Author	treadasaurusrex (Poland)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Poland
Participants	NBGB
Play Date	2024-11-08
Language	English
Scenario	34BP004

This was an intense & exciting, meeting engagement-style 14-session play-through with the clever and intrepid NBGB leading elements of the German 1st Panzer Division, in a 6-map, alternate history battle taking place in Poland during 1940. The battle map terrain was relatively open “tank country” with a couple of towns and some wooded areas. I had elements of the advancing Polish Warsaw Armored Brigade. Both sides drew fine sets of leaders in an odd scenario with no geographical objectives listed in the victory conditions, and a rather long length of 36 game turns. It was an excellent scenario to practice sweeping, combined arms maneuvers!

We used the Fog of War (beginning on game turn 12), smoke/illum consolidation, strategic movement, extended assault, tank riders and excess initiative optional rules. We also used these 2 house rules: 1) 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, and 2) Standardized Movement for Mechanized Units - All mechanized units may move through clear hexes at a movement cost of only 1 movement point (MP) per hex, instead of 1 1/2. Add one to this cost if moving up, across, or down slopes hexes. We felt that these house rules improved the simplicity and playability of this scenario.

The first session (game turns 1-2) featured the German moving to contact from the west edge, and the Poles approaching from the east. The fast-moving, German spearhead occupied all of the 7-hex town on Map 04 during the first game turn. Both sides moved in two columns down the central, and southern east-west road. First blood was drawn by long-range Polish machine gun opfire on a bold German infantry platoon the ventured east from the 7-hex town in the direction of the Polish-occupied, 21-hex city on Map 02.

Our second session (game turns 3-4) featured both sides spreading out across the battle map, while exchanging long-range AT fire. Casualties rapidly accumulated on both sides with 2 steps lost for the Poles, and 7 steps eliminated for the surging Germans by session’s end.

The third session (game turn 5) was a rather grim one for the Germans which featured a wide-open, Old West-style, shoot ‘em up, that again saw both sides spreading out across the battle map, while exchanging long-range AT and OBA fire. Third Reich casualties rapidly accumulated with 6 more, plus a leader by session’s end.

Our costly fourth session (game turn 6) was a another bloody one for the Third Reich which included five more step losses of SPW units and 2 steps of Pz-IIIF tanks, mostly caused by close-range AT shots in the central woods, just south of the 7-hex town on Map 04. Both sides continued fanning out across the battle map, with the Germans now mounting a powerful right flank effort in the lower half of the battle map. The updated steps losses were now 2 for the Poles and 21 for the Wehrmacht, resulting in the loss of one level of Axis initiative.

The sixth session (game turn 7) was costly for the surging Germans, although they were able to shift their deployment to mount a combined arms right flank attack led by several companies of infantry in the southern sector of the battle map. Step loses this session were another 6 for the German side, and unexpectedly, no additional Polish losses were recorded. All thirteen SPW 251 platoons were now feasting with the Norse gods in Valhalla, along with a pair of Polish truck outfits. Victory point totals were now: 27 for the Poles, and still 2 for the Germans. The stage was set for a major bloodletting in the next session, as both opponent’s forces drew into decisive range, with multiple crossfires in the offing.

Our costly seventh session (game turn 8) featured a great deal of, unexpectedly ineffective, long-range AT fire and some ferocious close assaults & adjacent-hex firefights as the German right flank attack took shape and drew into decisive range. An entire platoon of Polish tanks was eliminated trying to depart a well-positioned close assault in the south, and another was demoralized in a second attempt in the same area. In the north, the Poles closed in on the 7-hex town with combined arms teams on 3 sides of the urban area. In the far west, probing Polish light tanks captured a number of trucks loitering in the 5-hex town in Map 01. Casualties this session amounted to: 9 steps for the surging Wehrmacht force, and 5 for the reeling Poles. The victory point tally was now 36 for the Poles and 6 for the Germans, going into what would probably be the decisive game turn with many crossfire AT shots in prospect throughout the southern half of the battle map.

The bloody 8th session (game turn 9) featured heavy casualties on both sides at 7 apiece for the contending Poles and Jerries. This caused a reduction in German initiative, while their armor benefited from a number of crossfire shots and some close assaults, which pinned the stronger Polish tanks in-place. The Poles were able to continue sending armored probes deep behind German lines in the western portion of the battle map, while also cleaning up a pair of close assaults in the large forested tracts on Maps 04 & 06. They also responded to a bold German armored probe on Map 02, while tightening their tenuous hold on the Boche-occupied 7-hex town.

Our extremely costly ninth session (game turns 10-11) was another fun-filled shoot ‘em up characterized by lots of long-range, AT fire, various maneuvers and fiercely-contested urban close assaults. Both turns had the Poles with 3 activations before the Germans could react. A total of 12 steps were lost by the embattled Poles, and 17 more were lost by the hard-hitting, German horde! This resulted in a reduction in Polish initiative level. The battle was widespread across the battle map. There were probing Polish armored units on the plains of Maps 05 and 01. Heavy, close-quarters, fighting in-and-around the 7-hex town in the north – that was slowly turning in the Poles’ favor – as well as a sweeping advance to the east by a German tank battalion south of the largest forest on Map 06. This latter maneuver was supported by a substantial Heer infantry advance with a smoke screen on the western margins of the large forest, north of the road. The updated victory point tally was now: 25 for the German side, and 59 for the Polish force.

The very costly tenth session (game turns 12-15) included the use of the FOW optional rule for the first time in this play-through, and was marked by a ferocious & successful German counter attack, in-and-around, the south forest on Map 06. Hyper accurate German OBA and mortar support for this advance resulted in the loss of 6 Polish steps and 3 leaders. Elsewhere, Polish tanks managed to eliminate multiple German armored units with long-range AT fire, and 2 more Wehrmacht leaders in adjacent-hex firefights or close assaults. The Poles had very little success with their OBA or in close-range combat. The German garrison in the 7-hex town was able to hang on in a pair of hexes as the Polish siege tightened in the north. An astonishing, THIRTEEN combat 7-die rolls by both sides – Germans 4, and 9 for the struggling Poles! The revised victory point tally was now around: 35 for the German side, and 78 for the Poles.

Our eleventh session (game turns 16-17) consisted of full-commitment on the part of the armor-heavy, right flank, fiddler crab pincer of the surging Germans. Their armored spearhead split into 2 columns that proceeded north, up the east margin of the battle map. Meanwhile the German infantry continued struggling in the western portion of the south forest north of the road, where there were multiple adjacent-hex, firefights and a pair of close assaults. Steps lost this session totaled: 3 for the Polish side, and another 7, plus a leader for the Wehrmacht. A single hex occupied by the Germans still held out in the 7-hex town. The next turn will likely be another costly one, as the Axis side has a number of well-positioned tanks that will be able to create multiple cross fires in the open. Victory points were now about: 38 for the German side, and 84 for the resurgent Poles.

The 12th session (game turns 18-19) was a very grim for the Poles with an additional 7 steps eliminated, compared to a mere 2 German steps, plus 3 captured officers. The 7-hex town on the northern town on Map 04 was finally cleared of German troops, while heavy close assaults and adjacent-hex fire fights continued in the woods within the southeast quadrant of the battle map. Unexpectedly, the German panzer spearhead pulled back, and redeployed to the NE corner of these same woods. Fumbling Polish close assaults on the remaining Jerry mortar platoons failed miserably.

Our close-assault-and-artillery-strike-heavy, 13th session (game turns 20-25) featured 5 additional steps and a leader lost for the scrambling Poles, as well as another 4 steps and 2 leaders lost for the mostly forest-bound Germans. Weehrmacht armor continued stagnating in the northeastern portion of the large forest on Map 06, while on the opposite end of the same woods, fierce infantry close assaults supported by heavy artillery concentrations continued. The last of the German mortar units were eliminated in the open by accurate Polish artillery strikes. A combined SIX combat 7-die rolls were thrown this session.

The costly 14th session (game turns 26-29) a great deal of successful German OBA as well as a lot of close assault and adjacent-hex fire fights ensued. One Polish leader was eliminated and 2 Germs officers as well in heavy fighting. By mutual agreement, the German side conceded a major victory at the start of game turn 29. The victory totals were 96 for the Poles and 57 for the Wehrmacht. There were 11 FOW-shortened game turns of the 28 played.

I give this one a solid 4 based upon the challenge & fun of playing with an able and wily opponent. We agreed that the scenario should include the German side having armor efficiency, given the strength of the fictional Polish armored units in 1940. There should also be at least 2 additional increments of OBA for the Poles, and the possibility of either side receiving limited air support during the too long game. Perhaps cutting the scenario length down to around 28-30 game turns would also be a worth some consideration. This interesting & fast moving scenario is recommended for both SHARED and SOLO play.

Scenario 4 introduces the 25TP to the Polish forces which has an armor rating of 4 with an AT rating of 5-8 clearly outclassing the main German tanks for this scenario, the PzIIIF and the two companies of PzIIIG’s with the short 50/L42 tank gun. The German OOB does include a Panzerjager company of PzJg-I’s but these might not last long due to their thin armor & open top. The infantry forces are pretty much equal in terms of infantry platoons and support weapons, although the Germans have the better leadership and more numerous OBA.

Victory conditions are eliminating enemy steps, but other than that there are no other victory conditions or objectives for the two sides to fight over, no VP for exiting steps off the east or west map edge, no towns to control, there was “no nectar to draw the bees to.”

When the opposing armored forces finally got done jockeying for position, the tank battle began with the Polish armor dominating this scenario, especially the 25TP with flank support from the 14TP and S35 which kept the Germans from setting up the cross fire bonus. As predicted the PzJg-I’s did not survive long once they fired and were spotted, they did inflict a step on a 14TP but they died quickly and a couple at long range. Was expecting more from the PzIIIG’s but they struggled to get kills even against the 10TP with armor of 2 (more to my poor dice rolling). It did not help that the Pols concentrated on them since they were the best German tank on the battlefield. Once they were gone the PzIIIF’s really did not stand a chance.

The infantry forces of both sides sat on the sidelines for most of the game waiting on the outcome of the main event, the armor clash, so did not play much of a part in this scenario, besides by the time the armor battle was over the victory conditions were heavily in the Polish favor.

This was the final scenario of Golden Journal #34 Bron Pancerna, overall the booklet was an interesting read and the scenarios were fun to play (except #4). Would like to have seen a scenario or two with the Soviets against the new Polish armor and infantry.