Panzer Campaigns: Poland '39 - After Action Report

Hello everyone,

This week we are going to share an after action report of a two player scenario. Mike Prucha, the Poland '39 designer, and David Michas, Poland '39 map creator, went head to head and are sharing their experiences in the following entry.

The First Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski

 

Historic Battle

 

Under orders to retreat toward the Romanian Bridgehead, the Lublin and Kraków armies linked up northwest of Lwów on September 15^th. Army Lublin’s commander, Tadeusz Piskor, took overall command of both armies. Pursued by the German VIII Army Corps, Piskor’s troops fought in vicious rearguard battles at Bilgoraj and on the Tanew River on September 16^th. By the 17^th, the combined Polish field army found itself in a difficult situation. The German infantry were pursuing doggedly from the west while to the southeast the way to Lwów and the Romanian Bridgehead was blocked by German armored forces under Ewald von Kleist’s XXII Army Corps. 4th Light Division was deployed around Tomaszów Lubelski while the bulk of 2^nd Panzer Division concentrated at Rawa Ruska. Making matters worse, the Poles were desperately short of ammunition and fuel.

Piskor ordered the reinforced Warsaw Armored Motorized Brigade to lead an attack toward Tomaszów on the morning of September 18^th.  The Brigade would advance in two columns. To the north, the 1^st Mounted Rifles Regiment was to advance down the Krasnobrod-Tomaszów road while the Infantry Rifle Regiment moved on the Jozefów-Tomaszów road. Each regiment was supported by tanks, a battery of artillery, and a company of 37mm anti-tank guns. Including portions of one light tank battalion, two armored battalions, a light tank company, and three reconnaissance tank companies, the Warsaw Armored Motorized Brigade’s attack on September 18^th included the largest concentration of Polish armor during the 1939 campaign. Still at Zwierzyniec on the morning of September 18^th, 23^rd Infantry Division was to follow behind the Warsaw Brigade and join the attack later in the day. Further south, the battered 6^th Infantry Division together with the remnants of the 22^nd Mountain Infantry Division (reduced to the strength of a regiment) and the Silesian Fortified Group would attack toward Narol.  The Sandomierz Group and the 55^th Infantry Division would provide rearguards at Zwierzyniec and Jozefów.  Given the desperate supply situation, the Poles could not afford failure. Gasoline had to be siphoned from trucks to provide enough fuel for the tanks to attack toward Tomaszów and the artillery had only enough ammunition for one more day of intense combat. If the German cordon could not be broken, resupply would be impossible and the Kraków and Lublin armies would be forced to discontinue the fight.

 

 

 

Two situation maps showing the course of the 1^st Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski. Note that the two maps do not agree on the placement of certain units and both contain inaccuracies. The first map does not correctly show the direction of VIII AK’s (8 & 28. I.D.) and does not have any marking indicating that the 27. I.D. only arrived in the Tarnawatka area on late on September 19^th. The second map shows 27. I.D. cooperating with 8. I.D from Szczebrzeszyn – this is misleading. One battalion was detached from 27. I.D. to support 8. I.D. but the rest of the division marched to Zamość and from there to Taranwatka. It also does not make it clear that 68. I.D. marched to the north and did not participate in the First Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski (it did play an active part in the 2^nd Battle). There are also problems with the Polish deployment – the map does not make it clear that Grupa Sandomierz was relieving 23. DP at Zwierzyniec on the morning of September 18^th and only retreated to Krasnobród later in the battle. Neither map labels Zwierzyniec even though this town was an important location.

 

Initially, the Polish attack went well. The two Polish columns overcame resistance from the 11^th Cavalry Rifle Regiment at Kunki, Ulów, and Pańków and, by late morning had advanced to the outskirts of Tomaszów Lubelski. The attack sputtered in the afternoon against the 33^rd Panzer Battalion (held in reserve at Tomaszów up to this point), elements of the 9^th Reconnaissance Regiment, and reinforcements from 2^nd Panzer Division. The Poles continued to attack Tomaszów during the night and on September 19^th, but, despite the arrival of elements of the 23^rd and 55^th Infantry divisions, were unable to break through the German position. 6^th Infantry Division fared somewhat better. Fighting in a chaotic battle with elements of the 28^th Infanterie Division, a portion of its strength (around 2000 men) managed to breakthrough. Meanwhile, the German 8^th Infanterie Division and the bulk of 28^th Infanterie Division pressed from the west, fighting elements of the 55^th Infantry Division at Ulów, while the 23^rd Infantry Division marched to Tomaszów from Zamość. Surrounded and out of ammunition, the Piskor surrendered on  September 20^th, unaware that General Dąb-Biernacki’s command was marching on Tomaszów Lubelski from the north and that its lead elements were already near Zamość. Around the same time, the portion of 6^th Infantry Division that had escaped the pocket surrendered to the Germans at Rawa Ruska. In total, the Germans captured 20,000 Poles at a cost of around 1,500 dead and wounded. Most of the German casualties were in the 4^th Light Division

 

German commanders. From left to right: Ewald von Kleist, XXII. A.K; Ernst Busch, VIII. A.K.; Alfred Ritter von Hubicki, 4. le.D.

 

Polish commanders. From left to right: Tadeusz Piskor, Armia „Lublin” and overall Polish commander; Antoni Szylling, Armia „Kraków”; Stefan Rowecki, WBPM

 

1^st Tomaszów Lubelski in Panzer Campaigns: Poland ‘39

The First Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski is covered in scenario #0918_01a_Tomaszow Lubelski. This 23-turn scenario starts at 07:00 on September 18^th and ends at midday on September 20^th with Piskor’s surrender. It includes the Warsaw Armored Motorized Brigade’s attack toward Tomaszów Lubelski, the fighting around Narol, and the rearguard actions at Zwierzyniec and Jozefów. The Polish player has the first turn and can score points by capturing objective hexes at Tomaszów Lubelski, Narol, and Belzec and can score more points by withdrawing units out of the southwestern corner of the map near Rawa Ruska. Additionally, there are some low value objectives at Zwierzyniec and Jozéfow that start under Polish control. These expire after a few turns and are unlikely to be captured by the Germans – their purpose to discourage the Polish player from immediately withdrawing his rearguard. The German player must block the Polish advance to the south and west. Both players will find themselves simultaneously attacking and defending. The Polish side has an advantage in numbers, but many Polish units start the scenario at reduced strength and high fatigue. Low supply values further reduce the effectiveness of the Polish forces. Randomized withdrawals are in effect starting on September 20^th to represent Polish formations running out of ammunition and surrendering.

Other related scenarios include the 2^nd Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski, a larger combined scenario featuring both the first and second battles, and a hypothetical scenario in which Piskor’s command doesn’t surrender.

 

AAR

To test this scenario, I played against my long-time opponent and collaborator, David Michas. David and I tested several scenarios together in France ’40 and Scheldt ’44, and this is the first scenario that we have played in its entirety in Poland ’39. David took the Allied side and I played as the Germans.

 

German Plan

David M.’s Poles took the first turn, attacking the positions of Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11 west of Tomaszów Lubelski with the Warsaw Armored Motorized Brigade (WBPM). The remnants of 22^nd Mountain Division (22 DPG)  ran into I./I.R. 7. Aerial reconnaissance revealed additional Polish troops marching on the road from Zwierzyniec to Krasnobród.

 

My plan was to try to block the Polish advance and defend the objective hex at Tomaszów Lubelski with 4. leichte Division while VIII. A.K. attacked from the south and west. 8. I.D. would immediately attack toward Zwierzyniec and Jozefów and then advance east towards Krasnobrod and Ulów. I.R. 83 would march through the woods north of the Tanew toward Nowiny and then link up with the rest of 28. I.D. in the woods northwest of Narol. 2. Pz.D is fixed at the beginning of the scenario. Once it was released, I planned to send it toward Tomaszów to reinforce 4. le.D. and, if possible, counterattack and drive WBPM backwards into 8. I.D.

 

German Turn 1 - 07:00 18 September. The solid lines show Day 1 advances and the dashed lines show my operational plan.

 

 

VIII A.K. – 18 September

 

I.R. 38 advanced toward Zwierzyniec in the first turns of September 18^th. The town itself was heavily defended, but one infantry battalion on the heights southwest of town appeared vulnerable. I. & II./I.R. 38 attacked this exposed position at 11:00 and controlled the heights overlooking Zwierzyniec by 15:00. Meanwhile, III/I.R. 38 and the regimental gun company held the main road to the north while Aufkl.Abt. 8 took a position near Zurawnica. I./I.R. 38 continued the attack south of Zwierzyniec late in the afternoon but made limited progress before nightfall. A lone battalion from 23. I.D. (I./I.R. 63) joined the I.R. 38 group late in the day and was deployed near Aufkl.Abt. 8. The Regiment suffered only light casualties.

 

Turn 4, 13:00 18 September. I.R. 23 carries the heights southwest of Zwierzyniec.

 

Further south, 8. I.D. ‘s I.R. 84 attacked 55 DP at Jozefów at 07:00. Advancing over open ground, I. & II./I.R. 84 took heavy losses on the first turn and disrupted. I did not think that I.R. 84 had the strength to break the Polish blocking position and decided to call off the attack at 09:00. The attack on Jozefów would resume once I.R. 28 was brought up from the south. Marching over a dirt road and deploying in a swamp, this took all day and no further actions against Jozefów could be carried out.

 

I.R. 83 with a portion of 28. I.D.’s divisional artillery moved up the Lukowa-Nowiny road where they encountered an infantry battalion from 55 DP and later a battalion of KOP troops from the remnants of 1 BG. I./I.R. 83 disrupted under fire and, operating in dense woods, it took time to bring the rest of I.R. 83 to bear. Under pressure from the entire German regiment, the Polish battalion retreated at 19:00. With little daylight left, I.R. 83 was unable to reach Nowiny on September 18^th.

 

Turn 6, 17:00 18 September. It would take pressure from all three of I.R. 83’s battalions to force the KOP troops from their blocking position in the woods

 

The starting positions of I.R. 7 and I.R. 49 were a mess. I./I.R. 7 was deployed near Losliniec, spread out over 6 km. I.R. 49’s regimental troops, together with one battalion of I.R. 7, one from I.R. 49, and a corps pioneer battalion were concentrated at Narol with the remainder of I.R. 7 and I.R. 49 marching on the road far to the west.

 

At 07:00, a battalion of mountain troops (remnants from 22 DPG) appeared on I./I.R. 7’s front. Despite being thinly spread, I./I.R. 7 held firm until 2. Kompanie, deployed in the center of the battalion’s line, was finally pushed back around 17:00. The company did recover from disruption and perhaps could have held its position until nightfall, but events to the south compelled I./I.R. 7 to withdraw to the south and west. An anti-tank company deployed on the ridge west of Narol spotted a Polish force near Hula Rozaniecka around 13:00. III./I.R. 7 was sent to block the Polish advance. This opened a gap in the German defense that could only be filled by I./I.R. 7 pulling back and further stretching its already stretched line.

 

Meanwhile, I./I.R. 49 entrenched near Narol while the remainder of I.R. 7 and I.R. 49 hurried from the west to join the fight. II. & III./I.R. 49 and II./I.R. 7 arrived in the vicinity of Plazów around 17:00. Here they encountered an even larger body of Polish infantry belonging to 6 DP advancing on the village from the north. II./I.R. 7 and II./I.R. 49 immediately attacked, pushing the Poles back to the edge of the woods by nightfall. III./I.R. 49 was sent to secure the ridge situated between Narol and Plazów and link up with III./I.R. 7, but it did not arrive until after dark.

 

Turn 8, 21:00 18 September. I./I.R. 7 was forced to retreat from its forward position under pressure. Reinforcements arrived just in time to block the advance of 6 DP near Plazów

 

 

XXII. AK. – 18 September

 

2. Panzer-Division starts fixed at Rawa Ruska, so, for the first hours of the battle, 4. leichte Division had to stand alone against the Polish onslaught. I decided to play cautiously, leaving the tanks and armored cars of Aufkl.Rgt. 9 and Pz.Abt. 33 in reserve at Tomaszów as the Polish armor attacked down the Krasnobród and Jozefów roads. I./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11 held firm around Szarowola and Pańków, but II./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11 was thrown back from Kunki and Ulów. I began pulling II./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11 back at 09:00 and dispatched II./Aufkl.Rgt. 6 to reinforce the hard-pressed battalion, but it was not enough. At 11:00, 6. Kompanie was surrounded and overrun by Polish tanks. 5. Kompanie retreated toward a more favorable position but was disrupted and low on ammo. The armored cars managed to stabilize the situation, and they in turn were strengthened by Pz.Abt. 33 and the motorcycle battalion of Aufkl.Rgt. 9 in the early afternoon. Around 15:00, elements of 23 DP arrived in front of I./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11, pushing 2. Kompanie out of Szwarowola at 17:00. By this time, the elements of 2. Pz.D. at Rawa Ruska had been released and were arriving in the vicinity of Tomaszów Lubelski. Additionally, I./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 10 had arrived from the north.

 

Turn 4, 13:00 18 September. I./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11 held against WBPM’s northern column all morning an into the afternoon. II./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11 crumbled under heavy pressure and was forced to retreat. 6. Kompanie was destroyed near Ulów at 11:00. The arrival of II./Aufkl.Rgt. 9 helped to salvage the situation.

 

As the battle enter evening, I worked to reorganize the defense west of Tomaszów and planned for the next day. I./Aufkl.Rgt. 9 (the motorcycle battalion) held the woods immediately southwest of Tomaszów while I./Kav.Schtz.Rgt 10 established itself in the woods northeast of town (north of Rogozno) together with the battered I./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11. The armored cars of Aufkl.Abt. 5 (the first element of 2. Pz.D. to arrive in the area) deployed in the gap between the woods, in front of Rogozno, to hold the 23 DP at bay. Its motorcycle company was sent hills by Tarnawatka to watch for any Polish forces that might approach Tomaszów Lubelski from the north. I held 2. Pz.D.’s two armored regiments in reserve around Tomaszów, planning to use them in a counterattack in the morning. I./SS-St.G., heretofore held in reserve at Belzec, was deployed on the road between Tomaszów and Tarnawatka. I hoped to use it to provide infantry support for Pz.Rgt. 3 and Pz.Rgt. 4 in morning counterattack (2. Pz.D.’s own rifle regiment had not arrived yet), but from its position it could also reinforce I./Kav.Schtz.Rgt 10 in the woods by Rogozno or be sent to secure the northern approach to Tomaszów at Tarnawatka. I sent Aufkl.Abt. 45, also held in reserve at Belzec, to strengthen the junction between 4. le.D. and 23. I.D. At the midnight turn, I used corps attachments to transfer I./SS-St.G., Aufkl.Abt. 45, and Pz.Jg.Abt. 45 from the direct command of VIII. A.K. to XXII. A.K.

 

Turn 7, 19:00 18 September. Reinforced by elements of 23 DP, WBPM was finally able to overcome I./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11 at Szarolowa in the late afternoon. In the evening, the German infantry consolidated in the woods west of Tomaszów while the recently arrived tanks form 2. Pz.D waited to counterattack in the morning.

 

VIII A.K. – 19 September

 

At dawn on the second day, I.R. 38 found Zwierzyniec abandoned. Led by Aufkl.Abt. 8, the regiment advanced down the road toward Krasnobród. At 07:00, Aufkl.Abt. 8 ran into Polish horsemen belonging to Krakówska Brygada Kawalerii. For the rest the day, Aufkl.Abt. 8 skirmished with the Polish cavalry on the Zwierzyniec-Krasnobród road as I.R. 38 followed behind. The Polish cavalry retreated a few kilometers each turn, just far enough to prevent Aufkl.Abt. 8 from moving and assaulting on the same turn. The Polish delaying tactics were most frustrating. The slower infantrymen of I.R. 38 could not be brought to bear against the faster Polish cavalry until late in the day, and Aufkl.Abt. 8 suffered roughly 40 casualties in the day’s fighting. By nightfall, I.R. 38 had advanced roughly 17 km from Zwierzyniec and had stopped at a line of woods about 4 km northwest of Krasnobród where the Polish cavalry appeared to be ready to make a stand. I planned to push on to Krasnobród in the morning, when I.R. 38 would be joined by elements of 27. I.D. approaching from the north.

 

Further south, I.R. 84 and I.R. 28 passed Jozefów, which the Poles had abandoned during the night, and moved to the east, pushing through the woods and fields between the Zwierzyniec-Tomaszów road and the Jozefów-Tomaszów road. The two regiments fought with Grupa Warzyboka (remnants of 21 DPG and 1 BG) and elements of the Krakówska Brygada, taking the hills east of Jozefów at 09:00 and pursuing the Polish mountain and KOP troops to the woods north of Nowiny by evening. Overall, the operations of I.R. 84 and I.R. 28 went exceptionally well on the 19^th, with both regiments inflicting more losses than they received and advancing 10-13 km. There was a minor setback around 17:00 when the limbered infantry guns of 13./I.R. 28 were spotted on a ridgeline and pulverized by Polish artillery. The company lost 7 of 8 guns.

 

I.R. 83’s dawn attack toward Nowiny got off to a bad start.  The village was defended by elements of 55 DP and gfow Śląsk (fortress troops from the Silesian industrial region). Two of the regiment’s three battalions were disrupted by 09:00 and were unable to make any headway against the Polish defense. Making matters worse, a bicycle company from 6 DP attacked through the forest, overrunning I.R. 83’s infantry gun company as it moved up the Lukowa-Nowiny road to support its parent regiment. II./I.R. 83 had to be diverted from the main attack to chase off the Polish bicycle troops before they could attack the divisional artillery battalions that were also moving up the road. Even with the support of Pion.Btl. 28, which was brought up around 11:00, and the entirety of divisional artillery, I.R. 83’s attack floundered and Nowiny was only captured when it was abandoned at the end of the day. All three battalions suffered heavy losses, especially II./I.R. 83, which took more than 150 casualties and was reduced to roughly 50% strength. The Polish battalions defending Nowiny also suffered severely, their casualties must have been at least equal to those of I.R. 83. I had hoped that I.R. 83 would push quickly through Nowiny in the morning and pressure 6 DP from the rear as it fought with the rest of 28. I.D. in the Narol area, but this was not to be.

 

Turn 18, 21:00 19 September. Advance of 8. I.D. and I.R. 83 on September 19^th.

 

While I.R. 83 flailed around Nowiny, the rest of 28. I.D., I.R. 7 and I.R. 49, fought around Narol. For most of the day, things seemed to be going well. III./I.R. 7 and III./I.R. 49 secured the hills west of Narol, pushing the Polish infantry back. Losses were heavy on both sides. II./I.R. 49 and II./I.R. 7 also counterattacked, pushing the Poles further from Plazów toward Hula Rozaniecka. The counterattack stalled by about 11:00, but 6 DP’s attack toward Plazów had been totally defeated. 88s belonging to II./Fl.Rgt. 38, situated on a hill from which they could see much of the area between Plazów and Hula Rozaniecka, were critical to the counterattack’s success.

 

For most the day, the Narol sector itself was quiet. Then, at 15:00, Grupa Szlaczewskiego (remnants of 22 DPG), attacked from the west, pushing through elements of I./I.R. 49 and isolating most of the battalion. I attempted to free I./I.R. 49 with an attack by Pion.Btl. 47, leaving only the regimental gun and anti-tank companies of I.R. 49 to defend Narol. The situation detoriated further at 17:00 as the Polish attack overwhelmed the regimental companies in front of Narol and left Pion.Btl. 47 encircled along with I./I.R. 49. As the Narol defenses crumbled,  I./I.R. 7 and Aufkl.Abt. 45 held firm at the junction between 28. I.D. and 4. le.D., but they were too busy fending off elements of gfow Śląsk to intervene in the disaster unfolding on their left. Only the timely arrival of Schtz.Rgt. 2, the infantry component of 2. Pz.D., salvaged the situation. II./Schtz.Rgt. 2 arrived at Narol at 17:00, and was there to block Polish access to the village. The Polish attack reached its high-water mark at 19:00 with a Polish battalion just a single kilometer from Narol. On the German turn, Schtz.Rgt. 2 attacked, throwing the Poles back from the village and freeing I./I.R. 49 and Pion.Btl. 47. Though the Polish attack on Narol in afternoon and evening of September 19th was defeated, it was only because Schtz.Rgt. 2 had arrived in the nick-of-time. If not for this, the Poles would have utterly broken the German defenses and opened a clear path to the exit hexes at the southern map edge.

 

 

Turn 17, 19:00 19 September. Schtz.Rgt. 2 attacked at 19:00, pushing the Poles back from Narol and rescuing isolated elements of 28. I.D.

 

XXII A.K. – 19 September

 

The infantry elements of 4. le.D. had consolidated in the woods on either side of the Krasnobród-Tomaszów road, stabilizing the situation west of Tomaszów. I had planned to use the four armored battalions of 2. Panzer-Divison at dawn, preferably with support from I./SS-St. G, to counterattack on the Krasnobród-Tomaszów road, but two of the four tank battalions (one from each regiment) were low on fuel. I decided to wait until all four tank battalions could be deployed without the movement and morale penalties resulting from low fuel. Both Panzer battalions refueled by 09:00, but by then the situation had changed dramatically.. The motorcycle company deployed on the heights at Taranawatka spotted Polish troops in the woods near Pańków and as far north as the hills around Antoniówka. The presence of Polish troops this far north threatened my position in the woods around Rogozno. Rather than use I./SS-St.G in the counterattack, I instead deployed it between Tarnawatka and Rogozno to secure II./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 10’s northern flank. Further south, the armored cars of Aufkl.Rgt. 9 were under intense pressure from a large group of Polish tanks and armored cars attacking near Pasieki. If the armored cars were pushed back, I./Aufkl.Rgt. 9 would be outflanked and forced to retreat or face encirclement. I sent Pz.Rgt. 3 to stabilize the situation. This left only Pz.Rgt 4 to counterattack on the Rogózno-Tomaszów road at 09:00.

 

By 09:00, 23 DP had advanced as far as Rogozno. Pz.Rgt. 4’s attack threw the Poles back from Tomaszów Lubelski. Additional German forces were thrown into the battle in the afternoon – Pz.Abt. 33 attacked out of the woods south of Rogozno and, after I noted that the Polish infantry that had been deployed on the line Pańków-Antioniówka were being pulled to the south, I./SS-St.G. was put into action. By evening, Pz.Rgt. 4 had recaptured Rogozno and advanced up to 3 km east of the village. A few companies of 37mm anti-tank guns and a company of Vickers tanks prevented the Panzers from pushing further to the west. Though the ground gained was rather modest, the Panzers had inflicted devasting losses on the Polish infantry and I was confident that a decisive breakthrough could be achieved on the 20^th. Ten tanks and four armored cars were lost in the day’s fighting, almost all to fire from 37mm guns.

 

Further south, a difficult situation was developing in the vicinity of Pasieki. Panzer-Regiment 3 had been sent to reinforce Aufkl.Rgt. 9, but soon the position was overwhelmed by the Polish armored assault. Around 13:00, the Polish tanks and motorized cavalry of WBPM surged forward, surround elements of II./Aufkl.Rgt. 9, II./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11, and Pion.Btl. 38. In just two hours, the Poles captured nearly 140 infantry and destroyed around 20 armored cars. The Germans were forced to retreat, and by 15:00 the Polish tanks were just 3 km southwest of Tomaszów and the German lines were hanging by a thread. Companies of Pz.Rgt. 3, Pion.Btl 4, Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11, and even regimental headquarters were shuffled back and forth to shore up the weakest points. Aufkl.Abt. 45 held Podlesina against gfow Śląsk all day, despite being surrounded by the enemy. It is incredible that the line held and the Poles were denied access to Tomaszów Lubelski. By evening, the lines west of Tomaszów formed an “S” shape, with German and Polish attacks pushing past each other.

 

Turn 18, 21:00 19 September. The German and Polish counterattacks pushed past each other, forming an “S”-shaped line. Aufkl.Abt 45’s extraordinary defense of Podelsina was critical in holding the Polish attack at bay.

 

At 17:00, a portion 23. Infanterie-Division arrived on the northern map edge on the Zamość-Tomaszów road. I divided the division into two columns. I.R. 40 with two artillery battalions and the anti-tank battalion would march toward Krasnobród to join 8. I.D. They marched through the night, encountering elements of Krakówska BK near Suchowola around 01:00 on September 20^th. I.R. 63 and the divisional pioneer and recon battalions marched south toward Antoniówka. Cooperating with the motorcycle company of Aufkl.Abt. 4, they chased off a Polish bicycle company during the night. In the morning, I.R. 63 and its accompanying forces would attack southwest from Antoniówka and lay into 23 DP from the north. At midnight, 23. I.D. was assigned to VIII. A.K.

 

VIII A.K. – 20 September

 

At dawn, I.R. 63 and recon and pioneer elements of 23. I.D. attacked from Antoniówka, pushing elements of Grupa Sandomierz south toward the Krasnobród-Tomaszów road. The attack allowed a small gap to emerge between I.R. 63 and Aufkl.Abt. 5 through which a few Polish bicylcle troops were able to escape. At the same time, 8. I.D.’s I.R. 38 and 23. I.D.’s I.R. 40 attacked toward Krasnobród. I.R. 40 fought through Polish cavalry at Suchowola and fell on Krasnobród from the north while I.R. 38 attacked from the west. Krakówska BK folded, its battered regiments unable to resist the German onslaught. Advancing rapidly against a disrupted enemy, at 09:00 I.R. 38 not only captured Krasnobród but pushed beyond it. Hundreds of Polish cavalrymen were captured near the village. A single Polish cavalry squadron was able to escape encirclement and headed north, receiving direct fire from 23. I.D.’s divisional artillery. Meanwhile, the rest of 8. I.D. advanced across the open country between the Zwierzyniec-Krasnobród and Jozefów-Tomaszów roads, keeping pace with I.R. 38. The Poles retreated before them, offering only scattered resistance.

 

Further south, I.R. 83, battered and bloodied from its futile attacks on Nowiny on September 19^th, finally had some success. The regiment pushed beyond Nowiny and captured Susiec at 07:00. It continued to the southeast, pursuing elements of 55 DP and gfow Śląsk. By 11:00, I.R. 83 had overrun a battalion of heavy artillery and was just a few kilometers north of Hula Rozaniecka. I.R. 7 and I.R. 49 continued to hold their ground west of Narol, but were too tired to press the attack. Meanwhile, Schtz.Rgt. 2 continued to push the Poles away from Narol, reaching the hills even with Paary. Some battalions of 6 DP managed to swing around I.R. 7’s easternmost battalion on the Hula Rozaniecka-Cieszanów road. There were no infantry or mobile forces available to stop them.

 

XXII A.K. – 20 September

 

For most of the morning, the situation in front of Tomaszów Lubelski continued much as it had on the afternoon of September 19^th. Pz.Rgt. 4 pushed 23 DP back two more kilometers. Meanwhile, WBPM shifted its attack away from Tomaszów Lubelski toward Belzec. Though it caused much consternation, it was contained by Pz.Rgt. 3, Aufkl.Abt. 45, and the remnants of II./Kav.Schtz.Rgt. 11 and II./Aufkl.Rgt. 9. At 11:00, the situation changed dramatically. WBPM, 23 DP, 55 DP, and gfow Śląsk surrendered.  2. Panzer-Division and 4. leichte Division surged forward into the gap, nearly completing the encirclement of Krakówska BK, Grupa Warzyboka, and Grupa Sandomierz.

 

Conclusion

 

The scenario ended after 11:00. In the end, the Poles failed to capture any objective hexes or evacuate any troops through the exit hexes, though some of 6 DP likely would have escaped if the scenario had continued to the end of day. The result was a German Major Victory, though for most of the scenario the result seemed in doubt. At several points, the Poles were very close to breaking out toward the exit hexes. Had Schtz.Rgt. 2 not arrived at Narol at the last possible moment on September 19^th, 6 DP would have escaped and the result may have been a draw.

 

Time Limit Reached. The surrender of roughly half of the Polish forces at 11:00 allowed 4. le.D. and 2. Pz.D. to advance rapidly on the last turn.

 

I found this scenario to be an enjoyable challenge. Both sides were simultaneously attacking and defending throughout the battle, and I was constantly putting out fires while also trying to deliver a decisive blow. As much as I wanted to counterattack with 2. Panzer-Division, it was apparent that there was no choice but to fritter the division away to support various defensive actions. Though the result was a German major victory, I think it could have gone either way if either of us had made some slightly different decisions or a few “rolls” had gone the other way.

 

Victory Dialog. Most of the German casualties were concentrated in 4. leichte Division and 28. Infanterie-Division.

 

Animated jump map.

 

 

David M. provided his thoughts and some characteristically colorful commentary:

 

A gloomy Monday, September 18, 1939. As a Polish commander, your mission seems impossible.
You must try to break through the German positions around Tomaszow Lubelski
and reach neutral Romania.

The big problem is that your men are exhausted, lacking ammunition and fuel, but not courage.
The enemy seems to be everywhere, intent on trapping you and smothering your hopes.

It's a catastrophic situation, but amazingly, we really believe that it's possible to escape. An exceptional scenario.

In 23 turns, you'll have to slow down the enemy as you drive east and southeast.
But the enemy is everywhere.

Some extracts from combat reports:

"Near Pasieki, an enemy group belonging to the 2. Panzerdivision and 4. leichte Division suffered very heavy losses, with almost 140 infantrymen and pioneers out of action and 24 vehicles abandoned!"

"A panzer smokes on a road...
A hit by a small TKS tracker from the 11th armored company!"

"The Warsaw mechanized brigade takes many prisoners. The fascists of the 4. leichte division had to abandon Kunki and the surrounding area, leaving behind a large amount of equipment.
A Belgian photographer takes famous shots of prisoners, corpses, abandoned PaK..."

The Poles come within 4 kilometers of Tomaszow Lubelski.
A battalion of sappers managed to get within 9 kilometers of an exit hex.

Will you be able to do any better?

This scenario is one of the nuggets you'll find in Panzer Campaigns Poland '39.

This is an incredible title, a must-have.

 

Panzer Campaigns: Poland '39 is progressing nicely. This After Action Report showcases one of the more unusual situations that are covered in this title. There are a range of interesting situations and variants included. For example, we are testing the above scenario with a version where the Poles do not randomly surrender, creating both more certainty for the attacker and a bigger challenge for the defender. Expect a title that is different to what you have all become used too.