Author	treadasaurusrex (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Germany
Participants	Schoenwulf
Play Date	2024-03-25
Language	English
Scenario	DelP012

This was a 3-session play-through with the undaunted & gracious Schoenwulf, commanding elements of the attacking Pomorska Cavalry Brigade. I led the disorganized & lower-morale, defending elements of the German 20th Motorized Division caught unawares at lunch on Map 102. The FOW, consolidation, extended assault and excess initiative optional rules were used in this play-through. We also utilized this logical house rule: Road Movement for Mechanized & Foot Units All FOOT & MECHANIZED units may move on roads at the rate of 1/2 a Movement Point (MP) per road hex, just like MOTORIZED units. Unfortunately. we did not use the extended assault rule.

Both sides drew decent sets of leaders and the scenario instructions required that the Germans squeeze into two circumscribed starting positions on the battle map. One for all the truck & leaders, and another that includes a 1-hex village, for the combat units.

The exciting initial session of this scenario (game turns 1-7) quickly began to look like a typical, untested and poorly designed mess, Then, the first Polish formation was spotted by the Germans, as it moved south along the west map edge as a second Polish probe appeared north of the village. A marauding Polish cavalry troop snatched up an errant German truck as the scrambling Landser leaders made for the village in hopes of creating a safe parking place for the surviving fleet of trucks, by the end of the 2nd game turn. Relatively light casualties accompanied the balance of this session as the high morale Poles played a cat & mouse, hit & run game around the wooded sections of the map – north, south and east of the village and the rapidly assembling Axis truck park. Unexpectedly, the Poles chose to launch a multl-turn close assault in mixed terrain southwest of the village. The formations engaged in the vicinity were closely matched and a seesaw-like close assault festival ensued, which was to drag on for many turns. Luckily for the Germans, a company of SD 222 armored cars arrived on the battle field during the 3rd game turn. This reinforcement allowed a bit more mobility for the Germans as they were slowly compressed into the immediate vicinity of the village, thanks primarily to repeated morale failures in both adjacent-hex firefights and the all-consuming close assault. Step losses were close at the end of the session with 3 lost be the Poles, and 2 for the German side. The victory point tally was a 2½ for the Poles, and 3 for the Germans.

Our fun-filled & quick moving second session of this rather gamey scenario (game turns 8-10 ) featured many moral recovery rolls for both sides, and great luck for the Germans in initiative rolls and close assault. It also featured a courageous, and well-timed, Polish cavalry charge that resulted in two German platoons being pinned in place, while a bevy of trucks were forced to flee the hex. Polish casualties were heavy this session with 3 more steps lost as well as a pair of leaders in close assaults south of the 1-hex village. The Polish force spread out looking to setup another cavalry charge south of town aimed at a pair of over-eager, German armored car platoons pinned in a close assault the agricultural field south of the village. Time would tell if this brave move would work out for the surging Poles . . .

The third session of this scenario (game turns 11-13) was our last as the Poles were forced to concede when their last leader was eliminated in a close assault and there were only 3 Polish steps remaining on the battle map. Step losses were 13 for the scrambling Poles and 2 for the embattled Landsers. The final victory point tally was 13 for the defending Germans, and 3 for the attacking Poles. There were 6 FOW-shortened game turns of the 13 played.

This unplaytested encounter was a bit of a stinker, masquerading as a fun-to-play, high-mobility encounter. While we did enjoy playing it, I give it a generous rating of 1 and recommend it for SOLO play only.