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Old July 21st, 2010, 04:43 PM

Brian61 Brian61 is offline
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Default Re: DAR: GE Long campaign - small core

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!
Attached Files
File Type: zip KG Krafft battle 3.zip (115.0 KB, 603 views)
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