Poland: 4 Second Battle of Piotrkow

4 Second Battle of Piotrkow

(Rules: Arras to Ardennes)

 

Battle Turn Zero and Start



In order to avoid fighting on the same battlefield the random terrain system was used on the basis that the Germans would side-step a successful defence.

 

The wall of blinds going down masked the German grouping of the battlegroup on their left flank.  Once again, the Poles were clustered on their left flank with their right filled with dummy blinds.  The 2nd battalion was an experienced veteran legion battalion while the third was a reserve militia battalion.

 

 

  

 

Battle Turn One

The first move was the Germans swinging from the extreme left flank, reconnaissance units scything through the blinds of the Polish forces.  The Poles had been over reliant on the terrain when deploying when having trenches to deploy their front-line troops they could have readily been deployed in open ground.   One German infantry battalion was used to attack the wood that was the corner of the attack, while the main attack was the other infantry, supported by Assault Engineers aimed, at the village on that flank with the tanks in the open ground on either side of the assault.  Clouds rolled over the battlefield and the Ju87 Stukas failed to impact on the defending R35 tanks (shown in the picture dive-bombing the tanks) and the initial assault on the village, and wood, failed with the latter mauling the German infantry despite the successful prior aerial bombardment of the wood.  In reality the recently arrived R35s never got into serious action; here their superior quality over the German tanks was evident in bouncing the German tanks whose inferiority in the fire-fight was evident. 

 

 

Battle Turn 2

The Ju87 Stukas did better on their second attack, which enabled the German tanks to push forward while the attack on the village was pressed again. The German attack on the woods stalled badly as the troops ran low on supplies, causing some troops to withdraw to the rear.   The Polish Battalion 3 also suffered problems, with the resulting withdrawal of the company in the village. {On both special cards a roll of ‘1’, at this point the only roll that would initiate it, activated the special non-supply provisions}.  At the same time a comprehensive breakdown in communications prevented the Poles from starting their redeployment.

 

 

Battle Turn 3

At the same time that attack on the wood that had initially been recoiled was successfully pushed through.  Polish companies were beginning to accumulate in the rear to reform!  The Poles managed to re-establish another defence line behind the wood.  In response the Poles finally got orders through that brought some units across from the left flank to add to the resistance.  Meanwhile, the village had finally been cleared and the tanks passed beyond it. 

  


Battle Turn 4

The Germans now had a line of infantry and tanks advancing from the flank, which slowly moved forward endeavouring to clear all the opposition; this was successful in dealing with the reformed line. The repositioning of the veteran company of the 2nd Battalion helped the Poles maintain some sort of defensive line and provided a flank attack on the Germans who had moved through the wood, which caused that German unit to fall back.

 

    


Battle Turn 5

The wall of Germans pressed on with three Polish companies trying to resist the advance.

 

 

 

Battle Turn 6 and End

At this point Polish resistance collapsed with the companies failing their morale rolls in the desperate circumstances.  German tanks bypassed the village to launch an attack, which was successfully resisted by the one uncommitted company left, saving the depot.  However, the GHQ Command Post had been overrun.

 

 

The Germans scored 1VP for the LoC opened through the flank, 1VP for the village taken and IVP for the Command Post, giving them a maximum advance.  They could have overrun the second village but preferred to aim for the Supply Depot because of the disadvantages the Poles would suffer in the following day if it was captured.  As dusk fell there were two companies and the Supply Depot, together with the battle headquarters, huddled on the hill to slip away in the dark.

 


 

 

















 

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