The Deluge, scenario #8: Bicycle Races

This looked like a kind of fun puzzle scenario to solve even if I knew the Germans would probably win. With only 12 turns to conquer the Polish bridge on a major river, I rushed 3 German Pz Is units up to the Polish 37mm AT Gun on the Bridge hex to distract the Polish side’s attention and to move my German Infantry into fighting range and hopefully have some units with the Engineer unit to cross the Brda River.

I sacrificed 4 steps or 8 points of German Pz I’s to both takeout the Polish 37mm AT Gun but crossed the river at both the bridge and a separate crossing area. The Polish lost 4 steps of CYC-Infantry and one 37mm AT Gun units, but also the bridge and the scenario.

Even if I kind of figured the results before hand, it was a fun puzzle of a scenario to solve. The Germans just have too much Infantry and armor for the Polish to hold back, even if dug-in and only 12 turns. That is what kind of makes it fun, you pretty much have to rush the Polish units to win, even if it means losing some German units, so there isn’t a lot of caution, making it interesting on your strategies and dice rolls.

Author	treadasaurusrex (Poland)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Poland
Participants	NBGB
Play Date	2024-01-03
Language	English
Scenario	DelP008

This was a wild and fun, 1-session play-through with the determined & redoubtable, NBGB leading the attacking elements of the Germans 3rd Panzer Division, and me leading defending elements of the Polish Pomorska Cavalry Brigade. Happily, both sides drew excellent sets of leaders, We played with the FOW, consolidation, smoke/illum, extended assault, strategic movement and excess initiative optional rules. In addition, we used the following four 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 or down slopes hexes.

This very quick, play-through featured a clever German movement to contact with a successful, engineer-assisted crossing of the Brda River at Hex 0812 on Map 3, while other attacking units provided covering fire as the Teutonic assault stack slowly assembled to rush the bridge. By game turn 5, the river crossing was complete, and the Germans began close assaulting the AT gun position in the woods. In the meantime, the bridge hex (0909) was repeatedly assailed with direct fire as the assault stack closed in. A pair of German INF steps were lost in the process of diverting Polish fire from the approaching, combined-arms assault force. The fruitless German assault in the western woods continued to the end of the scenario, keeping the AT unit out of action as the Jerry tanks scrambled about, unhindered, in the vicinity of the embattled bridge hex. The battered Polish infantry on the bridge were able to maintain control of the bridge by mean of effective, but limited duration, counterattacks beginning on game turn 11. The battle ended in a Polish victory thanks to the bridge never changing hands.

This gamey, all-or-nothing, scenario should probably allow the Polish force to set up in hidden mode. While the scenario was balanced, too much of it was dependent on the whim of the dice gods. It was fun to play with a clever opponent, but I suggest that this one is most suitable for SOLO play. I give it a generous rating of 3.

Short scenario with dug-in Polish Bicycle troops defending a bridge against two German infantry companies with an engineer platoon, 81mm mortar battery and a company of Pz-Is for support.

Time was of the essence so the Germans threw finesse out the window by heading straight for the bridge and brought heavy DF, using leaders with combat modifiers, on the dug-in Polish forces, eventually demoralizing one hex but not effecting the other, which had an 11-1-2 Porucznik stacked with it.

Germans brought up the engineer platoon to help facilitate a river crossing while two infantry platoons rushed the bridge hex only to be repulsed by the well lead Polish Bicycle troops. With time running out the Germans got forces across the river and were able to hold on to the bridge hex with the help of the engineer platoon.

The Pz-I company moved up to support the river crossing but got too close as an unspotted Polish ATG battery from the town opened up and quickly knocked out a platoon of Pz-I’s. The Panzers quickly pulled back out of effective range of the ATG and had no other influence in the scenario.

Victory conditions for this scenario was control of the bridge hex, the Germans were able to gain and hold the bridge but it was not easy.

Author	Schoenwulf (Poland)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Poland
Participants	treadasaurusrex
Play Date	2024-02-27
Language	English
Scenario	DelP008

On the morning of September 1, 1939, bicycle units from the Polish Pomorska Brigade were ordered to hold a bridge across the Brda River in the Polish Corridor. The limited number of units forced the Poles to maximize their firepower by whatever means possible. They dug in on the east bank of the river adjacent to the bridge and waited. The wait was not very long as a combined arms force from the German 3rd Panzer Division approached in short order. The Germans used a two-pronged approach with a small force including both a 81 mm mortar platoon and an HMG unit approaching the bridge directly from the west, while the main Heer combined arms force crossed a hastily placed pontoon bridge well upstream north of the bridge. It took the better part of an hour for a Panzer I company and another Heer infantry group to cross and move south toward the village and bridge. Within another hour, Captain Wenzel’s platoon west of the river began to seal a double envelopment of the beleaguered Poles at the bridgehead, while Major Hoffer’s combined arms group closed from the East with the Panzer units. Kapitan Lenkoski was captured and, shortly thereafter Porucznik Drzal went down, leaving only the redoubtable Porucznik Skrabacz and his platoon to hold the bridge. The schwerpunkt at the bridge changed hands with the Germans displacing the Poles for 15-20 minutes until the Poles could regroup and send their remaining platoon and leader back into melee on the bridge. Elements from both sides struggled to take control of the bridge for almost an hour, but the Poles would not concede control of this important crossing to the Germans on this day.

This is a 16-turn scenario that involves using a German engineer unit to make a river crossing. The Germans led by T-Rex needed to control the bridge by game end for victory, which appears to be a reasonable chore since the Poles under S-Wulf only have 4 bicycle units and a 37 mm AT Gun. But on this day, fortune and the ivories favored the Poles, as their defending platoon survived reduction and disruption to remain standing on the bridge at last light. The scenario allows the Poles to hide their units, which is a distinct advantage, forcing the Germans to prepare their advance over a wide front with no knowledge of the enemy until they are onboard. T-Rex did a great job of dividing his force to both spot and envelop the Polish core, as the Poles lost 6 steps of the 9 that they began with. But those remaining units consisted of a full squad that recovered in the SE woods sans leader, so it could not re-enter the fray. This left the lone officer and his squad as sole defenders for the last 5 turns. The Germans ended up with 6 VP’s to 5 for the Poles, but the bridge, the sole victory condition, remained uncontrolled by either side resulting in a dramatic Polish win.

The scenario seems fairly well balanced considering the variable nature of river crossing for the Germans. In this case it took 4-5 turns for all the German units that were planned to cross to actually do so, allowing the Poles to reposition as needed. The concentrated Polish force held their ground with opp fire and had a fortunate hit on one of the Pz.I platoons. Eventually the steadfast Poles were temporarily pushed from the bridge but managed to beat the odds in a late assault to engage in melee and create a contested schwerpunkt. This one could have easily gone to the Germans, save for a courageous 11-1-2 porucznik, a half-strength platoon, and the luck of the dimpled cubes.