As Alasdair suggested some time ago, we should use his paper house models for the game again. Initially, I was leaning toward Very British Civil War, but after discussing it with Michael, we decided on the Silesian Uprisings. Now, we needed to adapt these British-style houses to fit the Silesian context. To achieve this, I devised a storyline about a secret training center for German spies. We used the Set an East Ablaze rules for the game.
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda
1. Forces.
2. The Game.
In 1921, during the third Silesian Uprising, Polish troops advanced toward a town that does not appear on any maps. This town is an abandoned special center for German spies, where they were trained for transfer to Great Britain during the Great War. The plan was to blow up the entire center, but a French spy intervened to prevent this destruction. The Germans, concerned about the lack of communication from their spy sent to investigate the situation, decided to dispatch additional forces to uncover what was happening. This is where our story begins, as Polish troops cautiously enter the town while a French spy and a German spy search for each other in a local pub.
The Polish forces divided into two groups and advanced along the roads, which facilitated quicker movement. Soon, the Germans appeared. The Poles opened fire, and with the first salvo from their cannon, they succeeded in eliminating half of one of the German units. Meanwhile, the Germans advanced in three columns: two along the exit roads and one remaining in the centre of the field. However, the Germans began to encounter issues with their equipment, with the first unit to break down being the A7V.
Both sides advanced toward the town centre, with the Polish troops moving quickly. Meanwhile, the German spy had repaired the broken wires connected to the explosives. The French spy noticed this and rushed out of the pub toward the Polish troops, shouting, "Courez! Tout est miné!" (Run! Everything is mined!). The German spy also exited the pub through the back, calling out to his troops, "Lauft weg! Alles ist vermint!" (Run away! Everything is mined!).
The withdrawal of the units began, marking the start of the real fight. A German Mark V tank confronted a Polish Renault tank, armed with a gun, but had to retreat during the duel and subsequently broke down. The same fate befell two Polish tanks. While the Polish forces attempted to repair their vehicles, the Germans chose to abandon theirs. Nonetheless, the Germans managed to destroy one of the Polish tanks in the process.
As the Polish forces intensified their fire, the Germans began to suffer significant losses. Despite this, they continued their withdrawal and detonated explosives throughout the city. However, they did not manage to destroy all the buildings, and the city ultimately remained under Polish control, resulting in a victory for the Polish forces in this battle.
3. Links.
SESWC:
FLICKR:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720326199012
