War Stories: Fall of Poland - On Limited Resources
Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2024 4:11 pm
It is finally time to test out War Stories: Fall of Poland as it came out (managed to squeeze in a mission today despite thinking I won't have the time until Sunday). With that I'll once again go for a challenge run with a new set of rules I could not try out in the past. I'll also give it a narrative touch again as with Bertorelli, because I feel it might work.
Difficulty - Generalissimus - with randomness set to 20% instead of default 50% as I tried this approach out in Frontlines: Bulge, and it has proven a welcome change, increasing the way my decisions matter compared to just random luck. I would not go lower however, since that bit of unpredictable results adds an in important element of uncertainty, preventing the game from becoming glorified chess.
Special Challenges - Limited Stock set to default 20
I used to think that I will not try out this special challenge until it gets altered to exclude infantry, but I decided to give it a try with the idea I had for the run.
Traits - Aggressive Deployment, Battle Academy, Green Army, Terrain Expert
The concept here is simple - trying out the crippling Green Army trait in a campaign and dealing with its consequences together with Limited Stock turned on (but not Delayed Reinforcements, that would be too much for sure without a massive pool of heroes!). The trait also narratively meshes well with the concept of key characters - veterans are valuable, losses should be prevented and taking too large risks can have horrible consequences. Battle Academy is meant to offset the experience loss from green troops, Terrain Expert reduce casualties altogether by a tiny margin, and Aggressive Deployment increase the mobility of my otherwise very slow force.
War Stories: Fall of Poland - Krojanty
General Teodor Zawisza received the telegram just about his men were in progress of organizing into a proper combat unit, following the announced mobilization. His force, the Independent Motorized Division, was one of the few in the Polish army that had a more mobile composition and could rapidly respond to various threats. After all his additional training in foreign academies, the general was convinced that combined arms is the future and managed to convince his superiors to form this small unit. With the defense plan for the western border assuming that all armies were stationed near Germany to prevent loss of land, he could then be quickly dispatched to key areas requiring rapid reinforcements.
As news of the German attack arrived, he was requested to aid Pomeranian cavalry in peril after they attempted to counterattack towards the village of Krojanty just hours after the invasion. They got trapped and requested aid via radio. The general rushed his men as soon as he could, which meant only some units were immediately ready for combat and some were yet to arrive later. He also was requested to get aid from local border guard, but somehow he doubted that they would survive the sudden onslaught. Overall the orders in the telegram were simple - rejoin with 18th Pomeranian Uhlans and continue the push towards Krojanty, then towards the town of Chojnice. If possible, eliminating the German command in the area would be an ideal scenario.
Starting Prestige: 4500
Starting Army Composition:
Infantry
I Batalion 1 PP - PL Infantry
II Batalion 1 PP - PL Infantry
III Batalion 1 PP - PL ATR Infantry (Horse Transport)
I Batalion 2 PP - PL Infantry
II Batalion 2 PP - PL HW Inf (Horse Transport)
1 Pułk Kawalerii - PL Cavalry - Szymon Borowik (No Entrenchment, Zero Slots)
1 Pułk Ułanów - PL Uhlan
2 Pułk Ułanów - PL Uhlan
3 Pułk Ułanów - PL Uhlan
1 Brygada Górska Strzelców - PL Mnt Inf
Tank
1 Kompania Czołgów Rozp. - TKS - Igor Dramowicz (Overwhelming Attack, Scavenger)
Recon
Szwadron Sam. Panc. nr 1 - SP wz. 29
Anti-Tank
1 Pluton Armat Ppanc - 37mm wz. 36 (Horse Transport)
2 Pluton Armat Ppanc - 37mm wz. 36 (Horse Transport)
Artillery
1 Dywizjon Artylerii Ciężkiej - 105mm wz. 29 (Horse Transport) - Aleksander Kowalski (Double Attack, Vulnerable Target)
2 Dywizjon Artylerii Ciężkiej - 105mm wz. 29 (Horse Transport)
1 Dywizjon Artylerii Lekkiej - 75mm wz. 97 (Horse Transport)
Highlights
With just some armored cars, tankettes, artillery and infantry, the general knew his force composition was not optimal. However, his best forces were still in the process of forming, due to the delayed mobilization and could not join immediately.
Radio contact with 18th Pomeranian Uhlans confirmed they were trapped in a forest surrounded by Germans from all sides.
Independent Motorized Division had to break through enemy tanks and scout cars in the area first, these vehicles would be very dangerous to the Polish cavalry units. Luckily, the Panzer I was not a particularly intimidating opponent.
With the Uhlans freed, the general continued their intended counterattack. Meanwhile his 7TP tanks and TKD self-propelled guns also arrived, with some artillery and machine guns also on route, greatly bolstering the firepower of his force.
German defense of Krojanty was surprisingly small, with just a few infantry teams without any additional support. Surprised by the sudden Polish push, they stood no chance.
A few German tanks attempted to provide relief from the south, but got ambushed in thick forests. Unfortunately news from survivors of the border guard told of a massive German tank group moving from the east. Trying to retake Chojnice was not going to be an easy objective.
Knowing that a fight in the open would put his men at a major disadvantage, general Zawisza prepared another forest ambush using infantry supported by numerous artillery pieces. His own tanks were prepared to make a flanking attack if the enemy took the bait.
Despite German air support, this unexpected Polish resistance confused the approaching tank units and cause them to scatter slightly. However, the general did not purse immediately. He had his troops stand ground, luring the opponents into unfavorable terrain and isolating individual groups of vehicles.
As the battle continued, Polish infantry retook Chojnice once the tank threat has been dealt with. The general discovered that the enemy wanted to set up a temporary tank repair depot here and found a few slightly damaged tanks. Not having the crews available and needing to save limited fuel, he ordered these to be destroyed, only salvaging whatever supplies could be carried.
The enemy commander was also killed in the fighting, with his armored car falling prey to a machine gun nest near the outskirts of the town.
Summary
Final Prestige: 9933 (up 5433)
Overall
With all the objectives met, the general ordered a retreat. It was clear that the scale of the invasion was much larger than anticipated, and the Mława garrison already called in for assistance. With a heavy heart, Zawisza had his men pull back, knowing all to well, that even if the battle here was a tactical success, it did not mean it was possible to hold th area. The enemy made considerable progress on other parts of this sector, so the decision was made to move east to a more favorable defense line. The rescued commander of 18th Pomeranian Uhlans took some if his men and retreated towards Kutno, while his remaining soldiers were assigned to the general's force, as they hoped to rest up, reorganize and have some other local cavalry units join in the future. For now, the losses were severe, and not possible to immediately replenish, but their aid might still be invaluable in the future
Player notes: Green Army is already a painful trait after just this mission. I can see how it will make me focus on artillery, which ranks up experience relatively well due to Battle Academy, but at the same time infantry and tanks will suffer if I do not ensure proper support fire. Getting elite objectives will require patience and sometimes it might be even good to skip them entirely to avoid losses for a reward not worth the casualties. As for the map itself, it's a brutally sneaky trap, as while the orders urge to counterattack, it's clear that the German advantage is massive and a direct confrontation would leave the player's force wiped out. It's a smart move to convey the feeling on being on the loosing side. The only thing that felt off to me was having all units be core ones (aside from the key character). I know what the narrative purpose was, but it causes a deployment issue with the border guard taking up valuable core slots and delaying deployment of the forces I wanted to use - it would be tempting to just select "Custom Army" option, delete these guys entirely turn 0 and deploy a few actually useful units turn 1 near the supply hex. Let's see how it impacts future missions.
Difficulty - Generalissimus - with randomness set to 20% instead of default 50% as I tried this approach out in Frontlines: Bulge, and it has proven a welcome change, increasing the way my decisions matter compared to just random luck. I would not go lower however, since that bit of unpredictable results adds an in important element of uncertainty, preventing the game from becoming glorified chess.
Special Challenges - Limited Stock set to default 20
I used to think that I will not try out this special challenge until it gets altered to exclude infantry, but I decided to give it a try with the idea I had for the run.
Traits - Aggressive Deployment, Battle Academy, Green Army, Terrain Expert
The concept here is simple - trying out the crippling Green Army trait in a campaign and dealing with its consequences together with Limited Stock turned on (but not Delayed Reinforcements, that would be too much for sure without a massive pool of heroes!). The trait also narratively meshes well with the concept of key characters - veterans are valuable, losses should be prevented and taking too large risks can have horrible consequences. Battle Academy is meant to offset the experience loss from green troops, Terrain Expert reduce casualties altogether by a tiny margin, and Aggressive Deployment increase the mobility of my otherwise very slow force.
War Stories: Fall of Poland - Krojanty
General Teodor Zawisza received the telegram just about his men were in progress of organizing into a proper combat unit, following the announced mobilization. His force, the Independent Motorized Division, was one of the few in the Polish army that had a more mobile composition and could rapidly respond to various threats. After all his additional training in foreign academies, the general was convinced that combined arms is the future and managed to convince his superiors to form this small unit. With the defense plan for the western border assuming that all armies were stationed near Germany to prevent loss of land, he could then be quickly dispatched to key areas requiring rapid reinforcements.
As news of the German attack arrived, he was requested to aid Pomeranian cavalry in peril after they attempted to counterattack towards the village of Krojanty just hours after the invasion. They got trapped and requested aid via radio. The general rushed his men as soon as he could, which meant only some units were immediately ready for combat and some were yet to arrive later. He also was requested to get aid from local border guard, but somehow he doubted that they would survive the sudden onslaught. Overall the orders in the telegram were simple - rejoin with 18th Pomeranian Uhlans and continue the push towards Krojanty, then towards the town of Chojnice. If possible, eliminating the German command in the area would be an ideal scenario.
Starting Prestige: 4500
Starting Army Composition:
Infantry
I Batalion 1 PP - PL Infantry
II Batalion 1 PP - PL Infantry
III Batalion 1 PP - PL ATR Infantry (Horse Transport)
I Batalion 2 PP - PL Infantry
II Batalion 2 PP - PL HW Inf (Horse Transport)
1 Pułk Kawalerii - PL Cavalry - Szymon Borowik (No Entrenchment, Zero Slots)
1 Pułk Ułanów - PL Uhlan
2 Pułk Ułanów - PL Uhlan
3 Pułk Ułanów - PL Uhlan
1 Brygada Górska Strzelców - PL Mnt Inf
Tank
1 Kompania Czołgów Rozp. - TKS - Igor Dramowicz (Overwhelming Attack, Scavenger)
Recon
Szwadron Sam. Panc. nr 1 - SP wz. 29
Anti-Tank
1 Pluton Armat Ppanc - 37mm wz. 36 (Horse Transport)
2 Pluton Armat Ppanc - 37mm wz. 36 (Horse Transport)
Artillery
1 Dywizjon Artylerii Ciężkiej - 105mm wz. 29 (Horse Transport) - Aleksander Kowalski (Double Attack, Vulnerable Target)
2 Dywizjon Artylerii Ciężkiej - 105mm wz. 29 (Horse Transport)
1 Dywizjon Artylerii Lekkiej - 75mm wz. 97 (Horse Transport)
Highlights
With just some armored cars, tankettes, artillery and infantry, the general knew his force composition was not optimal. However, his best forces were still in the process of forming, due to the delayed mobilization and could not join immediately.
Radio contact with 18th Pomeranian Uhlans confirmed they were trapped in a forest surrounded by Germans from all sides.
Independent Motorized Division had to break through enemy tanks and scout cars in the area first, these vehicles would be very dangerous to the Polish cavalry units. Luckily, the Panzer I was not a particularly intimidating opponent.
With the Uhlans freed, the general continued their intended counterattack. Meanwhile his 7TP tanks and TKD self-propelled guns also arrived, with some artillery and machine guns also on route, greatly bolstering the firepower of his force.
German defense of Krojanty was surprisingly small, with just a few infantry teams without any additional support. Surprised by the sudden Polish push, they stood no chance.
A few German tanks attempted to provide relief from the south, but got ambushed in thick forests. Unfortunately news from survivors of the border guard told of a massive German tank group moving from the east. Trying to retake Chojnice was not going to be an easy objective.
Knowing that a fight in the open would put his men at a major disadvantage, general Zawisza prepared another forest ambush using infantry supported by numerous artillery pieces. His own tanks were prepared to make a flanking attack if the enemy took the bait.
Despite German air support, this unexpected Polish resistance confused the approaching tank units and cause them to scatter slightly. However, the general did not purse immediately. He had his troops stand ground, luring the opponents into unfavorable terrain and isolating individual groups of vehicles.
As the battle continued, Polish infantry retook Chojnice once the tank threat has been dealt with. The general discovered that the enemy wanted to set up a temporary tank repair depot here and found a few slightly damaged tanks. Not having the crews available and needing to save limited fuel, he ordered these to be destroyed, only salvaging whatever supplies could be carried.
The enemy commander was also killed in the fighting, with his armored car falling prey to a machine gun nest near the outskirts of the town.
Summary
Final Prestige: 9933 (up 5433)
Overall
With all the objectives met, the general ordered a retreat. It was clear that the scale of the invasion was much larger than anticipated, and the Mława garrison already called in for assistance. With a heavy heart, Zawisza had his men pull back, knowing all to well, that even if the battle here was a tactical success, it did not mean it was possible to hold th area. The enemy made considerable progress on other parts of this sector, so the decision was made to move east to a more favorable defense line. The rescued commander of 18th Pomeranian Uhlans took some if his men and retreated towards Kutno, while his remaining soldiers were assigned to the general's force, as they hoped to rest up, reorganize and have some other local cavalry units join in the future. For now, the losses were severe, and not possible to immediately replenish, but their aid might still be invaluable in the future
Player notes: Green Army is already a painful trait after just this mission. I can see how it will make me focus on artillery, which ranks up experience relatively well due to Battle Academy, but at the same time infantry and tanks will suffer if I do not ensure proper support fire. Getting elite objectives will require patience and sometimes it might be even good to skip them entirely to avoid losses for a reward not worth the casualties. As for the map itself, it's a brutally sneaky trap, as while the orders urge to counterattack, it's clear that the German advantage is massive and a direct confrontation would leave the player's force wiped out. It's a smart move to convey the feeling on being on the loosing side. The only thing that felt off to me was having all units be core ones (aside from the key character). I know what the narrative purpose was, but it causes a deployment issue with the border guard taking up valuable core slots and delaying deployment of the forces I wanted to use - it would be tempting to just select "Custom Army" option, delete these guys entirely turn 0 and deploy a few actually useful units turn 1 near the supply hex. Let's see how it impacts future missions.
