The first game back after the summer break, and a major one at that. I decided to recreate the initial German attack on the Polish outpost at Westerplatte—located in the Free City of Danzig—on September 1, 1939. This attack is widely regarded as the start of World War II. We used the Battlegroup rules with the Blitzkrieg supplement and incorporated some special rules. I endeavoured to accurately recreate the Polish and German forces involved in the engagement. I gathered a great deal of information, particularly from the Fortyfikacja Walcząca Facebook page, which features a highly detailed analysis of this opening attack.
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda
1. Forces.
POLES
(Bartek, Michael)
Railway Watchman's Hut
1 x rifle
WAŁ (Shaft) Outpost
1 x LMG
2 x rifle
FORT Outpost
1 x HMG
1 x LMG
7 x rifle
PROM (Ferry) Outpost
1 x HMG
2 x LMG
11 x rifle
WARTOWNIA Nr 1 (Guard House No. 1)
2 x HMG
2 x LMG
9 x rifle
WARTOWNIA Nr 5 (Guard House No. 5)
1 x Officer
1 x HMG
2 x LMG
9 x rifle
2 x 37mm ATG in dug-in positions
REINFORCEMENTS:
PROM (2nd turn)
1 x Officer
10 x rifle
FORT (3rd turn)
1 x LMG
2 x rifle
4 x 80mm Mortar (off table, from 2nd turn)
1 x 75mm Schneider Gun (off table, from 2nd turn)
GERMANS
(Alasdair, David, Mike)
3. Marine-Stoßtrupp-Kompanie
HQ
1st Infantry Platoon (no light mortar)
2nd Infantry Platoon (no light mortar)
Pionier Platoon
HMG Platoon (3 x HMG)
20mm Platoon (2 x 20mm)
Schleswig Holstein (7 x 20mm, 2 x HMG, 2 x LMG) as off table support
1. The Introduction.
In my game, I wanted to capture the reality of the German assault and the surprise the Germans encountered during their initial attack on Westerplatte. They did not expect such fierce resistance or such well-prepared defensive positions. To reflect this, the German forces were portrayed as entirely inexperienced, whereas the Poles were depicted as veterans—highlighting the unit's elite status. The soldiers selected for service there were the best of the best in the Polish army. Additionally, all positions had artillery and mortar spotting capabilities, and the Poles fought to the bitter end, meaning they had no BR value. In contrast, the Germans had a BR level of 40.
3. The Game.
On September 1, 1939, at 4:45 AM, the order was given for the battleship *Schleswig-Holstein* to open fire on the Polish transit depot at Westerplatte in the Free City of Danzig. The bombardment began at 4:48 AM and continued until 4:55 AM. During this time, the battleship fired eight 280mm shells and fifty-nine 150mm shells at the Polish positions. However, due to its close positioning, all of these rounds overshot the peninsula and landed in the Bay of Gdańsk. Smaller-calibre shells struck the wall surrounding the depot, damaging the barracks that faced the harbour channel.
Mike, who was in charge of the attack, rolled a six-sided die (d6) to determine the number of breaches in the wall through which the Germans could storm the depot grounds. The minimum number of openings was set at three, and Mike rolled a three. Alasdair commanded the first platoon, David commanded the second, and Mike led the Combat Engineers. The first two platoons attacked from the direction of the bay through the breached railway gate, while Mike attacked from the harbour channel side. Initially, the Polish forces did not return fire.
It all began dramatically when the Germans fired upon the railway guardhouse, killing the first Polish soldier. They then stormed through the gate and came under fire from the "WAŁ" outpost. The Germans stopped and concentrated their fire on that active Polish position, quickly neutralising it.
Michael, who commanded the northern defence, wanted to open fire on the Germans immediately, but I held him back and suggested we let them advance closer. That's exactly what happened. The Germans moved past the initial buildings, only to be met with fire from the Fort, which included both 37mm guns and Guardhouse No. 5. The German attack collapsed; their troops were halted, and casualties began to mount at an alarming rate.
The German assault from the canal, advancing through the ruined barracks, ultimately failed. As soon as the Germans emerged through a breach in the wall, they came under fire from the "Prom" outpost and Guardhouse No. 1, which I commanded. Mortar fire and a 75mm gun bolstered our defence. The Germans even attempted a bayonet charge, but this effort led to the destruction of their entire rifle squad. As a result, German casualties mounted at an alarming rate, causing the attack to falter. Although the German forces did not reach their breaking point, the assault ultimately collapsed, preventing them from continuing their advance.
The game ended with a historic outcome; however, the Germans suffered far greater losses than actually occurred and were stopped much sooner than in reality. The Poles lost 14 soldiers in the game, while the Germans lost as many as 62.
