Where is Poland?

[ace99]

No one has asked the obvious question.

What is the point of Poland?

 

[Traitorfish]

Trolling Russia, mostly.

 

[madviking]

I would just change that to "the rest of Eastern Europe".

 

[JohannaK]

Provide a battlefield for its neighbours.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I liked Charles Bronson in "The Dirty Dozen". He also played a Polish guy (Józef Władysław / Joseph Wladislaw) there.

His best Pole role was in The Great Escape, where he is the chief tunnel building director guy.

No one has asked the obvious question.

What is the point of Poland?

I have a two-part history of Poland called God's Playground. An apt and descriptive name, if I dare say so.

 

[warpus]

No one has asked the obvious question.

What is the point of Poland?

This might answer your question

But to take your question not so literally the point is to Polish everything up and to plant Poles everywhere

 

[Gucumatz]

Point of Poland? That's a good question.

Simple answer though, there is none

 

[TheLastOne36]

The point of Poland is obviously Kielbasa.

 

[ace99]

New evidence has come to light revealing that Poland (and also Italy) are in Oman and East Arabia respectively.

What to make of this?

 

[Domen]

I would just change that to "the rest of Eastern Europe".

Previously you wrote that Russia is not in Eastern Europe but in Asia.

==============================================

The point of Poland is obviously this:

Spoiler :

The point of Poland is lance point of Winged Hussars and other elite Polish lance-wielding cavalry units in history:

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

Those are some realy fine poles you got there Domen...

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

The point of Poland is obviously Kielbasa.

The blob of Poland is kartoflane kluski

 

[Joecoolyo]

New evidence has come to light revealing that Poland (and also Italy) are in Oman and East Arabia respectively.

Spoiler :

What to make of this?

Gah, stop making me nostalgia for RFC, it hasn't been ported to Civ V yet

 

[Gucumatz]

Another fellow Civ Ver? We should get together when Brave New World comes out, you can take Russia, I'll take Germany and we can sandwhich Poland between us. First person to reach Warsaw wins !

 

[Joecoolyo]

Another fellow Civ Ver? We should get together when Brave New World comes out, you can take Russia, I'll take Germany and we can sandwhich Poland between us. First person to reach Warsaw wins !

Yup, I'm one of the few people down here who plays it/defends it from the haters.

PM me your steam name and I'll friend you, we'll raze North Africa to the ground when BNW comes out

 

[JohannaK]

Hey! I like Civ5 too!

 

[Domen]

you can take Russia, I'll take Germany and we can sandwhich Poland between us. First person to reach Warsaw wins

Watch out because in real September 1939 those who reached Warsaw first were not very lucky.

I.e. they got sandwiched (or I should say: toasted). Here are some of those unlucky guys:

Spoiler :

I would say last person to reach Warsaw wins. First person to reach Warsaw dies.

This guy greatly helped the Germans to toast themselves, as he set on fire ca. 100 barrels with turpentine during the German assault:

Lt. Zdzisław Pacak-Kuźmirski:

Lt. Pacak-Kuźmirski (CO 8th company / 40th Inf.Rgt.) found 100 barrels with turpentine in the Factory "Dobrolin", literally in the last moment before the German assault of the Wola district started. He ordered his company to place all of those barrels of this flammable material in front of the first Polish barricade, along the Wolska street. When Germans advanced close enough to the defensive position of his company, he ordered to set on fire that entire field of turpentine. Forward advance troops of the German assault (Gefechtsgruppe 2) had no chance to retreat. Tanks, vehicles and soldiers got burnt. Tank crews abandoned their tanks and tried to escape through gaps between the flames. After one hour since it started, the fighting in the Wola district was over.

Failed assault of Warsaw by strengthened 4. Panzer-Division (preceeded by Luftwaffe air strikes) from 9 September 1939:

Spoiler :

Polish troops defending Ochota district also repulsed the German assault (Gefechtsgruppe 1). Some soldiers distinguished themselves:

- Starszy strzelec (Elder rifleman) Franciszek Głuszek (aimer) and kapral (corporal) podchorąży (officer cadet) Makuś (gunner) from II platoon of AT company of 40 pp (40 Inf.Rgt.) knocked out (destroyed or damaged) 7 tanks using their AT gun (Wolska street).

- 75mm artillery gun from I platoon of 1st battery of 29 pal (29 light Art.Rgt.) under command of podporucznik (lieutenant colonel) Józef Suchocki (commander of platoon - but he was fighting together with the crew of this gun) knocked out 6 tanks and 2 armoured cars (Grójecka street). Commander of the gun was kapral (corporal) Eugeniusz Niedzielin and kapral Olszewski was its aimer.

======================================================

In total 15 German tanks got destroyed (many more were damaged) and 75 soldiers were killed in action from Gefechtsgruppe 1 alone.

Gruppe 2 lost further 30 tanks destroyed (not including damaged) and some soldiers killed (but perhaps not as many died as from Gruppe 1).

Also many soldiers were wounded and some captured. Apart from tanks, some other AFVs were lost. German tank casualties included 6 Panzer IV tanks. 4 in Wola district - 2 on Wolska street and 2 on Górczewska street. 2 in Ochota district - 1 on Grójecka street and 1 on Opaczewska street.

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

That sounds like after that Germans had no other option but appologize and quitely leave back for Germany...

 

[Domen]

That sounds like after that Germans had no other option but appologize and quitely leave back for Germany...

How did you draw such a conclusion?

After that German 4th Panzer-Division had no option but to entrench itself on the western outskirts of Warsaw, hoping for arrival of reinforcements. In the meantime they were towing away damaged tanks and trying to repair them (one of field workshops was located in the town of Mszczonow - which however got overran by Polish 31st Infantry Regiment on 11 September and already damaged tanks gathered there, awaiting for renovation, once again suffered).

The first unit which reinforced 4th Panzer-Division on its defensive positions on the outskirts of Warsaw, was 31st Infanterie-Division.

Between 10 and 13 September they also had to defend against Polish attacks carried out by garrison of Warsaw and by Army "Lodz" withdrawing towards Warsaw and Modlin from the western direction (being pushed back by German 8th Army, which however got attacked by Polish Army "Poznan" at the Bzura).

Regarding Warsaw:

Warsaw surrendered on 28 September, so after three weeks since the first German attempt of capturing it.

Perhaps Germans might have been able to force the capital of Poland to sign capitulation earlier, if not the battle of Bzura taking place. But Warsaw surrendered mostly because of hopeless overall situation of Poland, rather than lack of capabilities of further defence. Warsaw could be defended longer than until 28 September - it had the necessary forces and the necessary resources. But that would cost huge number of civilian casualties among its inhabitants.

==============================================

In Mszczonow on 11.09.39 Polish 31st Inf.Rgt. overran rear units (including a repair workshop of Pz.Rgt.36.) of 4th and 1st Panzer-Divisions:

Germans lost ca. 340 Zugkraftwagen (Zgkw) in Poland in 1939 - such as these ones, photographed in Mszczonow after the battle:

Spoiler :

And here a Panzer IV tank destroyed in Mszczonow on 11.09.39 during the Polish assault:

It was destroyed in the morning by direct fire of Polish cal. 75 mm type 02/26 field gun from infantry support artillery platoon of 31st Kaniowski Infantry Regiment. Gun was commanded by corporal Świerczyński and firing was being supervised by regimental aide-de-camp - captain Ogrodnik:

Spoiler :

The same Panzer IV tank photographed from a different angle:

Panzer II sidenumber "145" wrongly described as destroyed in Warsaw (in fact it was destroyed in Mszczonow on 11.09.1939):

Spoiler :

The same Panzer II - "145" - photo taken in Mszczonow after the battle (and a killed soldier from its crew):

Spoiler :

And this is one of my favourite tank wrecks photos - "534" from Pz.Rgt.35 destroyed near Ruszki - Adamowa Góra on 16.09.39 (battle of Bzura):

Spoiler :

Panzer IV from 1st Panzer-Division destroyed near Kiernozia (during the battle of Bzura) on 16.09.1939:

This one belonged to Hauptmann Werner von Köckritz:

Nachname: von Köckritz
Vorname: Werner
Dienstgrad: Hauptmann
Geburtsdatum: 09.12.1909
Geburtsort: Berlin
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 16.09.1939
Todes-/Vermisstenort: bei Kiernozia

Spoiler :

And another Panzer IV destroyed near village Skowroda (near Kiernozia) on 17.09.1939 (during the battle of Bzura):

This Panzer IV belonged to Leutnant Jost from 1st Panzer-Division:

Nachname: Jost
Vorname: Franz
Dienstgrad: Leutnant
Geburtsdatum: 27.02.1915
Geburtsort: Hamburg
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 17.09.1939
Todes-/Vermisstenort: Skowroda

Spoiler :

And such a Panzer II from 1st Panzer-Division nicely knocked out near Kiernozia:

Spoiler :

Here a Panzer II knocked out by Polish cavalry (Wolynska Cavalry Brigade) in the battle of Mokra-Ostrowy (01.09.39 - 02.09.39):

Spoiler :

 

[Domen]

Mszczonow was recaptured in the early morning on 11.09.39, and held for about 5 hours, but later Polish regiment marched further east since the Polish 30th Infantry Division was not arriving and strong German forces could counterattack in any moment to recapture the town again.