How do you deal with French tanks

[JTullman]

Hi all,

I've been skulking this thread for some time as France 1940 is of great interest to me.
In the past I've been hesitant to play many games in this theater because the earlier panzers are not very enticing nor are the strange allied counterparts. However, this thread has motivated me to do some experimenting.

The French tanks seem to be historically accurate. I am not a historian nor am I an expert so you may dismiss my opinion at will. Basically, as previously discussed, the German tanks (PzMk I, II, III and the IV support version) were not capable of destroying the Char b1 bis or Somua. The Germans succeeded in France through superior combined arms tactics. For the most part they simply bypassed the French armor. France fell in about six weeks with the operation lasting from May 10, 1940 until June 22, 1940.

A great documentary about the early tanks can be found on youtube at:

http://youtu.be/4aNKw3dbwoM

That being said I would like to mention a curiosity that I discovered in the Crescendo of Doom rulebook. Those familiar with Steel Panthers are likely knowledgeable about this board game.
In a special section governing the usage of French tanks:

"Although easily the most heavily armored tank of its time, the Char B had an Achilles heel in the form of an engine grill on the left side which was easily penetrated by AP."
The game allows for critical hits diced against all shots traced through the LOS of this engine grill hexside.

The game also penalized the French tanks because of the aforementioned single man turret and the fact that these were radio-less vehicles.

I realize that this is not the Avalon Hill forum but this was just too interesting not to mention.

I had an absolute blast playing a mini-campaign against the French using Andy's suggestions. For those of you like me who've scoffed at the "primitive" early war tanks remember the ancient saying:

"A poor craftsman blames his tools."