SQLA
Scenario WG305
"THE
MaWawa DEFENSE LINE"
©2007
A Squad Leader Academy
Scenario; Scenario Design by
Bill Sosnicki; Updated 070201;
PLAYTEST
STATUS: This
scenario is currently in playtest (Beta Release).
Please contact Squad Leader Academy to join this effort.
September
1, 1939, north of the town of Mawawa in northern Poland: After the Treaty of
Versailles, the area of former Royal Prussia was left to Germany as the province
of East Prussia.
Thus the new German-Polish border was now located only some 120 km north
of Warsaw, the Polish capital city.
The Polish Modlin Army was the main defensive force guarding Poland’s
borders in the north.
It was dislocated along the border with East Prussia and was to stop the
enemy forces advancing towards Warsaw, Nidzica and the Modlin Fortress. Shortly
before the war, a decision was made to strengthen the Polish defenses by
construction of a line of field fortifications and concrete bunkers to the north
of the small town of Mawawa,
(or Mława)
(pronounced ‘Mah-wah-wah’) in the centre of the army's positions, and adding
the Modlin Army with support from the 20th Infantry Division to cover the
flanks.
The fortifications consisted of a line of trenches and extremely heavy
concrete bunkers with mounted copulas, shielded by anti-tank trenches and
obstacles, along a low glacial hill overlooking the valley of the Mawawka River,
to the north of the town.
The beginning of World War II in the northern sector started at noon when
the 1st Army Corps under German General Walter Petzel attacked this formidable
defensive line...
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
To win the Germans must
capture and control all 3 bunkers and third level hill hexes by games end.
The Poles win by avoiding the German victory conditions.
BOARD
CONFIGURATION:
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TURN
RECORD CHART:
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Poles sets up first
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1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
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7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11
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END
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German moves first
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POLISH FORCES:
- At Start: Elements
of the Modlin Army Mawawa Fortification Defenses – Bunkers must be
placed on any hill hex on board 2.
Three crews and 1 each of a HMG, MMG, and ATG37L must be placed
within each bunker.
Remaining units, support weapon’s, and fortifications may set up on
board 2 and/or board 4 with a grid coordinate of 7 or higher:
1x9-2; 1x8-1; 1x8-0;
10x4-5-7; 9x2-2-7; 3xHMG; 3xMMG; 6xLMG; 6xATR; 3xATG37L;
3x3+5+7Bunkers; 16xTrenches; 16xWire; 3xRoadblocks;
GERMAN
FORCES:
- AT START: Elements
of the 1st Army Corps –
enter
anywhere along southern edge of board 3.
Vehicles entering in same hex must use sequential movement:
1x9-2; 2x9-1; 2x8-1;
2x8-0; 1x9-1AL; 1x8-1AL; 30x4-6-7; 2xHMG;
4xMMG; 8xLMG; 3xMTR50mm; 3xDC; 3xFT;
2xPzKwIB; 2xPzKwIID; 2xPSW222; 2xPSW231; 2xPzKw35(t);
2xPzKw38(t); 2xPzKwIVC; 1xsIG-IB; 6xSdKfz7t;
3xLtTrk; 3xHvyTrk;
SPECIAL SCENARIO RULES:
-
SSR
WG302.1: TERRAIN:
Despite the date,
wheatfields do not exist on any board. On board 3 treat all Level 2 and 3 Hills, Cliff outlines,
Marsh and Wheatfields as Woods and all Level 1 Hills as Level 0 open ground
hexes. Woods do not exist on
any hill hex on board 3. For
this scenario players may download a customized Board 2 and 3 (Boards 2x and
3z) which can be used with VSQL from the SQLA website.
-
SSR
WG302.3: Poles
may Boresight.
-
-
-
SSR
WG302.4: Fortified
BUNKERS:
Fortified
Bunkers have two 3-Hex MG-CA’s. The
Bunker arrow must point to a hexside (see example) to determine both
3-Hex MG
CA’s.
Beginning with the first Hex the arrow points to each MG-CA extends 3
hexsides to the left and right from the hex the arrow points to.
Within each MG-CA is mounted a HMG and a MMG of which neither can be
moved. The Polish player must
note which MG is which before play begins.
The appropriate bunker defense DRM applies to both MG’s depending
from which angle attacks are made against the Bunker.
The 37L ATG
actually represents a turret-mounted 37L Gun enclosed within a steel copula
atop the bunker. These copulas
have a 360-degree CA, a +3 DRM on the To Kill table, and receive a +2 To Hit
drm because of the their small size. A
HE or AP To Hit attempt vs. a Bunker must result in a turret
hit [130] (colored die higher than the white die) in order to have
any effect against the copula directly.
If a HE attempt still results in a hit after adding the TH drm, the
same IFT DR vs. the MG crews is also used on the HE TK table vs. the copula.
If the result misses the copula but still hits the bunker it then
receives the non-CA defense factor on the IFT.
AP has no direct effect on the bunker itself if hit. Copula Crews may deduct 1 from their NMC DR for any Partial
Armor Penetration Shock [131] results.
There are 3 crews in each Bunker, but only 1 crew in the copula at
any given time. These crews are
highly trained individuals and while inside the bunker do not suffer from
the effect of DM and may attempt self-rally without a leader. A side note should be kept as to which unit is within the
copula and MG’s.
-
SSR
WG302.5: Trenches
[COD: 137] are connected to any adjacent Trench. Entering/exiting a Trench is the same as entering/exiting an
entrenchment, however a unit may move from 1 Trench counter to another
Trench counter (1 MF) with no penalties as though moving through open ground
regardless of other terrain in the hex, except when moving to higher ground.
There is no minus 2 DRM for moving in Open Ground when moving from 1
Trench to another. These
Trenches are also considered anti-tank Trench obstacles. Vehicles may
not enter an anti-tank Trench obstacle.
Infantry must pay an additional 2 MF’s to enter such a hex.
An anti-tank Trench may be removed by placement of a DC resulting in
a KIA on the IFT. There are no DRM’s of any kind to such a demolition
attempt.
AFTERMATH:
Although the attacking forces were equipped with tanks and supported
by warplanes, the initial assault was repelled by Polish-made 37mm Armata Wz. 36
anti-tank gun mounted atop the bunker in copulas.
The commander of the German Third Army, ordered his forces to attack the
Polish defenses several times in a row, but all the attacks were repelled and in
the late evening the Germans were forced to withdraw to their initial positions.
The next day the Germans began a heavy artillery bombardment on the right
flank of the Polish forces. After two hours of constant artillery fire, the
assault started, and after the result of close combat, the Polish defenders
started to waver.
A counterattack by the Polish 79th Infantry Regiment was unsuccessful and
the commander of the Polish Modlin Army ordered the 20th Division to extend
further eastwards and prepare for the defense of its right flank.
The 8th Infantry Division, until now held in reserve, was ordered to
prepare for a counterattack.
They arrived to the area in the early hours of September 3 and the
Mazovian Cavalry Brigade operating further eastwards became endangered by German
armored troops, the army commander ordered the division to split its forces and
attack in two directions: one towards Grudusk, east of Mawawa (or Mława),
and the other towards Przasnysz. However, with conflicting orders and German
diversants operating in the rear areas, both attacks were disrupted and led to
chaos in the Polish ranks.
The Polish division was mostly destroyed by evening and only the 21st
Infantry Regiment managed to withdraw towards the Modlin Fortress.
Despite all this, the German attacks on both flanks of the 20th Infantry
Division went mostly unsuccessful.
Two days later, on September 3, German engineers finally managed to cut
through the Polish antitank barriers.
Using local civilians as human shields they finally captured several
bunkers on the left flank of the Polish forces, but they were unable to push
forwards. On
the right flank the attacks were more successful and in the late evening
elements of German troops finally broke through the lines of the 79th Infantry
Regiment to the rear of the Poles.
Being outflanked and surrounded, Polish commanders ordered the 20th
division and the remnants of the 8th to withdraw towards Warsaw
and Modlin,
finally abandoning the fortified positions.
Playtesters currently involved in development: Phil Grashna,
Scott Bramley, and Bill Sosnicki