SITUATION
REPORT
Piotrkow,
Poland, Southeast of Lodz, September 6, 1939: Following the route of the Polish Army at
Borowa Gora, the Germans pursued the withdrawing Polish army only to run into
the 146th Infantry Regiment forming up in the town of Piotrkow (pronounced
“Pee-otro-kov”) supported by artillery and the 1st Tank
Battalion. Not content to sit idle in
the town and risk being surrounded, the armor went on the offensive to halt the
German forces and buy more time for the withdrawing forces to regroup.
GAME LENGTH:
8 turns
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
Pitched Battle: Each side scores Victory Points equal to the value of
the unit he eliminates. In addition,
each side gets 200 points per table quarter if they are the sole occupants of
the table quarter.
THE
BATTLEFIELD:
Table view is
looking north into the town (East is to the right). There are hedgerows along part of the
north/south road and on the right border of the wheatfield. The square to the left of the road is a
cemetery with low stone wall around it.
Opponents roll off
to determine deployment: If the Polish
player wins, the Polish player may deploy in the town (North side of the table)
up to 24” in. If the German player wins
the die roll, the Polish player only deploys 12” in from the north table edge.
The Germans get
initiative on the first turn and enter the bottom (South) table edge.
As both sides have
off-board artillery, they may be eliminated by sending a unit off the opposing
table edge to deal with them. Treat the
opposing artillery as being positioned 8” beyond the table edge. When the unit that leaves the table edge
would reach the artillery, fight an assault or conduct fire as normal. The victorious unit may re-enter the table
edge on the turn that they would normally come back and must re-enter within
12” of the location where they left the table.
POLISH ORDER OF BATTLE
Fearless Trained
Elements 146th Infantry
Regiment
Battalion Piechoty
Battalion HQ 50 pts
2 Command Rifle Teams
1 81mm Mortar
A Company 290 pts
2 Command Rifle Teams
1 Anti-Tank Rifle Team
3 HMG
12 Rifle Teams
B Company 205 pts
2 Command Rifle Teams
1 Anti-Tank Rifle Team
3 HMG
12 Rifle Teams
Light Tank Platoon 145 pts
3 7TPdw Tanks
Light Howitzer
Battery 225 pts
4 100mm wz 14/19
Howitzers
[Off-Board]
1 Command Stand acting
as FO for the artillery may be deployed independently. He is worth 15 points if eliminated.
GERMAN ORDER OF BATTLE
Confident Veteran
Elements 44th Panzer
Battalion
Leichte
Panzerkompanie
Company HQ 80 pts
1 Panzerbefehlswagen
(Pz I Command)
1 Panzer II C (early)
1 SdKfz 9 Recovery
Vehicle
1st
Panzer Platoon 215
pts
2 Panzer I B
3 Panzer II C (early)
2nd
Panzer Platoon 130
pts
1 Panzer I B
2 Panzer II C (early)
Medium Panzer
Platoon 450 pts
3 Panzer IV D
Heavy Artillery
Battery 460 pts
4 150mm sFH18
Howitzers
[Off-Board]
1 FO on Motorcycle may
be attached to one of the above platoons.
Worth 20 pts.
Confident Veteran
Elements 3rd Battalion,
31st Infantry Reg’t
Infantry Company
Company HQ 45 pts
2 Command SMG Teams
2 Motorcycles
1st
Platoon 165
pts
1 Command Rifle Team
1 Light Mortar Team
1 Anti-Tank Rifle Team
6 Rifle Teams
3 Trucks
2nd Platoon 165 pts
1 Command Rifle Team
1 Light Mortar Team
1 Anti-Tank Rifle Team
6 Rifle Teams
3 Trucks
Machinegun Platoon 140 pts
1 Command SMG Team
4 Heavy Machineguns
2 Trucks
Mortar Platoon 130 pts
1 Command SMG Team
4 81mm Mortars
2 Trucks
1 Forward Observer
1 Motorcycle
Anti-Tank Gun
Platoon 115 pts
1 Command SMG Team
1 Motorcycle
3 37mm Pak 36 ATG’s
3 Trucks
Infantry Scout
Platoon 160 pts
1 Command Motorcycle
Rifle/MG Team
4 Motorcycle Rifle/MG
teams
Note that German
trucks have capacity to carry 3 stands (typically 2 rifle & 1
command/support stand).
THE BATTLE REPORT
Polish Deployment
The Poles won the opening die roll and were able to deploy 24" in, which essentially gave them the entire town in which to deploy. The Poles broke the
town up into 2 parallel sectors: Company
A deploying 2 stands to a house in the front section of the town all the way to
the house between the cemetery and the woods.
All 3 HMG’s were spread out and placed in the houses firing on the open
ground that the Germans would cover.
Company B spread out in the houses along the back row. The Battalion HQ deployed in the 2 buildings
next to the woods with the mortar setting up behind the fence in the yard.
The Polish tanks
positioned themselves on each side of the long, brown building with the third further forward using a building and fence for cover (as seen in the photo above). The Polish plan was a
static defense and to keep the tanks away from the Panzer IV’s. Evading the Panzer IV's, bu Turn 5 the tanks were tasked to get out into the open ground and deny the Germans sole possession of the 2 table quarters on that side of the table.
Turn 1
Score (400 - 400) Each side has sole possession of their table half.
The bulk of the German
force entered along the table edge to the left of the road where they headed for the woods. From there, the
units would start working their way down the length of the town. The 2nd Light Panzer Platoon led
the way, followed by both Infantry platoons in trucks. The Panzer IV’s hung back for one turn to fuel up as they did not have adequate fuel
for the mission.
The 1st
Light Panzer platoon heads down the road and straight toward the village
with the Panzer Company HQ behind while 2nd Platoon assumes combat formation and begins crossing the Western field.
Recon Motorcycle Platoon leads the way East of town with the objective of neutralizing the opposing artillery. The Anti-Tank guns being towed behind will set up firing into the town to trap the Polish tanks between the guns and the Panzers. In the distance, the FO and HQ cycles park in the stand of trees.
With the Panzers coming from their right, the 2 7TP's redeployed along the road further to the right in order to engage the oncoming panzers before they got into the village.
All along the front the Polish small arms opened up on the Germans, taking down one of the motorcycles. The anti-tank rifle suppressed the foremost Panzer I before a pre-planned barrage of smoke fell on their position. However, the lone Polish tank that had remained stationary followed up and caused the crew to abandon the tank on the road as it caught fire.
Turn 2
Score (400 - 400) Each side still has sole possession of his table half.
With the motorcycles
speeding on by, the small arms fire coming from that end of the town cut down
another. On the opposite end (the German
left) the trucks carrying the 1st Infantry Platoon were coming under
small arms fire from the houses, so they chose to stop and unload the infantry
to move the rest of the way on foot along with the 2nd Panzer
Platoon. By now, the Panzer IV’s had
entered the table and the rest of the German force was advancing.
By now the Panzer IV's were advancing across the western field with 2nd platoon trailing behind. (Panzer IV's and Opel Blitz trucks from Plastic Soldier Company).
All along the line the
Polish HMGs were jamming and the Polish tanks were missing their mark.
With the smoke clearing the Polish Forward Observer failed to range in on the German Panzers, however, the Germans were able to target the housing compound successfully bringing down a full 150mm barrage on the ATR and Forward Observer.
Panzer Headquarters tanks following the truck-borne Heavy Machineguns and 1st Panzer Platoon into the town as the German 150's clear any exposed Polish units from behind the fence.
Turn 3
Score: (Germans 400 - 200) The Motorcycle Platoon is now contesting one Polish Table Quarter.
The German cycles were
able to leave the opposite table edge and began firing on the Polish guns. The HMG’s reached the cemetery and began
unloading and the ATG’s found their position on the right side of the town.
Pak 36 Platoon moving into position East of town.
Turn 4
Score: (Germans 400 - 0) The Germans are now contesting both Polish table quarters.
German 1st
Platoon heads into the forest as the Panzer IV’s bring their guns to bear on the
nearest house. In the distance the last
remaining 7TP on this flank is in the road exchanging shots with the Panzer II.
With the Panzer IV’s
being spotted on this flank, the remaining 7TP started to withdraw (as per
Orders) but Opportunity Fire from the oncoming Panzers blew it up right next to
the first burning tank. With 2/3 of the
Tank Platoon gone, the remaining Polish tank passed his platoon morale check,
but would fail the “sole remaining unit” test at the start of turn 5 and it
would leave the table.
With the road getting
congested, several of the Panzers move off to the right and cross the hedgerow
in anticipation of engaging the last remaining 7TP (upper right), which will
withdraw in the next turn. The HMGs are moving to their positions in the
cemetery while the lead Panzer I is about to assault the first house.
Off table, the
remaining cyclists dismounted and prepared to assault the Polish heavy
artillery. They fired on the guns,
killing one crew, but then lost 2 of their remaining 3 stands to defensive fire
when they assaulted. The remaining
Command Stand didn’t kill any crew men, but was able to get them to fall back
away from the artillery.
Leading the way, a Panzer
I crashes through the first house and assaults the HMG and A Company Command
inside.
Similar to the results
of the artillery assault, the Panzer I was unable to cause any casualties, but
the Poles fell back into the long barn & farm house behind. The Panzer I continued through the wreckage
of the house in pursuit.
On the Polish left,
the HMG was keeping the 3 ATTurn 5
Score: (Germans 545 - 80) The Germans get the credit for the Polish tank platoon while the Poles get half the points for the German motorcycles.G’s pinned and out of the action until the German
FO finally called a successful barrage in on the HMG; taking the 2nd-in-command
for A Company with them. All through the
town on the German left, Panzers were following the lead of the Panzer I and
assaulting the Polish defenders by breaking through the cottages. In most cases the casualties were minimal,
but the Polish defenders were being forced to fall back into the defenses of B
Company in the back row.
The town being laid to
waste by the panzers. The ruined shells
of several homes are in the background as the Poles fall back and the Panzers
stop to fire on the second line of Polish defenders.
A pause in momentum: 4 Panzers riddle the building with bullet and
shell but they are unable to suppress the 3 stands defending inside.
Despite falling back
into B Company, the Poles were determined to continue the fight and peppered
the panzers with small arms fire. They
just didn’t have the firepower to stop the panzers without the guns being back
online. Speaking of the guns,
the 3 gun crews and the lone German command stand exchanged fire to no avail,
then the Polish crews assaulted the German command group and eliminated
them. One gun down, they could go back
to manning their guns.
Turn 6
Score: (Germans 545 - 160) The Poles got full points for the eliminated Motorcycle Platoon.
With most of the
Polish defenders pulling back, the Germans in the forest began their advance
out of the woods into the town, led by the Panzer II’s of 1st
Platoon.
The first building in
their path housed the Battalion 2nd-in-Command with the Commander-in-Chief
nearby. The HQ mortar team had been
successfully bombarding the German infantry as they moved into the woods
(accounting for 3 stands). However,
their luck ran out when they drew the attention of the Panzer IV’s who were
coming their way. The Polish Commander
attempted to call in the (now available) artillery, but was unsuccessful. Before they could hang up the radio, a Panzer
II came bursting through the wall.
With the mortar gone,
the Commander-in-Chief failed his platoon morale roll. In addition, the loss of the HQ Company
brought the Poles up to 50% losses in their force (which calls for a force
morale check). With the HQ gone, they
automatically failed the Force morale check, so the battle was over and the
remaining Poles withdrew.
This is how it
ended: A Panzer II crashing through the
wall and successfully assaulting the 2nd-in-Command.
AFTERMATH
In the real battle,
the Polish artillery were able to stem the flow of panzers streaming into the
town and the Polish armor moved against the German infantry who were advancing
behind the armor. It was a well-executed
combined arms maneuver conducted by the Poles, but they remained out-gunned by
the Germans and had to withdraw from the town overnight.
Re-enacted: January 12-15, 2015
