks was therefore not accidental, but a direct result of German operational design to concentrate armour at the decisive point, and accept thinner forces elsewhere.
Allied armour was similarly limited in this area because it had either been committed and worn down earlier in the campaign or was positioned elsewhere to respond to the rapidly developing crisis. French mechanised formations, such as the 2e Division Légère Mécanique, had already fought major engagements in central Belgium and were withdrawing in disorder, while British heavy armour like the 1st Army Tank Brigade was concentrated further south around Arras for counterattack operations rather than distributed along the Escaut line.
Meanwhile, British infantry divisions (including those around Tournai) lacked integral tank support and relied mainly on carriers and scattered armoured cars. Combined with disrupted communications, fuel shortages, and the speed of the German advance, this meant that Allied units in the Escaut sector were forced to fight largely unsupported rearguard actions, with little or no effective armoured backing.
So thinking this all though, I propose an amended support list which limits armoured options to Bren Carriers, CS9 and SdKfz 221's. The Germans do have access to heavier Bisons but these are very expensive and a later campaign choice.
I have created a list of support choices with limited armour option in the Files section here.