Polish Equipment of 1939 Invasion of Poland

Since I have so much free time, why don’t I waste them on creating a forum post on faction equipment? Today’s faction would be Poland. I will only be focusing on equipment used during 1939 Invasion of Poland so no Home Army, Polish Armed Forces in the East or West equipment. This post will include Light Tank, Medium Tank, Fighter, Attacker , and Engineer buildable AA, AT gun, LMG, and HMG. Prototype equipment will be included to complement their equipment. If you have any criticism or want to add anything relevant, feel free to do so in the reply.

  • Bolt Action Rifle:
  1. Karabinek wz. 29


    The Karabinek wz. 29 (Kbk wz.29; Polish: carbine model 29) was a Polish bolt-action short rifle based on the German Kar98AZ. - Wikipedia
    It will be starting bolt-action rifle similar to Kar98k.

  2. Karabinek wz. 98a


    The Model 98a carbine (Karabin wzor 98a , abbreviated to Kb wz. 98a ) was a Polish derivative of the German Gewehr 98 bolt-action rifle. - Wikipedia

It will be unlockable at the same level as Pre-War Kar98k.

  1. Berthier M16

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    1939. Polish anti-aircraft crew armed with Berthier carbines and an ex-Russian obr. 1910g Maxim machine gun. - Firearmnews.com

French Berthier Berthier M16 will be supplementing Polish BA rifle stock. Either as a low-tier premium squad rifle or unlockable low-tier BA rifle.

  1. Karabinek wz. 91/98/23

    The Model 91/98/23 carbine (Karabinek wz. 1891/1898/1923 ) often shortened to kbk wz. 91/98/23 , and its variants wz. 91/98/25 and wz. 91/98/26 , were a Polish modification of the Mosin–Nagant M1891 rifle to carbine form. The Mosin rifle was shortened and converted to use the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge. - Wikipedia

Another low-level unlockable BA rifle.

  1. Fusil Mle 1886 M93
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    After WWI, France supplied the Polish army with numbers of the Fusil d’Infanterie Modéle 1886/93 (Lebel). - Firearmnews

This will be, without a doubt, a premium BA rifle squad similar to Lebel squad in Berlin.

Semi-Automatic Rifle

  1. Kbsp wz. 38M

    The Karabin samopowtarzalny wzór 38M (Kbsp wz. 38M self-repeating rifle Model 38M ), was a prototype Polish 7.92mm semi-automatic rifle used by the Polish Army during the Invasion of Poland of 1939. - Wikipedia

It will be unlockable at similar level to ZH-29. I have a hard-time placing Kbsp wz. 38M on the new tech tree since according to the revised tech tree, ZH-29 is tiered high in the tech tree along with Panther and whatnot. This wouldn’t a problem in the current campaign system.

  • Submachine Gun:
    Poland has little to no SMG adopted for its army. The only SMG they almost adopted was the wz. 39 Mors. So, I will fill it with foreign-made SMG sent to Poland and issued to the police before the German invasion.
    According to Polish writer Leszek Erenfeicht, the pre-war Polish army showed only limited interest in submachine guns. Small numbers of the Erma EMP, M1921 Thompson, Bergmann MP28 and Finnish KP-31 Suomi were obtained for trial purposes, and a few of them were issued to the police and Presidential Guard. - Firearmnews
  1. PM wz. 39 Mors

    Pistolet maszynowy wz. 39 Mors (Mors is Latin for death , Polish for walrus ) was a Polish submachine gun designed by Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypiński between 1936 and 1938. It was to have become the standard submachine gun of the Polish Army some time in the 1940s. However, its production was halted by the 1939 Invasion of Poland and World War II. - Wikipedia

It will be a starting SMG similar to MP-28.

  1. M1921 Thompson
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    M1921 obtained for trial purposes, possibly issued to police forces and the presidential guard. - Wikipedia

It will be unlockable at the same level as MP-34

  1. ERMA EMP
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    EMP-35 obtained for trial purposes, possibly issued to police forces and the presidential guard. - Wikipedia

The base for PM wz. 39 Mors. Both Poland and Germany will be using the same SMG for balance reason.

  1. Suomi KP/-31
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    Suomi KP/-31 - 9x19mm Parabellum. With box magazine. 20 KP/-31 delivered to police in 1933 and issued until 1939) - Wikipedia
  • Light Machine Gun
  1. Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG "Chauchat"
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    After the Russo-Polish War, Poland bought more of Chauchat, and their numbers reached 11,869, becoming a standard Polish light machine gun (the RKM wz 15). Eventually, about half of them were successfully converted during the mid-1920s to 7.92×57mm Mauser and kept in service until the early 1930s under the designation RKM wz 15/27. - Wikipedia

It will be unlockable at the same level as MG-13.

  1. Madsen
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    Madsen model 1903-21 light machine gun, Denmark. - Modern Firearms

It is already in-game as LMG of Soviet premium squad in Moscow and will be unlockable at the same level as ZB-26.

  1. Browning wz. 1928
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    The Browning wz. 1928 is a Polish version of the M1918 BAR. It was a light machine gun used by the Polish During World War II. - Wikipedia

It is already in-game as an LMG of Axis premium squad in Normandy and it will be unlockable at the same level as MG 34.

  • Anti-Tank Rifle
  1. Kb ppanc wz. 35
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    The Model 35 antitank rifle (Karabin przeciwpancerny wzór 35 , abbreviated "kb ppanc wz. 35 ") was a Polish 7.9 mm anti-tank rifle used by the Polish Army during the 1939 invasion of Poland. - WIkipedia

It is already in-game as an Anti-Tank rifle of Axis event squad in Moscow and it will be unlockable at the same level as PzB 38.

  • Pistol
  1. Rewolwer Nagant wz. 30
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    Rewolwer Nagant wz. 30 and wz. 32 were two Polish derivatives of the Nagant M1895 revolver. They were almost identical to the Soviet variants with only minor differences in weight, length and sights design. - Wikipedia.

  2. VIS Pistolet wz. 1935


    The Vis or Vis 35 (Polish designation Pistolet wz. 35 Vis ; or simply the Radom in English sources and Vis wz. 35 in Poland) is a Polish 9×19mm caliber, single-action, semi-automatic pistol. Its design was inspired by the Colt 1911 pistol designed by American John Moses Browning. - Wikipedia

  • Grenade
    I could not found any smoke grenade used by the Polish armed forces.
  1. Granat Obronny wz. 33

    The granat obronny wz. 33 (Polish for “defensive grenade, mark 33”) was a fragmentation grenade used by the Polish Army before and during World War II.

It will function the same as M24 Stielhandgranate.

  • Mortar
  1. Granatnik wz. 36
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    The Granatnik wz.36 was a Polish grenade launcher designed in originally in 1927 as “wz. 30” and later modified in 1936. It entered service in 1936 becoming the standard grenade launcher of the Polish Army; it was still in use during the German Invasion of Poland in 1939. - Wikipedia

It will be unlockable at the same level as Granatwerfer 36.

  • Buildable Engineer Weaponry
  1. Buildable LMG: Ckm wz. 30

    Ckm wz. 30 (short for ciężki karabin maszynowy wz. 30 ; “heavy machine gun 1930 Pattern”) is a Polish-made clone of the American Browning M1917 heavy machine gun. Produced with various modifications such as greater caliber, longer barrel and adjustable sighting device, it was an improved although unlicensed copy of its predecessor, and was the standard machine gun of the Polish Army from 1931. - Wikipedia

Engineer in Engineer 2 squad can build it, and it performs similarly as MG-34 with Lafette tripod.

  1. Buildable HMG: Ckm wz. 25 Hotchkiss

    The Ciężki karabin maszynowy wz. 25 Hotchkiss (Polish for “Heavy machine gun, Mark 1925, Hotchkiss”) was a Polish derivative of the Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun, rechambered for 7.92×57mm Mauser ammunition.

Engineer in MG squad can build it and, it performs similarly as MG131 (Since MG131 is produced in 1940, it would need to be replaced with MG15 for this particular campaign.)

  1. Buildable AA: Bofor 40mm wz. 36
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    L/60 built under license as 40-mm armata przeciwlotnicza wz 36

Engineer in Engineer squad can build it, and it performs similarly to 2 cm Flak 38.

  1. Buildable AT gun:Bofors 37mm wz. 36

    300 guns were bought in Sweden and hundreds more were produced by SMPzA (Stowarzyszenie Mechaników Polskich z Ameryki ) in Pruszków, some of them exported. When World War II began, the Polish Army had 1,200 pieces. - Wikipedia

Engineer in AT squad and Engineer squad can build it and, it performs similiarly to Pak 36.

Tank
Since Poland has inadequate tank forces against Germany during the outbreak of the war, I will be including prototype tank as well since DF has included Ta-Se, a prototype tank in reality, for balancing reason.

  • Light Tank
  1. Renault FT
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    A unique photo of the Polish Renault FT-17, with small-link tracks, abandoned in 1939. A pale number 3018 on the suspension beam suggests, that this is one of CWS-built “iron” tanks. - PIBWL

Before the war, in 1939, the Polish Army still had 102 Renault FT light tanks, of which 70 formed the 2nd armoured battalion in Żurawica and 32 the two Armoured Trains Units (as armoured draisines). Some of these tanks were “iron” FT CWS. The combat usefulness of FT tanks in 1939 was very limited, since they were obsolete and extremely slow by the standards of the day, but they participated in the defense of Poland in September 1939; the 2nd Armoured Battalion formed three light tank companies (numbers: 111, 112, 113), equipped with Renault FT tanks. - Wikipedia

I don’t know if I should put an already-obsolete WWI FT tank as a Polish starter tank since it is not fair to put them up against early German tank such as Pz. I B and Pz. II C. Could be a shitty premium tank squad but I wouldn’t even consider it. Let me know what you think of it in the reply.

  1. Vickers E
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    The Vickers platoon, as it could appear in 1939 (a photograph from manouvres before Zaolzie operation, 1938). Note atypical tactical signs on the front plate, and unit badge on the turret – a dancing elephant, used only during this operation. - PIBWL

Probably as a premium tank.

  1. TK-3 Tankette
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    The TK (TK-3) and TKS were Polish tankettes developed during the 1930s and used in the Second World War.

The tank force consisted of two armored brigades, four independent tank battalions and some 30 companies of TKS tankettes attached to infantry divisions and cavalry brigades. [12] The TK-3 (TK) and TKS light turretless reconnaissance tanks, commonly called tankettes (in Polish: tankietka), were the most numerous armoured vehicles of the Polish Army at the outbreak of World War II in September 1939. Their number of over 500 vehicles constituted formally a significant tank force. Unfortunately, they were not fully capable tanks, and, apart from few cannon-armed ones, could not fight against other armoured fighting vehicles. - Wikipedia

It might be a starter tank but it is also wholly inadequate against Pz. I B.

  1. Renault R35
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    In April 1939 it was finally decided to buy a hundred R35 tanks as an emergency measure. The first shipment of fifty (other sources lower the number to 49) arrived in Poland in July 1939, along with three Hotchkiss H35 tanks bought for testing. In August they were mostly put into service with the Łuck-based 12th Armoured Battalion. At the beginning of the Invasion of Poland 45 (or 46) tanks formed the core of the newly created 21st Light Tank Battalion that was part of the general reserve of the Commander in Chief.

  2. 7TP
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A standard tank of the Polish Army during the invasion of 1939 was the 7TP light tank. It was the first tank in the world to be equipped with a diesel engine and 360° Gundlach periscope. The 7TP was significantly better armed than its most common opponents, the German Panzer I and II, but only 140 tanks were produced between 1935 and the outbreak of the war.

It will be unlockable at the same level as Pz. II C.

  1. 10TP
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    The 10TP was a Polish light cruiser tank that never left the prototype status. While advancing the Polish armour development programme, the prototype was deemed unsuccessful. Discoveries made during testing led to the design phase of the newer 14TP model, which was never completed due to the onset of World War II.

It will be unlockable at the same level as Pz. III B.

  • Medium Tank
  1. 14TP

    Illustration of the 14TP by Jarosław Janas

    14TP as depicted in World of Tank

The 14TP (Polish: czternastotonowy polski , English: 14-tonne Polish) was a Polish medium cruiser tank that was never completed due to the onset of World War II. - Wikipedia
The 14TP (14-Tonne-Polish) is an obscure and scarcely documented Polish prototype tank designed in the late 1930s, but likely destroyed before it was completed during the German invasion. - Wikipedia

Most of the information regarding the 14TP comes from Janusz Magnuski, a Polish historian. The earliest mention of the 14TP in his work (to our knowledge) is in his 1964 book, Wozy Bojowe 1914-1964 (Combat Vehicles 1914-1964). Most of the information in this article either comes directly from Magnuski’s work or from articles based on his work. Almost all available articles on the 14TP typically do not reference primary documents. Original sources from the Polish Central Military Archive are mentioned in the “Czolg Poscigowy 10TP” (10TP Cruiser Tank) article by Tomasz Koch from the 1997/1 edition of the Militaria Polish magazine, but they are not publicly accessible and cannot be verified. - Tank Encyclopedia

This one is a bit sketchy since it only has one supposed prototype that only exist in paper. It will be unlockable at the same level as Pz. IV C.

  • Plane
    Poland had ordered Hawker Hurricane, Morane-Saulnier 406 before the war but none of them had reached Poland. I considered adding these plane to combat the BF-109 E series. I also can include PZL .50 Jastrząb, a prototype Polish fighter plane that never entered mass production.
  • Fighter Plane:
  1. PZL P.11

    The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed and constructed during the early 1930s by Warsaw-based aircraft manufacturer PZL.

It will be the starter plane for Polish faction.

  1. PZL .50 Jastrząb

    Model of the PZL.50 Jastrząb aircraft at the Pomeranian Military Museum. - Wikipedia

This will be unlockable at the same level of BF 109 E-1 (not in-game)

  • Attacker Plane
  1. PZL.23B Karas
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    The PZL.23 Karaś (crucian carp) was a Polish light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft designed in the early 1930s by PZL in Warsaw.

It will be unlockable at the same level as Ju 87 B-2.

  • Call-in Bomber: PZL.37 Łoś
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    The PZL.37 Łoś was a Polish twin-engined medium bomber designed and manufactured by national aircraft company PZL.

Radioman in Radioman squad can call in 5 of PZL.37 Łoś to bombard the battlefield.

26 Likes

Bro this is good idea
(Im from polando)

2 Likes

Gaijin hire this guy

1 Like

As far as the merge goes and trying to push player population together, I think Polish Home Army stuff makes more sense. Great work in any case though.

1 Like

Polish weapons can be added to be partitioned between soviets and germans

1 Like

More enemies for Germans to kill? I’m in.

2 Likes

I’m more for adding the polish people’s divisions that took part on the eastern front towards the end of the war, maybe as a event squad.

It almost certainly would end up being a premium squad

There is so much to expand on early war. Merge will make it viable and i truly hope stuff like this and France and Winter War will be added. Maybe even Spanish Civil War

Not again pls

3 Likes

Im sure the polish would agree.

Other nation’s premium weapons like Bar wz. 1928, suomi, chauchat, erma, m16 and so on. Shouldn’t be tech recycled tree weapons for other nation. It’s ver meh and automatically decreasing artificial value of those weapons.

1 Like

and Kbsp wz. 38M(from 17th Pioneer Battalion)

1 Like

I used to be sceptical about polish campaign in the game. TBH, I’m still are. For example, how can polish players counter german snipers?

2 Likes

Rifles are more than sufficient, especially in enlisted engagement ranges.

Some snipers didnt use optics

Those who never had good optics in large amounts to begin with - let’s be honest, we all thought about Finland and only by 1944 domestic production of Finnish rifle sights has managed to come up with something good, until then it was either subpar Physica 3x, or German and Soviet scopes, imported and captured respectively.
Let’s tackle with other problems. For example, Germany is going to have Pz IV and StuG III with powerful HEAT (which is also multi-purpose in our game) or HE shell. How do we make sure that Poland gets equally strong anti-infantry machine? Finns, if we’d talk about Continuation War, would at least have BT42, or, again, Soviet and German vehicles.

It would be 1939. Its only low BR so you wouldnt have to worry about facing any of that stuff. Panzers IIs and panzer III 37s. (Tier 1)

After that you could equip Polish with british gear. If you wanted to carry them into later war.

As for the winter war it would also be early war. Just a heap of light fragile tanks that finnish AT rifles easily demolish.

As its asymmetry, you could counter lack of their own tanks with something like field artillery. Weak or no tanks? Strong field guns or artillery

Yeah, that’s exactly why stuff like this are completely unrealistic.
Making faction wirh only extremely low BR stuff is just not efficient. Everyone will grind it so fast, no need for premiums of any kind and so on.

But it’s nice suggestion for different premium stuff for Germany.

as in it will be a sub tree of the allied tree. not standalone.

1 Like

Yeah, it could work. Since polish forces were present even during battle of Normandy. So you could recycled theirs soldiers in higher BRs.
Plus I like idea of sub branches for smaller nations a lot.

But I still it’s think it’s to way much effort for just low BR stuff.

1 Like