BREAKTHROUGH AT PLESS, Sept. 2, 1939

Situation Report

East of Krakow, South Poland, September 2, 1939:  The German 5^th Panzer Division has broken through the outer defenses in Southern Poland and is attempting to breakthrough and encircle the Polish army before it can fall back on the city of Krakow.  Elements of the Polish 6^th Division, supported by elements of the Polish 21^st Highland Division are dug in to block the way.

GAME LENGTH:  12 turns 

VICTORY CONDITIONS:  Victory points are awarded for the elimination of opposing units (see Order of Battle section).  Reducing a unit to half strength will earn ½ the VP value of the unit, rounded down.  In addition, 1 VP is awarded for controlling the house in the Northeast (referred to as "Victory House" in the scenario) and 1 VP for the bridge in the Southwest at the end of the game.  Both start the game under Polish control. 

THE BATTLEFIELD:

The picture is looking North, thus the bridge is in the lower right and theVictory House is in the upper right.  The river is unfordable.  The line of lichen represents brush growing in a small creek bed that is crossable (as a creek or gully) and offers soft cover.  It does not block line of sight.  Note there is a roadblock in the road between the hill on the left and the intersection by the village.  Also, there are small dug-in markers at both locations where the creek bed meets the road.  This represents the defenders destroying the culverts, so that the gully essentially extends across the road functioning as a roadblock and hard cover for defenders at this location.

The Poles must deploy according to the instructions on their Order of Battle.  All units, except the TKS tanks, may be dug in.  The Germans then deploy up to 12” in from the Western (left) table edge.  The Germans get the initiative on turn 1, therefore, it is possible that both sides are in shooting range of each other on the opening turn.

POLISH ORDER OF BATTLE

Fearless                                  Trained

6^th Infantry Division

Company A                             1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4 Rifle Stands

1 HMG

1 Light Mortar

1 Rifle Stand with Anti-Tank Rifle

Deploys in the woods, East of the road. 

Company B                             1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4 Rifle Stands

1 HMG

1 Light Mortar

1 Rifle Stand with Anti-Tank Rifle

Deploys in the cluster of houses in the center of the table. (The village of Pless)

Company C                             1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4 Rifle Stands

Deploys south of the houses between the road and the river.

Note Companies B & C may deploy as far forward as the road block.

Division Support

1 37mm Anti-Tank Gun (attached to Company C)

1 Forward Observer (attached to Company C)

[Off-Board] 3 100mm Howitzers

The ATG & FO may be attached to any of the Companies in the 6^th Division.

Recon Tank Company             0 VP

3 TKS Tankettes (MG mounts only)

Deploy anywhere west of the road block. 

21^st Highland Division

Company A                             1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4 Rifle Stands

1 HMG

1 Light Mortar

1 Rifle Stand with Anti-Tank Rifle

Deploys in the hills or along the creek East of the cluster of houses.

 Company B                             1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4 Rifle Stands

Deploys in the Southeast between the bridge and the creek.

 Highlands Division Support

1 37mm Anti-Tank Gun (attached to Company B)

1 Forward Observer (attached to Company A)

[Off-Board] 3 75mm Howitzers

The ATG & FO may be attached to any of the Companies in the 6^th Division.

One Medic & Supply Truck assigned where needed.

GERMAN ORDER OF BATTLE

Confident                               Veteran

5^th Panzer Division

Light Panzer Company            1 VP

1 Panzer I Command Tank

1 Panzer I B

3 Panzer II C

Medium Panzer Company       1 VP

1 Panzer I B

1 Panzer III E

1 Panzer IV D

 2 Panzer Companies & Company A with Orders to move through the woods and take the Victory House. 

Motorcycle Company              2 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 MG Stands

1 Light Mortar

1 HMG

1 Forward Air Controller

Motorcycle Mounts for all the above

Infantry Company A               1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 Rifle Stands

1 HMG

Infantry Company B                1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 Rifle Stands

Company B tasked with making a demonstration out in front of the village to draw fire away from the flanks.  Only to advance if the defenders vacate the village.

Infantry Company C               1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 Rifle Stands

1 Forward Observer

[Off-Board] 3 105mm Howitzers

Motorcycle Company & Company C tasked with moving along the river and taking the bridge.

 One Medic, Fuel Truck & Supply Truck assigned where needed.

 Priority Air Support. 

TURN 1

 [Above]  The Medium Panzer Company descends into the woods.

  

[Above] The 2 leading Motorcycles (The Aircraft Forward Observer & Light Mortar) attempt to by-pass the Polish defenses with an “end run” only to be cut down by the HMG positioned in the gray house in the distance.

The Germans had the luck of an early arriving Stuka, which dove on the ATG positioned on the hill, but to no effect.

TURN 2

The German tanks advancing through the woods are first spotted by the Polish Defenders of A Company manning the line there.  The men in the trenches became fearful; armed with only an Anti-tank rifle while facing a formidable Panzer IV.  On the opposite side of the German advance, the Motorcycle Company chose to hold up behind the hill and wait for the Forward Observer (attached to C Company) to catch up on foot.  It was decided that they needed to call in some smoke to shield their advance up the river from the Polish defenders.  As Company C moved up, they were spotted by the Polish FO who called in a 100mm barrage on the Company.  As luck would have it, the Forward Observer was caught in the artillery barrage and the Germans would have to rely on a Command Group to call in the artillery.

Twice Blessed.  A second Stuka comes swooping in for a crack at the FO & ATG occupying the hill… and for a second time, the entrenchments proved worthy enough to protect them from the divebombers.

TURN 3

The Company Commander for the Motorcycles successfully called in a barrage with smoke rounds to shield their advance along the river.  The Polish 100mm guns bombarded them none-the-less, to no effect.  In exchange, the cycles killed the one Polish squad dug in on the river bank that was blocking their advance.

In the woods, all hell was breaking loose for the Polish A Company.  The Panzer IV came on with a Panzer III, Panzer I and a pair of Panzer II’s in support.  A bright spot came when the ATG mounted on the hill was able to get a clear flank shot at the Panzer IV as it crossed the road, knocking it out of action before the assault.

The rest of the German tanks assaulted the A Company line and wiped them out, scoring a Victory Point for the Germans.

Panzers emerge from the woods and overrun the Polish defensive line.  Note the Panzer IV at the top never makes it across.

TURN 4

Company A & Motorcycles by-passing Polish defenses behind the smoke screen laid down by 3 105mm Howitzers.

Along the river, the cycles sped ahead while the artillery stoked the smoke screen for one more turn.  Another barrage of 100mm shells came down on the Germans; this time taking out the HMG in the Motorcycle Company.  Yet, they pushed on. 

The Polish 75mm batteries now swung into action as the FO in the hills behind the forest began spotting the German armor coming through the forest.

With the armor coming from along the far side of the table, the Poles were able to issue an Order Change detaching the ATG from Highlands B Company by the bridge and moving it to A Company up by the Victory House.  The crew limbered the weapon and hauled it down the hill away from the river.  They had a ways to go to man-handle the gun over to where A Company was deployed.

TURN 5

The leading German tanks began to emerge from the woods, immediately coming under small arms fire from Highlands Company A.  With an Anti-tank rifle and the HMG in the gray house, they were able to suppress the first two light tanks.

Further back in the woods, the other tanks from the Light Panzer Company were getting hung up and required constant work to get unstuck.

German logistics:  Waiting for tanks to get out of the woods and the infantry to catch up, the Light Panzer Company refuels and restocks their ammo before the next phase of the fight.  Priority for the flank was to get the unit cohesion back together, allow the supporting infantry to catch up and resupply before the next assault.

In the meantime, the Poles dropped another 75mm barrage on the woods; destroying the Panzer III in the process.  This was enough to shake the morale of the Company Commander and the remainder of the Medium Panzer Company quit the field.  Score 1-to-1.  This also relieved the Poles of the heavy tank threat brought by the Germans.

Along the river, the smoke screen lifted and German Company C came under fire from the 100mm batteries as they continued their advance.  By now, they were behind the lines of the Polish C Company.  However, the Poles remained in position as German Company B (out in front behind the hill) began firing on the Poles to keep them in position.

Despite Company C coming under fire, the Motorcycle Company dismounted and assaulted the Poles at the foot of the hill guarding the bridge.  Both sides lost a squad, but the Germans were able to consolidate over the hill and into the midst of Highland Company B.

TURN 6

As the Panzers continued to retool in the woods, one of the Panzer II’s came out and attempted a failed assault on the Polish trenches.  It promptly withdrew once the tank commander realized he couldn’t overrun these trenches as easily without the numbers to back him up.

In the center, the Polish TKS in the village added their firepower toward repelling the Germans to their front.  Company B, hiding behind the hill before them, lost a squad and withdrew back out of the line of fire.  They could ill-afford a failed platoon morale test at this stage of the battle.

Back at the bridge, the dismounted Motorcycle Company assaulted Highlands Company B once again; this time killing the command and causing the Company to route from the battlefield.  This also left the bridge in German hands: 

Germany: 3  Poland: 1. 

With the loss of the bridge and the Germans to the front pulling back behind the hill, Poland’s company C is chooses to withdraw from the forward line and attempt to recapture the bridge behind them.

TURN 7

While the rest of the Light Panzer Company is regrouping, a Panzer II makes a second attempt to overtake the Polish defenders.  This time the tank is suppressed by the HMG in the house.

To deal with the new threat of the Germans capturing the bridge, two of the TKS in the village moved to fire out the back of the village at the Germans.  The HMG on the nearest hill from Highlands Company A has been jammed since Turn 5.

The Motorcycle Company takes up positions in the blown culvert (hard cover) and creek bed (soft cover) to defend the bridge while the remnants of C Company move past them toward Victory House (upper right).

The Polish artillery continued to come down in earnest, with the 75’s pelting the woods and the 100’s now redirected on the Germans defending the bridge.  None of the shells found a target.  In the meantime, the ATG that was scurrying across the field toward Highland Company A was gunned down by the Germans as they took up defensive positions along the creek.

Drawing fire:  German 105’s hit the village in an attempt to take out the MG’s on the tankettes.

TURN 8

The river side of the battlefield was in flux as Company C had pulled out of their positions and were closing on the Germans defending the bridge.  Both sides exchanged small arms fire with no hits being scored.  Another barrage on the village also came up empty.  The Poles had to hold off using their 100mm guns as they only had 1 more salvo left and anticipated needing smoke to cover their advance across the field.  In the woods, 75’s continued to fall to no avail.

By now, German Company A was emerging from the woods and exchanging small arms fire with the defending Poles of Highland Company A.  One of the Panzer II’s gunned down a squad of defenders in the trenches.

TURN 9

The tide of the battle suddenly changed:  By the bridge, concerted firepower from the TKS, Company C and several of the squads from Highland Company A caused both of the German Companies guarding the bridge to sustain losses and fail their platoon tests.  What’s more, the Motorcycle Company was worth 2 VP. 

Score: Poland 4, Germany 3

Over by the woods, the Panzer II’s of the Light Panzer Company finally burst out of the woods, firing on and assaulting the elements of Highland Company A guarding the treeline.  At the same time, the infantry were heading up the table edge in the direction of Victory House.  As it appeared they had no answer for the tanks and their right flank was being rolled up, several of the forward squads from Highland A were ordered to pull back from the creek and head for Victory House.  The race was on!

TURN 10

The race to Victory House is on!  To the left, remnants of A Company, from the 21^st Polish Highland Division fall back from their positions in an attempt to save the house while, to the right, German A Company is in a foot race with support from the Light Panzer Company still emerging from the woods.

As the line began to collapse toward Victory House, the Panzer II’s stayed behind the hills to prevent giving the remaining ATG a clear shot at any of them.  They were able to roll up or shoot several more stands from Highland A Company, including the HMG and FO resulting in the Company failing a platoon morale test and routing from the field.  Poland 4, Germany 4.

TURNS 11 & 12

By now it had become a literal foot race to the objectives.  The Poles had nothing to prevent the German infantry from capturing Victory House on Turn 11, so the Germans took a brief 5-4 lead.  Both sides made sure that no one was in the line of fire, but the Poles still attempted to wrest control of the house from the Germans by firing their remaining artillery on the house in the hope of causing a panic test.

On Turn 12, with no Germans able to bring them under fire, Poland’s C Company reached the bridge (+1 VP for Poland, -1 VP for the Germans who lost control of the bridge).  Thus, the final score was Poland winning, 5-4 decided on the final turn of the game.

Game played:  December 23-24, 2014

OBSERVATIONS

This is a game where the use of Orders was critical toward maintaining a well-balanced game.  In a game where players could just do what they want and shift their resources according to their aerial view of the table, the Poles could have shifted quickly and the battle would not have been nearly as close.

However, by using Orders, the semblance of realism can be maintained- especially where the Poles did not have a good command & control structure on the battlefield.  Therefore, their static forces in the village and forward trenches did not react to being by-passed by the German armor or motorcycles until the threat of them being surrounded became real.  Likewise, by keeping small Company B out front and taking “pot shots” at the forward Polish positions, the Poles had to hold their ground until they were sure no attack was coming up the middle.

The tactics utilized by the German commander (the “demonstration” to the front while flanking forces attempted to by-pass the lines) were frequently used in real life and can only be replicated by following Orders and not allowing players to meta-game (reacting to things they cannot see).

Assault on Jordanow, September 2, 1939

Situation Report

Jordanow, Southern Poland along the Slovakian border, September 2, 1939:  The previous day the German 22^nd Panzer Corps, part of the 14^th Army, crossed the Polish border from Slovakia in an attempt to outflank the Polish Krakow Army defending Silesia.  The Germans crossed the Tatra passes and assaulted the towns of Chabowka and Nowy Targ with orders to seize the town of Myslenice by the 3^rd.  The area was only lightly defended by a single infantry regiment who were able to defend Nowy Targ from 3 oncoming German divisions, but Myslenice still fell on the 1^st.  The Polish command realized the Germans were on the verge of breaking through their lines and encircling the Krakow Army so they ordered the highly trained 10^th Motorized Cavalry Brigade to Jordanow to stop the German advance.  Overnight the Brigade was transported to the area and immediately found themselves involved in heavy fighting in the hills south of Jordanow.  A heavy German barrage started at 0500 hours and shortly afterward, all three Divisions assaulted the Polish Brigade.

GAME LENGTH:   11 turns 

VICTORY CONDITIONS:  The Germans must 1).  Have uncontested control of the village center, which is comprised of the circular (lighter shade) road.  “Uncontested Control” means no unsuppressed Polish stands in any of the buildings inside the village center (circular road).  2). AND the Germans must exit 10 stands/vehicles off the Western (left) edge of the table.  The transport vehicles & the Armored Recovery Vehicle do not count toward this victory condition.

THE BATTLEFIELD:  

DEPLOYMENT/MOVEMENT:  The Polish forces deploy anywhere on the table, at least 24” in from the Eastern (right) edge of the board.  If not deployed in a building, any Polish unit may start the game entrenched.  The Germans enter the table from the Northeast Corner of the board (upper right).  The zone from which they will enter stretches as far as the road that connects the top table edge to the circular road, and up to 24” down the right-side table edge.  Note that the Germans must move 10 stands off the Western (left) edge of the table by the end of the game (Turn 11).

SPECIAL RULES

REINFORCEMENTS:  Note that there are Special Rules regarding reinforcements and the make-up of your units.  See the Order of Battle section regarding reinforcements and force make-up. 

SERVICE UNITS:  Both sides will have supply trucks, medics and fuel trucks to address logistical issues.

AIR SUPPORT:  Starting on Turn 3, the German player rolls a d6 at the start of each turn.  On a roll of ‘1’ he gets Stuka air support.  Follow the appropriate rules to determine the number of aircraft, etc.  The German player may roll for Stuka air support at the start of every turn thereafter.

SMOKE GRENADES:  All German Command Groups are equipped with Smoke Grenades.  To use them, during the fire phase roll 2d6.  An 8 or less means the Group has them ready for use and can use them during that turn.  Place the smoke marker anywhere within 4” of the German Command Group.

SQUAD LEADER SCENARIO:  After playing this game several times, we decided to modify the Platoon Morale rules so that they match the Squad Leader rules more closely:  Once a platoon fails a morale check, rather than removing it from play, it falls back a full move and continues to do so until it rallies.  In addition, since Squad Leader gives each player a list of units with no unit organization, we allowed each player to assemble them into command groups of their choosing (like a Kampfgruppe).

PRELIMINARY BOMBARDMENT:  After all Polish units have set up, but before the game begins, the Germans have a preliminary bombardment Phase.  For every unit on the table, roll on the following table to determine what kind of artillery piece hits the structure/unit and work out damage accordingly.  Roll to range in and to hit only.  Ignore placing the template or modifying the 'to hit' roll based on the number of guns,

D6 Roll	Artillery Type	D6 Roll	Artillery Type
1-3	3x 81mm Mortars	5	1x 120mm Mortar
4	2x 105mm Howitzers	6	1x 150mm Howitzer

ORDERS OF BATTLE

POLAND

Elements of 10^th Motorized Cavalry Brigade

Company A

1 Command Rifle Stand

6 Rifle/MG Stands
2 75mm M1897 guns

Deployed in the house and near the road block on the south ring road, this unit will be an offensive unit used to advance and capture some of the empty houses before the Germans get to them. The guns were detached from the rest of the company and dug in on the hills behind the town to get a clear field of fire.

Company B

1 Command Rifle Stand

2 37mm ATG

3 Anti-Tank Rifle Stands

1 Light Mortar

2 HMGs

1 Medic

Deployed straddling the circular road on the north side, this is the expected route the panzers will be taking.  One ATG was dig in alongside the road while the other set up behind a fence.

Company C

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 Anti-Tank Rifle Stands

1 37mm ATG

2 HMGs

2 Light Mortars

Deployed on the south side of the ring, anticipating holding the houses near the road block when A Company jumps off.  The ATG was dug in further back to get a line of fire across the center toward the north side of the ring road and an HMG was positioned in the house outside the back of the ring. 

Company D

1 Command Rifle Stand

1 Rifle Stand

3 Rifle/MG Stands

d6 Wz34 Armored Cars (MG mount only)

Reinforcement group entering the North table edge on Turn 3.  Cannot enter the table in the zone where the Germans enter the table.  Their Orders will be to enter from beyond the railroad tracks and move to the group of houses west of the circular road in anticipation of heading off the advance.

Company E

1 Command Rifle Stand

1 Rifle Stand

3 Rifle/MG Stands

Reinforcement group entering the South table edge on Turn 3.  Since they can enter from anywhere, they will be coming in the lower, right (southwestern) corner in an attempt to come in behind the advancing Germans to recapture any weakly defended houses in the town.

GERMANY

Elements of the 22nd Panzer Corps

Force Command

1 Commander-in-Chief Rifle Stand

1 Second-in-Command Rifle Stand

Entering the East table edge and occupying eastern most houses in the town once Company A secures them.

Company A

1 Command Rifle Stand

2 Rifle Stands

3 MG Stands

1 Engineer Stand

1 HMG

1 Medic

Tasked with taking and holding the houses on the Eastern end of the town.

Company B

1 Command Rifle Stand

2 Rifle Stands

3 MG Stands

1 Engineer Stand

1 HMG

Tasked with cutting across the northern side of the town (inside the circle) and capturing the houses on the Western side of the town.

Company D (Company C eliminated after an early battle when the groups were consolidated)

1 Command Rifle Stand

2 MG Stands

1 Engineer Stand with Flamethrower

1 HMG

1 Forward Air Observer ("advantage awarded to German player for winning previous game)

Headed up through the woods in the middle of the town, then tasked with assisting either Company A or B in securing the town.

Panzer Company E

1 Panzerbefehlswagen Command Tank

1 Panzer II D

1 Panzer 35(t)

1 Panzer III D

Orders to move through the center of the village, engaging defenders as they go, then breaking out and heading west to the opposite table edge.

Panzer Company F

1 Panzer II D with Tank Commander

1 Panzer 35(t)

1 Panzer 38(t)

1 Panzer IV C

1 SdKfz 9 Armored Recovery Vehicle

Orders to advance along the northern edge of the battlefield (outside the circular road) and break through to the West.

Reinforcements Group

1 Command Rifle Stand / Unarmored SdKfz 251 Halftrack

3 Engineer Stands & 3 Rifle Stands in 3 Heavy Trucks

3 Rifle Stands in 3 Light Trucks

2 SdKfz 222 Armored Cars

Starting on Turn 4, the Germans roll to see if the Reinforcements can enter the table.  Consult the table below to determine when they arrive.

Turn	D6 Roll (or less) required
4	1
5	3
6	5

They will automatically come in Turn 7 if not sooner.  German reinforcements enter the Eastern (right) table edge.

PRELIMINARY BOMBARDMENT

Most of the barrage was ineffective, however the group along the South circular road took it a little harder with 2 ATR Rifle Stands being killed and 4 stands pinned down.  

TURN 1

The battle began with the Germans entering the table from the northeast corner.  For the sake of timeliness, any units that could move at the double did so as the German command was more concerned about where they needed to be at the end of the day vs. any threats posed by the Poles.

[Above] Company A to the left, Panzer Company E leads Company D toward the center while Panzer Company F advances up the right.

Despite the range, the Polish Anti-tank gun closest to the road chose to take advantage of such a targeting opportunity and attempted to hit the Panzer III as it came up and crossed the road in the lead of the German column.

Polish Anti-Tank weapons waiting on the Panzers.

Polish positions Turn 1 looking North.  Company A has moved forward from the fenced in yard to occupy the brown house and is headed for the church.  Company C is standing fast while Company B can be seen across the way guarding the north road.

TURN 2

Moving out ahead of the infantry, Panzer Group E came under ineffective anti-tank fire as it crossed the village square and pressed into the western part of the village.  The Polish infantry began to prepare for the inevitable armored assault.

On the right, the leading Panzer 35(t) was able to take out the anti-tank gun by the road. Despite the fire coming from the Poles, most of the rounds bounced harmlessly off of the armor.

TURN 3

The opposing infantry finally encountered each other; with German Company A firing at the Poles in the trees across the village square while part of the Company assaulted the church.  The Panzers of Company E closed in for an assault on the Polish defenders in the western part of the village.

The lead Panzer II for Company E takes a direct hit from the ATG dug in the western part of the town.  The Company failed its morale check and aborted the assault on the compound behind; falling back into the trees on the village green to regroup.

Turn 3 reinforcements arrive for Poland with Company E entering through the woods in the southeastern corner.  Further off to the West and North Company D arrived with a pair of armored cars leading the infantry to take up positions in the houses at the base of the western hills.  Here, the 75mm batteries still wait for targets.

During the first 2 turns of the game, the Poles were able to pull 5 Rifle/MG Stands from Company A and a command stand forward into the church.  It looked to be a formidable task to take the church as there was only 1 door in the front and one window to each side low enough for troops to climb through.  The Germans assaulted with 4 stands including an Engineer squad.

Top down view of the assault on the church (roof removed).

The Germans came hard into the church; killing 3 of the Polish defenders and taking the church for their own.  To capitalize on their momentum, one squad and the engineers exited the church through the front door in anticipation of assaulting the next house.  Unfortunately, the Poles had an HMG positioned there and the Germans lost both stands in Turn 4.

TURN 4

Panzer Group E rallied, but fell back behind the trees in the center of the village for a much-needed refueling.  Company A spotted the Polish reinforcements arriving to their left flank and chose not to advance further than the church once the 2 stands were gunned down by the HMG.  For now it was a matter of consolidating their gains and awaiting reinforcements.  The Polish escapees from the church fell back safely into the next group of houses to the west.

To the North, German Company B had secured the shoe factory uncontested and were starting their advance toward the next group of houses (where the Polish ATG’s were located).  The Panzer IV firing in support of them knocked out the second ATG, leaving only the one in the rear (by the burning Panzer II) to contend with.

As Panzer Company F continued to push forward (essentially by-passing the village defenders at this point), they came to the next group of houses where the Polish Worker’s Hall was located.  The Panzers couldn’t get at the HMG in the front door, but closed in on a lone ATR group positioned at the fence line.  The Polish anti-tank rifle team scampered away and somehow made it into the Worker’s Hall despite MG fire from both tanks.

Close call for Polish anti-tank rifle team as it scurries for shelter in the Worker's Hall.

TURN 5

With the Polish reinforcements blocking their advance onto the table, the German reinforcements entered the board on foot; positioning themselves between the Poles and the village.

Although out-numbered, the Poles remained in position on the small hill as they had the cover of the woods and were firing on Germans out in the open.  In the firefight that ensued, the Germans lost 3 stands while the Poles lost 2, but neither side broke from combat.

At the village square, German Company D set up a firing line and put more pressure on the few defending Poles in the tree line behind the church; gunning down one of the two stands positioned there.  The other stand made an attempt to assault the church, but was cut down before they could go through the window.  This resulted in Company A failing a Company morale check (only the Command Stand remained), so the command group abandoned the house beside the church and began falling back to regroup with the guns in the hills (attached to Company A).

Panzer Company E makes another advance on the Polish defenders beyond the Shoe Factory with Company B advancing alongside.  The Poles cut down 2 of the advancing Germans before the Panzer 35(t) and Panzer III gunned down the 3 stands and Medic defending the compound, leaving it undefended.

North of the village, Panzer Company F enters the Worker’s Hall compound exchanging fire with the Poles in the surrounding buildings.  

The Panzer 38(t) went crashing into the smaller house, successfully defeating the command group in an assault.  The loss of the command stand required another company morale roll to be made, but without a command stand, it was an automatic failure.  Therefore, the ATR and HMG in the Worker’s Hall escaped across the railroad tracks and quit the field.

TURN 6

With the German reinforcements and Company A holding their position, they were able to put enough firepower on the ambushing Polish reinforcements, wiping out the entire group.  With no more threat to the rear, they called back for their trucks to come forward.

Across the battlefield there was a lot of fire exchanged between both sides with bullets bouncing off tanks, fences and buildings.  Although the infantry sustained no casualties, the remaining Polish ATG claimed it's second victim when a 37mm shell penetrated the front of the oncoming Panzer 35(t) from Panzer Company E.  With this loss, the remaining 2 Panzers failed their Company morale and quit the field.  Their luck was compounded by the 75mm guns on the hill knocking out a Panzer 38(t) by the Worker's Hall.

The sign of a good gun crew is the number of wrecks nearby.

TURN 7

With the German reinforcements mounting up in their transports, the Armored Cars moved ahead and brought their guns to bear on the next house; neutralizing the HMG there.  With this gun knocked out, the road was clear for the trucks to navigate around the roadblock by going to the left along the hedgerow with the next obstacle being an HMG in the house in the distance.

For the first time in the battle, Luftewaffe support arrived in the form of 3 Stuka divebombers.  The Forward Observer called them in on the nuisance ATG that was blocking the advance of everything up the middle.  Although the Stukas missed the ATG, they killed off the fleeing Company A Command (which had been withdrawing to the guns in the hills).  With no command and a Company Morale check required, the Polish gunners abandoned their guns and fled the field.

Stuka attack misses the intended target, but is able to to encourage the 75mm batteries to quit the field.

It was time for Company D to assault the remaining Polish defenders holding the fence of the last house.  The Germans lost 1 stand while wiping out the remaining 3 Poles (the Commander-in-Chief was inside the house).  In addition, the armored cars leading the breakthrough group (German reinforcements) successfully removed the HMG in the house guarding the hedgerow (making the area safe for the trucks to advance).

Company D's final assault on the remaining Polish defenders.

With the Worker's Hall secure, Panzer Company F focuses their attention on the last remaining outpost blocking them from their breakout to the table edge.

TURN 8

The Poles were unable to get an Orders change to reposition their units to block the oncoming column of trucks.  The Germans had too much force defending the houses in the village center, so Polish Company D resolved to exchanging fire with them from across the road.  If they could thin the ranks, they would assault to retake the houses in the village center.  The armored cars fired futilely on the advancing column, but their presence only drew off the 2 German armored cars leading the column.  Unsupported, the MG's on the Polish Wz34's would have sliced up the infantry in the trucks.  But with the SdKfz 222's closing on them, they had to focus on the closest threat.

Meanwhile, Panzer Company F came out of the Worker’s Hall Compound and assaulted the 3 stands defending the next group of houses.  They were no match for the Panzer IV and lost 1 stand while the others fell back and set off the demolition charges left by the fence.  The Panzer II (which was targeted) was not hit and the tanks finished off the remaining 2 stands.  All that remained were 2 stands and the command stand in the house.  Never the less, they passed their Company Morale check and still were not able to get an Orders Change.

Panzer Company F assaulting the last Polish defenders.

TURNS 9 - 11

The Panzer IV & Panzer II were able to get rear shots on the Polish armored cars.  Along with the German armored cars, they were able to knock out one and pin the second.  With virtually no other defenders in the way, the Germans headed for the Western table edge.

The Panzer II, Panzer IV and Panzer 35(t) of Company F made it off.  The trucks carrying the reinforcements were held up crossing the hedge and could not get off by the end of the game.

As for the Poles, the German armored cars kept the remaining armored car suppressed and the couple of infantry still in the house could not score a casualty on the Germans.  Therefore, they were never a threat to get back into the village center before the end of the game.

The Germans were able to control the village, but only had 3 tanks off the table by the end of the game.  Therefore, it was a Polish victory.  Like Mokra, it would have been a German victory if the game had been gone for 2 more turns.

AFTERMATH

Historically, despite suffering heavy losses, the Poles managed to stop the German assault and the Germans withdrew by noon.  However, the numerical and technical superiority of the Wehrmacht was tremendous and after 3 more failed assaults, the Germans were able to capture Jordanow.  The Polish withdrew under cover of an armored train. 

Battle Reenacted:  December 7-20, 2014