Turn 2 & 3 of Deadly Northern Lights Campaign game play continues: 

Was it over? if we were honest about it thought Lt Commander Flanagan probably before the fight really starts. Maybe the honorable thing to do was surrender? Save his men? He laughed at himself as he sipped a cup of steaming hot black tea with the last of his honey satchels from his ruck.

The now recombined 7th Polish Marines had steam rolled through the Danes, who retreated and were run off onto the plains. They were then cut down piecemeal, very few surrendered, gotta give them that he mused.

He surveyed the approaches and began to think about what was coming his way and seek a possible way to survive.

The Poles would now turn their attention to him and his men an entire Division, no more piecemeal probing attacks.

His lightly armed men, had a good spread of MILAN, Carl Gustav’s and heavy laws [94MM CE variety] and a couple of 51mm mortar sections. But that was not going to slow these bastards down very much. He needed arty support localized and air. A lot of air. This was not enough he thought to slow down let alone stop an entire Division of Poles.
 

After a pause where the Poles uncontrolled looted the outskirts of Copenhagen, refueled and restocked ammo the regiments of the 7th turned their attention to the port and the British 45th LF.

Looking from a wealthy executives  apartment near the Copenhagen Zoo, Tomislav [see earlier post]  was confident that he could meet his new objective and time line. Though the Generals would of course wonder why it took so long to knock out such a weak force, no one had expected the Danes to actually put up a fight. Now he just had to deal with the British. They had already blown the Southern bridges approach into the Port area, despite demands by the Danish PM and his own emissary.

He had also given them a chance to surrender. They had laughed at him. Laughed said the messenger, The Lt Colonel told him to “sod off”. What an arrogant bastard. I’ll kill him myself thought Tomislav.  ” Forget waiting on air support, use the mortars and ASU’s to soften them up. Then send everyone in, I order; Attack Plan Echelon 3. ” 

His orderly spoke up, rather nervously. “Sir if I may, no reserve? We usually hold the 35th Regiment in Ready reserve.. should we not do so?”

“Just send them in, probe, break them in force make their leader surrender you are wasting time 0 Hour is 90 minutes away. GO!!”

Flanagan went over the defensive plan again with his commanders looked at where the sections of were allocated and the overlapping fields of fire.  “well men he continued, you know the Poles are coming and its unlikely that reinforcement can make it here in time. We are bottled up and backed into a corner. So lets just make them pay. Make sure your men eat, and get some rest. When they come its going to full bore.”

The good news was thought Flanagan the extra time had granted us a chance to dig in, create kill zones at the bridges we were not able to take down, and define avenues of approach while laying on a lot of booby traps. Their vehicles would have a hard time pressing thru or around containers blocking pedestrian bridges, but he was spread too thin, across too broad a front. They needed to blow more avenues of approach, they needed more men and more time.

0 Hour:

Flanagan, peered from his vantage point. They are hitting us hard across the whole front.  He watched the Poles driving the GAZ trucks, BMDs and BTRs in behind PT-76 light tanks, backed up by ASU 85’s who blasted away at defenses.  The 76mm HE rounds and 120mm mortars along with smoke  opened up gaps in blockades giving approach routes to the bridge crossings.  His men shot MILANs and Gustavs when close enough. The shot and moved, shot and moved, using the open terrain and the choke point of the crossings to pile on the pain. The Poles paid a heavy price gaining a crossing at two locations.

Vehicles disgorged men and equipment, lighter caliber mortars were keeping our heads down at both the Langbro and Knippels Bridges 
They were pressuring out entire line, with all 3 of their brigades driving at us at once teh 34th of the 7th had crossed Langbro and was doggedly holding on.

But then the attack petered out. Maybe supply was still a challenge, maybe they lacked the will to die so easily. but the final assault that would take all of Copenhagen would not come this day.

Flanagan slumped wearily into a desk chair at the command post a Lance Corporal offered a steaming mug of tea. He smiled his thanks and thought to himself:

We would hold another day, maybe two he thought. Losses had been light, and they had put the hurt on the Marines. They were not quiet as fearless as the rumours had been suggested around the Officers Club. Nevertheless we have nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. Out last stand would be near the docks. Time to get the men ready for the next attack. The Cargo containers, warehouses and cranes made for a fantastic defensive position if we had air support, and arty. We had neither.

[Game Mechanic – the Poles combined into their Divisional counter. Conduct two attacks using all ammo available to them against the Danes. They had to await capture and linkage via convoy of supply. 

They then turn to face the Brits. With the last attack using Echelon mode at 1.5 of face value of strength they knock a step off themselves via a Contact result. …. I swear these dice roll high… another 19 on an attack.

The Poles are stopped for teh turn with the Contact result. The Brits take no losses and live to fight another day.]