Panzer Grenadier Battles on November 21st:
Desert Rats #16 - The Panzers Pull Back Desert Rats #19 - The Panzers Return
Desert Rats #17 - The Tomb Of Sidi Rezegh Jungle Fighting #7 - Line Of Departure
Desert Rats #18 - A Pibroch's Skirl South Africa's War #5 - Irish Eyes
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Plains of Poland
Bron Pancerna #3
(Defender) Poland vs Germany (Attacker)
Formations Involved
Display
Balance:



Overall balance chart for 34BP003
Total
Side 1 1
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 1 vote
5
4
3
2
1
4
Scenario Rank: --- of 940
Parent Game Bron Pancerna
Historicity Alt-History
Date 1940-09-03
Start Time 06:00
Turn Count 32
Visibility Day
Counters 175
Net Morale 0
Net Initiative 0
Maps 6: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Layout Dimensions 86 x 84 cm
34 x 33 in
Play Bounty 231
AAR Bounty 171
Total Plays 1
Total AARs 1
Battle Types
Bridge Control
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Conditions
Off-board Artillery
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Bron Pancerna Base Game
Deluge Counters
Fall of France 1 Counters
Fire in the Steppe Maps + Counters
Introduction

While some armies believed that tanks should attack enemy infantry, and enemy tanks should be defeated by anti-tank guns, the Polish Army intended for its own tanks to counter enemy tanks. Polish divisions wielded anti-tank guns to fend off tanks, but then Polish tanks would finish them. That rarely happened in 1939, as Poland had very few tanks, but a strong Polish armored force would have sought out the panzers.

Conclusion

The Polish 14TP, which likely would have weighed in at about half again as much as its stated 14 tons, would have been an outstanding tank, superior to anything in the German inventory in the fall of 1940 (when it would have entered service with the Polish Army). Crewed by Poles defending their country from its ancient enemy, it would have been a deadly opponent.

Additional Notes

Full strength Polish INF units have a direct fire value of 6-3. Piechoty (infantry) counters have been created for those players who are willing to make their own counters to reflect this counter variant.

Counters from White Eagles and Eastern Front Deluxe may be used in place of those from The Deluge and Fire in the Steppe.


Display Relevant AFV Rules

AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
  • Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
  • AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
  • AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
  • Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
  • Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
  • Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
  • Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
  • Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
  • AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
  • AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC)
  • Tank: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable

Display Order of Battle

Germany Order of Battle
Heer
  • Mechanized
  • Motorized
  • Towed
Poland Order of Battle
Wojska Lądowe
  • Motorized
  • Towed

Display Errata (3)

3 Errata Items
Overall balance chart for 20

The reduced direct fire value of the Heer HMG became 5-5 starting with Fall of France.

(plloyd1010 on 2015 Jul 31)
Overall balance chart for 495

One unit from Eastern Front has a direct firepower of 3-5 on its reduced side instead of the normal 4-5

(garbare83686 on 2023 Nov 26)
Overall balance chart for 63

The morale and combat modifiers of German Sergeant #1614 should be "0", not "8".

(Shad on 2010 Dec 15)

Display AARs (1)

Best Defense is a Good Offense
Author Juiceman
Method Solo
Victor Poland
Play Date 2021-05-05
Language English
Scenario 34BP003

Each scenario so far has introduced new armored forces on both sides to fight with and scenario #3 is no different, the Polish forces get the 14TP, armor 4 (4-7 AT) and 10TP, armor 2 (3-4 AT) up against the German Czech built Pz38. Just like the previous battles the S35 is included in the Polish OOB.

This battle is another contested river crossing, similar to scenario #2 but with 6 maps and two bridges that are worth 5 VP each for control of at the end of the game. The Germans have a large motorized infantry force with artillery and armor support, while the smaller Polish infantry is deployed to defend the two bridges. Unlike the previous scenario the Polish armor sets up on the map instead of entering the battle as reinforcements and deployed between the two bridges so they could quickly reinforce either bridge.

As soon as the German forces were spotted heading for the north bridge the Polish armor decided to cross the river for a spoiling attack on the right flank of the German formation, hoping to catch their infantry still in their trucks, but they would have to get thru the German panzers first.

The German Pz38s concentrated on the Polish 14TP tanks hoping to knock them out quickly since they were the best tank on the battlefield, the Germans sent one company on a flanking maneuver to set up cross fire to get the +2 bonus on the AT table. The tank battle initially started out well for the Germans, their flanking company did their job but these were the Pz38A’s with only 2 armor, they did not survive long as the pendulum of battle swung towards the Polish tank forces. They did succeed at eliminating a company of the 14TP’s as well as reducing several S35 platoons with the help of the Pak 36’s, but it came at a high price, a full battalion of Pz38’s were knocked out with one lone company and the towed PaK 36s were all that was left to oppose the Polish armor.

After the German infantry took the bridge and cleared the woods they did not have the armor strength to head south for the other objective and the Polish armor without infantry support was not in the mood to recapture the bridge.

At the end of the battle the Polish forces had eliminated more enemy steps, with tank steps counting double the VP or 4 points per platoon, the eliminated Pz38’s more than made up for the Polish infantry losses. Good scenario, the armor battle looked like it might go to Germans, then the Polish forces dice got hot. The German infantry bent but did not break, while their leaders and OBA kept them in the game.

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