Paratroops - Instruments of Revenge *
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Date: September 4, 1939*
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Battle Location: Deuthen Airfield on Allenstein suburbs, East Prussia, Germany*
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Battle Type: Poland advance vs Germany delay*
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This is a what-if mission that presents a situation where transport aircraft survive a bombing air raid on Malaszewicze airbase allowing a planned sabotage air landing to go ahead.*
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Poland created their own paratroops force in the early 1930's but there was never enough money to fund it and , like the French, the military doctrine was strictly defensive so this type of unit never played important role. The largest landing was during the field summer exercises in Wolyn in 1938 where 80 soldiers with HMG's land and start sabotage actions behind "enemy" lines. Since the Polish paratroops force was always very small it was trained in specialty mission more like commandos rather than typical paratroops. This force was stationed at the military paratroop training base in Bydgoszcz and in late August 1939 it was given orders to transfer to Malaszewicze airbase near Brzesc nad Bugiem [Brest by the Bug river] to organize a sabotage raid in East Prussia. Unfortunately this airbase was one of the first targets for the Luftwaffe bombers in the first hours of war. On 5:30 am on the first day of the war most of the transport Fokker aircraft were destroyed or damaged by bombers during an air raid and that was the end of plans for the use of these paratroopers in their main role. They ended up as a normal infantry company in a ground role. The Polish para forces were recreate in England in 1941 as an Independent Para Brigade.*
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Scenario description: On a bright sunny day on September 4, 1939 the German airfield in Deuthen (today Dajtki) was attacked by a Polish fighter squadron from the Pursuit Brigade and flight of P-37 Los Level bombers followed by a paratroop landing to blow up all remaining aircraft and target the airstrip, airfield infrastructure, fuel dumps and ammo storages, with the highest priority being the pilots and commanders of KG/3 * 
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Notes: If played against the AI the human player should take the Polish side. After watching the initial para landings you must choose where you would like the drop locations of the ammo canisters and auxiliary units to be keeping in mind that you will need to wait at least 8 turns for them to appear so don't wait too long to select a landing zone.  Ammo canisters are very valuable because your first wave force does not have enough ammo for the entire battle so choose landing zones carefully. Your mission is to destroy all aircraft found on the airfield then hold it for forty turns when game ends. That result means you have accomplished the mission*
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Sources: Jonca, A; Polscy Spadochroniarze w II Wojnie Swiatowej - barwa i bron czesc 1: Wrzesien 1939 (Polish Paratroops in WWII - camo and weapon part 1: September 1939)*
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Design by: Blazej Ciepluch.**