Combat Patrol 1939 in York, PA

The Little Wars TV people asked me to come to their clubhouse and run a Combat Patrol(TM): WWII game for them.  Greg and I drove up there yesterday after work to set up and run a 1939 Polish scenario that I have run in conventions previously.

A German halftrack pushes ahead of the German force and gets “air conditioned” by the Bofors.

The scenario involved a German attack toward a Polish armored train that was sitting astride their route of advance.  The turret on the train was out of ammunition, but there was a Bofors gun on top that the Poles used effectively throughout the game.

The Polish commanders plan their defense.
Greg watches as the German commanders plan their attack.
The Bofors gun on train. The train is from Sarissa.

The Germans had two 38(t) tanks, a Pz. I, three halftracks, a full platoon of infantry, and a command car.  The Poles had a platoon of infantry, the Bofors on the train, two Wz-34 armored cars, three tankettes (one with a 20mm cannon).  The Bofors had a limited field of fire down the center of the table, but fortunately for the Poles, the Germans pretty much pushed up the center of the table.

The Germans bail out of the burning halftrack while the “light squad” advances to take up positions on a hill.
A view of the burning halftrack from the Polish point of view. Lots of high fives and chest bumps in Warsaw!
Polish tankettes advancing past the train to engage the Germans.

Despite losing a halftrack early, the Germans advanced steadily across the table, but mostly where they weighted their attack on their right.  The Poles began to lose a lot of infantry across the table  They had occupied the building in the center of the table, and for a while, that was the Germans’ only target.  While the Germans only had a little more infantry than the Poles, the Germans made good use of the machine-guns on the halftracks.

A scene toward the middle of the game. The Germans have lost a 38(t).
A scene late in the game. The Germans have lost two tanks, a halftrack, and the schwimwagon. The 20mm on the tankette is threatening the German halftrack on the German left, slowing the advance. The halftrack at the top of the picture had taken a mobility kill. The only remaining intact vehicle on the German side was the Pz I, which you can’t see in this picture.

While the Poles had lost much of their infantry and the Bofors, they had lost no vehicles.  The armored cars and the machinegun-armed tankettes were advancing on the Polish left, threatening to overwhelm the Germans on that flank.  The tankette with the 20mm cannon was causing the remaining German halftrack (with half a squad of infantry) to seek cover.

At this point, we called the game a Polish victory.  It appeared that all the members of the club really enjoyed the rules and the game, which was gratifying.

The Little Wars TV club is a great bunch of guys.  Greg and I had a very good time with them.  They also have a great facility for gaming.

The “plunger faust” in the bathroom of the Little Wars TV clubhouse.