TEXT:  
   
  Situation No. 61-3 
  German Railway Gun Assault on the Maginot 
  Line - Hackenberg Fortress (What If?) 
   
  AVAILABLE FORCES 
  GERMAN 
   
   
  Germans make a frontal assault on the Hackenberg fortress 
  in the Boulay fortified sector supported by the railway gun 
  “Dora”.  Hackenberg is 15 km east of Thionville near the 
  D60. 
  x 2 
  x 1 
  x 11 
  x 6 
  x 2 
  x 3 
  x 4 
  x 9 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  North 
   
  Off Board Artillery :  3  -  210mm heavy howitzer  
  attack strength 80, “H” class weapon) 
   
  3 -  Stuka dive bombers 3 (I) and 30(H) or 20(A) each  
   
  1 -  80 cm railway gun “Dora”,  attack strength 160, “A” 
  class weapon (see special rules below) 
   
   
   
   
  x 1 
  x 1 
  x 2 
  x 1 
  Block 25 
  x 1 
  x 2 
  x 3 
  Block 4 
   
   
   
   SPECIAL RULES 
   
  Same as scenario 61-1 
   
  Dora special firing rules,  see next page 
  SET UP 
   
  French set up first, anywhere on C-north or C-south. 
   
  Germans set up second, anywhere on Board A. Germans move 
  first. 
   
  VICTORY CONDITIONS 
   
  German player wins by breaching the Maginot Line by moving 
  any 5 units onto Board D. Trucks or wagons do not count for 
  victory conditions.   
   
  French player wins by simply preventing the Germans from 
  reaching their objective. 
   
  Length of game 18 turns.   
   
  OPTIONAL RULE 
  Allow H or M class units with at least 12 attack strength points 
  to fire smoke shell concentrations. 
  Scenario 61-3.0 created by Peirce Eichelberger and posted at gregpanzerblitz.com 
  Scenario created by 
  Peirce Eichelberger 
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 
  Germans move first 
   
   
  C 
   
   
   
   
  D 
  C 
  A
   
   
   
   
   
  FRENCH 
   
  x 1 
  Block 1 
  Block 2 
  x 1 
  x 2 
  x 1 
  x 1 
  Block 3 
   
   
  x 2 
  x 1 
  x 3 
  Block 5 
   
   
   
  x 1 
  x 1 
  Block 6 
   
   
  x 1 
  x 2 
  x 3 
  Block 7 
   
   
   
  x 2 
  x 3 
  Block 8 
   
   
  x 2 
  x 1 
  Block 10 
   
   
  x 1 
  x 1 
  Block 11 
   
   
  x 1 
  x 1 
  Block 12 
   
   
  x 1 
  x 1 
  x 2 
  Block 21 
   
   
   
  x 1 
  x 2 
  x 1 
  Block 9 
   
   
   
  x 1 
  x 2 
  Block 22 
   
   
  x 1 
  x 2 
  Block 23 
   
   
  x 1 
  x 2 
  x 2 
  Block 24 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  x 2 
  x 5 
  x 15 
  x 2 
  x 3 
  x 4 
   
   
   
  Set up any-
  where south of 
  Board A 
  x 2 
  x 5 
  x 2 
  x 3 
  x 3 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  north 
  south 
  x 1 
  
  COMMENTARY 
   
          This is the classic What if? scenario concerning the major fortifications of the Maginot Line.  Could the line 
  have been breached by a concerted German effort with the proper mix of artillery, tanks and aircraft? 
  BIBLIOGRAPHY 
   
  Cruz, Ramiro  “Panzer Leader, 1940”, General, The Avalon Hill Game Company, July-August 1978, Volume 15, 
  Number 2,  p. 3-15.  A classy addition to an Avalon Hill classic game.  Covers important events of the 1940 west-
  ern front action, but misses the Maginot Line actions.  Variant counters for the 1940 equipment are available at 
  http://www.imaginative-strategist.layfigures.com/IMSTRAT%20PL%201940.html 
  A further detailing of the Panzer Leader 1940 scenarios also appeared in the General, by Roland A. Bell. 
   
  Doughty, Robert A.  “The Maginot Line”, Military History Quarterly, American Historical Publications, Inc.  Win-
  ter, 1997, Volume 9, Number 2, p. 48-59.  A superb analysis of the military situation in 1940.  Conclusion of the 
  author is that the Maginot Line indeed worked and served its purpose! 
   
  Engelmann, J German Railroad Guns in Action  Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, TX, 1976, pp. 49.  
  Translated from a German publication that covers all railway guns from 17 cm to 80 cm. 
   
  Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter  Weapons of the Third Reich, Doubleday and Co., New York, NY, 1979, 
  pp. 371.  An encyclopedic survey of German small arms and artillery during WW II.  Source of good details on the 
  German railway artillery that could have been used against the Maginot line. 
   
  Horne, Alistar  To Lose a Battle France 1940, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, MA, 1969, pp. 647. A thor-
  ough treatment of the Fall of France, especially the political, social and economic conditions of France in the inter-
  war years. 
   
  Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufman, H.W.  The Maginot Line None Shall Pass, Prager, Westport, Connecticut, 1997, 
  151 pages.  This brother and sister team have written extensively on the Maginot Line. 
   
  Kemp, Anthony  The Maginot Line Myth and Reality, Stein and Day, New York, NY, 1982, pp. 120.  Excellent 
  drawings and pictures of the Maginot fortifications. 
   
  Michelin France Alsace et Lorraine, 1:200,000 map of northwest France, number 242 and 241, Paris, France, 1997.  
  Current road map showing elevations, rivers and major roads.  Historical sites, i.e. forts are also located. 
   
  Pallud, Jean Paul After the Battle, No. 60, “The Maginot Line”, London, UK, 1988, p. 1-40.  Great pictures and 
  diagrams of Maginot sites in the superb “then and now” format.  Excellent detailed descriptions of the armaments 
  and fortifications of the Maginot line defenses. 
   
  War Department Handbook of German Military Forces,  Washington, DC, 1945, TM-E 30-451, reprinted by LSU 
  Press, Baton Rogue, LA 1990.  The definitive handbook on German military forces.       
  Dora Special Firing Rules 
   
  1. German railway gun is the 80cm (31” diameter bore) “Dora”.  Firing orders must be written three turns in 
      advance.  Dora can fire on Turn 1 because of photo reconnaissance, etc. 
  2. Die roll of 1, 2 or 3 results in a hit.  Die roll of 4 or 5 hit is scattered per rules.  Die roll of 6 is widely scattered  
      with no hits.  These rules apply with a unit spotting.  Indirect fire scatter rules still apply if spotting unit moves 
      away, is destroyed or disrupted. 
  3. Dora is off board artillery.  Dora is considered an A class weapon with the anti-concrete round with an attack 
      factor of 160.  All attacks at normal attack strength. 
  4. Dora can only fire every third turn due to the time required to reload the cannon.             
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Panzer Leader & Panzer Blitz/Scenarios Peirce's/mag3.pdf