DAR: GE Long campaign - small core

[Brummbar]

Originally Posted by Brian61

Hope this was worth the read.

That it is.

Keep up the good work Brian61.

[Brian61]

KG Krafft, 4 Sept 1939

Current status: during a brief halt for resupply and repair, some of the Kampfgruppe's missing equipment arrived, consisting of the commander's panzer [a PzKfz IIIb/d(s)] and a half dozen motorcycles [conversion of two Spaehtrupp units to 3xBeiwagenKrad units]. Also at this time, division released a troop of armored cars [3x SdKfz 221s] to be attached to the KG for the remainder of the Fall Weiss operation.

Current orders: KG Krafft is to spearhead the XIX Corp's drive towards the Vistula river. A company of motorized panzergrenadiers from the 3rd PanzerGrenadier Regiment is attached to KG Krafft for the duration of the operation. Artillery support will be provided by division [one of the division's 10.5cm batteries is assumed to be within range of KG Krafft's FEBA during most of the operation].

Situation: On the afternoon of 4 September 1939, KG Krafft encounters a battalion of Polish infantry blocking its path while moving along a secondary road through a lightly wooded area. [Meeting engagement, Visibility 52, length 37] The armored car troop leads the advance along the road followed closely by a platoon of PzIIc's. Motorcycle and motorcycle mounted recon elements are deployed to the north and south of the road respectively, each followed by a platoon of PzIb's. The remainder of KG Krafft is following in march order [all deployed on the westernmost road hex 1,21].

Plan of battle: Search and destroy operation until primary objectives are under control. Concentrated armor will be the primary instrument, engaging only in open terrain. The PzGr Kp will be held in reserve until enemy armor is contained and the first wave of enemy infantry is routed. Thereafter, the PzGr Kp will be deployed to sweep wooded areas as necessary. Artillery will be used primarily for counterbattery fire.

Execution: An unexpectedly large interdictory bombardment upon the road from three 75mm batteries falls amongst the PzIIc's, the platoon leader orders the platoon to accelerate through the targetted area hoping to break into the clear before any of the vehicles are seriously damaged. The trailing elements of KG Krafft leave the road heading southwest. In a fortunate turn of events, a Lufftwaffe observer aircraft attached to XIX Corp spots a gun of one of the 75mm batteries and counter battery fire from a 10.5cm battery at extreme range inflicts minor damage but likely major panic upon the spotted battery.

First contact occurs about fifteen minutes after the artillery bombardment; the armored car troop engaged and routed a calvary unit on the east/west road. The main body continues to move southeast and Obrstlt Krafft orders the Panzer Kp to shift into a move to contact formation with the two PzIb platoons forward. The motorcycle recon elements are ordered to slow their advance and find good observation locations. The infantry recon element, now dismounted, creeps into position on the centermost hill.

Nearly half an hour into the engagement, recon reports a platoon of TP-7s to the far southwest, enemy infantry movement north of the east/west road and enemy infantry southwest of the centermost hill. The armored car troop withdraws south after engaging additional calvary units along the road just as a local 75mm battery and 81mm mortar battery begin shelling their position. The northernmost PzIb platoon is ordered into ambush position along the east/west road to the east of the initial engagement point just beyond the area being shelled. The southernmost PzIb platoon is ordered into position to intercept the central infantry movement, while the PzIIc platoon races to join the command PzIIIb/d(s)'s and the PzIVb's. Oberstlt Krafft orders the PzGr Kp to maneuver into a central position just beyond enemy direct fire/observation range should the situation develop to favor deployment.

Enemy shelling and smoke reduces visibility along the road, spoiling any possibility of a favorable ambush so the northernmost PzIb platoon is ordered southeast in an attempt to catch the central infantry movement in a crossfire. Motorcycle recon elements attempt to maintain visual contact with enemy units while falling back to less exposed positions. The armored car troop breaks contact with enemy calvary and attempts to encircle them in order to spot what troops, if any, are behind them.

As the encounter develops further, the PzGr Kp is ordered to dismount and assume defensive positions in the wooded areas south of the road and east of the central hill. Enemy infantry advances seem to be concentrated in the center and northern regions and additional calvary is spotted to the south. Oberstlt Krafft decides to use his PzIb's and armored cars to deny enemy movement through the open areas while remaining beyond effective antitank rifle range and grenade range. The TP-7's turn northward towards the southern side of the south/central hill, one PzIIc manages to fire a few flank shots at one TP-7 but no damage is observed. The PzIVb platoon races towards the northeastern slope of the southcentral hill hoping to drop off the security force infantry [the only infantry with effective antitank weapons] on the reverse slope. The KG's mortars are moved into firing position for counter battery fire upon the local 75mm battery.

As the armor vs armor battle develops in the south, one TP-7 is destroyed and another immobilized, unfortunately the cost was heavy; Obrgfrtr Hoffmann [PzIIc platoon commander] and his crew were lost to enemy fire and Hptmann Rittenhaus's vehicle sustained serious damage [Pz Kp commander]. Fortunately Hptmann Rittenhaus's PzIIIb/d(s) was still capable of maneuver and withdrew successfully. Elsewhere, enemy infantry is routed by long range machinegun fire along the entire central front and mostly halted south of the road.

Enemy infantry arrived too late to support the TP-7 platoon in the south, only one TP-7 survives. Enemy artillery falls on the truck park, two trucks suffer damage but none destroyed. Dismounted PzGr troops continue advancing in the north against little opposition as the enemy infantry continues to fall before long range machinegun fire. One and a half hours after initial contact, all points of interest are under KG Krafft control and all known enemy units have been rendered combat ineffective. Sporadic enemy artillery fire claims a PzIb with loss of all crew, otherwise casualties have been light.

After a short mop up operation around the southern hill, all armored units are ordered to defensive positions overwatching the approaches to the objective areas while infantry sweeps wooded areas along the roads. Several weak local counter attacks are mounted but no significant threat develops. Sporadic shelling continues to fall for another hour requiring several position shifts but is otherwise ineffective.

The battle ends in a decisive victory, Guderian's drive to the Vistula will not be stopped!

Last turn attached as zip file. Thanks for reading!

[Brian61]

KG Krafft Sept 8, 1939

Current status: Late on the 5th of September, the 3rd Panzer Division was transferred from the Fourth Army to the Third Army to permit the Third Army to begin an attack on Bialystok and Brest Litovsk.

Current orders: KG Krafft, with the support of a Kradshutzen Kp, is ordered to clear the way for the right flank of the advance upon the Bug River. Artillery support, in the form of one 10.5cm battery, will be provided by division.

Situation: Late on the morning of 8 September, 1939, KG Krafft encounters Polish resistance along the intended path of Third Army's advance. The terrain is wooded, broken by numerous small clearings and with a dirt road running along the intended path of advance. [Meeting engagment, Visibility 88, Length 31, shotgun v-hexes]. The armored car troop once again leads the advance along the road, the remainder of the Kampfgruppe is deployed in 'two up' formation south of the road with recon elements preceding Kradshutzen platoons and PzIb platoons operating in close support.

Plan of battle: Develop a fluid battle in the southern areas, denying enemy usage of clearings and hilltops while using maneuver and concentration of force to defeat the enemy in detail. Artillery assets will be used to surpress enemy units in more heavily wooded areas.

Execution: Ten minutes after arrival to the area, the armored car troop engages a calvary squad on the road. The armored car troop halts and over the next five minutes eliminates two more calvary squads and drives another to ground. As the advance continues in the south without contact, action on the road heats up as AT-rifle teams and another calvary platoon arrives. Local light artillery and mortar fire begin falling on the road a few hundred meters behind the trailing armored car. Obrstlt Krafft orders the armored car troop to withdraw to the southwest.

Enemy infantry is spotted advancing in the center and south, the leading kradshutzen platoons are ordered to move into position in the woods west and northwest of the southern infantry advance hoping to force the enemy to remain in the clearings long enough for the PzIb platoons to engage them. As the picture develops, it seems that the enemy is advancing in company strength at three seperate points, north along the road, center, and south. The remainder of the kradshutzen company is deployed in the woods to protect the northern flank from any efforts of the enemy's center column to reinforce the southern.

The best laid plans oft go awry, in this case, the agent of awry-ness is a 40mm AA-gun position which is overwatching the route of advance for the southern infanty. Fortunately it failed to inflict any damage on the targetted PzIb but its presence raises the cost of an armor envelopment too high for the moment. Artillery is called for on the spotted gun but there will still be a serious delay in the intended movement which opens a window of opportunity for enemy artillery. A pair of MG34's are moved into a position for long range fire upon the AAA position in the hopes of supressing it enough to allow operations in the south to continue as planned, albiet with a short delay.

The MG34's of the kradshutzen company's heavy weapons platoon suppress the 40mm AA-gun position enough to allow operations in the south to resume as planned. Enemy infantry in that area is quickly put to rout. Kradshutzen positioned in the woods intercept a number of AT rifle teams and marksmen who attempted to infiltrate. The northern recon elements, in danger of being cut off, are withdrawn to the west under cover of the armored car troop. Artillery fire from an enemy 105mm battery falls on the MG34 positions forcing a quick withdrawal. Fortunately the 40mm AA-gun was suppressed enough to allow direct fire from PzIIc's to be brought to bear without casualty. The withdrawal of the northern recon elements and the southern sweep and clear operation continues.

The central enemy force swings south and a firefight develops along the northern flank forcing committal of the reserves (PzIVb platoon and KG Krafft's security platoon). As the southern operation degrades into the cleanup phase, the southernmost kradshutzen platoon and the PzIIc platoon are withdrawn to form a new reserve. The northern flank stablizes and forces in that area prepare for a northern thrust after the prepatory artillery strike lands. There appears to be some calvary elements which survived to become a low grade threat to the northwest.

The combination of infantry, armor, and artillery soon put the southern flank of the central enemy force to rout, allowing the movement of one of the kradshutzen platoons westward in support of the now northbound sweep and clear force. Another 40mm AA-gun is spotted and destroyed in short order by combined armor and infantry attack though one tank is damaged. One gun of a 75mm battery is put out of action by direct fire of PzIb tanks. Leading elements of the enemy's central infantry continue to advance, forcing the recon elements in that area to withdraw further westward. The reserve force maneuvers to intercept the calvary remnant in that area with overwatch fire provided by the SP 20mm flak section. Artillery fire is walked northwest in an attempt to isolate the remaining elements of the enemy's central force.

The first attempt to encircle the central force is rebuffed by a 37mm AT-gun. Armor is rerouted along a more southerly approach to avoid coming under fire from that position and kradshutzen infantry maneuvers to engage the guns. In an attempt to redress the situation, the reserves are committed in the west with the PzIIc platoon engaging enemy infantry from long range and the kradshutzen platoon replacing the armored car troop in interception of enemy calvary. The FEBA now lies approximately along the north/south line indicated by hex xx,43.

In the east, a kradshutzen platoon supported by the armored car troop hunt down and destroy the remnants of the calvary forces. In the west, a kradshutzen platoon supported by long range machinegun fire destroys the AT-guns, the Polish headquarters, and a number of AAMGs. The northern Polish force turned south to reinforce the center, however as the major portion of the infantry was caught in the open by PzIIc and PzIVb tank fire along with 10.5cm and 81mm mortar artillery, the effort failed. As the battle in the center developed, it became a kill sack bounded by tanks to the east and west and a mix of tanks and infantry in the south with observed artillery falling on concentrations. After the loss of the headquarters, the battle quickly became a rout.

Decisive victory! With its flank secured, Third Army continues its advance to the Bug river.

Beginning of last turn file attached. Thanks for reading!

[a_ver_est]

Nice reading, seems this polish has had a bad day (again).

[Brian61]

Originally Posted by a_ver_est

Nice reading, seems this polish has had a bad day (again).

Thanks, and yes the Polish forces haven't done very well, I think I need to increase their purchase points. With this small but highly mobile core force, it seems scattered victory hex games are more challenging than the standard ones.

[Brian61]

KG Krafft, 10 September, 1939

Situation: Division recon elements near Brok encounter late arriving Polish reinforcements, KG Krafft is the only armor unit that can reach the recon force in time to take advantage of the situation. The recon force consists of: 1x 222, 1x 223 (Fu), 6x 221, and 2x 231(8) armored cars; a kradshutzen platoon, a kraftradmelder section, and a section of 7.5cm leIG 18's towed by a pair of SdKfz 10s. [Lightly wooded area bisected by N-S stream and E-W dirt road with a NW-SE road in the NE corner, Meeting engagement, Visiblity 30, Length 43, standard V-hexes]

Orders: Join the division recon force and take command of the combined kampfgruppe. Deny the area to the enemy, inflicting as much damage as possible without undue casualties. Division artillery is not in position to give support but a flight of four Bf109Es are available for close air support.

Plan of battle: Recon elements will advance to contact and will maintain contact at distance. Armor will advance in company strength using maneuver to outflank enemy formations and defeat in detail. The kradshutzen platoon will assist the armor, and the PzIIc platoon will be held in reserve.

Execution: Fifteen minutes into the operation, an armored car troop engages a calvary squad at long range in the center. A TKS platoon is spotted in the south, PzIVb's and the PzIIIb/d(s)'s of the command element engage at long range, knocking out the lead TKS.m tankette. More calvary is spotted in the center and brought under fire by two troops of 221's. As the battle develops in the south, the TKS platoon quickly falls before combined 37mm and 75mm gun fire. To the north, an armored car troop is spotted, heavy armor cars move to intercept and the reserve platoon is ordered northward should committment against the enemy armored car threat prove necessary.

Half an hour into the battle, enemy artillery fires upon two separate overwatch positions in the south and center, forcing abandonment of those positions. Enemy infantry is spotted advancing along the road in the south where it is engaged by a platoon of PzIb's. In the north, the enemy armored car troop is destroyed by combined fire from PzIIc's and 231's. Enemy infantry reinforcements in the center come under fire from a 221 troop.

In the north enemy infantry continues to advance, armored cars maneuver to delay them. In the center the enemy advance is brought to a standstill by long range machinegun fire. To the south, the enemy is advancing in two columns, one along the road, another south of the road. Artillery is called to fall upon the enemy infantry on the road while a platoon of PzIb's maneuvers to engage the enemy south of the road.

An hour into the battle a pattern becomes evident, enemy artillery is attempting to deny long range firing positions while the infantry continues to advance trading casualties for ground. The enemy advance in the north has been the most successful, the center has seen minimal success, and in the south the enemy advances have been stopped cold. Luftwaffe assets are called in to strike the northern advance while local 75mm and 81mm assets continue to shell the southern road. Armor units are maneuvering into position for a concentrated sweep south of the road.

The airstrike by four Bf109E's together with armored car fire bring a temporary halt to the enemy advance in the north. The center stablizes with the committment of the reserves, and the security force advances to secure the southern road. In the far south, the armor forces the enemy infantry into rout, with the kradshutzen platoon assisting in cleanup operations.

The northern enemy force turns south towards the center with a number of AT-rifle teams infiltrating through the woods. Pressure on the center builds as additional reinforcements arrive. The southern enemy force is completely routed with many units completely eliminated. The armor force is being withdrawn from the south except for one PzIb platoon which will assist the security elements in securing the area. Another airstrike is called, this time on the center and local artillery is targetted upon adjoining areas.

At the two hour mark, although some units have run out of ammo, the enemy is in retreat after a combination of aerial and artillery bombardment in conjunction with a pincers attack by armor and armored cars. At two and a half hours in, all objectives are secured, and all observed enemy infantry is in full rout. For the next hour and a half, sporadic artillery fire and a few weak counterattacks is the extent of enemy action.

Decisive Victory in the last major action for KG Krafft in the Fall Weiss campaign.

Last turnfile attached, thanks for reading!

Notes: these battles, although fun, turned out to be easier than hoped for. If I were to do them over, I would increase the chance for scattered victory hexes and give the AI forces an increased purchase point multiplier. As far as core force mix, I would leave out the mortars and armored cars and change the light tank platoons to mixed platoons with two PzIIc's and three PzIb's each.

[Brian61]

KG Krafft, 13 May, 1940

Reorganization: in the reorganizations between October 1939 and April 1940, KG Krafft is transferred to the 5th Panzer Division. All PzIVb tanks are replaced by new PzIIIe tanks fresh off the assembly line, the C1 PzIIIb/d(s) is sent for overhaul being replaced by a PzIIIe and transferred to Platoon G. The three light tank platoons recieve some new equipment and now have three PzIIc's and two PzIb's each. The security platoon is reorganized as a PanzerGrenadier platoon with organic medium machinegun and a platoon of three SdKfz 251/1s and one SdKfz 251/10 is attached for transport. The Kampfgruppe also loses the attached armored car troop and mortar platoon but gains three JPzI's and a pair of sIG1b's with accompanying ammo trucks.

Status: The 5th Panzer Division is operating on the north flank of Army Group A during the Fall Gelb operation at the edge of the Ardennes.

Orders: Open a route for the division, neutralizing enemy forces in the division's path. [Advance mission, visibility 70, length 47, shotgun victory hexes].

Situation: KG Krafft is the schwerpunkt of the 5th division's exit from the Ardennes. A kradshutzen platoon and a pair of 88mm guns are attached for the duration of the operation. One 10.5cm artillery battery from division is in position to provide support. Luftwaffe assets are limited to two observation planes.

Plan of battle: KG Krafft will advance to contact through the center bounded by the northern main and southern secondary east-west roads. The command group will be reinforced by the JPz I platoon and the kradschutzen platoon. The PzIIIe platoon, security element, and 88mm guns will be held in reserve. Once contact is achieved, KG Krafft will penetrate the enemy lines, splitting the enemy force in two and then procede to eliminate the weaker section before turning on the stronger.

Execution: A French 75mm battery opens up with interdictory fire but falls outside of the assembly area. Extensive aerial recon over the first half hour of the engagement shows the enemy strength to be a reinforced infantry battalion deployed with one company astride the secondary north-south road in the center, another deployed around the northern intersection, and a third deployed around the southern intersection. A fourth company seems to be deployed west of the secondary road as a reserve. A pair of AT-guns are spotted in the north, east of the secondary road, while four 81mm mortars and two AA-guns are deployed in the north west.

The main body of KG Krafft quickly overruns the enemy infantry positions in the center and, before the first hour is up, reaches the secondary road running north-south. Leaving one platoon of mixed light tanks to hold the north flank and the command group to hold the center, the remaining two platoons of light tanks together with the PzIIIe platoon and security element turn south.

Supporting artillery fire from the 10.5cm battery and the two sIG 1b's soften up the enemy positions in the town west of the intersection as KG Krafft drives from the north and northeast.

About 90 minutes in, the southern intersection and town is secured just as a pair of H-35's are spotted moving towards the center from the southwest. The JPz 1's of the command group are dispatched to intercept with the PzIIIe platoon and 88mm guns supporting. Both enemy tanks are quickly destroyed and, leaving one light tank platoon along with the security element to mop up in the south, the remainder of the force turns its attention to the north just as the enemy launches an infantry counterattack with the northern infantry company and the remainder of the reserve company.

Supporting artillery fire wreaks havoc on the enemy counterattack as reinforcements from the south arrive to assist the north flank. Two hours into the battle finds the enemy broken in dissarray and the battle ends early after another half hour of mop-up operations. Friendly casualties were very light and only one tank, a PzIIc, was disabled.

Decisive victory for KG Krafft, 5th Panzer division rolls on towards the Meuse.

Game notes: this was a fast paced battle, the only real danger was enemy artillery but that threat was largely negated by speed and maneuver. Aerial recon won the day as just about every enemy unit was spotted well before it was in engagement range. Poor positioning of the AT and AA guns by the AI made them largely irrelevant to the battle.

Hope this rather short battle was worth the read, next to last turn file attached as zip.