The Adventures of Kampfgruppe Klink

[bigjackmac]

All,

It's finally begun!  My long awaited (by me, at least  ) campaign has started, so a quick couple admin notes:
1) As I did with my "In Country" campaign, I'll list all these in one thread, so please check back here for future battle reports.
2) I intend on fighting out this campaign through all of WWII; my early war infantry are all Minifigs, but I'm going to place all these here under batreps (vice "Non-Pendraken") as there is Pendraken 'stuff' in every single battle (this one has trucks for both Poles and Germans, the German and Polish field guns, and the Polish MG), and the amount of Pendraken 'stuff' will increase as the 'war' goes on (to the point most campaigns after France will be almost 100% Pendraken kit).

It's 0500, 1 Sept 1939, and the war has just begun as the German 10th Army is crossing the frontier.  Kampfgruppe Klink is assigned to the operational control of the 4th Panzer Division, and is in the vanguard of the invasion.  Col Klink's plan for his sector of the line is to use his infantry to open the hole, then have his motorized reconnaissance and panzers pour through in the direction of Mokra.


The Germans have three rifle sections and an MG at top left, opposite four enemy rifle squads; in the center, the Germans have their CO, mortar, field gun, an MG, and a single rifle section at center, opposite the Polish field gun (center) and MG (far right).  At bottom left, the Germans have four rifle sections, while the Poles have nothing directly opposite, but can cover all avenues of approach in the south via fire.


It would not be a game of mine without close combat; here the CO, Lt Freitag, and Sgt Haas lead their men into close combat to dig the Poles out of a bunker, with their CO in support.

Here are my notes, to give you some flavor:
-2nd Lt Nessler, commander of 1st Platoon, executed for cowardice (if this upsets you, please understand that it's just a joke and that these 'men' are made of lead).
-Sgt Landauer (1st Sqd/1st Plt), Cpl Hackl (4th Sqd/1st Plt), and Cpl Steinkamp (MG, Wpns Plt) reprimanded and reduced in rank for cowardice.
-Cpl Obst wounded in action, received Wound Badge, will return after Polish campaign.
-Officer Cadet Hinkle transferred from KG HQ to assume command of 1st Grenadier Platoon.
-1st Lt Freitag and Sgt Haas recommended for Iron Cross 2nd Class for leading their men through heavy enemy artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire into close combat to destroy the enemy's central, fortified positions, which opened the way for the armored thrust on 1 Sept 1939.
-Lost ~20 KIA/WIA.  3rd Squad, 2nd Gren Plt eliminated until replacements received.
-Caused ~30 KIA/WIA, captured ~20 EPW, 1 field gun and 1 medium mortar.

For the whole batrep, please visit the blog at:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2014/12/kg-klink-poland-game-1.html

Well, it was a hell of a fight and was iffy right up to the end.  I've played a boatload of games already, just need to take an 'operational pause' to get them written up.  But I'd rather keep playing.  Next fight is the early recon efforts on the north side of Mokra; spoiler alert: the KG did better than its real-life counterparts, but the fights following it get pretty damned ugly...  Stay tuned, more to come.

V/R,
Jack

[Steve J]

Great idea to game the whole of the war Jack. Nice looking table and will follow this with interest .

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Another great scrap Jack.
Be interested to see how this all develops.

[petercooman]

 

Keep them coming!!

[toxicpixie]

Hehehe, I always like to see the übermensch fleeing

Good luck to the Poles

[ronan]

good AAR Jack !
thanks for sharing !

[bigjackmac]

Gentlemen,

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words.  I've now played seven games, with the table set up for number eight!

Toxic - I know what you mean, it's always good to see the Ubers running.  I'm certainly used to kicking their butts, but now I'm in a bit of a weird situation in that I don't want them to run   And I hope that everyone realizes this is just a game to take me on a 'tour' of WWII; I have no desire for anything politic/morality-related.

Ronan - Sorry, I've been playing so much lately that I haven't been reading the forum.  I just saw your latest batrep, great stuff as always, and you definitely have to crush some 'bad' dice every now and again to keep the others in line   And I totally understand about losing a solo game, I've done it a couple times here lately...

Stay tuned guys, hopefully I'll get another written up today.

V/R,
Jack

[bigjackmac]

All,

Yes, this is what I did on New Year's Eve after the kids went to bed...

It's 0630, 1 Sept 1930.  Following the way being opened by the infantry, the Kampfgruppe's reconnaissance elements rushed through the hole, followed by the Panzers, with motorized infantry elements mixed in as they were able to get on the road or catch up following mop-up duties.  Attached to 4th Panzer Division, the Kampfgruppe has been told to dash for Warsaw and forgo all else, that everything to their right will be handled by the Slovaks, and everything to their left will be handled by Guderian's panzertroops swooping down from the north.  This is a great concept, but immediately goes out the window when the recce element is ambushed by the Polish 19th Uhlan Regiment, dug-in on the northwest side of a small town (actually a string of three villages all) called Mokra.


The Poles have their CO, three 37mm anti-tank guns (ATGs), two .30-cal MGs, an 82mm mortar, and five rifle squads.
The German force, with their CO (the Reconnaissance Company commander, 1st Lt Unger), 2nd Lt Wehner's Armored Reconnaissance Platoon )1 Sdkfz 231 and two 221s), two Panzer Mk IIIs of 3rd Panzer Plt (Lt Gerhart and Sgt Friessler's vehicles happened to be near the head of the column when the fight broke out), the bulk of 1st Motorcycle Plt (4th Squad had fallen out with mechanical problems), and then some cats and dogs from the infantry (2nd Grenadier Platoon's Lt Klugmann and his 1st and 2nd Squads, led by Sgt Aust and Sgt Hasselbach; Klugmann was very angry about missing the fight at the frontier, and so he grabbed his 1st and 2nd Squads, who had fought at the frontier, and hopped in the first transport available, determined to be at the forefront of the action.  Once again his 4th Squad was left behind, presumably still guarding the left flank).


The Polish line, with both MGs in the trench at top, the mortar in the trench at bottom, flanked by infantry, and with the three ATGs in the bunkers.
The German order of march: the Armored Reconnaissance Platoon interspersed with 1st Motorcycle Platoon, followed by the Recon Co CO, followed by Lt Gerhart's panzers, with Lt Klugmann's 2nd Platoon having just dismounted on the right.

The fight was a nailbiter, literally the balance hung by a thread, saved only by the miraculous.  Please check the blog, it's crazy:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2014/12/kg-klink-poland-game-2.html

Notes:
-REDACTED so as not to give up the game
-3rd Panzer Platoon's Sgt Friessler wounded in action, received Wound Badge, will return after Polish campaign.
-Lost ~20 KIA/WIA and 1 Panzer Mk III destroyed.  1 Sdkfz 221 was damaged, but recovered and put back into action.
-Caused ~45 KIA/WIA, captured ~35 EPW and 2 anti-tank guns.

So, the mission was accomplished, albeit by the skin of my teeth.  Truth be told, this was better than the Germans did in real life, being beaten severely in real life.  In any case, in the overall scheme of things, the KG and 4th Panzer Division pulled back to allow air and artillery to pound Mokra, and immediately preparing to launch a mechanized attack.

The fights have been very exciting, but too close for my taste   For all those out there that like to see the Germans get their butts kicked, stay tuned, there's a few of those to be written up.

V/R,
Jack

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Good report Jack.

[toxicpixie]

Cracking stuff! Whatever would have happened without Krugman?!

On the earlier post, I play Ww2 quite happily without overly worrying about the political aspect as I suspect most of us do. Just nice to see games where it's an uphill struggle for the eventual losers as opposed to "how did they lose?!" Which often seems overly common...

[ronan]

(...)Ronan - Sorry, I've been playing so much lately (...)

no need to excuse yourself 

We know it's not about politics, only history. But you may be right to state it sometimes for newcomers and visitors ( I remember how RPG were seen some years ago..)

and.. Happy New Year !

[bigjackmac]

Thanks fellas. 

And I think you're right about 'us' not worrying about politics, but it's good to put it out there every now and again, just to make sure we're all on the same page.

Regarding the 'uphill struggle for the eventual losers,' I agree, but think part of that is because so much is made of the speed of the victories in Poland, the Low Countries, and France, that a lot of folks don't understand some particularly ferocious fighting took place, just the vanquished had circles run around them at the operational level. 

On the gaming side, I'm getting my butt kicked plenty (should have one finished and ready to post this evening), so I wouldn't worry about worrying how the Germans lost, looks like I'll be demonstrating it!

V/R,
Jack

[bigjackmac]

All,

It's 0800, 1 Sept 1939, and the recce element, in a bloody fight, has secured the northern end of the line at Mokra.  However, other elements of the 4th Panzer Division had a rougher time, and so the formation halted and regrouped while air and artillery pounded the town.  Colonel Klink attended the hasty Divisional orders group, where he was told the attack on Mokra would begin at 0800.  Klink returned to his men and issued his orders: the attack would go in at 0800 on the heels of the arty barrage, led by Klink himself, with 1st Panzer Plt and 3rd Gren Plt (minus its 4th Squad, but with 2 squads of 1st Gren Plt attached) in the first wave.  The attack by KG Klink would launch from the positions it captured earlier that morning, and would hit the northern flank of the Polish 21st Uhlan Regiment, supporting 4th Panzer Division's main attack which was going straight up the middle (to the south of KG Klink).


Once again, the opposing forces, guns against tanks.  The Poles have a CO, a .30 cal. MG, an 82mm mortar, four 37mm ATGs, and six rifle squads, and will be dug in.  KG Klink will field its CO (LtCol Klink; yes, LtCol, though you'll often see me simply refer to him as 'Col Klink'), 1st Lt Bohm's Pz Mk III (the Panzer Company Commander), 1st Panzer Plt (led by 2nd Lt Loeb, with three Pz Mk IIIs and two Pz Mk IIs), 3rd Grenadier Plt (led by 2nd Lt Tausch, with three of his own squads and two from 1st Gren Plt, one of which is 2nd Squad led by Sgt Haas, holder of the Iron Cross 2nd Class).


Overview, north is up, Germans on left, Poles on right, situation as of the lifting of the arty barrage.  The Polish line, with ATGs on hill at top right, a trench of two rifles and an MG on their northern flank, and a four-squad rifle platoon on the southern flank in the town.  The German set up, with 3rd Gren Plt and Col Klink in south, and 1st Panzer Plt in the north, with the two 1st Gren Plt squads in trucks.  The Panzer Co commander, Lt Bohm, is also there.  Let's get it on!

Check out the report on the blog:
http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2015/01/kg-klink-poland-game-3.html

Sometimes you grab the bull by the horns, sometimes you get gored.  You may be laughing at my rudimentary tactics, but I'm sticking with history, and the Germans lined up their panzers and charged the enemy gun line, and, just like real life, they got shot to pieces.  I don't feel too bad, it was going to be a tough fight either way, and I never felt out of the fight until the very end when the Polish rifle squad charged and put my two panzers on the hill out of the fight, at which point it was clear which way the wind was blowing.  The rules have an activation system that truly add drama to the game; for me they are the perfect balance of adding fog/friction, without making you feel helpless; you don't know what your options will be until you make the command roll, but you're constantly making decisions, which is what I want from a game.

More to come (another butt-whooping, incidentally).

V/R,
Jack

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Good report Jack.
Germans have basically run into an elite Polish unit (dismounted Uhlans), they are going to struggle, but that amount of armour lost is going to hurt!
Lucky your not using the Flames of War Polish Early War rules, where Poles get a 'returning' unit in the flank or rear, a unit of mounted Uhlans would be fatal for all those routers!

[toxicpixie]

Ouch. Mind, taking 30% losses as soon as the arty prep lifted should have been. Clue it was goin to hurt