I previously collected a bunch of info into a timeline, which may not be 100% accurate, but gives some idea. See below.... I cut out a lot of stuff but it is still quite long.
By the spring of 2000, the armies of Europe have settled into their cantonment system.
April 8: German 3rd Army and US 11th Corps begin the last offensive.
consisting of the German III Corp (6th PGD, 21st PGD, 29th PD, Jutland (Danish) Mechanized Division) and XI US Corp (5th ID, 8th ID, 50th AD, 2nd Marine Div, 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade and the 116th ACR) were to sweep the Baltic coastline clear of Pact forces.
For whatever reason, the US 5th ID found itself the spearhead, tasked with making the initial breakthrough and then bearing south in an attempt to outflank and cut supply lines to Soviet forces close to the German border (the same ones facing the British).
Meanwhile amphibious landings were to be made by the 2nd Marine Div across the river estuaries of northern Poland with the 8th ID heading further east to cut lines of any hope of reinforcement from Russia. The 50th Armored Division was to fill the gap between the 5th and 8th while 116th ACR and Can 4th Mech Bde were held in reserve
The Polish units directly in the path of the juggernaut US XI Corps, simply melted away in the face of far superior technical and numeric forces rather than submitting to the certainty of defeat and destruction.
Heading north in good order they entered the area between Gdansk and Slupsk to begin harassing the northern flank of the offensive. Although cut of from the rest of the Pact forces, their supply needs were minimal due to low numbers and high reliance on horses. Food was also plentiful with rich fishing grounds to three sides.
With the Polish withdrawal north, XI Corps were forced to commit the 50th AD to hold them in check until the Canadians and 116th ACR could be brought up to assist with eliminating them.
The Canadians and bulk of 116th ACR however had been called upon to assist the British to hold an increasingly restless Soviet Army. The Germans were due to relieve the Canadians and 116th in place within a week, freeing them to join the 50th AD, crush the under equipped Poles and catch up with the remainder of the XI Corp.
June: The US 2nd Marine Div commenced it’s move by sea to assault the area from the ruins of Gdansk to Elblag. Although the move was successful, valuable equipment was lost when a supporting vessel struck a sea mine and sunk taking nearly 30% of the divisions stores with it. Fortunately almost all the divisions personnel and armour made it to shore, but within a week were running short on fuel.
Ammunition expenditure had been minimal due to the absence of any enemy opposition beyond local militias, while food was plentiful in the mainly agricultural floodplains.
Faced with the growing fuel shortage and lack of significant enemy units within the area to raid for more, the divisional commander chose to move westward with the aim of linking up with the 50th AD and lending what support he could against the trapped Poles.
Jun 19 - 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) begins a converging drive on the Bydgoszcz and Torun area in Poland.
Contact is made with partisans of the 2nd Polish Free Legion in Tuchola.
Jun 21 - Advance elements of the 5th Inf Div reach Torun.
Jun 29 - After a week of regrouping, the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) heads south from Torun.
Jun 30 - 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) closes up on Wloclawek.
July 1 - Advanced elements of the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) closes on Krosniewice, Poland.
Jul 11 - German 3rd Army is attacked by 1st Polish Tank Army from Pila
Soviet 22nd Cavalry Army overruns Torun. Soviet 10th Guards Tank Division is attacked and overrun by elements of the Soviet 22nd Cavalry Army, taking severe casualties and losing the last of its tanks.
8th US ID had moved far beyond it’s originally intended area chasing fleeing rear area Pact units, the 50th was stalled, holding the Polish forces in place and waiting for the Canadians and 116th ACR to arrive, and the 2nd Marines were virtually immobile but slowly crawling westward. The last reported position of the 8th was, amazingly, somewhere in western Russia.
July 17-18 - Battle of Kalisz.
US 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) is destroyed, the troops scattering.
Soviet 124th Motor Rifle Division is shattered.
Soviet 21st Motorized Rifle Division and Polish 10th Tank Division lead the battle
As the sudden appearance of the Soviet 4th Guards Army had stirred up the entire European front with pressure being brought to bear everywhere, the 3rd Army commander had no choice but to cut his losses and attempt to consolidate what few gains had been made.
The German III Corp was given orders to move into positions supporting British and other German units, but before this order could be carried out, the remaining Polish units not trapped by the US 50th AD or in contact with the remnants of the US 5th ID, began exerting northward pressure around the eastern flank of the Canadians and 116th ACR.
Soviet units held in reserve moved northward directly against the Canadians forcing them back towards the coast.
What had initially been conceived as a deep penetration into central Poland via the Baltic coast, followed by right swing to cut off Pact forces had suddenly turned into a gigantic trap for the Americans and Canadians as Pact divisions forced their way towards Szczecin.
With the German units already on the road elsewhere the race was on between the Americans and Soviets – if the Soviets reached the coastline first, the entire XI Corps would be cut off.
The 2nd Marine made contact with the right (east) flank of the 50th AD just in time. Fuel reserves were transferred and suddenly the marines were mobile once more. The bulk of the 50th ADs fighting force was hurriedly redeployed southward to screen the 2nd Marines move from the much more dangerous Soviets (the marines taking over responsibility for holding the Poles back).
Meanwhile the Canadians and 116th ACR fell back under increasing pressure from combined Soviet and Polish forces, towards the Corp HQ at Karlino, unable to do more than slow the oncoming mass of troops and tanks.
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