We played another game using the Blitzkrieg expansion for the Battlegroup rules. This time, Mike, with Mark's support, commanded the Poles, while Alasdair and I led the Germans. We used the Defence Line scenario, with the Poles on the defensive and the Germans attacking.
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda
1. Forces.
2. The Game.
The Poles deployed eight units along the front line, while the Germans were allowed to place five units in the first round. The Poles chose their commander, machine guns, an anti-tank rifle, a 7TP tank, and both infantry squads.
In the first phase of the attack, the Germans deployed both armoured cars, two Pz. 35 tanks, and their main commander. Their plan was to advance on both flanks to force the Poles to withdraw from their positions. Time was also critical: the Germans aimed to quickly gain numerical superiority over the Polish forces and call in Luftwaffe support at the right moment to turn the tide of battle in their favour.
Mike designated three objectives—three farms. According to our plan, we were to capture the one closest to us using Alasdair's armoured cars, while I was to achieve a breakthrough on our right flank. That was also where I encountered the heaviest resistance: one of the Schneider guns opened fire on my tanks, effectively pinning my vehicles and significantly hampering my operations.
That 75 mm gun was a real problem for me, and when it finally managed to destroy one of my tanks, I knew I had to do something about it. First, I destroyed the car towing it, mainly thanks to Mike's mistake in not having enough orders to get the car out of the line of fire. Then I directed the tank's machine-gun fire at the gun, but to no avail. Next came a barrage of artillery from Polish guns off the table, but it only put a few pins on our units, temporarily slowing our advance. The Germans eventually pushed forward on our left flank.
The attack on the left flank ran into an obstacle: an anti-tank rifle, which, fortunately, proved ineffective, and a 7TP tank. The latter was far more dangerous. Its salvo destroyed an Sd.Kfz.231, depriving us of one of our reconnaissance vehicles. Alasdair, however, remained unconcerned and pressed forward with his vehicles, now reinforced by a platoon of Pz.II tanks. This action forced the Poles to retreat, and we also managed to disable the 7TP tank thanks to a randomly drawn breakdown token.
By the fourth round, we finally had almost all our units at our disposal—everything except the infantry—and this advantage was really starting to show. A salvo from a Pz. IV knocked out the gun that had been troubling me, even as my officer tried in vain to call in artillery support. My last hope of breaking through the Polish defences was to secure air support, as a Luftwaffe officer had just arrived on the battlefield that round. All I needed now was enough orders to carry it all out.
The Poles won the initiative in the fifth round and brought some new equipment to the table. However, it proved ineffective against us. Then it was our turn. I had nine orders to assign. The first, of course, went to a Luftwaffe officer, who successfully called in air support. A Ju-87 Stuka, indispensable in such operations, arrived and struck the central farm. The airstrike proved fatal for the Poles: the infantry unit hit by the bomb could not withstand the pressure and fled the battlefield. A second attack hit one of the Polish armoured cars, destroying it. That was enough to break Polish morale. The Germans, who also captured one of the objectives, won the game.
3. Summary
Once again, air power proved to be the decisive factor in the game, this time on the German side. The points invested in the Luftwaffe officer were well spent. In contrast, the lack of anti-aircraft support on the Polish side proved fatal and ultimately cost them the game. The outcome also offered a highly accurate historical reflection of the realities in Poland in 1939. Expect more games using these rules.
4. Links.
SESWC:
FLICKR:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720333327058
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