On June 7th, 1917, the British Second Army, led by General Herbert Plumer, began a costly assault on fortified German positions near Messines in Belgium. The British objective was to cut the Germans off from many ports they were using for resupply.

The British began the assault by detonating mines beneath the German lines, followed by a crawling artillery barrage. The infantry advanced with support from tanks, airplanes, and cavalry.

British Commander

Herbert Plumber
12 Divisions of 16,000 men each
Cavalry, Air Patrols, Tanks

German
Friedrich Sixt von Armin
5 Divisions of 18,000 men each.

Wargame

For use with Bolt Action WW1 or any other WW1 Wargame

Players: 2-4
Forces Needed: 1200 points or 2 platoon equivalents for the British and 800 points or 1 reinforced platoon equivalent for Germany. The British should have one tank, and both sides should have access to artillery and machine guns.
Terrain Needed: A small hill with no man’s land before it.
Table Size: 8×4

Set-Up

Place the small hill in the center of the table near one of the long edges. Fortify the hill with trenches, craters, barbed wire, and broken ground. That hill and that side of the table will be the Germans.

All forces should be placed on the table; the British should have the opposite table edge. Broken ground, crags, etc., should provide some cover for advancing British forces. All German troops should be dug in.

Objective

The British must take the hill, the Germans must defend it.

Special Rules

The British should get one artillery barrage at some point during the game.

The Germans should be fully fortified.