AAR 1939 Poland: Tomaszow Lubelski

Dave Clayton, Jessie and Dave Parenti thinking about their objective of capturing the bridge and fords

Fire from the hedgeline puts several wounds on lead platoon.

The lead platoon took some serious damage from the Germans in the hedgeline. Polish armour is back on the road as Blinds.

The platoons spread out to get more firepower on line and put some cover between themselves and the Germans.

The Blinds are Polish infantry, horse-drawn 75s, and tankettes.

Poles on the ridge and firing on the other side of the hill.

They know that the Germans are in the hedgeline and probably elsewhere in the buildings. They hope to get around the flank of the hedge and force the Germans back.

The Germans immobilised one tankette and ran the others off with ATR and small arms fire.

Germans in the hedgeline and barn putting hits on the Polish units in the fields.

The Poles must get to bridge in the bottom of the picture.

Two platoons and tchankas moving through fields and coming under fire from defenders in the hedgeline. Blinds are dummies on the right and HQ squad in the rear and tanks on the road.

The Blinds are the Vickers tank platoons to the right, tankettes in front of the church, horse drawn 75mms and a Polish infantry platoon in the left rear.

German left flank platoon decides to get aggressive and move in behind the Polish right on the slope.

German infantry trying to move around the Polish right flank. The Blind in the cemetery is horsedrawn 75mm. Tankettes around the church.

One of the TKS tankettes is immobilised and abandoned and the others are forced to retire. Meanwhile the Polish infantry move in on the German defenders.

Germans are down to holding out in the large barn and last building. And they are taking fire from several sides.

The last German defenders have been evicted from the village by close assaulting Polish infantry.

75s have deployed in the cemetery to fire on the flanking German infantry platoon

Remaining tankettes heading back into town along with infantry.

Tankettes preparing to move into the floodplain towards the rightside ford. The 75s have been deployed to cover the Polish right flank.

The tail-end infantry trying to get behind the Poles is caught by the 75s

50mm mortar fire causing problems for the 75 gunners. TKS tankettes moving towards a ford.

1st platoon finally in position to move on the vital bridges and ford. 

   The 2nd Vickers platoon finally manages to get out past the infantry and catch up with the tankettes. Note the size differences.

A Vickers and TKS platoon heading for the ford on the right.

Called back hastily to stop the Polish armour attack. Unfortunately the Leichte division is almost exclusively Pz Is and IIs. One Pz I Command tank in the middle.

Pz I and IIs

Pz I and II moving through a field

Tankettes giving covering fire as the Vickers head for the ford

Classic lines of mid-thirties tank design

Mortar fire dropping short.

Tankettes on road behind. Shot up Polish infantry by the river.

Two twin turreted and a single turreted Vickers crossing unopposed.

Still in their prewar camo

The horse drawn 75s make excellent targets

The Hs-123s and the medium mortars took out one 75mm and put some damage on the other.

One bomb run down --coming back for a strafing run.

The Henschels came back for a machine gun pass. This was not effective though.

Panzers turning the corner to face the Polish armour. In this straight up fight the Vickers were forced to retire.

The Polish tanks and tankettes have pulled back and the remaining Panzers are in pursuit.

Panzers charge across bridge under cover of medium mortar barrage.

The about-to-captured Pak and Carrier caught between the Polish infantry and Vickers.

The lead Vickers takes a hit from the PaK

Tankettes and Vickers coming back through the town after retiring

Only two Pz IIs left as runners

It took out two but couldn't withstand the last tank assault. The infantry in the field is using the wall for cover. Two 50mm mortars also in that position.

The Vickers are abandoned along with the Panzers on this side of the river. The burning Pz I was a victim of the superb Polish ATRs.

Only two Pz IIs left running. The infantry is inside the buildings.

German ATR trying to knockout the TKS units.

The command Tankette with the 20mm still sits immobilised as its subordinates move back up the ridge.

Look at all the Panzers that are in bad shape.

Last victim of the PaK

The two Vickers and Panzers knocked out in front of the Polish positions.

Germans finding no sanctuary in the church

The burning Pz I is a victim of the Polish ATRs.

After driving away one single turret Vickers and setting the following tank on fire, the Pak 35 fell to the remaining Polish tank in that group.