Sir Richard
Member
First Blood
Story 01 of The Polish Campaign
For Christmas, a friend of mine gave me some disks that had been sitting around his house for a while, unused. It was the Campaign Series from Talonsoft (may it rest in peace).
After spending a couple of weeks fiddling with it, I decided to sort the games chronologically, and to play the first game on the list. If any are interested, this is the story of that game . . . so far.
Scenario: First Blood
Played as: German
******************************************
The post of Battlefield Observer was created as an experiment. Some military leaders wanted to learn as much as possible about what worked and what did not work in fighting a modern war. For this purpose, they assigned certain individuals to observe the battle. These people would stand on the front lines of conflict, but they would carry no weapons. They would have no assignments that would distract them from watching and recording the events unfold around them.
This is the story of one of those observers.
Date: 2 September 1939
Objective: Capture the town of Gross-Klonia
Units Available:
5th/3 Panzer Regiement under Colonal Keinitz, consisting of:
1/5th Panzer Battalion
3/3rd Recon Battalion
3/3rd Motorcycle Battalion
BEGIN REPORT:
Before the battle started, I had an appointment to meet Colonel Keinitz to talk about his strategy. He got a cagey look in his eyes and stared at me, measuring his response.
"You'll be on the front lines," he said. "You could be captured."
"Colonel, you have received your orders regarding the Battleground Observer program. I cannot effectively observe your strategy in action if I do not know what it is."
"This is damned foolish," said Keinitz. Still, he rolled out his maps for me to see.
[See attached map].
Everybody expects that I am going to go straight up this city to Gross-Klonia. So, the stupidest thing for me to do is to march directly to the city. I want to hit them where they do not expect to get hit, and hopefully make it into the heart of the city before they have a chance to react."
With his finger, he traced a road that arched around to the south Gross-Klonia. "That's my route. We go around, into this valley, then up the hill and into the soft underbelly of the town."
Gross-Klonia sat on a plateau, and no matter now we approached it we would have to climb. Our best hope was to climb where we would not face any resistance. If Keinitz was right, the enemy would be guarding the western approaches to the city, the road we were expected to use. With luck, we could climb the southern slope and reach the top before the enemy could react.
The route that Keinitz traced went through a couple of kilometers of forest, across a couple of kilometers of open plains, and into a small village called Waldowko, which Keinitz called Waypoint 1.
"I'm sending a company from Major Nichelmann' Panzer Battalion in first, in case the enemy has something waiting for us at Waypoint 1. If not, he'll continue east for a few more kilometers, and then turn north, approaching Gross-Klonia from the southeast. Major Benicke's Recon Battalion goes next. They'll turn north at Waypoint 1 and approach the city from the southwest. You'll be with Major Matzky's Motorcycle Battalion. They will be going right up the center." As he talked, I watched his stubby finger move along the map, tracing imaginary routes.
"Question," I announced. "Remember, I just need to make sure that I have answers to all of the questions that I know headquarters is going to ask me. Why is the Panzer Battalion going straight into town, when it does best in the open, and the infantry charging across open field a good . . . it looks like . . . two kilometers away from the cover of the village."
He furled his brow and stared at me. "Because the Panzers have to travel further to get into position, and there is nothing but open field to the west and south of the town. Besides, by the time the Panzers advance, the infantry will be at the town with them."
He stabbed his finger at the town of Wilkowo, about two kilometers southwest of Gross-Klonia. "This is Waypoint 2. The 3rd Recon Battalion will take that first, maybe with the help of the left flank of Matzky's Battalion. Then it will move down this road to town, with Matzky's Battalion approaching the road from the south to outflank any stragglers. They are supposed to be on the Southwest edge of the city at the same time Nichelmann's Panzers approach the southeast corner. So, they'll enter the town together. Combined arms."
I shrugged acceptance of his explanation. It was not my job to question his command. I would report that I was told and let his superiors worry about his tactical skills.
"I think I have all I need to start off."
Colonel Keinitz shouted for an aide. When the young soldier entered the vehicle, the Colonel ordered that I be escorted to 1 Company/I Platoon for the 3rd Motorcycle Battalion.
The company was sitting on the south end of town. Its soldiers were awake, getting a good meal and preparing their equipment for the upcoming fight. This would be their first fight, and an unsettled nervousness kept the voices hushed and whispered. I was passed off to the company commander, who passed me off to a platoon leader, who introduced me to a squad sergeant, who finally passed me off to a Private Wolph. "This guy is important. Your job is to make sure that the enemy does not capture him alive," the squad sergeant told Wolph. He cast an evil glare at me before returning to his duties.
"He doesn't like you," Wolph said. He looked like a kid, and wore an innocent smile as he sat in the starlight assembling the gun he had just finished cleaning.
"He doesn't like the fact that he is down a man, since you'll be guarding me instead of fighting with the rest of your squad," I told him.
Wolph seemed suddenly surprised, and turned quickly in the direction of the Sergeant, as if seeking confirmation. The Sergeant was already lost in the darkness. He turned back to me. "Is that true?"
"All I need is a right to the front. Just do your job. I'll be right there somewhere." He looked even more confused.
"I'm not even here," I told him. He shrugged and turned back to his work, as if I had never existed.
In spite of the darkness -- we were not allowed to show any light -- I sought to write down some thoughts about the Colonel's plan while there was nothing going on. As a part of my training, I was taught to be alert, so the instant the tank motors started up I heard it, though the tanks were on the other side of town. Just a few minutes later, the squeaking of tank tracks joined the sound of engines. Nichelmann's Panzers were on the move.
The sound grew louder, and was soon joined by the rattle of motorcycle engines and the hum of trucks. Slowly, I migrated in the direction of the noise, and found a vantage point overlooking the road heading out of town.
Judging from the noise, I thought the tanks would come into view any moment. But the noise just got louder.
Then I saw the tanks, heading down the road. The first five tanks looked like monsters, but I knew that they were toys of the tank world. They were Panzerkampfwagen I, recognizable by the twin machine guns in their turret. These mobile machine guns could do very little against an enemy tank, but they could effectively intimidate a group of lightly armed infantry. They made good scouts. They were expendable.
They were followed by ten Panzerkampfwagen II, which held a 20mm cannon in place of one of the two machine guns. This vehicle could threaten even well armed infantry at range, and at least had a prayer if it ran up against an enemy tank.
However, the next four vehicles in line were the very vision that people had in mind when they heard the word 'Tank". They were three times larger than the first vehicles in the parade, and bore a huge 75mm gun that could blast its way through just about any vehicle. These were the masters of the battlefield.
They were followed by 9 armored cars, about as capable as the second set of tanks that passed. Then came a parade of motorcycles and trucks. The parade of vehicles went on and on as I watched.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Private Wolph approach in a hurry. He shouted, but I could not hear him above the noise of the vehicles. Still, I knew what he had said. "We're leaving."
I discovered that Wolph and I were not traveling as a pair. Another young soldier, Private Messer, was going to ride along with us. He climbed up onto the motorcycle behind Wolph, leaving the sidecar for me.
The air was filled with so much noise I thought I would go deaf. The enemy had to know that something was happening. Still, the morning was strangely peaceful. I had nothing to do but sit back and watch, and think. Our route took us down a narrow forested road, where I watched the trees go by. There was no wildlife. There was no people; just trees, grass, vehicles, and dust.
We passed through the village of Komierowo without slowing down. I am certain that there were people living here, but none of them showed their faces. Military police roamed the streets and stood guard over the passing convoy.
Then, we were in open field. Instinctively, I looked off toward the Northeast, in the direction of Gross-Klonia. But I could not see anything. A thick fog hid the plateau on which the city had been built. I was comforted knowing that it also hid us from anybody on the plateau. Still, I could not imagine us gaining surprise on the enemy.
After several minutes of driving, we entered Waldowko, or Waypoint 1. The left side of the road held dozens motorcycles, supply, and command vehicles. On the right, trucks were formed up into neat rows and columns. Further ahead, quartermasters organized supply trucks parked under heavy guard. We passed through an intersection where one well traveled road went north. We continued east.
A few minutes later, responding to a signal from the lead vehicle, the whole platoon of motorcycles turned off the side of the road. They parked their motorcycles in a neat line well away from the roadway and formed up around their platoon leaders. Since I was not fully attached to any platoon, I was free to wander the length of the assembly area.
In addition to three companies of motorcycle infantry, the unit had two special company. For artillery support, it had three mortar platoons, each of which operated two mortars. They were accompanied by two machine-gun platoons. Another company attached to the unit came with anti-tank guns, infantry guns, and engineers. These heavy guns gave the unit effective firepower whether they ran up against infantry or tanks.
The engineers, I noticed, were preparing for minefield duty. It seems that the road below was mined. The Panzer Battalion had discovered the mines before traveling in among them, and went cross-country to get around them. Still, headquarters wanted the minefield clear so that units and supplies could travel unhindered.
While the battalion formed up, two more companies of tanks came down the road. They sped past, then headed across the field to avoid the minefields to join their companions southeast of town. The sight of 40 tanks gave everybody’s spirit a boost.
After a quick assembly, the Battalion was given orders to move out. The five companies formed up with the infantry traveling in the first line, and the mortars and gun units following behind. Slowly, they moved across the bottom of the valley and up the slope on the far side. At the top of that slope stood a fortified city.
Then the war started.
As I marched north with the company, I heard the popping of guns off to my left. Seconds later, bursts of flame lit up the crest of the hill. I could only see the bursts from the shells, but I knew that those shells were blowing apart the town of Wilkowo, which the Colonel had called Waypoint 2. The 3rd Recon was starting its attack.
I listened. All I could hear was the sound of artillery. I could not hear any small-arms fire, or the stocatto of the armored cars. I picked up my pace, and found Private Wolph on the right flank of the line of soldiers climbing the hill. Wolph's innocent smile had vanished. He was constantly looking in the direction of Waypoint 2, from which artillery shells continued to rumble. Then he stared at his own feet and marched, silently, up the hill.
“It’s just target practice,” I told him. “Nobody is shooting back.”
The shelling stopped. For several long moments, while we continued our slow climb, there was silence.
The second phase of the battle began softly. There were a few snaps of rifle fire. Then came a machine gun, and more rifle fire. The armored cars added their heavy rapid-fire cannons to the symphony. Then, artillery on both sides offered percussion.
Just below the lip of the hill, we were given orders to stop. Leaders told their soldiers to take a rest.
I could not rest. I had been sent here to observe, and I could not see anything hiding on the side of a hill. Up ahead, I knew that a road leads from Waypoint 2 to the city, and that the 3rd Recon Battalion was engaged in a firefight along that road.
I took my binoculars, crept up to a good vantage point, and cautiously took a peek.
The road from Waypoint 2 to the city was not completely open field. Half way between the two locations stood a clutch of farm houses. The place had no name on any map, but there was no way 3rd Armored was going to get to town as long as the enemy held these buildings and commanded the road.
The war was starting to heat up in earnest.
At Waypoint 2, the 3rd Recon had lined up its forces. Infantry, engineers, and armored cars lined up to rain lead on the farm complex. They set up their guns to provide artillery support. Somewhere, the order must have gone out for the 3rd Motorcycle to offer supporting fire. Below me, mortars popped, and more shells landed in the farm complex.
Those who occupied the complex answered with rifle and machine gun fire, and at least a battery of larger anti-tank guns. Those guns were focused on our armored cars. I could not see very well at that distance, but none of the armored cars appeared damaged.
The enemy added their own big guns to the mix. I listened. The enemy had mortars, and at lest two batteries of something much larger hidden in that town. Huge explosions ripped apart buildings, sheds, and orchard trees at Waypoint 2, which I was now close enough to see, but just barely. The enemy guns came from the center of town. All that required was a good ear and the ability to count the seconds between a gun's firing and the explosion of the shell when it hit.
The enemy infantry sitting at the farm complex were dug. They had built a line of trenches across the road and reinforced it with gun platforms defending hiding Most of the shells that the 3rd Recon fired at the defenders were harmlessly absorbed by the defenses. Artillery shells scattered dirt and little more. At the same time, 3rd Recon hid behind trees and buildings, except for the armored cars sitting in the open field.
I was watching the enemy position when I noticed a group of enemy soldiers break out of the entrenchments and start running, straight towards me. At first, I could not believe it. I watched, stunned, as they came closer, moving at a running crouch for the ridgeline I hid behind.
When I gained my senses, I scampered down the hill, and shouted to the soldiers of the 2nd Company, where I had drifted to in my quest to observe the battle. "They're coming! They're coming!"
Maybe they wanted to use the slope as cover in order to outflank the 3rd Recon at Waypoint 2. Maybe they just wanted to get away from the bullets and shells. The only thing I knew is that they were on their way. 2nd Company was set up and ready by the time the enemy came over the top of the hill. They opened fire.
The enemy soldiers were determined to get down the hill. When they encountered 2nd Company, they tried to go around to the east. There, they encountered 1st Company. When they retreated from 1st Company they ran into Nichelmann's Panzers.
Another platoon from the farm complex tried the same maneuver, and met the same results.
With the loss of two platoons, and with the armored cars winning the duel against the defender's anti-tank emplacements, the defenders were weakening. The order came down the line for 3rd Motorcycle to assist 3rd Recon in taking the complex.
I think that the sight of two battalions charging towards them rattled the nerve of the last few defenders. They dropped their weapons and headed back to town. Unfortunately for them, a company of Panzers was watching the field between the farm complex and the town. Only a few stragglers survived the dash. One group of these, that was able to keep its head as it retreated, carried their heavy machine guns with them. They would make an unpleasant addition to the town's defenses.
We owned Waypoint 2. We owned the farm complex that came to be known as Waypoint 3. We were sitting a kilometer away from the city of Gross-Klonia. The Panzer Battalion was closer than that, sitting in the fields right on the edge of town.
The road that lead from Waypoint 3 into town was blocked by barbed wire and barricades. Behind those barricades sat a line of trenches. Yet, we were not receiving any type of defensive fire from those entrenchments. We trained artillery on it, just in case. All we saw was fountains of dust kicked up by the falling shells. We saw no signs of people.
The 3rd Motorcycle's engineers had been leant to the Panzer Battalion to clear the southeastern approaches to the city. The 3rd Recon leant their engineers to help clear the southwestern approaches. Cautiously, the 3rd Motorized crept closer to the city. A plan was made whereby the engineers would remove the barricade, then the infantry would charge in and take the trenches on the other side. If those trenches were unoccupied, like they seemed to be.
The engineers moved forward. They were sitting ducks to any enemy in the trenches, but they were not fired upon. They placed their charges and crept back. There was still no sign that the enemy had seen them. They set off the charges and the barricades came down. At that signal, 1 Company of the 3rd Motorized Battalion, and 1 Company of Mr. Nichelmann's Panzer Battalion moved forward to occupy the trenches and the fields southeast of them.
I was among the soldiers rushing forward.
We made it to the trenches and dove for cover, because we were met with enemy fire from just beyond the trenches. To the north, some sort of small enemy tank opened fire on us. To the northeast there were anti-tank guns and infantry, backed up by two platoons of infantry carefully protected within yet another line of trenches. We took out the anti-tank guns, then moved the larger Panzer IV up the road. They scared the enemy light tanks away.
On the Southeast side of town, the rest of Nichelmann's Panzer Battalion, backed up by engineers from the 3rd Motorized Battalion, moved on that side of the city. The engineers cleared another line of barricades and opened up yet another approach.
We were in the city.
Having succeeded there, 1st Company took a breather inside the defender's trenches. Above us, Panzer IV and Panzer II tanks stood guard.
"We've got to get out of here," Wolph said. During the assault, I had caught up with him again."
"Why is that?" I asked. I had my guesses, but I was interested in what he had to say.
"In about two minutes, once they get their guns set, they are going to be raining death on this place like you would not believe. We can't be here when that happens. We either need to be back there," he said, pointing toward Waypoint 3, "or over there." He ended by gesturing toward the enemy trenches across the street. Unfortunately, the enemy actually occupied those trenches and was not likely to simply give them up. Wolph added, "Personally, I think we've got the enemy shook up. I would rather go take those trenches before they get themselves organized."
I took a peek out of the trench. It was fine taking those trenches. However, somewhere back there, not very far away, two batteries of heavy guns were ready to deliver death on any who approach. Those guns were likely guarded. Finding them and eliminating them would be a very costly operation. Somewhere back there sat the miniature tanks we had fired on moments earlier, and machine gunners who had escaped from Waypoint 3. "Maybe it would be wise to retreat," I said. "We can draw them out, and then destroy them."
"We can give them time to reorganize, regroup, and reinforce," Wolph said. "That's not a good idea."
Apparently, Colonel Keinitz held the same opinion. We were given only a few more minutes to rest. Then we were moved into position to take the next line of trenches.
Taking those trenches meant charging across an open roadway against a fortified position. The war was going to get costly.
"Here is where we earn our pay," said Wolph.
I answered. "I want a raise."
[I will deliver Part 2 in a couple of days.]
Story 01 of The Polish Campaign
For Christmas, a friend of mine gave me some disks that had been sitting around his house for a while, unused. It was the Campaign Series from Talonsoft (may it rest in peace).
After spending a couple of weeks fiddling with it, I decided to sort the games chronologically, and to play the first game on the list. If any are interested, this is the story of that game . . . so far.
Scenario: First Blood
Played as: German
******************************************
The post of Battlefield Observer was created as an experiment. Some military leaders wanted to learn as much as possible about what worked and what did not work in fighting a modern war. For this purpose, they assigned certain individuals to observe the battle. These people would stand on the front lines of conflict, but they would carry no weapons. They would have no assignments that would distract them from watching and recording the events unfold around them.
This is the story of one of those observers.
Date: 2 September 1939
Objective: Capture the town of Gross-Klonia
Units Available:
5th/3 Panzer Regiement under Colonal Keinitz, consisting of:
1/5th Panzer Battalion
3/3rd Recon Battalion
3/3rd Motorcycle Battalion
BEGIN REPORT:
Before the battle started, I had an appointment to meet Colonel Keinitz to talk about his strategy. He got a cagey look in his eyes and stared at me, measuring his response.
"You'll be on the front lines," he said. "You could be captured."
"Colonel, you have received your orders regarding the Battleground Observer program. I cannot effectively observe your strategy in action if I do not know what it is."
"This is damned foolish," said Keinitz. Still, he rolled out his maps for me to see.
[See attached map].
Everybody expects that I am going to go straight up this city to Gross-Klonia. So, the stupidest thing for me to do is to march directly to the city. I want to hit them where they do not expect to get hit, and hopefully make it into the heart of the city before they have a chance to react."
With his finger, he traced a road that arched around to the south Gross-Klonia. "That's my route. We go around, into this valley, then up the hill and into the soft underbelly of the town."
Gross-Klonia sat on a plateau, and no matter now we approached it we would have to climb. Our best hope was to climb where we would not face any resistance. If Keinitz was right, the enemy would be guarding the western approaches to the city, the road we were expected to use. With luck, we could climb the southern slope and reach the top before the enemy could react.
The route that Keinitz traced went through a couple of kilometers of forest, across a couple of kilometers of open plains, and into a small village called Waldowko, which Keinitz called Waypoint 1.
"I'm sending a company from Major Nichelmann' Panzer Battalion in first, in case the enemy has something waiting for us at Waypoint 1. If not, he'll continue east for a few more kilometers, and then turn north, approaching Gross-Klonia from the southeast. Major Benicke's Recon Battalion goes next. They'll turn north at Waypoint 1 and approach the city from the southwest. You'll be with Major Matzky's Motorcycle Battalion. They will be going right up the center." As he talked, I watched his stubby finger move along the map, tracing imaginary routes.
"Question," I announced. "Remember, I just need to make sure that I have answers to all of the questions that I know headquarters is going to ask me. Why is the Panzer Battalion going straight into town, when it does best in the open, and the infantry charging across open field a good . . . it looks like . . . two kilometers away from the cover of the village."
He furled his brow and stared at me. "Because the Panzers have to travel further to get into position, and there is nothing but open field to the west and south of the town. Besides, by the time the Panzers advance, the infantry will be at the town with them."
He stabbed his finger at the town of Wilkowo, about two kilometers southwest of Gross-Klonia. "This is Waypoint 2. The 3rd Recon Battalion will take that first, maybe with the help of the left flank of Matzky's Battalion. Then it will move down this road to town, with Matzky's Battalion approaching the road from the south to outflank any stragglers. They are supposed to be on the Southwest edge of the city at the same time Nichelmann's Panzers approach the southeast corner. So, they'll enter the town together. Combined arms."
I shrugged acceptance of his explanation. It was not my job to question his command. I would report that I was told and let his superiors worry about his tactical skills.
"I think I have all I need to start off."
Colonel Keinitz shouted for an aide. When the young soldier entered the vehicle, the Colonel ordered that I be escorted to 1 Company/I Platoon for the 3rd Motorcycle Battalion.
The company was sitting on the south end of town. Its soldiers were awake, getting a good meal and preparing their equipment for the upcoming fight. This would be their first fight, and an unsettled nervousness kept the voices hushed and whispered. I was passed off to the company commander, who passed me off to a platoon leader, who introduced me to a squad sergeant, who finally passed me off to a Private Wolph. "This guy is important. Your job is to make sure that the enemy does not capture him alive," the squad sergeant told Wolph. He cast an evil glare at me before returning to his duties.
"He doesn't like you," Wolph said. He looked like a kid, and wore an innocent smile as he sat in the starlight assembling the gun he had just finished cleaning.
"He doesn't like the fact that he is down a man, since you'll be guarding me instead of fighting with the rest of your squad," I told him.
Wolph seemed suddenly surprised, and turned quickly in the direction of the Sergeant, as if seeking confirmation. The Sergeant was already lost in the darkness. He turned back to me. "Is that true?"
"All I need is a right to the front. Just do your job. I'll be right there somewhere." He looked even more confused.
"I'm not even here," I told him. He shrugged and turned back to his work, as if I had never existed.
In spite of the darkness -- we were not allowed to show any light -- I sought to write down some thoughts about the Colonel's plan while there was nothing going on. As a part of my training, I was taught to be alert, so the instant the tank motors started up I heard it, though the tanks were on the other side of town. Just a few minutes later, the squeaking of tank tracks joined the sound of engines. Nichelmann's Panzers were on the move.
The sound grew louder, and was soon joined by the rattle of motorcycle engines and the hum of trucks. Slowly, I migrated in the direction of the noise, and found a vantage point overlooking the road heading out of town.
Judging from the noise, I thought the tanks would come into view any moment. But the noise just got louder.
Then I saw the tanks, heading down the road. The first five tanks looked like monsters, but I knew that they were toys of the tank world. They were Panzerkampfwagen I, recognizable by the twin machine guns in their turret. These mobile machine guns could do very little against an enemy tank, but they could effectively intimidate a group of lightly armed infantry. They made good scouts. They were expendable.
They were followed by ten Panzerkampfwagen II, which held a 20mm cannon in place of one of the two machine guns. This vehicle could threaten even well armed infantry at range, and at least had a prayer if it ran up against an enemy tank.
However, the next four vehicles in line were the very vision that people had in mind when they heard the word 'Tank". They were three times larger than the first vehicles in the parade, and bore a huge 75mm gun that could blast its way through just about any vehicle. These were the masters of the battlefield.
They were followed by 9 armored cars, about as capable as the second set of tanks that passed. Then came a parade of motorcycles and trucks. The parade of vehicles went on and on as I watched.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Private Wolph approach in a hurry. He shouted, but I could not hear him above the noise of the vehicles. Still, I knew what he had said. "We're leaving."
I discovered that Wolph and I were not traveling as a pair. Another young soldier, Private Messer, was going to ride along with us. He climbed up onto the motorcycle behind Wolph, leaving the sidecar for me.
The air was filled with so much noise I thought I would go deaf. The enemy had to know that something was happening. Still, the morning was strangely peaceful. I had nothing to do but sit back and watch, and think. Our route took us down a narrow forested road, where I watched the trees go by. There was no wildlife. There was no people; just trees, grass, vehicles, and dust.
We passed through the village of Komierowo without slowing down. I am certain that there were people living here, but none of them showed their faces. Military police roamed the streets and stood guard over the passing convoy.
Then, we were in open field. Instinctively, I looked off toward the Northeast, in the direction of Gross-Klonia. But I could not see anything. A thick fog hid the plateau on which the city had been built. I was comforted knowing that it also hid us from anybody on the plateau. Still, I could not imagine us gaining surprise on the enemy.
After several minutes of driving, we entered Waldowko, or Waypoint 1. The left side of the road held dozens motorcycles, supply, and command vehicles. On the right, trucks were formed up into neat rows and columns. Further ahead, quartermasters organized supply trucks parked under heavy guard. We passed through an intersection where one well traveled road went north. We continued east.
A few minutes later, responding to a signal from the lead vehicle, the whole platoon of motorcycles turned off the side of the road. They parked their motorcycles in a neat line well away from the roadway and formed up around their platoon leaders. Since I was not fully attached to any platoon, I was free to wander the length of the assembly area.
In addition to three companies of motorcycle infantry, the unit had two special company. For artillery support, it had three mortar platoons, each of which operated two mortars. They were accompanied by two machine-gun platoons. Another company attached to the unit came with anti-tank guns, infantry guns, and engineers. These heavy guns gave the unit effective firepower whether they ran up against infantry or tanks.
The engineers, I noticed, were preparing for minefield duty. It seems that the road below was mined. The Panzer Battalion had discovered the mines before traveling in among them, and went cross-country to get around them. Still, headquarters wanted the minefield clear so that units and supplies could travel unhindered.
While the battalion formed up, two more companies of tanks came down the road. They sped past, then headed across the field to avoid the minefields to join their companions southeast of town. The sight of 40 tanks gave everybody’s spirit a boost.
After a quick assembly, the Battalion was given orders to move out. The five companies formed up with the infantry traveling in the first line, and the mortars and gun units following behind. Slowly, they moved across the bottom of the valley and up the slope on the far side. At the top of that slope stood a fortified city.
Then the war started.
As I marched north with the company, I heard the popping of guns off to my left. Seconds later, bursts of flame lit up the crest of the hill. I could only see the bursts from the shells, but I knew that those shells were blowing apart the town of Wilkowo, which the Colonel had called Waypoint 2. The 3rd Recon was starting its attack.
I listened. All I could hear was the sound of artillery. I could not hear any small-arms fire, or the stocatto of the armored cars. I picked up my pace, and found Private Wolph on the right flank of the line of soldiers climbing the hill. Wolph's innocent smile had vanished. He was constantly looking in the direction of Waypoint 2, from which artillery shells continued to rumble. Then he stared at his own feet and marched, silently, up the hill.
“It’s just target practice,” I told him. “Nobody is shooting back.”
The shelling stopped. For several long moments, while we continued our slow climb, there was silence.
The second phase of the battle began softly. There were a few snaps of rifle fire. Then came a machine gun, and more rifle fire. The armored cars added their heavy rapid-fire cannons to the symphony. Then, artillery on both sides offered percussion.
Just below the lip of the hill, we were given orders to stop. Leaders told their soldiers to take a rest.
I could not rest. I had been sent here to observe, and I could not see anything hiding on the side of a hill. Up ahead, I knew that a road leads from Waypoint 2 to the city, and that the 3rd Recon Battalion was engaged in a firefight along that road.
I took my binoculars, crept up to a good vantage point, and cautiously took a peek.
The road from Waypoint 2 to the city was not completely open field. Half way between the two locations stood a clutch of farm houses. The place had no name on any map, but there was no way 3rd Armored was going to get to town as long as the enemy held these buildings and commanded the road.
The war was starting to heat up in earnest.
At Waypoint 2, the 3rd Recon had lined up its forces. Infantry, engineers, and armored cars lined up to rain lead on the farm complex. They set up their guns to provide artillery support. Somewhere, the order must have gone out for the 3rd Motorcycle to offer supporting fire. Below me, mortars popped, and more shells landed in the farm complex.
Those who occupied the complex answered with rifle and machine gun fire, and at least a battery of larger anti-tank guns. Those guns were focused on our armored cars. I could not see very well at that distance, but none of the armored cars appeared damaged.
The enemy added their own big guns to the mix. I listened. The enemy had mortars, and at lest two batteries of something much larger hidden in that town. Huge explosions ripped apart buildings, sheds, and orchard trees at Waypoint 2, which I was now close enough to see, but just barely. The enemy guns came from the center of town. All that required was a good ear and the ability to count the seconds between a gun's firing and the explosion of the shell when it hit.
The enemy infantry sitting at the farm complex were dug. They had built a line of trenches across the road and reinforced it with gun platforms defending hiding Most of the shells that the 3rd Recon fired at the defenders were harmlessly absorbed by the defenses. Artillery shells scattered dirt and little more. At the same time, 3rd Recon hid behind trees and buildings, except for the armored cars sitting in the open field.
I was watching the enemy position when I noticed a group of enemy soldiers break out of the entrenchments and start running, straight towards me. At first, I could not believe it. I watched, stunned, as they came closer, moving at a running crouch for the ridgeline I hid behind.
When I gained my senses, I scampered down the hill, and shouted to the soldiers of the 2nd Company, where I had drifted to in my quest to observe the battle. "They're coming! They're coming!"
Maybe they wanted to use the slope as cover in order to outflank the 3rd Recon at Waypoint 2. Maybe they just wanted to get away from the bullets and shells. The only thing I knew is that they were on their way. 2nd Company was set up and ready by the time the enemy came over the top of the hill. They opened fire.
The enemy soldiers were determined to get down the hill. When they encountered 2nd Company, they tried to go around to the east. There, they encountered 1st Company. When they retreated from 1st Company they ran into Nichelmann's Panzers.
Another platoon from the farm complex tried the same maneuver, and met the same results.
With the loss of two platoons, and with the armored cars winning the duel against the defender's anti-tank emplacements, the defenders were weakening. The order came down the line for 3rd Motorcycle to assist 3rd Recon in taking the complex.
I think that the sight of two battalions charging towards them rattled the nerve of the last few defenders. They dropped their weapons and headed back to town. Unfortunately for them, a company of Panzers was watching the field between the farm complex and the town. Only a few stragglers survived the dash. One group of these, that was able to keep its head as it retreated, carried their heavy machine guns with them. They would make an unpleasant addition to the town's defenses.
We owned Waypoint 2. We owned the farm complex that came to be known as Waypoint 3. We were sitting a kilometer away from the city of Gross-Klonia. The Panzer Battalion was closer than that, sitting in the fields right on the edge of town.
The road that lead from Waypoint 3 into town was blocked by barbed wire and barricades. Behind those barricades sat a line of trenches. Yet, we were not receiving any type of defensive fire from those entrenchments. We trained artillery on it, just in case. All we saw was fountains of dust kicked up by the falling shells. We saw no signs of people.
The 3rd Motorcycle's engineers had been leant to the Panzer Battalion to clear the southeastern approaches to the city. The 3rd Recon leant their engineers to help clear the southwestern approaches. Cautiously, the 3rd Motorized crept closer to the city. A plan was made whereby the engineers would remove the barricade, then the infantry would charge in and take the trenches on the other side. If those trenches were unoccupied, like they seemed to be.
The engineers moved forward. They were sitting ducks to any enemy in the trenches, but they were not fired upon. They placed their charges and crept back. There was still no sign that the enemy had seen them. They set off the charges and the barricades came down. At that signal, 1 Company of the 3rd Motorized Battalion, and 1 Company of Mr. Nichelmann's Panzer Battalion moved forward to occupy the trenches and the fields southeast of them.
I was among the soldiers rushing forward.
We made it to the trenches and dove for cover, because we were met with enemy fire from just beyond the trenches. To the north, some sort of small enemy tank opened fire on us. To the northeast there were anti-tank guns and infantry, backed up by two platoons of infantry carefully protected within yet another line of trenches. We took out the anti-tank guns, then moved the larger Panzer IV up the road. They scared the enemy light tanks away.
On the Southeast side of town, the rest of Nichelmann's Panzer Battalion, backed up by engineers from the 3rd Motorized Battalion, moved on that side of the city. The engineers cleared another line of barricades and opened up yet another approach.
We were in the city.
Having succeeded there, 1st Company took a breather inside the defender's trenches. Above us, Panzer IV and Panzer II tanks stood guard.
"We've got to get out of here," Wolph said. During the assault, I had caught up with him again."
"Why is that?" I asked. I had my guesses, but I was interested in what he had to say.
"In about two minutes, once they get their guns set, they are going to be raining death on this place like you would not believe. We can't be here when that happens. We either need to be back there," he said, pointing toward Waypoint 3, "or over there." He ended by gesturing toward the enemy trenches across the street. Unfortunately, the enemy actually occupied those trenches and was not likely to simply give them up. Wolph added, "Personally, I think we've got the enemy shook up. I would rather go take those trenches before they get themselves organized."
I took a peek out of the trench. It was fine taking those trenches. However, somewhere back there, not very far away, two batteries of heavy guns were ready to deliver death on any who approach. Those guns were likely guarded. Finding them and eliminating them would be a very costly operation. Somewhere back there sat the miniature tanks we had fired on moments earlier, and machine gunners who had escaped from Waypoint 3. "Maybe it would be wise to retreat," I said. "We can draw them out, and then destroy them."
"We can give them time to reorganize, regroup, and reinforce," Wolph said. "That's not a good idea."
Apparently, Colonel Keinitz held the same opinion. We were given only a few more minutes to rest. Then we were moved into position to take the next line of trenches.
Taking those trenches meant charging across an open roadway against a fortified position. The war was going to get costly.
"Here is where we earn our pay," said Wolph.
I answered. "I want a raise."
[I will deliver Part 2 in a couple of days.]
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