Battle Report: Mokra

POLISH DEPLOYMENT

1^st & 2^nd Squadron dug in and filled the crescent shaped woodlands east of Mokra.  Shown here, 1^st Squadron (with the option to call forward their cavalry mounts) is deployed in the far end.  Anti-Tank rifles were positioned at each end of the squadron’s defensive zone.

The HMG Company dug in just in front of the elevated railroad line.  The second line of defense (in the distance) consists of the armored cars & anti-tank guns dug in at the road & company headquarters situated in the railroad depot (building with the red door).  The dismounted Cyclist Company took up positions in the woods between the road and railroad tracks (back right).

GERMAN PLAN OF ATTACK

Speed was of the essence for the German attack: all approaches to the Polish defenses had to be pressed and developed as quickly as possible in order to recognize where the breakthrough would take place and exploit it.  With this in mind, Company A light Panzers, were sent along the right flank & given orders to circle around and envelope anticipated defenders in the woods.

Company B & the Schutzen Platoon were sent up the middle as the force that would pin down the Polish defenders and hold them in place while the others attempted to by-pass on the flanks.

Company C, with the Panzer IV’s, was the only one capable of taking on the armoured train.  Therefore, they were to move up on the left, but break through the woods at the base of the hill, as the Germans anticipated the hill would be fortified.  The motorcycle recon platoon would lead the advance. Once through the wood line, each platoon had an assigned route to get across the rail line and take the objective by Turn 9 (1300 hrs).  The Air Support would be held until later in the battle in anticipation of using the Stuka’s to eliminate the train.

PRELIMINARY BOMBARDMENT

In a Preliminary Bombardment, every unit & structure on the table gets hit by the barrage.  Roll the result of a 105mm hit against each target.  Because of Luftwaffe air superiority, 1-in-6 of the targets will be hit by bombs, rather than artillery. After rolling a bucket of dice (one for each unit & empty house), 6 were subject to attack from the Stuka. The divebombers took out one of the anti-tank guns on the road and 1 HMG.  The artillery barrage contributed with an ATR & a pair of rifle stands from 2^nd Squadron and 1 stand from 1^st Squadron.  Most importantly, the 1^st Squadron was pinned as the Germans advanced on Turn 1.

0500 hours - Turn 1

The Germans advanced as planned, with the Poles watching and waiting for better fields of fire.  The motorcycles were allowed to get out ahead of the Panzer IV’s on the left, while Company B Light Panzers advanced on the wood line with the Schutzen Platoon following in their trucks.

Polish 2nd Squadron watching the German recon company cross the fields in an attempt to by-pass their fortified position.

At 0620 Company B light Panzers assaulted the gap between 1^st & 2^nd Squadrons in the woods.  One of the Panzer II’s immediately got hung up in the gully while the rest collided with squads from each platoon.  After losing 3 squads, the Polish 2^nd withdrew from the melee.  Rather than fall back on the town to form a second line, the Platoon commander could not maintain order and the defenders routed from the battlefield. Despite not damaging any of the panzers, the stubborn resistance of 1^st Squadron forced the panzers to break off the assault and withdraw from the wood line to regroup. 

Company B Panzers assaulting the Polish defenders dug into the woods west of Mokra.

0640 hrs. Thus far the Polish had been unable to bring their valuable Anti-tank Rifles to bear.  The 2 in 2^nd Squadron had been lost in the preliminary bombardment and from the assault.  In addition, the assault resulted in the loss of one rifle from 1^st Squadron.  The second rifle, however, remained out on the left edge of the Polish lines and carefully tracked the advance of Company A.  When the time was right, the platoon let off a volley and were able to brew up one of the Panzer II’s attempting to turn their flank.

0700 hrs – Turn 3

The absence of 2^nd Squadron in the woods becomes a vulnerability the Germans were looking to exploit.  On the German left, the recon motorcycles were ordered into the woods as the Panzer IV’s of Company C moved up in support.

 In the Center, the infantry of the Schutzen platoon dismounted their trucks and formed up to assault the Polish defenses.  The tanks of Company B topped off their ammunition in anticipation of exploiting the breakthrough once the assault was under way.

On the German right, the lead tanks of Company A were turning the flank and circling around behind the woods as the trailing tanks pelted the defenders.

 Panzer II’s of Company A return fire on the wood line from whence the anti-tank fire came.

0800 hrs – Turn 4

As the motorcycle recon units broke through the woods on the right side of the Polish line, they encountered the 3 armoured cars dug in and firing their machineguns at the hapless Germans who foundered in the woods waiting for the medium tanks to come up and support them.

At 0810 the first air strike reached the battlefield in the form of a single Stuka dive bomber. The train was nowhere to be seen, so it attacked the most visible target: the machineguns entrenched along the rail line.  Two more guns were destroyed in the strike, but the remaining HMG & command kept their position.

At 0820 the assault on the Polish 1^st Squadron jumped off and the forces clashed in the tree line.  At first the Germans appeared to be pushing their way in, but as additional Polish defenders joined the fray, the Schutzen Company was repulsed. Not without losses, however.  The Schutzen Company sustained enough casualties that they fell back behind the panzers and disengaged from the battle.  However, before the Panzers could launch another assault on the Polish lines, 1^st Squadron recognized their position was precarious and also withdrew.  The front line of defense had been eliminated.

The Schutzen Platoon, supported by Company B Light Panzers assault Polish positions in the tree line; a bloody affair that would result in both infantry units departing the battlefield.

0840 hours:  The armoured train Smialy rumbles onto the battlefield over-looking the town and immediately zeroes in on the Panzers of A Company that have come around the Polish positions in the forest.  A Panzer I is quickly destroyed by a shot from the 75mm turret.

0900 hours – Turn 5

Company A scurries to get away from the big guns on the armoured train and places the buildings of the town between them and the train.  They skirt between the forest and the village in an attempt to link up with Company C (Medium tanks) before crossing the road. The Medium tanks break through the woods and fire an unsuccessful volley at the armoured cars impeding their advance. With the enemy getting too close for comfort, the Polish Commander-in-Chief moved out of the train depot and began withdrawing to the woods across the tracks to command the final stand against a potential armored breakthrough.

“Where is the Luftwaffe?” Cried the tank commander of Company C as the armoured train rumbled closer to their position and fired a salvo directly into their tanks.  Two of the three Panzer IV’s were blown to pieces.

View from the Armoured Train shows a clear field of fire as the guns open up on the German Panzers in the wood line.  The dug in armoured cars continued to keep the motorcycle company at bay. 

(Yes, those are Russian BA-20's standing in for Polish Wz34's).

At 0930 hours, the Polish artillery arrived and set up on the Polish left alongside the shattered machinegun company. With the Panzer IV’s burning and the arrival of Polish reinforcements, the German situation was looking precarious.

1000 hours – Turn 6

The remaining Panzer IV passed his morale check and remained in the fight; directing his fire on the biggest threat- the armoured train, while the Panzer II’s of B Company moved over to put some pressure on the armored cars.  Although they couldn’t harm the tanks, the armored cars were impeding the advance of the motorcycle unit which, at the moment, had the best chance of getting across the tracks by 1300 hours and securing the victory. To accomplish that mission, the German motorcyclists accepted an Order change from the German Commander-in-Chief to attempt to cross the road immediately as time was running out to take the Objective.  Due to the dense forest, they abandoned their cycles and headed out on foot. The Panzer II’s, along with the first German artillery strike of the battle, managed to suppress a couple of the armored cars, but they held firm.  The 60mm mortar team from the recon unit was able to knock out the remaining anti-tank gun, which diminished the threat on the remaining panzers. The lone Panzer IV turned its attention to the armoured train (which made a pretty big target up on the elevated rail bed) and destroyed the gun carriage that was doing all the damage.

At 1020 hours, despite the threat of the train being neutralized, the Luftwaffe made another appearance with 3 Stuka divebombers attacking the train. The locomotive and the rest of the train were destroyed in addition to the Polish Command who were too close to the target when the bombs fell.  The Second in Command, holding out in the shed by the Depot, was now in charge.

1030 hours:  With the loss of the train and remaining anti-tank gun, the only effective anti-tank defenses left in the force were the newly arrived field guns.  The armored cars rallied from suppression and began firing on the German recon infantry once again, but the artillery was unable to range in on the tanks of Company A lurking around the fences of the village.

At 1040 hours, when the leading elements of the German Recon patrol reached the road, they came under fire from the dismounted Kawalerii Cyclist Company, who’d dug into the woods just below the railroad tracks.  The two leading squads of the German Recon were cut down and the rest of the German unit withdrew in panic.  The Kawalerii Cycles had just now come into combat and their presence was already making a huge impact on the battle. 

1100 hours – Turn 7

With the loss of the Recon unit, the German Commander-in-Chief had to size up his options.  Company C was down to 1 tank and couldn’t take the Objective.  Company A was almost out of fuel and couldn’t cover the distance.  This left just Company B with its 3 Panzer II's to attempt a breakthrough.  A Change Orders was issued to send them across the tracks immediately.

In support of the new attack, the Panzer IV changed targets and began firing on the persistent armored cars; knocking out 2 of them.  The tanks from Company B put enough firepower on the last armored car to destroy it as they were passing through their fortifications.

Company B attempting another breakthrough.

Without enough fuel to go for the objective, Company A turned its attention to the two 75mm Field Guns the Poles had brought forward and quickly neutralized them.  It appeared there were no more obstacles to prevent the tanks from breaking through.

Panzer IV D: the badass of the German army.  This one surviving medium tank chalked up 2 armored cars, the gun carriage on the armored train and one of the Polish Field Guns during the course of the battle.

1140 hours:  As the only unit left in the way of the oncoming German tanks, the Kawalerii Cycle Company took stock of what they had left to fight with.  The Anti-Tank rifle made good in suppressing one of the closest tanks.  The rest of the company, including the heavy machinegun, pelted a second tank with small arms fire.  This was enough to suppress the second tank.

Luck was with them, but would it hold?

1200 hours – Turn 8

The two suppressed panzers from B Company both failed their attempt to rally from suppression.  This prevented the company from advancing any closer to the rail line and their objective. 

The failure in morale was decisive, as there was no way for the Germans to reach the objective by the next turn.  It was a Polish Victory!

AFTERMATH

The 19^th & 21^st Uhlan Regiments, part of the Volhynian Cavalry Brigade, were able to hold up the German advance for the day.  However, they were forced to withdraw the following day when the Germans pushed back the Polish 7^th Division just south of Mokra.  With it's position untenable, the victorious Cavalry Brigade withdrew; ceding the field to the Germans.  Both sides knew that the Germans had ample resources to eventually overwhelm the Polish defenders.  However, the Poles believed that if they could delay the Germans long enough, the French and British would come to the rescue by opening up an offensive on the Western Front (an offensive that never materialized).  Therefore, the success of this delaying action was deemed a victory by the Poles and it motivated their soldiers to further extract a heavy price from the Germans.

Battle reenacted August 30 – September 3, 2014.