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| Overall Rating, 5 votes |
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3.6
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| Scenario Rank: 399 of 1094 |
| Parent Game | Deluge |
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| Historicity | Historical |
| Date | 1939-09-01 |
| Start Time | 16:00 |
| Turn Count | 12 |
| Visibility | Day |
| Counters | 24 |
| Net Morale | 0 |
| Net Initiative | 2 |
| Maps | 2: 3, 4 |
| Layout Dimensions | 56 x 43 cm 22 x 17 in |
| Play Bounty | 149 |
| AAR Bounty | 157 |
| Total Plays | 4 |
| Total AARs | 3 |
| Battle Types |
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| Bridge Control |
| Inflict Enemy Casualties |
| River Crossing |
| Urban Assault |
| Conditions |
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| Off-board Artillery |
| Scenario Requirements & Playability | |
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| Deluge | Base Game |
| Fire in the Steppe | Maps + Counters |
| Introduction |
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Enraged at the failure of 3rd Panzer Division to cross the river Brda, XIX Corps commander Heinz Guderian personally ordered Lt. Col. Günther von Manteuffel to take his 3rd Motorcycle Battalion and get across the water barrier immediately, whatever the cost. While the small group of Polish defenders on the opposite bank opened fire with rifles and machine guns, Manteuffel’s men swapped their Zündapp machines for rubber boats and started paddling. |
| Conclusion |
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The Germans made it over the river and drove the Poles away from the burned wreck of the railway bridge. Combat engineers soon had it repaired and Guderian sent the 3rd Panzer Division’s recon battalion across and on to the division’s next objectives. It was a well-executed operation, but certainly not one that needed the corps commander’s direct supervision. |
| 2 Errata Items | |
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| Scen 13 |
Suspend the requirement for an ENG to be present in order to cross, rule 5.73. (plloyd1010
on 2025 Jul 27)
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The reduced direct fire value of the Heer HMG became 5-5 starting with Fall of France. (plloyd1010
on 2015 Jul 31)
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| Manteuffel’s Crossing |
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Not wanting to waste any time the Germans went right for the bridge hex and with the help of a 105mm OBA battery were able to suppress the Polish defenders long enough to get a small force across the river and into position where they could assault the dug-in enemy forces covering the burned out bridge on the next turn. One dug-in position was cleared quickly but the other took valuable time to eliminate, that darn Polish 11-1-2 Porucznik again, that delayed the German advance. As the lead German platoons neared the town unspotted Polish forces opportunity fired on them, demoralizing two platoons thus stalling their advance, with time running out the Germans regrouped and attacked again this time managing to gain a small toe hold, one town hex, but it was too little too late. Even though the German forces came up short clearing the town they still won a minor victory with more Polish steps eliminated and the burned out bridge hex under their control. |
| 0 Comments |
| Cross the Brda & Take the Town | ||||||||||||||
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This was a fun-filled, fast playing 2-session play-through with the determined & resolute, Schoenwulf, leading elements of the 9th Polish Infantry Division that were holding the 5-hex town just east of the Brda River. I led the German invaders from the 3rd Panzer Division that were assigned to cross the river to assail the waiting Poles. We both drew decent leaders, the German set was slightly better. We played with the smoke/illum and excess initiative optional rules. In addition, we experimentally used the following one house rules: Road Movement for Mechanized & Foot Units All FOOT & MECHANIZED units may move on roads at the rate of 1/2 a Movement Point (MP) per road hex, just like MOTORIZED units. The initial session (game turns 1-8) featured an extended, right flank movement to contact for the German invaders across the southern half of Map 3. There were 2 turns of delays for the Germans crossing the Brda, but this was not contested by the Poles. Instead, a portion of the Polish force redeployed briefly further south into the depths of the woods just south of the 5-hex town as the Germans moved to the east, and two companies of landsers curled around the woods and swept north to menace the town from the rear. Most Axis OBA was ineffective for the first few turns, although the Polish mortars were demoralized and later forced to retreat into other town hexes. A 4-turn German close assault on the southeastern margin of the town, was repeatedly thwarted and even reinforced by the town’s Polish garrison. Multiple adjacent hex firefights in the town and the south wood were comparatively bloodless until the 6th game turn when the Germans finally drew first blood. By the end of the session, there were only 3 Polish step losses and none for the Third Reich invaders. The Poles still controlled the broken bridge hex and 4 of the 5 hexes in the town, but their initiative level fell at the end of game turn 8. Our second, action-packed session (game turns 9-12) featured the Germans tightening their grip on both the town and the south woods, as their troops moved into decisive engagement range. Multiple adjacent-hex firefights and close assaults resulted in the Germans controlling of the bridge hex, a final total of 10 polish steps lost, and the capture of 4 of the 5 town hexes required for a major victory. This was a relatively, well-balanced slightly flawed scenario that could have gone either way depending on the breaks and fate. We think that it is suitable for both SOLO and SHARED play. We give this one a solid 4. |
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| 3 Comments |
Tread.... Just a question.....
How'd you get over the Major river with no bridge and no Engineers?....
Inquiring minds and all that...
Tread.... Just a question.....
How'd you get over the Major river with no bridge and no Engineers?....
Inquiring minds and all that...
This relatively minor, scenario design error was an easy fix considering that both players were experienced PG veterans and well aware of: 1) the poorly written & edited 4th edition rules, 2) the fact that the scenario rules specified that foot units may cross a major river on a die roll of 8 or less, and 3) the scenario description & outcome information specifies that Manteuffel's intrepid soldiers crossed at the "burned out" railroad trestle bridge by paddling across in inflatable rafts.
Yes, there was not a German Pioneer platoon included in the Axis counter mix, so according to the rulebook, it should literally have been impossible to cross the major river as per 5.72. However, given how sloppily a number of PG scenarios were designed, a pair of clever players simply "read between the lines," playing for fun - with realism in mind - making each advancing unit in the bridge hex throw the river crossing number assigned by the scenario designer. As we all know, enterprising players can make even the most confusing & badly designed/edited scenarios work, e.g., like many Desert Rats & Afrika Korps scenarios.
BTW, further research on this engagement also indicates that at least 2 of the 8 German infantry platoons should have been motorcycle scout platoons that in 1939, typically deployed with inflatable rafts and plenty of tools & rope. Dismounted, motorcycle infantry would not have been dismayed or put off by the challenge of crossing a burned out railroad trestle over a major river.
| Elan? That still doesn't work. | ||||||||||||||
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The Poles didn't even try to defend the bridge, but then again, why should they? This left the Germans with the prospect of assaulting the town with inadequate force and little time to do it in. I sent about half my force to circle the woods and approach the town from the east side. The remained skirted across the south side of the town. Just as the eastern force was getting into position the southern force took a series of disruptions. Then, with the Poles shifting positions, the eastern force had a couple disruptions too. The Germans did manage to assault the town, but could make no progress. The game ended with the Germans only fulfilling 1 victory condition of the 3. This is very brittle scenario, that is expected with the small forces involved and the short turn count. But unless the Poles are going to fight over the destroyed bridge, I don't see how the Germans can win. |
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| 0 Comments |
DelP012