Historical background
The initial plans for the battle of the Somme were much larger, but the French disaster at Verdun, early in 1916, caused these plans to be scaled back. This meant that the majority of the offensive effort would switch from the French to the British army. A week long, British bombardment, preceded the attack and early on 1 July, large mines that had been placed under the German lines were set off. At Beaumont Hamel, after the mine explosion, the British 29th Division moved forward to capture the mine crater. In addition, an attack was launched from a sunken lane. The Germans, recognizing the importance of the crater, also rushed troops forward. Fierce fighting took place all around the crater and woods, but running low on ammunition British resistance collapsed and the survivors returned to the British lines.
The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. The rest is history.
Starting Assets
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| Germans | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| British | 5 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 2 | - | Move First |
Victory Medals: 6
- 1 Medal for each unit eliminated.
- The British forces gain 1 Temporary Victory Medal at the start of their turn, when one or more units occupy any German trench hex in the front line. Place a Victory Medal, with the British side faceup, on the trench to indicate it is controlled.
- The British forces gain 1 Permanent Victory Medal for each unit that succeeds in breaking through and exits the battlefield from the German baseline.
- The mine crater hex and surrounding 6 hill hexes form a Turn Start Temporary Majority Medal Objective worth 1 Victory Medal for the side that occupies the majority of these hexes.
- The British forces are racing against time. The German player may take a Victory Medal, instead of taking two command cards, when playing a “Recon” command card.
Special Rules
- British player does the No-Man’s-Land shelling roll.
- The sunken lane provides protection and allows a unit on a sunken lane hex to ignore 1 soldier symbol and 1 flag.
