A Rough Road to Poland

Paul Reynolds provides an account of the efforts of 1 Korpusu Pancernego, Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (1st Armoured Corps, Polish People's Army) at the New Zealand Nationals in 2007. The Spearhead competition was made up of six four-hour rounds over three days using the Spearhead Scenario Generation System to create the games.

The following account links the games into the historic context of the Lvov-Sandomierz offensive of July 1944 as the competition was set in 1944, 1 Korpusu Pancernego formed part of 1st Ukrainian Front (a little after July) and the north-western corner of the Ukraine borders Poland!

By early June 1944, the forces of Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model's Army Group North Ukraine had been pushed back beyond the Dniepr and were desperately clinging to the north-western corner of Ukraine. Stalin ordered the total Liberation of Ukraine, and STAVKA set in motion plans that would become the Lvov-Sandomierz Operation.

At this stage, the offensive was known as the Lvov-Przemyśl Operation.

The objective of the offensive was for Ivan Konev's Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front to occupy Lvov and clear the German presence from Ukraine.

In preparation for the major offensive 1st Armoured Corps prepared to attack the Hitlerite forces near Horokhiv. (I was expecting to be the attacker in an attack/defence scenario for most of my games.) 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade of 1st Armoured Corps moved into the line replacing part of 7th Polish Infantry Division. Unknown to Front intelligence the low grade enemy infantry division had been replaced with veteran paratroopers with plans for a spoiling attack. (I rolled low and Peter Connor rolled high for the tactical situation.)

The three battalions of 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade occupied the east part of the large woods south of Horokhiv and three villages east and north east of the town. As they settled into these positions a regiment of paratroopers attacked through the large woods south of Horokhiv supported by enemy rockets and artillery. Out numbered over three to one the Poles in the wood fought bravely and inflicted heavy casualties but were forced to give ground.

The battalion immediately to their north counter attacked to restore the situation but was unable to force entry to the woods or the village immediately to their north. Meanwhile the northern most battalion, supported by 4th Heavy Tank Regiment attempted a deep counter attack to encircle the enemy forces. A battalion of paratroopers supported by large numbers of antitank guns, including a company of 88s blocked this. These forces resolutely defend the hill and village north of Horokhiv.

Peter held two objectives, Horokhiv and the village on the hill to the north (4VPs). He had used his option B re-enforcement (-2VPs) so ended on 2VPs. I held the two villages north east of Horokhiv (4VPs) but had had 2 battalions take morale tests (-4VPs) so ended on 0VPs. The fifth objective, the village east of Horokhiv, was contested.

With the assistance of NKVD units the shell shocked stragglers from the battle were able to find their units and with re-enforcement’s readily available 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade was the following day able to follow in the wake of the successful attack by 2nd and 4th Tank Brigades.

The Hitlerites launched a counter attack on the flank of 1st Armoured Corps penetration with elements of 17 Panzer-Division. 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade supported by 3rd Tank Brigade moved towards Druzhkopil to counter this move. Detecting the rapid advance of the enemy the lead battalion of 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade halted in a village east of Druzhkopil as the remainder of the brigade moved up in support. (Peter Page rolled high enough to be the attacker in an Advance to Contact scenario.)

The enemy in their armoured half tracks and Panther tanks acted aggressively trying to capture the wooded hill to the north east of Druzhkopil which would have threatened the entire Polish position.

Strong resistance by 1st Motorised Rifle Battalion and the quick intervention by 3rd Tank Brigade thwarted both these attacks. The Panthers attempted to withdraw to the wooded hill to the north of Druzhkopil but were destroyed. 1st Motorised Rifle Battalion was then able to occupy this hill.

Peter held the bridge to the south Druzhkopil (2VPs) but had had two battalions take morale tests (-4VPs) so ended on –2VPs. I held the two villages east and south east of Druzhkopil and the two wooded hills in the north, no battalions had taken morale tests so ended on 8 VPs.

With the counter attack blocked, their tanks destroyed and their flank turned the Hittlerites were forced to withdraw from Druzhkopil.

Elements of 16 Panzer-Division had also counter attacked and fresh from their success 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade and 3rd Tank Brigade were pushed west to block this advance.

The two Polish leading battalions rushed forward in an attempt to capture Kvasov before the Hitlerite forces could become established. (Keith and I rolled the same adjusted score so a Mutual Encounter.)

The initial assault was broken up by enemy air attacks and rocket fire by a werfer battalion as well as the combined efforts of two panzergrenadier battalions supported by self propelled guns. Part of the attack is shown to the right illustrated after the main Polish attack had been halted by the German defenders.

The 3rd Tank Brigade attempted to attack the southern flank of the enemy positions at Kvasov to relieve the pressure on 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade. A company of massive enemy self propelled guns (Jagdpanthers) blocked this attempt but suffered casualties for their efforts.

German tanks and armoured halftracks appeared in the north and attacked the flank and rear of the brigade. This converged battalion consisting of Panzer IVs and halftrack mounted infantry.

While over-running many of the Russian rear area units they fortunately they did not press their attacks into the wood. As night fell both forces withdrew, 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade in need of rest and reinforcements.

Keith held the northern two objectives (4VPs) but had taken an option B reinforcement (-2VPs) so ended on 2 VPs. I held one objective, a village south east of Kvasov (2VPs) but one battalion had taken a morale check (-2VPs) so I ended on 0VPs.

After limited rest and reorganisation (fortunately casualties were not being carried over) 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade supported by 3rd Tank Brigade pushed rapidly westward and finally encountered organised German resistance as they approached Kamionka Strumilova. A battalion of Panzer Grenadiers from 17 Panzer-Division held the woods and village south west of Kamionka Strumilova and appeared to be supported by another battalion in the town, a village to its east and a small wood on a hill immediately to the south.

Again the leading infantry battalion suffered heavily from Hitlerite rockets but bravely fought on in vicious hand to hand fighting in the wood to the south east of Kamionka Strumilova (having passed it first morale test). The enemy fearing the progress by the gallant Poles committed their self-propelled guns supported by engineers in armoured half-tracks. But it was too late the save their forward battalion which broke in confusion after inflicting further casualties on the gallant leading Polish battalion (which passed its second moral test).

3rd Tank Brigade was committed to support the attack on the hill south of Kamionka Strumilova and rapidly destroyed many enemy self-propelled guns and engineers, the remainder fled. This left the remaining Hitlerites hiding in Kamionka Strumilova and the village to its east. 3rd Tank Brigade supported by the depleted leading battalion launched an attack on the village but were driven back as the infantry were to few to continue the attack. (The one infantry stand was suppressed by defensive fire leaving the tanks unsupported in the town.)

Meanwhile an attack was launched by two companies on part of Kamionka Strumilova itself. The desperate enemy fought like cornered rats inflicting heavy casualties. (He rolled a 6 with his single stand of infantry, the best the 4 attacking stands could roll was a 4!) Both attacks were discontinued and the follow up infantry division advised that Kamionka Strumilova and the village to the east would have to be cleared.

Joel occupied Kamionka Strumilova and the village to the east but both were contested (0VPs), 2 of his battalions had taken morale tests (-4VPs) and failed, he had also taken an option A reinforcement (-1VP) so ended on –5VPs. I held three objectives (6VPs) but a battalion had taken a morale test (-2VPs), in fact it had taken and passed two. Heroes of the Soviet Union to all survivors! So I ended on 4VPs.

While the supporting infantry came up 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade and 3rd Tank Brigade rested and reorganised while maintaining at watch on the town. I had a bye in round five as there were only seven players.

1st Motorised Rifle Brigade and 3rd Tank Brigade had been ordered to clear the eastern bank of the Buh River west of Kamionka Strumilova. 1st Motorised Rifle Brigade advanced rapidly to a village east of the southern crossing of the Buh and to the two hills that dominated the east bank and the northern crossing.

The Hitlerites had decided not to contest the eastern bank so an uneasy quite fell over the battlefield as the supporting infantry divisions prepared for a crossing in force.

This was an unusual game, Anthony had worked out that he was likely to score more VPs and possibly improve his placing by hiding behind the river he had managed to place it blocking off two thirds of the table. I couldn’t flank march to avoid the river, needing a seven on a D6 for a deep ‘Russian’ flank march to arrive. A frontal assault, across a river, against panzer grenadiers in woods supported by 88s did not appeal. Particularly as I would then have had to attempt to capture the two heavily defended towns, memories of the heavy losses in Kamionka Strumilova were still fresh.

The only possible option was to use the engineers to put a pontoon bridge across midway between the two bridges where they were hidden by woods from the defenders. This still left the problem of getting the tanks across and assaulting two heavily defended towns. In the end I hoped that Anthony had some troops in hidden deployment as a ‘trip-wire’ and followed my command arrows to their ends. No enemy was seen so the game reached a halt without a shot being fired.

Anthony held two objectives (4VPs) and had an uncommitted battalion in reserve, its was small so 0VP and ended on 4VPs. I held three objectives (6VPs) and had an uncommitted battalion in reserve (1VP) so I ended on 7VPs.

For competition purposes any negative scores were rounded up to zero so I ended up on 19VPs for a pleasantly surprising second place, behind Keith on 21 VPs.