As the original scenario had a number of glaring errors, a re-examination took
place, which is re-posted here for the benefit of prospective players. It is not
my work, but was originally posted on:
HERE (RPG
HOST FORUMS).
The author is credited as "NoCarrier". The maps are original size. I'd like to have larger versions of them, but the resolution is low and they do not enlarge well.
Death of a division
The United
States 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) jumped off on its raid on June 19th
from Chojnice and Człuchow in a converging drive on the Bydgoszcz and Toruń
area. Contact was made with partisans of the 2nd Polish Free Legion in Tuchola,
and they reported the road ahead clear. Guides were provided and on the 21st
advanced elements of the division had reached Toruń, with follow-up forces
closing up. Only scattered resistance from some local militia had been
encountered. The division spent a week in the Toruń area distilling fuel in
anticipation of the second bound. On June 29th it moved out south on the road to
Włocławek, which the division's recon battalion (4th squadron of the 12th
Cavalry, mounted on horseback) had scouted as far south as Krośniewice. The
division closed up on Włocławek by the evening of June 30 and advanced elements
were in the strategic road junction of Krośniewice by July 1.
The division again paused for maintenance and fuel distillation while the
cavalry scouted south. On July 3rd the 4-12 Cavalry reported a strong blocking
position in front of Łodź at the town of Zgierz. Interrogation of prisoners
revealed the blocking force to be the Polish 6th Border Guard Brigade. The
division commander ordered the division's 256th Mechanized Brigade (Louisiana
National Guard) to deploy against the blocking position while the 4-12 Cavalry
made a wide turning movement through Kolo, Uniejow, Szadek and Łask to hit Łodź
from the southwest. The division's 2nd Brigade consolidated the division base
camp area at Krośniewice, while the division's 1st Brigade was pushed west
toward Konin to guard against a possible counterattack by the 1st Polish Tank
Army, known to be in the Poznan area.
July 3rd - July 8th
July 9th: The
4-12 Cavalry reported by radio that it had encountered Polish cavalry in
superior strength at the town of Pabianice, a few kilometres south of Łodź, and
that it was failing back to Łask. Later, outposts of the 2nd Brigade guarding
the road bridge across the Warta river at Konin successfully resisted an attack
by mechanized troops identified as elements of the Polish 10th Tank Division.
The Polish troops withdrew, but could be seen digging in several kilometres from
the bridge.
July 10th: The division commander ordered the 3-11 Infantry of the 1st Brigade,
then in Kutno, to move out east toward Lowice to develop an attack from the
northeast against Łodź. At the same time he ordered 256th brigade at Ozorkow to
detach a battalion and move it overland south to Uniejow in preparation to
support the 4-12 Cavalry. Almost immediately, the 3-11 Infantry from Kutno
encountered advancing mounted troops in superior numbers and was driven back to
Kutno under heavy pressure. By evening, 3-11 infantry had determined that it was
facing the advanced elements of the Soviet 89th Cavalry Division (formerly 89th
Motorized Rifle Division), which had last been identified as being deep in
Byelorussia. 4-1 2 Cavalry had identified its antagonist as the Polish 11th
Border Guard Brigade, formerly at Lublin.
July 9th - July 10th
July 11th:
German Third Army reported by radio that it was under attack by strong cavalry
and mechanized forces from the Piła area, and had identified elements of the 1st
Polish Tank Army. It also reported the Toruń area had been overrun by elements
of the Soviet 22nd Cavalry Army from Byelorussia. The division commander held an
afternoon conference with his brigade commanders and staff and decided that the
division should attempt to break out through Łodź and then drive east through
Piotrkow Trybunalski and Radom to be positioned for a drive north. This would
avoid the major enemy troop concentrations, cause maximum damage to the lines of
communications of the newly committed 22nd Cavalry Army, and leave the door open
for a possible link-up with troops on the northern Baltic coast. Accordingly,
256th Brigade began shifting southwest toward Szadek while 2nd Brigade took over
the position at Ozorkow.
July 12th and 13th: Little enemy resistance was encountered, and all units
successfully completed their planned movements.
July 12th - July 13th
July 14th: The
2nd and 256th Brigades began their attacks on Łodź, and immediately encountered
stronger resistance than had been anticipated. The right hand attack by 256th
Brigade along the Łask-Pabianice road brushed aside outlying cavalry pickets,
but then encountered entrenched and well-equipped infantry in front of
Pabianice. After several of the brigade's remaining tanks and infantry fighting
vehicles had been knocked out, the brigade paused to regroup. Within an hour,
however, the brigade was struck in the flank by tanks and armoured personnel
carriers advancing from Piotrkow Trybunalski and was pushed back to Łask. 2nd
Brigade's attack had encountered dug-in tanks of the Soviet 20th Tank Division
as soon as it crossed its start line and had made no progress all day. The 20th
Tank Division had last been reported in the Ukraine as an element of, the 4th
Guards Tank Army. At midday, the 1st Brigade's 3-77 Armoured at Kolo was probed
by Polish mechanized forces, and the division rearguard at Krośniewice came
under attack by the Soviet 96th Cavalry Division.
By nightfall, it was apparent that there had either been a major intelligence
failure or the Warsaw Pact had succeeded in moving up reserve formations with
more speed than anyone had anticipated. It was also clear that, rather than
making headway toward a breakout, the 5th Division was badly scattered and hard
pressed on all fronts. The division commander decided that it was time to
concentrate and attempt to get some room to manoeuvre. The division would move
west toward Kalisz. 1st Brigade would remain roughly in place, with the 3-77
Armoured holding Kolo as a bridgehead across the Warta River. 2nd Brigade and
the division command would move overland to Uniejow. A battalion would hold the
river crossing while the main body moved into reserve across the river. 256th
Brigade was to fall back along the road to Sieradz and hold the Warta River
crossing there.
July 14th
July 15th. In
the morning, the 2nd brigade began its withdrawal but was hit by the Soviet 20th
Tank division while moving across the open ground to Uniejow. By afternoon, over
a dozen Soviet tanks were burning and the 20th Tank Division had been driven
back badly mauled. 3-11 Infantry, however, had been overrun at Kutno. A badly
depleted brigade limped to Uniejow by nightfall, only to find the bridge across
the Warta blown. The 7th Engineer Battalion began rebuilding the bridge by
torchlight with what local materials it could find. 256th Brigade's main body
remained in Łask all day due to lack of fuel, but 4-12 Cavalry moved back and
secured Sieradz and the Warta River bridge there. 1st Brigade, with the 1-61
Infantry at Konin and the 3-77 Armoured at Kolo, sent its remaining battalion,
1-40 Armoured, south to Kalisz to secure the division rear area.
July 16th: The division's situation began deteriorating rapidly. 256th Brigade
at Łask was hit hard from the east and northeast by strong mechanized forces and
the brigade headquarters was overrun. Still short of fuel, most of the brigade's
tanks fought and died in place, and surviving personnel broke out on foot into
the woods to the southwest. The attacking force was identified as the Soviet
124th Motorized Rifle Division, another component of the 4th Guards Tank Army.
At the same time that the 256th Brigade was being overrun, advanced elements of
the Soviet 21st Motorized Rifle Division appeared behind 4-12 Cavalry's
positions at Sieradz, having approached on the road from Złoczew. This was yet
another division of the 4th Guards Tank Army. 4-12 Cavalry, by now reduced to
only 200 troopers, withdrew up the road to Kalisz.
By late afternoon, the 1-40 Armoured of the 1st Brigade at Kalisz was pushing
back infantry probes from the direction of Pleszew to the west and Ostrow
Wielkopolski to the southwest. The bridge at Uniejow was completed by late
morning and 1st Brigade began bringing across its heavy equipment. Polish
cavalry from the west was cautiously probing 2nd Brigade's positions at the
crossing point.
That evening, the division commander ordered all elements of the division to
blow the Warta River bridges and concentrate at Kalisz. While this was possible
at Konin, Kolo and Uniejow, the bridge at Sieradz had already fallen and the
21st Motor Rifle Division had crossed further south at Wieluń, in any event.
July 15th - July 16th
July 17th: By
daybreak, the pressure on 1-40 Armoured, by now joined by the remnants of 4-12
Cavalry, was mounting. Polish infantry from Pleszew was now being joined by
light armoured vehicles believed to be from the 10th Polish Tank Division. The
infantry at Ostrow Wielkopolski had been identified as elements of the Soviet
12th Guards Tank Division, a weak formation which had been in reserve near
Legnica. However, it was now being joined by mechanized vehicles believed to
belong to 21st Motorized Rifle Division. At midday, advanced pickets of the 4-12
Cavalry reported a large mechanized column advancing up the road from Sieradz
toward Kalisz. 1-40 Armoured was beginning to strain under the pressure from the
west and southwest and couldn't spare any troops for the new threat.
Advanced elements of the 2nd Brigade were approaching from the north, however,
and the remaining 10 M1E2s of 3-70 armour turned south off the road between
Kalisz and Turek and advanced overland to take the Soviet column in flank. 2-21
Field Artillery pulled its six howitzers off the road behind them and set up to
deliver supporting fires. 3-10 Infantry, mostly in trucks, would follow up to
support the tanks.
3-70 Armoured reached a position two kilometres north of the road at 1100 hours
with nothing left in it�s fuel tanks but fumes. Taking up defilade positions
atop a low rise, the battalion, commander saw the main body of the Soviet 124th
Motor Rifle Division stretched out on the road below him. At 1110 hours the
battalion opened fire and immediately began registering hits along the length of
the column. Soon the column was covered tankers could see numerous secondary
explosions as ammo vehicles went up.
By 1220 hours the Soviets were counterattacking, but several attempts to storm
the position by tanks and armoured personnel carriers were broken up, and the
2000 meters of open ground between 3-70 Armoured's position and the road became
littered with the wrecks of most of the Soviet division's remaining armour. A
late afternoon attempt to outflank the position was thwarted by the arrival of
3-10 Infantry.
As night fell, the division commander took stock of the situation. 2nd Brigade,
with 3-70 Armoured and 3-10 Infantry, was on the left overlooking the Sieradz
road. 4-1 2 Cavalry and 1-40 Armoured were holding Kalisz. 1-61 Infantry of 1st
Brigade was in the woods north of Kalisz on the road to Konin, guarding the
division's right, while 1st Brigade's 3-77 Armoured formed a small division
reserve just behind Kalisz. 3-1 9 Field Artillery was deployed with 3-77
Armoured, while 2-21 Field Artillery was still several kilometres to the
northeast, along with most of the division supply and maintenance echelon. The
Soviet 124th Motor Rifle Division had been shattered on the Sieradz road, but
pressure was building from the Soviet 21st Motor Rifle Division at Ostrow and
the Polish 10th Tank Division at Pleszew. Rearguard parties were reporting
increased activity along the Warta River line behind the division, and the
remnants of the Soviet 20th Tank Division were still out there somewhere.
The division commander decided on a breakout to the south, exploiting the damage
1st Brigade had handed to the 124th Motor Rifles the day before. The division's
emergency fuel reserve would be dispersed to the units, everyone would top off
and draw as many rations and as much ammo as they could carry. Supply and
maintenance parties would split up and attach themselves to the nearest combat
unit and follow them out.
July 17th
1st Brigade
would spearhead with the 3-77 Armoured and 1-61 Infantry (moved down by night
from the north), driving south by southeast from behind Kalisz. 2nd Brigade
would cover its left flank with a drive south from its blocking position. The
division artillery would put every available round on Ostrow Wielkopolski to
break up any potential attack from the 21st Motor Rifles. 4-12 Cavalry would
follow up the 2nd brigade and work its way into the woods between Ostrow
Wielkopolski and Ostrzeszow to cover the right flank. 1-40 Armoured would hold
Kalisz until the remaining elements of the division had moved south, and then
fight a delaying action against pursuit. Considering the odds, the chances of
success were slim, but it was the only show in town.
As it happened, the 21st Motorized Rifle Division and Polish 10th Tank Division
struck first. The attack came in hard three hours before dawn, using infrared
lights. 1-61 Infantry had already pulled out of its blocking position north of
Kalisz and was in road march passing through the crossroads when the first
artillery rounds began failing on the town. 1-40 Armoured holding the perimeter
had the advantage of being in place and its thermal sights were less affected by
the smoke that soon covered everything than were the Soviet IR lights. But 10th
Polish Tank Division's attack hit empty positions, and within an hour they were
behind Kalisz in the division rear. Shortly before sunup, Polish armoured
vehicles entered the division headquarters area. The division commander radioed
in the clear to all units, "Good luck. You're on your own, now."