Historical Background: While Polish Army was near to succumb to the German "Blitzkrieg", the Red Army entered in Eastern Poland on the 17th of September 1939, breaking through the weak defenses of the Polish border. On the 20th of September, the vanguard of 15th Russian Armored Corps reached the suburbs of Grodno. On the 21st, tanks of 27th Armored Brigade crossed the Neman river by the bridges and attacked the city. Polish defenders were a mix of volunteers, policemen and boys scouts but they resisted with heroism. The first Russian assault was repelled and the tanks without infantry support were burnt with molotov cocktails. Some Polish squadrons of the Wokowysk Cavalry Brigade went to reinforce the defenders of the city. After two days of intense street fighting, the Polish defenders had to abandon the city under the heavy fire of Russian artillery by crossing the Lithuanian border to escape to the Russian forces. The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. The rest is history.
Briefing: Axis player [Soviet Union] : 5 command cards, you move first. Allied player [Poland] : 4 command cards.
Conditions of Victory: 6 medals. The Allied player has a "Sudden Death" if a Russian unit captures the church of Grodno.
Special Rules: - Use "Red Army" rules (Nation 2). - Use "Sniper" rules for the two Allied units with a single figure (Troop 11). - Use "Resistance" rules for Allied units with three figures (Nation 1). - Use "Cavalry" rules for Allied units with "Cavalry" badges (Troop 8). - Use "Camouflage" rules for all Allied units (Action 16). - Neman river is impassable except by bridges (Terrain 8). - "Air Power" card is not allowed to the Allied player, discard it and take another card in the pile.
Scenario Bibliography: - Wikipédia - La bataille de Grodno. - Image satellite Google Earth.
Warning: Please note that this scenario was not approved by Richard Borg or Days of Wonder, so you have to check yourself about playability, potential gaming issues, etc.
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