“In support of his convincing argument the author uses several accounts of German actions seen through the eyes of the soldiers and junior officers who had to put theory into practice on the battlefield. “For those of us who are interested in the tactics and strategy of the early war years, it is a book you won’t want to miss” ( A Wargamers Needful Things ). Using accounts previously unpublished in English, military historian Niklas Zetterling “not only shows you the big picture, economically, strategically, but also takes you right into the Panzers,” showing how a company commander led his tanks, how a crew worked together inside a tank, and the role of the repair services. This book focuses on the experiences of the enlisted men and junior officers in the Blitzkrieg operations in Poland, Norway, Western Europe, and Russia. The conduct of German soldiers, particularly the lower-ranking men, on the battlefield was at the core of the concept, and German victories rested upon the quality, flexibility, and mobility of the small combat units. It has been argued that rather than creating a new way of war based on new technology, the Germans fitted the new weapons into their existing ideas on warfare. The false conclusions drawn became myths about the Blitzkrieg that have lingered for decades. Allied decision-makers wanted to discover the Germans’ secrets, even though only partial, incomplete information was available to them. The successes of the German Blitzkrieg in 1939-41 were as surprising as they were swift. World War II Military History collections” ( Midwest Book Review ). In all, this is a game that looks like it could keep you occupied for a long time and be replayed many times over.From the author of Bismarck : “ A work of simply outstanding scholarship . . . There is also a 24 page set of notes from the game's designers analyzing campaign tactics. There is a 20 page "rules of play" introduction including definitions, parameters, sequencing, use of alternatives, and orders of battle. In fact, you are given a chance to completely replay 1940 to see if you can stop the eventuality of the horrors that World War II and all of its ramifications brought. Of course there are numerous alternative campaigns that you can set up to test your own strategies for different outcomes. Indeed, there is included an exact duplicate of the strategy that took place during this battle sequence called the "Idiot's Game," and you can play out that history given the many errors that were made by the allies as Rommel's Panzers advanced to victory. What does strike me as extraordinarily interesting is that at base this game plays out the initial blitzkrieg that Germany let loose on France on which resulted in a smashing victory for the Germans and a demoralizing defeat for France and her British, Belgian, and Dutch allies. However, this has got to be the most complex game I've ever seen! However, I am not a role-playing or war board gamer, so perhaps there's more complicated things out there that I'm not aware of. If you are looking at this listing you will probably already know about the game, so I will not go into too much detail here. Other than the slight scuffing on the cover I would rate this game as being in mint condition. This game appears to have not been played as evidenced by the condition of the game pieces, some of which are still attached to their stringers. Here is a vintage Avalon Hill Bookcase game entitled "The Game of France, 1940 German Blitzkrieg in the West."
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