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The Polish Campaign...A Strategic Command AAR (Pics Included)

SuperTed

By SuperTed
in Strategic Command 1

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SuperTed Senior Member

SuperTed

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Previous Installments:

War Is Declared!

September 3, 1939

(Note: the headings for each section are linked to maps that illustrate the action.)

The invasion of Poland begins!

The goal for the initial attack is to destroy the western defenses while keeping casualties to a minimum.

Lodz

The first step is to hit the southern flank, defended by the Lodz Corps. Since it is only a corps, it should not present too many problems for my forces. 10th Army hits the Poles from the northwest while 14th Army advances from the south. Supporting the attack through a wide flanking maneuver to the southeast is VIII Corps. Luftflotte IV Air Fleet provides crucial tactical air support, pounding the Polish ground units. The Polish Air Force makes a brief appearance, but are chased from the skies by the superior German planes and pilots. The Polish defenders are quickly overcome by our advancing armies, thus opening the door for a deep thrust by our waiting panzers.

Pomorze

With the Lodz defenders eliminated, attention is now drawn to the northern end of the line in the Pomerze area. The Polish garrison here is an army, so it will likely be a tougher nut to crack. Fortunately the Polish Air Force has already committed itself to the fighting in the south, so my air units will be able to dominate the skies to the north. The extra punch they provide will help a great deal in the battle against the Pomorze Army.

The battle is engaged when 3rd Army hits the Poles from the rear, inflicting heavy casualties. While the defenders are still reeling from the initial assault, 4th Army skirts the Oder River to the north to outflank the hapless Polish force. Combined with more effective close air support (this time from Luftflotte I Air Fleet), this assault proves even more devastating than the one to the south. An entire Polish army is put out of action in a matter of days!

Poznan

The Polish flanks have been routed and the time has come to finish the job. The Poznan Corps will feel the full fury of my mobile reserves! XVI Panzer Tank Group races through the opening to the south and wheels around behind the nearly-immobile Polish troops to wreak havoc in their rear areas from the southeast. Simultaneously to the north, XIX Panzer Tank Group crosses the Oder River, swings around the Polish right flank, and slams into the crumbling line of defense from the north. 8th Army crosses the Oder to the south and completes the encirclement. With the help of Luftflotte II Air Fleet, they finish the destruction of the Polish corps.

Notes

I repositioned II Corps from Berlin to fill the hole in the line. Not that it is very likely, but I would hate for the Polish Krakow Army to squeeze through and try to eliminate Runstedt. Also, I moved Scharnhorst and Gneisenau to ports so they can be ready to support the invasions of Denmark and Norway. U-47 will patrol the waters between Denmark and Sweden. Other minor repositioning of forces brings the first week of action in Poland to a close.

September 17, 1939

Canada declares war on Germany!

The Poles pull Krakow Army and Modlin Corps back to protect Warsaw.

October 1, 1939

Now that the Polish frontier forces have been eliminated and their remaining troops have retreated toward Warsaw, it is time to finish the job. The top goal is to capture Warsaw. Next, my troops can gain valuable experience by destroying enemy units, but no unnecessary risks should be taken. Finally, if any forces can be held out of the fighting, they should be re-deployed to a position to launch the attack on Denmark.

Northern Flank

The unit protecting the enemy’s capital to the north is the Modlin Corps. Having taken light casualties and retreating from their frontline positions, this unit should not pose any significant problems for our advancing armored columns. XIX Panzer Tank Group swings into action and hits the Polish defenders from the north, inflicting moderate damage while losing several of its tanks to mines and other hastily-prepared defenses. XVI Panzer Tank Group, swinging further west, fared much better. Without taking any significant losses, they were able to smash the Polish defenses nearly to the point of collapsing. Also, they stumbled across the Polish Air Force, waiting to intercept our planes. This fortuitous discovery will need to be exploited if the opportunity presents itself.

Hoping to finish the job the tank groups have started, II Corps races headlong into the remaining enemy defenders. Despite eliminating all resistance, the corps takes casualties they should not have taken.

Warsaw

Since the Polish Air Force has been discovered, I want to hit it with ground units, hoping to prevent their planes from being used as interceptors. VII Corps is given this task and approaches the unsuspecting enemy air units from the northeast. The plan goes without a hitch and half of the enemy planes are destroyed without incident.

With the Polish Air Force out of the picture, my air units will be able to concentrate their efforts on supporting the ground units. This combination works nearly to perfection in the assault on Warsaw. 8th and 10th Armies, supported by planes from Luftflotte IV Air Fleet, slam into the Polish perimeter, making excellent progress. With the exception of one stubborn pocket of resistance that mauled a regiment, casualties were light and victory was complete. The Warsaw garrison was eliminated and the enemy capital lay open for us.

Air Force

The focus now shifts to destroying enemy units and gaining combat experience. This can be best accomplished by destroying the remainder of the panicked enemy air force. 4th Army moves into position and easily accomplishes this task.

Southern Flank

The Polish Krakow Army, despite being the only surviving enemy unit, is still unscathed. VIII Corps moves around the left flank, enters Warsaw, and joins 14th Army and Luftflotte I Air Fleet in the attack. The Poles are so demoralized they only provide token resistance, resulting in their complete destruction in exchange for light German casualties.

With that, all enemy resistance ends and the conquest of Poland is complete!

Notes

3rd Army, Luftflotte II Air Fleet, and Bock’s HQ are relocated to the north in order to be ready for the invasion of Denmark. I Corps is raised in Munich to bolster the western defensive line against a possible French/British attack. This leaves only four corps on the line, but it is unlikely the Allies have the manpower to mount a significant offensive. In preparation for operations in Denmark and Norway, Scharnhorst is strengthened.

[ May 02, 2002, 01:50 PM: Message edited by: SuperTed ]

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SuperTed Senior Member

SuperTed

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Originally posted by vonManstein39:

SuperTed:

Super description of the Polish campaign!

One suggestion - take a screenshot of the map at the crucial moment each time you post and link to it from the text. We'd really appreciate being able to see what's going on!

vM39,

Are you referring to something other than the headings (which are linked to the little maps)?

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SuperTed Senior Member

SuperTed

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Originally posted by Shep:

How does Nazi/Soviet partition work? I see what looks like a fair approximation of the historical situation, but does the game account for the political division of Poland?

Shep,

The Soviets will get the eastern chunk of Poland and any German units there will be pushed back.

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SuperTed Senior Member

SuperTed

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Originally posted by Immer Etwas:

The German losses didn't seem to be very high.

Was this mostly due to attacking from the rear? Or, the superior air force? Any bonus for flank attacks?

IE,

The Poles do not have any HQ units, so their readiness is going to be low.

Attacking from a particular direction does not matter. I threw in the refernce to flanking maneuvres for dramatic effect. The key is NOT attacking from a river hex.

The air force disparity made a big difference. The 1st PAF intercepted my air units once and then then they were eliminated on the ground. At the same time, my air force was able to carry out five attacks during the campaign.

[ May 02, 2002, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: SuperTed ]

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SuperTed Senior Member

SuperTed

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Originally posted by Immer Etwas:

Whew! I get the feeling -- to the aggressor goes the spoils.

IE,

Early in the war, that should be the case. I suspect things will get tougher once I poke the French with a big stick. :eek:

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rleete Senior Member

rleete

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SuperTed, you are a right bastard! We know you've been playing this non-stop since you got your grubby paws on it. And what do we get? Just the first few moves? C'mon, out with it! We demand MORE! Where's the invasion of the low countries? Where is the topplement of the French? The start of Sea Lion should be well under way, get cracking!

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SuperTed Senior Member

SuperTed

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Originally posted by R_Leete:

SuperTed, you are a right bastard! We know you've been playing this non-stop since you got your grubby paws on it. And what do we get? Just the first few moves? C'mon, out with it! We demand MORE! Where's the invasion of the low countries? Where is the topplement of the French? The start of Sea Lion should be well under way, get cracking!

RL,

To be perfectly honest, playing is the easy part. Making the nifty screenshots and writig the AAR is what takes time. But, now that I have a system in place, things should move along at a better clip.

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SuperTed Senior Member

SuperTed

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Originally posted by Rommel22:

Thanx Ted,

Keep us posted and can I make a suggestion, INVADE BRITIAN!!! After you conquer France and the low countries, keep on Britian, do not go to war with USSR, yet.

Looks awesome so far, can't wait to read more. Faster Ted, faster!!!

R22,

That's the plan. After stopping for Danishes and coffee on the way to Norway, Frogland and the Island will be next. :D

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BloodyBucket Senior Member

BloodyBucket

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SuperTed,

Excellent AAR. You should have been a war correspondent.

In the screenshot that "Northern Flank" links to, you show a tank unit moving through three hexes that are next to the Polish infantry. I assume this is because the Polish unit is now revealed by the actions of the other tank unit, and that you can move through friendly occupied hexes?

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SuperTed Senior Member

SuperTed

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Originally posted by BloodyBucket:

SuperTed,

Excellent AAR. You should have been a war correspondent.

In the screenshot that "Northern Flank" links to, you show a tank unit moving through three hexes that are next to the Polish infantry. I assume this is because the Polish unit is now revealed by the actions of the other tank unit, and that you can move through friendly occupied hexes?

BB,

Aw, shucks. redface.gif

Yup.

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