Train of Thought 2: Return to Kalisz Part 1 (Twilight: 2000 railroad notes)

This is the second post to cover likely rail routes from Central Poland to the relative safety of "the German Border" at Frankfurt, based on extrapolations from Wikimapia - like the first post, it contains potential *spoilers* for material in the T2k v1.0 module "Going Home". This section follows on from the "Lodz Hinterland" and details the area immediately to the west on either side of the main line that loops west-northwest to Poznan, mainly because that's a potential direction Wayne's group or any other train based group will be heading unless they decide to turn back north towards the main Warsaw-Poznan-Frankfurt line section which I'll likely deal with in a further post...

So the area near Kalisz is an interesting area by the time of October 2000 and quite different from that presented in the starting adventure Escape from Kalisz - most of the initial forces that encircled the US 5th Division have either withdrawn (the 89th Cavalry Division to the north, the 124th MRD south to Piotrkow), settled in rival cantonments maintaining an easy truce (21st MRD and Polish 10th Tank Division), deserted (the Lask and Zgierz Milicya's from the Polish BGBs, marauders from the 9th Tank Division) or been broken up and survivors dissolved into remaining units (12th Guard Tank Army, 4th Guard Tank Army). 

I've marked the default start for "Escape from Kalisz" (just southeast of Ostrow) and also my proposed "Amphibious / M113 Start" start option (near Dobra) in a teal blue to add some context and to help with later development. Wayne's group originally started from near Lask, now the base for the former 11th Polish BGB, now the Lask Miliciya.

Two of the Polish Border Guard Brigades have converted into Milicya or militia units (Zgierz and Lask), there are some marauders from previous Soviet divisions still in the area, and reading through the module notes, the 12th Guards Tank Division was completely shattered.

Hexmap detail of above Wikimpi excerpt area

I'm thinking there's going to be a lot of ruined tanks and other armoured vehicles (BMPs, BTRs and LAV-25s or similar) around Kalisz - the 21st MRD started the battle with 30 tanks and was reduced down to 8 rapidly. That's only the one unit. The 10th Polish Tanks Division lost about 20 tanks in the battle and the number of US tanks is difficult to estimate but is likely comparable, not to mention all the support vehicles destroyed or captured. Sure the tanks would be mostly stripped and salvaged, but they are heavy and difficult to move en bloc without the right equipment so I'd think that Kalisz and the area along the Kalisz-Sieradz Road, in particular, is likely littered with abandoned metal corpses. Maybe not all of them are beyond salvage, but that's several *dozen* tanks at least concentrated in a comparatively small area.

So my first thoughts on looking at the two maps in terms of a group travelling by train:

• The Warta River presents a significant obstacle at its rail bridge at Sieradz
• There's actually a large body of water here, Lake Jezorsko, that was a bit of a surprise
• Two small road bridges near the small town of Warta are now apparent 
• Ruins of an old medieval castle just east of the river near Sieradz
• The Ruins of Kalisz sit directly on the likely western rail route 
• The Prosna River flows northwest through Kalisz past Pleszew joining the Warta north of Jarocin
• The Ner River loops northwest from Lodz to skirt Uniejow and join the Warta
• The Soviet 21st MRD cantonment at Ostrow can easily interdict the line
• The remains of the Polish 10th Tank Division at Pleszew could be bypassed

Really not much in the way of military installations in this area by comparison:

• Zdunska Wola has a large node station and nearby locomotive depot at Karsznice 
• There are extensive railway yards in Ostrow for salvaging rolling stock and even locomotives
• There was a radio operator specialist training school in the northern outskirts of Sieradz
• There's a Polish air base just to the south of Lask 

It's worth considering where the main units were previously ie. at the time of the Battle of Kalisz.

• The 20th Tank Division originally controlled the area east of the Warta as far north as Unejow and east to Lodz, but have drawn now back to Lodz for the coming Winter although they still send small patrols from a base at Szadel up the eastern bank as far north as Uniejow.

• The 21st MRD which was spread out south of the Kalisz-Sieradz road from Ostrow in the west to the Warta in the east and further south of the above map section is now consolidated at Ostrow and controls the southern area of the western third including Kalisz and can readily access the middle third of the map via the rail bridge, including the strategic town of Sieradz.

• The Polish 10th Tank Division based at Pleszew are relative newcomers to the area, driving into the area northwest of Kalisz only in the last days of the battle and are now occupying the northern part of the western third of the map in contest for Kalisz with the 21st MRD but hemmed in to the east by the Prosna.

• Finally, there are the forces involved in the battle but no longer present - the Soviet 89th Cavalry Division at its southernmost extent only occupied Turek and the shattered Soviet 124th MRD held the area off the map from Zloclew to its current winter camp at Piotrkow near the Belchatow coal mine (to be detailed in another post).

Rivers and Bridges

Effectively the two significant rivers running south to north, the Prosna (west, hexes 6515 and 6616-18) and the Warta (east, as marked), divide the map above into thirds, each third with its own dominant group of residual Polish or Soviet troops. There are only a few minor rivers in the area unlike the Bzura catchment to the east I've already discussed - the Bzura itself does loop just off the east of the above map and the Ner flows in the northeast corner (hexes 7115, 7015).

Although many of the Soviet APCs and IFVs (eg the BDRM, BTR and BMP series of vehicles) are amphibious, the majority of the troops, horses and common "soft-skinned" vehicles and trailers (except for the MAV jeep, PTS-M carrier and MT-LB tracked prime mover) are not so capable, making the two rivers a significant obstacle to any large troop movement and the small number of bridges critical strategic points.

In Escape from Kalisz, the road bridge at Uniejow is noted to be destroyed and originally guarded by troops from the 20th Tank Division now wintering in Lodz. It's unlikely to have been rebuilt and although there are a footbridge and a couple of minor road bridges in the nearby area these are unsuitable for troop movement let alone heavy vehicles. The small town of Warta has a bridge for the two-lane provincial road as it crosses to the south of Lake Jezorko, but this is only suitable for light traffic and I'd suggest it has been destroyed during the July fighting or by the 124th MRD's troops as they withdrew from the area around Sieradz. 

It's really Sieradz therefore that is the main crossing point (see below) - there is another set of secondary crossings near Wielun to the south, one of which to the northeast likely at Osjakow on the Wielun-Piotrkow road the engineers of the 21st MRD are noted to trying to repair. To me this suggests that all the other minor bridges in the area have been destroyed, although none of them look more than 2-lanes or capable of supporting more than light vehicles.

Sieradz Town Detail 
(Wikimapia excerpt) 

Sieradz, the Key to the Warta

As the town has not only the rail bridge over the Warta to the north but also the provincial road bridge from Zdunska Wola to the east, with another bridge for the broad S8 motorway from Lodz to Wroclaw that bypasses to the south, it's easily the most important point for controlling passage across the Warta and a key strategic location up for contest.

This town was the main rallying point of the 124th MRD following their crushing defeat by the 1st Brigade of the US 5th Division along the Kalisz-Sieradz Road in July. The 124th has since moved on to Piotrkow, leaving the two immobilised T-80 tanks and some very disgruntled townsfolk, including a militia of about 100 men who refused to join Major Bologov's exodus to their southern winter encampment at Piotrkow off the map to the southeast. As the 124th MRD moved out, it's likely that the 21st MRD will have moved a detachment in to control such an important strategic crossing even though their relationship with the locals will be tense as when the unit originally passed through they seized most of the town's food.

Although the two immobilised T-80s from the 124th will have had their ammo and machine-guns removed by the departing troops, for the 21st the western placement of the tanks makes little sense by this time of the year. The engineers have therefore removed the turrets using a "Beglianka" BREM-L (BMP-3 based recovery vehicle with a 5-ton capacity crane) and emplaced them to the east as TOTs in the loop of the Warta at Staromiejski Park near the footbridge, to cover the road to Lodz that runs along the Adam Mickiewicz park.  The northern emplacement can cover the rail bridge with some difficulty (less than 1km with their 450m base range 125mm guns ie medium range) but the sentries will not be expecting anything other than light civilian rail cars even though the 21st likely has access to various "hi-rail" road-rail vehicles such as converted BTR-80s and trucks to control access to the line and trade with or demand tribute from nearby communities (see below).

From a defense perspective, given the nearby encampments across the Warta of the remnant 20th Tank Division in Lodz and the 124th MRD in Piotrkow to the southeast, I'd expect the main road bridge to be guarded and rigged with explosives on the western end as it crosses the Warta, perhaps with lighter emplacements and mobile "Fahrpanzer-style" portable guns using either lighter "tank" turrets armed with autocannons and heavy machineguns salvaged from BMPs, BTRs or similar.

In accordance with standard military doctrine, the easy route across the raised 4-lane S8 motorway bridge will be lightly guarded at an advance post at the turnpike to the provincial road on the eastern side but heavily mined and rigged to explode to prevent passage of significant armor into the 21st zone of influence. 

Proposal: the Dominance of the 21st Motorized Rifle Division

Note: Wayne and I have had a discussion over on the MeWe "Twilight 2000" group about the likely dominant force in the Kalisz area and he prefers the Polish 10th Tank to be dominant for specific campaign reasons related to his group. I'd argue however that the setup around Sieradz still makes sense for a detachment of the 21st MRD to be in control as it's such a critical crossing point on the border of the major cantonments in the area. Even if a group decides to bypass the Kalisz area and turn north from near Zdunska Wola, an encounter at Sieradz seems inevitable. 

To me the lay of the land and recent positions and strengths makes Major General Rubachenko's 21st MRD likely to be the dominant force west of the Warta, being not only the largest troop collection (twice the size of the 20th Tank Division remnant based in Lodz, larger than the mostly tank less Polish 10th Tank Division) but also more familiar with the whole area, roads and the local communities despite being non-Polish. By utilising the existing rail network, they could create an efficient transport backbone to range far and wide for food, supplies and other trade goods from the communities across the local area while minimising fuel expenditure.

It's noted in the original Escape from Kalisz adventure that the 21st MRD had hospitals, supply dumps and even a battalion of engineers in the relatively calmer southern areas of the battlefield which to me suggests they have maintained a greater level of organisation and support structure than the other units.

In particular, the engineers (65 men) were noted to be attempting to restore the bridge between Wielun and Piotrkow and have access to heavy equipment suggesting that the unit has ready access to recovery vehicles such as BREM recovery vehicle variant BTR and BMP based vehicles with cranes. They may even have access to a heavier T-64, T-72 or T-80 based BREM-64, BREM-1 or BREM-80U vehicle to allow salvaging actual Soviet main battle tanks or have captured a still operational and invaluable M88A2 Hercules from the 5th Division rear echelon making them capable of recovering US M1 series tanks.

It's this specifically mentioned group of engineers and their equipment that to me would be the key for providing the 21st with the tools and weapons needed to dominate the area through salvaging not only their own vehicles and converting them to run on rails as "hi-rail" variants but also the ability to access all the US equipment ruined and/or abandoned in the defeat of the 5th Division.

Even without access to the depot southeast of Zdunska Wola, the 21st would have plenty of access to rolling stock, cranes and conversion equipment from it's base at Ostrow given the town's extensive rail depot (see Wikimapia detail). Combined with it's engineering capabilities, it should be able to use the railway from Ostrow through to Sieradz for efficient transport and capitalize on the abandoned military equipment in the ruins and along the Kalisz-Sieradz Road which runs close to the track for much of it's length.

If anyone other than the player's group is likely to have a functional "train" (even if it's just a convoy of rail cars with converted BTR-80 "hi-rail" vehicles at either end and flat car mounted older tanks such as T-64s) it's likely to be the 21st MRD given their support capabilities and relatively intact organisational structure - imagine the group's surprise at facing off against another armoured and armed train heading in the opposite direction to them...

This is the first post about the Kalisz area - looking into this has produced some really interesting ideas I'd like to explore properly in greater detail but I wanted to get something out there for enjoyment and feedback as it's been a while since my last significant post. 

The Lower Vistula: Plock to Torun (Twilight: 2000 Further Riverine Adventures)

This is one of a possible series of posts detailing a gazetteer of a section of the "Lower Vistula", the stretch of the river *beyond* Warsaw to its mouth at the gulf near Gdansk. I've detailed the second section stretching from beyond Plock to before Torun because it's simpler than the first 100km or so from Praga in Warsaw and I found it interesting as a test of concept.

It's also the section directly north of the "Escape from Kalisz" map - reachable by a group using my "Amphibious Start" suggestion or for the remnants of the US 5th Division's 3-11 Battalion aka "the Ghosts of Kutno" (See below). Initial Soviet presence is low, making it a viable area to explore for a starting party although an inevitable showdown with the 96th Cavalry Division based in Torun is foreshadowed...

A typical stretch of the Lower Vistula

Section 2: Plock to Torun

Distance: 100 km
Channel depth: 4m or deeper
River width: up to 2 km between Plock and Włocławek, otherwise 1 km
Towns and landmarks: Gostynin, Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park, Włocławek Reservoir, Dobrzyn nad Wisla, Włocławek, Kowal, Lipno, Bobrowniki, Chiechocenek, Radziejow, Sluzewo, Chelmza.

Hexmap Detail of 2nd Lower Vistula Section - Plock to Torun
(derived from Jed McClure's Polish Sandbox Hexmaps)

Description: the upper part of this section of the river consists of the large 2km wide and 58km long Wloclawek Reservoir (Polish: Jezioro Wloclawskie) in the east behind the dam and serviceable lock at Wloclawec bordered on the south by the relative refuge of the Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park (see below). Ice build up and ice floes in the reservoir section can be a significant problem in the Winter months, although the last few years since the outbreak of war have not presented major difficulties yet.

The further stretch of river below the barrage until Torun conforms to the usual meandering and sandbank prone nature of the majority of the Vistula, but is mostly navigable by larger river ships than the upper reaches beyond Warsaw. Both the reservoir and the landscape park provide the villagers on the southern bank with relative safety from the troops moving through the area, as their large areas make it difficult for troops to harass the civilians who use their river-borne craft or the forested terrain to retreat to.

The wide reservoir between Plock and Wloclawek is relatively peaceful and picturesque, with a notable absence of regular troops or marauders other than the occasional lost river pirate boat from the remnants of the Korsarz of Warsaw (see PotV, pages 33-34). By contrast, the active forces further downstream are the patrols and convoys of the Soviet 96th Cavalry Division stretched along the road south of the river between the ruins of Wloclawec and their base in Torun (shared with the Soviet 22nd Cavalry Army HQ) and to the east along the railroad as far as Lipno. Forces south of the river will initially be on the lookout for remnants of the US 5th Infantry Division, but their interest will have fallen off as Winter approaches.

As Winter approaches, the small troop of 300 men from the Soviet 89th Cavalry Division based in Sompolno and the south stop following orders from Torun and begin to move eastwards to ultimately winter in the small town of Kowal. The nearby Soviet 43rd Cavalry Division remains with their attention to the north, based in and around their cantonment near the city of Grudziadz, controlling the two bridges over the Vistula in a face-off with the 2nd Polish Free Legion.

Encounter Tables

See later post for revised Encounter Tables...

Gostynin

This small town of about 200 inhabitants lies at the south of the landscape park on the road from Plock to Kutno and was bypassed by the recent fighting between elements of the US 5th Infantry Division and 1st Brigade and the Soviet 89th Cavalry Division. The wary villagers hunt through the woods nearby and have secreted several small caches of ammunition, supplies and food in preparation for the Winter and a retreat into the landscape park if harassed. If treated with civility they may assist American troops by showing them the paths and camping areas of the park.

Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park

Like other landscape parks, this area has relatively abundant wildlife including deer, wolves and particularly beavers around the multiple small lakes scattered through the area, allowing for reasonable fishing (and grenade fishing). Like the Kampinos Landscape Park to the east, the woods have overgrown and are now starting to reach up to the nearby towns and ruins. A small network of canals runs through the park, flowing into the narrow Zuzanka Canal that runs parallel to the Vistula for several kilometres, passing through Włocławek and opening into the main river at Port Letni. Encounter checks here result in animals more often (replace one of the Group results with Animal instead), making the park an excellent location for supplementary hunting for food.

Wloclawek Reservoir

The largest man-made body of water in Poland, stretching over 40km and almost 2km wide, this artificial lake hosts a small northern branch of the Czolno Lud, the waterborne civilian community of the Vistula. The majority of the two dozen boats are sail powered, although small alcohol powered motor launches form a part of many family flotillas. Moored about 10km downstream of Plock in the centre of the stream is an artificial island consisting of six tow barges with wooden houses and moorings that the river folk use as both a trade hub and neutral zone for discussions. The central barge mounts a modified 82mm Vasilek mortar that has sufficient range to enable shore bombardment as a deterrent against shorebound enemies.

Dobryzn nad Wisla

This small village of several families (less than 20 people) has retreated from the main town to makeshift dwellings and small fields within the ruins of the medieval Dobryzn Order castle on a cliff overlooking the reservoir just west of the old boating club. The families operate two small sailboats for fishing and trade their excess grain and distilled fuel with their relatives in the northern ranging boats of the Czolno Lud (see above and PotV, p 34-35) and the riverside settlement of Nowy Wloclawec on the outskirts of the ruins of Włocławek further downstream.

Kutno

See Escape from Kalisz, p94 - the scene of the fighting that annihilated the US 3-11 Battalion, the town is mostly ruined, with a handful of embittered and insular survivors returning from the woods to the south where they had fled. It marks the central point of Poland and is not only a major road junction near the was to be future Autostrada A1, but also the junction for the main railway lines (Poznan-Warsaw, Lodz-Torun, and another line leading northeast to Plock) and major passenger and freight rail stations. The agroindustrial park to the east surrounding the military garrison even has it's own rail sidings in reasonable repair.

Krosniewice

See Escape from Kalisz, p93 - a half-dozen US 5th Division survivors (of the 1st Brigade's 3-11 Battalion) are being sheltered in the town by the villagers, who are sympathetic to the Americans and share no love for the Soviet 6th Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion that passed through mopping up the US remnants.

Alternate Start: The Ghosts of Kutno 

Following the fighting in Kutno, the Soviet 96th CD wiped out most of the US 5th Infantry Division's 3-11 Battalion, leaving a few scattered survivors in the area ie. Hexes 6913, 7013 & 7014 (Krosniewice and woods to the south respectively) and Hex 7113 (woods south of Kutno itself). Although likely starting without horses or heavy vehicles (either destroyed in the fighting or potentially captured and cached without fuel by the Soviets), this scenario provides a potential "alternate start" to the default EfK start (Hexes 6818 or 6618). Finding and then recovering the 3-11 battalion's last surviving vehicles (usual starting options or even a worn M2A2 Bradley needing significant repairs) may make an interesting kick-off, allowing the group to strike north off-road to an initial refuge in the landscape park by nightfall or else drive directly east about 130km along the secondary roads and reach Warsaw in a day - if they can scrounge enough parts and fuel from the less than friendly villagers... 

The Ruins of Włocławek

The Bridge over the Vistula at Wloclawec

This old Pomeranian city has lain abandoned and in ruins since the early days of the war, little more than a mass of rubble stretching along the southern bank of the Vistula. The truss road bridge across to the northern suburb of Suszyce, the 620m long Edward Smigly-Rydz Bridge, remains intact and provides reasonable clearance for most river-going vessels.

For encounters in the Wloclawec ruins, use the "Moving Through the Ruins" rules from Ruins of Warsaw, pages 9-10, with any Troops representing cavalrymen of the Soviet 96th, and any Marauders being deserters from the same unit. Civilians will be scroungers from the riverside settlement of Nowy Włocławek (see below).

The impressive upstream dam and barrage across the Vistula with its still serviceable lock were completed in 1970. During the initial exchanges when the city was devastated, the hydroelectric plant was targeted specifically and lies with the road broken and the river cascading through the resulting rubble. There is a troop of 15 cavalrymen from the Soviet 96th Cavalry Division guarding the southern end of the bridge, assessing it for whether it can be readily repaired by the division's engineers currently stationed in Torun.

Unlocking the Lock 

Currently the lock is set to the lower level, making passage downstream from Plock impossible without restoring it to working order. The northernmost 26.7 mW hydroelectric turbine may be salvageable with the correct parts (Rare, likely only available in Krakow or similar) and several days of repair requiring multiple skills (FOR Construction, Electronics and Mechanics checks, 2 days spent on each). The lock itself just needs minor mechanical repairs (Mechanic: DIFF, 2 periods) and to be hooked up to at least a 100 kW generator or the turbine to restore it to operational status, allowing large vessels to pass through. 

The Włocławek Dam, Barrage & Hydroelectric Plant
(original image adjusted to sepia tone)

Nowy Włocławek is the riverine settlement of survivors near the former suburb of Rybnica that has been established by the survivors of the main city and some of the local militia. Nestled in the ruins of the industrial park to the east of the main city, the survivors have reclaimed fields amidst the rubble in relative safety, surrounded by a dense belt of twisted metal and concrete that acts as a barricade. Scrounging parties from the settlement venture into the western ruins frequently, even as far as the ANWIL industrial park.

The formerly exclusive southern suburb of Michelin & Mielcin nestled in the woods is now one of the main staging areas of the rear echelon of Soviet 96th Cavalry Division (1400 men) including a small corps of engineers, stretched out in various convoys along the Torun to Wloclawek road to the west of the ruins. A small detachment of former airmen drafted as infantry when their planes were downed due to fuel shortage is refurbishing the nearby Krusyn-Wloclawek airfield and its Aeroclub facilities with a view to adding the recon capabilities of the half-dozen pre-War microlights cached in the hangars there (see Airlords of the Ozarks, pages 24-27 for details on these aircraft).

The pre-War ANWIL industrial park to the northwest has been similarly bombed and shelled into uninhabited ruins, although the rail lines leading from Torun that pass through to the south remain serviceable for the most part and are beginning to see usage by the mostly horse-drawn rail convoys of the 96th.

Kowal

Initially unoccupied in Autumn, by Winter this becomes the camp for the remnant Soviet 89th Cavalry Division that has withdrawn from the area they occupied around Konin, Kolo, Turek and their HQ at Sompolno after the defeat of the US 5th Infantry Division on 20th July. The Americans passed through this town briefly on their offensive but caused little hardship compared to Colonel Mikhaylov's 300 Soviet cavalry and their mounts demanding daily food - the villagers are resigned to waiting out the winter and hope to see the cavalry troop continue their journey eastwards in the spring.

Lipno

Straddling the railway line from Torun to Warsaw, this town of several hundred inhabitants helps provide food for the 96th Cavalry Division based in Torun. The locals have successfully converted the local Miejski Park to fertile fields and have managed to produce excess food to trade. A small detachment of a dozen cavalry troopers from the 96th with a rail-mounted BRDM-4 guard the railway station from which they ship grain to the divisional HQ a day's journey to the northwest, the rail carts pulled by an old BRDM-1 scout car also converted with rail wheels.

Bobrowniki

This small village on the northern bank with ruins of a Teutonic castle near the shore now lies abandoned. Two disused power lines cross from 100m tall pylons on either side of the river, the first set several hundred metres to the south of the village.  Although not electrified, some of the lines from the northeastern pylon have broken at the southern end and drape across the foreshore and into the river creating a potential obstacle for propellor craft.

Who Watches the Watchers? 

The Soviet 96th Cavalry Division has established an observation post near the top of the Bobrowniki tower, allowing the three observers with telescopic equipment stationed here to see almost 30km away to the horizon on a clear day with appropriate equipment - this effectively covers Hexes 6810, 6811 and 6910 ie the whole stretch of river from Wloclawec to Torun and it's suburbs and as far as the town of Lipno and the connecting railroad to the northeast and north. Specific details may be difficulty to make out but troop movements are easy enough to discern. The team have an advanced radio patched into an array at the top of the pylon that reaches to the HQ at Torun and the staging area in the wooded suburb of Michelin to the south of Wloclawec. The observation platform is unarmoured and reached by a single ladder, but does have a PK machinegun mounted on the corner furthest from the river to cover approaches to the post.

Radziejow

Now a small town of fewer than 100 civilians on the crossroads of the road from Sompolno to Torun and Wloclawec to Inowroclaw, the town's old hospital acts as the town centre and is still partly functioning through the use of a small generator, although the village is very low on necessary medical supplies due to "donations" to the passing military forces. The nearby Głuszyńskie Lake normally provides excellent fishing, although grenade fishing by the Soviet 89th Cavalry Division on their way south from Torun to the Kalisz area has depleted the local stocks much to the annoyance of the locals.

Ciechocenek

Mostly known through the ages for its curative salt springs, this town of about a hundred villagers now assists with food supply for the nearby Soviet cavalry forces in Torun, its parks converted into fields to supply the troops via horse-drawn rail convoys. In the easternmost Sosnowy Park, a field hospital for the cavalry division has been set up, flanked by the town's old hospitals with only a few MPs stationed as security.

Sluzewo

This hamlet of only 3 families about a day's return travel on foot from Torun lies just a short distance southwest of the Aleksandrów Kujawski Railway station and the rail cart convoys of the 96th Cavalry Division. Outside the town limits, stretching for about 20km towards Torun is the old artillery training ground, seeded with many unexploded shells (see page 10 of Ruins of Warsaw for suggested rules for unexploded ordnance) and old wrecked hulls once used for targeting practice.

The locals know the dangerous area very well and have several caches hidden amidst the dangerous area. One of the men can lead those willing to pay a price along the hidden path through the fields to the cellars beneath the old Torun Fortress.

Chelmza

The Soviet 43rd Cavalry Division has it's rear echelon in this small town on the shore of Lake Chełmżyńskie. With less than two hundred villagers, the town produces enough food to be self-sufficient, although the quartering of the rear echelon troops has put a strain on their stores. Rail carts drawn by horses connect the supply dumps with the force at Grudziadz to the north.


Note: details of the Soviet-occupied city of Torun will be presented in a separate section.

I've Been Working on (Maps of) the Railroad (Initial Thoughts on Train travel in Twilight: 2000)

Aside from the river travel options in "Pirates of the Vistula", the possibility of overland rail travel by converted steam engine as presented in "Going Home" has always interested me and makes for a unique closing chapter to the default starting campaign for T2k v1.0. I have various thoughts on this option, but first I'd like to begin with looking at the initial Kalisz area and piece together some of the thoughts that strike me when I look at the disconnected maps presented in the various supplements.

Note: the maps contain some *SPOILERS* for the module...