AAR/Story: On the Front Line - Chapter 1: Massacre at Red Field

[DataKing]

Greetings and salutations,

A little while ago, I had made mention that I would be writing AARs/stories based on the campaign that I am playing in SPWaW. It has taken a while to complete the first battle and chapter, due to an extremely busy schedule, but here it is.

I have chosen to use the format of excerpts from a fictional book, "On the Front Line: Selections From The Personal Journal of Colonel Joseph Steiner," to relay the story.

Feedback and constructed criticism is appreciated. Flaming is not. This is obviously a work of fiction, so please don't complain that this differs from the actual exploits of the 5th SS Panzer Division (if such existed) or the Wehrmacht in general. I know it does...but we're not exactly re-playing the war exactly as it happened with SPWaW are we? Where's the fun in that? Anyway, here goes. Sit back and enjoy.


After-Action Report

2nd Battalion
14th Armored Regiment
5th SS Panzer Division

Commanding Officer: Colonel Joseph Steiner

Journal Entry: 7 September, 1939

We are now poised to strike east into Poland, at the whim of the Fuhrer. Rumor has it that the order to attack will be given within the next few days. If we are to embark upon this, I hope that the order comes down soon. Autumn is getting on, and winter is "hot on her heels" as the Americans are fond of saying. Fall rains already appear to be looming, and I do not relish the thought of what would happen to our armor were we to launch this invasion in the mud.
My concern is not for my battalion, but for the German Army as a whole. I have nothing but confidence in the abilities of my troops, and for good reason. Never have I found such a fine and dedicated group of men under my command as I do now. Captain Hitzelberger (commander, SS Infantry Company A) in particular comes to mind. He is an excellent man and actually saw action as a young lieutenant in Spain. The man has a pretty good grasp of armor tactics and artillery support as well as a great deal of experience commanding infantry, and if something were to happen to me, I would like to see him promoted to take over the battalion. Were such an unfortunate situation to come to pass, however, I doubt that the decision would be mine to make. One cannot exactly name one's successor.
It is times like this when my thoughts turn to my family. It has been over a month now since I have seen my wife, Anna, and I miss her dearly. Many of my colleagues have mentioned, in private conversation, that I sabotaged my career by marrying an Italian. As if I had a choice in the matter. One does not choose love, it chooses you. It would seem from their comments that all of their marriages were simply a means of advancing their career. I can do nothing but question their morals if that is the case. My thoughts are with my Anna often, and I can only hope that the coming war visits no hardships upon her.
My son, Karl, is an even more immediate concern. He is an able young officer, to be sure, but I am conflicted regarding his assignment to my battalion. I have no doubt as to his abilities as a leader of men, and I judge his infantry platoon as perhaps the second best in the entire battalion. What I question is my own ability to command him. There will be times when I will have to give orders that will result in a man's death. Will I be capable of issuing an order to my own son? Will Captain Hitzelberger feel equally limited in the orders that he can give, for fear of facing the wrath of the young man's father, his commanding officer? These are questions that I hope (in vain, most likely) will never have to be answered.


Journal Entry: 12 September, 1939

Massacre at Red Field

It has been three days since the invasion began, and our initial progress has been very encouraging. My battalion had our first serious engagement with the enemy today, and any confidence that I had in the fighting ability of the Poles has been considerably weakened.
At dawn, we were ordered to the front to lead the advance of the division towards the city of Poznan. Aerial reconnaissance reported a large infantry formation heading in our direction, and the appropriate preparations were made. I received command of three platoons of Czech infantry for support, as well as priority command on two of the division's 105mm howitzer batteries. We made first contact at noon.
The first objective in our operational area was a series of hilltops, the northern half of which were covered by one of Poland's numerous thick forests. While this northern half was heavily wooded, and obviously infantry country, the southern half was wide open terrain. Perfect for our Panzers.
The infantry were loaded into their trucks and shot forward along a pair of narrow dirt roads, with our motorcycle platoons scouting ahead. Both of these roads ran close to a small Polish village that could have housed enemy troops, but a quick reconnoiter by the scout squads showed that the village had been abandoned. Most likely those villagers were hiding in the numerous wooded thickets that dotted the landscape.
Upon reaching the edge of the woods, the infantry quickly dismounted and proceeded on foot. Because of the rapidity of their advance, Captains Hitzelberger and Weisbach (Infantry Companies A and B, respectively) were able to capture their objectives with little resistance. Only a couple of advanced infantry units were encountered, along with a pair of armored cars and a brave (or foolish, depending on one's point of view) 7-TP tank. Given the heavily wooded terrain, the infantry had little trouble assaulting these armored units and dispatching them. My son's platoon performed especially well in this, accounting for the tank as well as one of the armored cars.
Captain Petereit and our Panzers enjoyed even more rapid success. They quickly surged forward from our start line and had secured the southern hilltop in only ten minutes time, before the Poles were even able to reach it. We reinforced them with a machinegun platoon and prepared for the expected attack by the Poles, which did not take long to materialize. A dozen Polish 7-TP tanks appeared at the edge of woods about 500 meters further east, along with about two platoons of infantry. However, the attack suffered from poor coordination, and was easily defeated. Artillery and machinegun fire combined to break the infantry attack in short order, and within about 10 minutes those twelve tanks had been reduced to so much scrap metal.
The most amazing thing about this little encounter was the fact that we did not lose a single one of our own tanks (primarily antiquated PzKpfw-Ibs). While the Poles may have a few tanks under their command, they are obviously lacking in training for their crews. All they were able to accomplish was knocking the track off of Lieutenant Brauman's (Panzer Company, First Platoon) Ib.
After these initial objectives were secured, we moved on towards our second objective, a partially wooded hilltop about a kilometer to the east of the northern two primary objectives. The infantry moved quickly through the woods, in order to establish a perimeter on the eastern edge and not allow the Poles a foothold in the forest. At the same time, most of our armor was shifted northeast in order to hit the enemy from two directions at once. Both groups performed their missions admirably, and what resulted was one of the biggest massacres I have seen since 1918.
Between the edge of the woods that our infantry now controlled and our secondary objective was a flat field approximately three hundred meters long and a half a kilometer wide. While we were unable to swing all the way around and complete the "box", our infantry formed a nearly solid line along the western edge of this field, and the Panzers took up position in a tree line along the southern edge. One could not have asked for a better kill zone than the one the Poles found themselves in. Rifle, machinegun, cannon, and artillery fire cut huge holes in the polish infantry. After the battle, there were literally hundreds of dead Poles on this field. During our brief respite in the area after the battle, I overheard some of our soldiers referring to it as "Red Field" for all of the blood that the enemy spilled there.
Smoke from the combat hung heavily in the area, making visibility difficult, but once all of the infantry in that field were deemed incapacitated or in retreat, my battalion began a cautious approach through the haze. The Polish infantry had managed to regain some semblance of organization at the hilltop that was our secondary objective. Our howitzers and mortars rained down on them to soften them up, but we still suffered half of our casualties on that final approach to the hilltop. Here is where we suffered our one armored loss in the entire engagement, as Sergeant Falkenberg (2nd Panzer Platoon) drove his Ib too close to an enemy infantry formation, who bravely assaulted the tank and destroy it with hand grenades.
Once the hilltop was secured, what little fight remained in the Poles seemed to evaporate. There were a couple more brief exchanges in the confusion, but then the enemy began to throw down their weapons and surrender. Brief interrogation revealed that we had encountered a battalion from the Polish 7th Infantry Division, as well as elements of the Polish 1st Tank Brigade. While I am certain that a small number of Poles managed to successfully retreat, judging by our experience and that of the rest of the division, the 7th Infantry is finished as a fighting force.
The body count was both surprising and appalling at the same time. My battalion suffered four dozen men killed or wounded, lost two trucks to artillery bombardment, and lost Sergeant Falkenberg's tank. Compared to this, the damage we inflicted upon the Poles was staggering. We counted 1,450 Polish dead, wounded, or captured, as well as five small artillery pieces (46mm Grenade Launchers primarily) and fifteen armored vehicles (12 7-TP tanks, 3 Ursus armored cars). 500 of those casualties were inflicted on Red Field. The loss of life on their part was horrific, but this is war after all.


Location: Poznan, Poland
Date: 12 September, 1939
Time: 1200 hours
Weather Conditions: Clear
Visibility: 3 kilometers
Mission: Advance
Opposition: 1st Battalion, 37th Regiment, Polish 7th Infantry Division with elements of Polish 1st Tank Brigade
Engagement Duration: 1 hour, 27 minutes
Result: Decisive Victory

Losses
Germany Poland
Battle:Total Battle:Total

Men 48:48 1450:1450
Artillery: 0:0 5:5
Soft Vehicles: 2:2 0:0
APCs: 0:0 0:0
AFVs: 1:1 15:15
Gliders: 0:0 0:0
Aircraft: 0:0 0:0

Score: 5,289 276


*Note: Here is a breakdown of the battalion that I am commanding. I also have a complete TO&E if anyone is interested in seeing it, but I feel that it is too large to post here. Send me an e-mail if you are interested and I will e-mail it to you.

1 Medium Panzer Company (2xPz-38(t), 15xPz-Ib, 4xPz-IVc)
2 Motorized SS Infantry Companies (Krupp L2H143 trucks, 37mm PaK36 ATGs, 75mm leIG18 Infantry Guns)
1 Armored Recon Platoon (3xSdKfz-231 6-Rad)
2 Motorcycle Platoons (6xGE MMG Motorcycle)
1 Anti-Tank Platoon (37mm PaK36 w/ Krupp L2H143)
1 Anti-Aircraft Platoon (SdKfz-6/2)
1 Machinegun Platoon (GE MG34 MMG w/ Opel Blitz)
1 Artillery Battery (75mm FH w/ Krupp L2H143)
1 Mortar Squad (81mm)
1 Forward Observer

[ July 13, 2001: Message edited by: DataKing ]

[Wild Bill]

Very well written, Dataking. I've done a few of these in this format, but you have outdone yourself.

This makes for some excellent reading..a real touch of history there!...Wild Bill