Montbard, France

Maczek's Polish brigade reached the heights overlooking Montbard at sunset, only to find that the Germans had already occupied the town during the afternoon. Maczek called his men together and delivered a blistering speech, reminding them of their opportunity to fight again and take revenge on the Nazi regime that had laid Poland to waste. Maczek planned a surprise attack, spearheaded by his tanks and Polish infantry with his engineers in reserve. These elements would capture a bridge over the Burgundy canal to allow his group to continue their retreat.

The Polish R35 light tanks came up against the first barricade at around 2200. The accelerated and, firing all of their weapons, forced their way through. Behind them, the Polish riflemen advanced, flanked by a detachment of Senegalese riflemen from a disbanded colonial division who had joined the Maczek group the day before. The enemy - a reinforced battalion of the 13th Motorized Infantry Division's 66th Regiment - initially put up little resistance. The Polish attack then slowed as the leading squadron, lacking a map, lost its direction and veered south. The young soldiers' lack of training also favored the defenders: some combat groups advanced by walking in the middle of streets, without seeking protection along the walls.

After half an hour, the 10th PSK squadron reinforced the attackers. A grenade soon wounded its commander, Captain Otton Eysymont, but the attack continued, correcting toward the west. The tanks, hampered by the narrow alleyways and the darkness, struggled to maneuver. This forced their commanders to get out and guide them from the outside. On reaching the banks of the Brenne River, one of the tanks missed the bridge, tumbled off the bank and fell into the river. Despite these difficulties and mounting losses, support from the R35's enabled the mounted rifle platoons to cross the bridge over the Brenne and enter the town center. On the opposite bank, the German battalion's resistance weakened, and the exchange of fire died down. A reconnaissance at around 0300 found the town center silent and abandoned. Just 500 meters away, the bridges over the Burgundy canal lay within reach.

Just as victory seemed assured, a dispatch rider informed Maczek that neither French division had followed the Poles, and instead headed for Dijon. At the same time, a false rumor led Maczek to believe that the bridge over the Burgundy canal had just been destroyed, when in fact it had not. Without additional French infantry and artillery reinforcements, and without the bridge over the canal, it would be unthinkable to open a passage. Maczek reluctantly decided to abandon Montbard.

The fighting was brief, but the toll was ferocious: the Germans lost around forty killed or seriously wounded plus a whole list of weapons and vehicles; the Poles lost 12 killed, 45 wounded and three tanks. The German division staff considered the situation dire enough to ask a nearby Armed SS militia formation for assistance, which never arrived before the Poles broke off the attack.

Use French 25mm AT, 25mmCA, DRG, and R40 counters to represent Polish units. There is a DIY countersheet for a Polish version of the French substitute counters.

Counters from White Eagles may be used instead of those from The Deluge.