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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Ways to Victory
Polish Steel #2
(Attacker) Poland vs Soviet Union (Attacker)
Formations Involved
Poland 1st Armoured Division
Soviet Union 18th Mechanized Division
Display
Balance:



Overall balance chart for PoSt002
Total
Side 1 1
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 1 vote
5
4
3
2
1
3
Scenario Rank: --- of 940
Parent Game Polish Steel
Historicity Alt-History
Date 1948-07-02
Start Time 08:00
Turn Count 30
Visibility Day
Counters 184
Net Morale 1
Net Initiative 1
Maps 4: 10, 24, 4
Layout Dimensions 112 x 43 cm
44 x 17 in
Play Bounty 211
AAR Bounty 171
Total Plays 1
Total AARs 1
Battle Types
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Road Control
Urban Assault
Conditions
Off-board Artillery
Randomly-drawn Aircraft
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Battle of the Bulge Maps
Cassino '44 Counters
Eastern Front Maps
Elsenborn Ridge Maps
Iron Curtain Counters
Polish Steel Base Game
Road to Berlin Counters
Introduction

The successful Polish breakout from Wilhelmshaven drew immediate support from Allied air forces stationed outside Germany. Ground attack aircraft kept the Red Army busy while Polish 1st Armoured Division exploited the breach and moved south toward the regional rail and road hub at Oldenburg. It was on the roads north Oldenburg that the Polish tanks met there first serious armored opposition from the Red Army.

Conclusion

Polish 1st Armoured Division was an elite division in 1945, and would still have been very effective formation when re-constituted three years later. The Polish division did not engage in any tank battles on the scale of the Eastern Front, but Stanislaw Maczek had trained his unit for all possibilities and the Poles would have been more ready for the challenge.


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).
  • Open-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables, but DO take step losses from X and #X results (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). If a "2X" or "3X" result is rolled, at least one of the step losses must be taken by an open-top AFV if present.
  • 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
  • Self-Propelled Artillery: do not provide the +1 Assault bonus, even if closed-top (SB)
  • APC – Armored Personnel Carrier: These are Combat Units, but stack like Transports. They can transport personnel units or towed units. They are not counted as combat units for the +1 stacking modifier on the Direct Fire and Bombardment Tables (4.4). They may be activated by regular leaders and tank leaders (1.2, 3.34, 4.3, 5.43). They do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Armored Cars: These are Combat Units. They are motorized instead of mechanized. All have their own armored car leaders, who can only activate armored cars (6.85). Do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Reconnaissance Vehicle: 8.23 Special Spotting Powers Both foot and vehicle mounted recce units (1.2) possess two special spotting abilities. The first ability is that they can spot enemy in limiting terrain at one hex further than the TEC specifies for other units and leaders. For example, an enemy unit in town can normally be spotted at three hexes or less, but a recce unit can spot them at four hexes.Their second ability is that they can place a Spotted marker on any one enemy unit they can spot per turn, just as if the enemy unit had "blown its cover" by firing. Such Spotted markers are removed as described earlier.
  • Prime Movers: Transports which only transport towed units and/or leaders (May not carry personnel units). May or may not be armored (armored models are open-top). All are mechanized. (SB)

Display Order of Battle

Poland Order of Battle
Wojska Lądowe
  • Motorized
Soviet Union Order of Battle
Army (RKKA)
  • Motorized

Display Errata (2)

2 Errata Items
Scen 2

The required aircraft counters were not included. See the AP website for downloadable replacements.

(Shad on 2010 Dec 01)
Overall balance chart for 951

The reduced direct fire value in Kursk: Burning Tigers is 4-4.

(plloyd1010 on 2015 Jul 31)

Display AARs (1)

All Ways to Victory
Author Matt W
Method Solo
Victor Poland
Play Date 2013-01-12
Language English
Scenario PoSt002

OK, let's be honest. The Poles simply cannot lose this one. The initial rush to position will give the Soviets a 2 point lead but after that, if the Polish just sit still and use their air and artillery to punish the Soviets they will probably cause enough lost steps to win the game. But that's no fun.

If the Poles, on the other hand, actually decide to fight it gets quickly worse. These are Workers and Peasants Army tanks and therefore do not have efficiency and the Centurions will eat them up. The large infantry force has a morale of 7/6 and is therefore in a deficit against full strength Poles. If the Poles do not push the attack beyond their ability to hold what they have taken they will win.

Having said that, I must admit that for well beyond the point at which the outcome was known I enjoyed the play. The Poles will have a heck of a time pushing the Soviets back as they are just so darn many of them. A hit on a Soviet tank will most likely remove the tank from consideration for a long time (that darn "6" morale), but then again a hit on a Polish tank will cause a similar hiatus. As a result, although it is riskier, the Poles must look to their infantry to clear the way. Lose too much infantry and your advance halts.

My Poles ran out of offensive capability at about the 22nd turn as they were taking the town on board 4. The Poles at that point had something like a 70 point lead in VPs so victory wasn't at stake. Victory, however, in the strategic sense would have required more than just wearing the Soviets down to a nub. I would have expected something more dramatic required of the Poles. The victory conditions on the Indians in Indian Unity, where there are several objectives and the level of victory depends on acheiving a number of them might be a better choice for this one.

If you win as the Soviets chances are that you were able to enter the board, dig in, and avoid the Polish air force. I give it a "3" as it was fun to play, but can't go any higher as the Victory Conditions are way too skewed. As a meeting engagement it is enjoyable in any format.

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