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1 September 1940 – 1 January 1941

In October 1940, Italy declared war on Greece. However, following initial successful break through, Italians were stopped and both sides dug in.

HoI3Greece11140.jpg
 
1 January 1941 – 1 June 1941

Operation “Bleeding”

Newly built infantry and airborne divisions were sent to East Prussia. The main objective was to bleed Germans without starting any real offensive.

Marienburg was left sparsely defended, which provoked German assault, crossing Vistula and taking Marienburg and neighbouring undefended province Elbing. Marienburg was subsequently attacked by outnumbering Polish divisions. Many German divisions were closed in Elbing and surrendered. The German army also redeployed many more divisions from South and Central Poland to Danzig which weakened their defences.

HoI3Marienburg.jpg


Having in mind that natural resources were in steep decline and German economy and manpower exceeded Polish, it was decided to start an offensive in summer.


In a mean time, Nationalist China completed its very successful offensive against Japan and its puppets and reached central Korea.

HoI3China.jpg
 
1 June 1941 (Now or Never)

Allied forces as to 1 June 1941.

HoI3ArmyComparison1641.jpg


HoI3AirComparison1641.jpg


Planned 1st Phase.

2nd Army’s objective is to penetrate German defences and eliminate the salient in central Poland.

HoI31641.jpg


6 brigades of British tank destroyers are expected in December 1941. This should allow forming of 3 Combined Arms divisions. Transport planes are still not ready (the first wing will be built only in January 1942), therefore Polish will have to rely only on efficiency of their infantry divisions.
 
1 June 1941 - 1 July 1941

The first stage of Polish offensive was successful. It appears now that Polish divisions are more organised and efficient than German. However, German mobile units were more mobile and faster and because of that many divisions were able to escape full encirclement and retreat in good order. No German units were overrun. Only 6-7 divisions were caught in a pocket and surrendered. The success was not without a price and 40.000 Polish laid dead. That means that Polish have approximately 7 more months of offensive before they would run out of reserves.

The second phase is retaking of industrial centre Namyslow. That would help economy going with coal and metal. The highly populated province would also help army to draw more troops.

HoI31741.jpg
 
1 July 1941 - 1 August 1941

The second stage was also successful. Some enemy mobile divisions were cut off and encircled. Namyslow at last Polish again. Germans redeployed 8-10 divisions from Danzig (which were assembled there during Polish operation “Bleeding”) around Poznan and commenced a counter-offensive. Another 55.000 Polish dead.

The same problem: Germans are faster and cannot be overrun. Polish badly need mobile divisions or at least brigades. Building of 3 armoured car brigades was undertaken. Unfortunately the brigades should be only ready at the end of December.

Next step is an offensive towards and re-taking of Poznan.

HoI31841-1.jpg


(The best 2nd Army offensive leaders above. Actually, Polish army has very big choice of offensive and defensive leaders)
 
Holy....YOU ACTULLY BEAT THEM BACK?! O_O YOUR AWSOME DUDE!:D

Thanks :) Germans are starting to fight back but we will see if they have enough stamina.
 
1 August 1941 - 1 September 1941

The pocket was eliminated, but the offensive stalled. Poznan was taken in the middle of August but after heavy pressure from German divisions, Polish troops retreated. Another 18.000 died.

It was decided to postpone the offensive until January 1942 when transport planes, tank destroyers and armoured cars would be ready.

HoI31941.jpg
 
1 September 1941 - 1 October 1941

Horrible news came from France. Following successful Polish offensive, Germany responded by declaring war on Luxemburg and Belgium at the beginning of September. Germany’s ally Italy also declared war on Allies and invaded South France.

Germans broke through Belgium and reached North France. Italians almost unopposed occupied whole South East France and reached Dijon and Bourges.

HoI311041France.jpg


Fall of France would mean disaster! France urged Poland to continue its offensive without a delay.
 
How did you get so much IC?

The recent boost was because of liberation of Namyslow (8 factories) and Czestochowa (1 factory). Poland started with 47 factories. I built 43 new ones. It was not very difficult to do it due to constant building of forts and factories which developed high practical (35, for comparison, the second highest infantry 8), research of “industrial efficiency” (lv 8) and “Heavy Industry Emphasis” (5% efficiency).

I could build many more but due to loss of Danzig I cannot trade with the USA, the only one willing to sell coal in big quantities and to buy supplies and fuel.
 
Its interesting seeing how this is playing out now. All games of poland i've tried, and even seen, have basically involved getting as much manpower as possible built into inf, a defensive line, and trying to hold off the invasion. while this works, it seems that it sets you up for a hard time later on if you can survive the german assult. Poland is actually manpower poor in the long term and really needs more hardened divisions. Hopefully your para and hard(Td and AC) (aka, IC not manpower intensive) divsions will allow you to do some more manevouring.
 
Second Offensive

After initial shock and rejection of any possibility to send some troops to France due the lack of transport planes and ships (Polish thought about dropping paratroopers in Genoa cutting off Italian supply road to South France), hasty preparations were made for the second offensive.

Defences were partially stripped from the south front line. The Second Offensive Army was reorganised and reinforced with newly built artillery brigades and divisions from the First Defensive Army. The main objectives of the first phase were liberation of Poznan, cutting off Danzig salient and subsequent destruction of encircled German divisions.

The operation started in the middle of September and proceeded smoothly. Exhausted German divisions (due to previous German counter-offensive in Poznan sector) were pushed back and soon Poznan was liberated again. The Second Army pushed further north and is very to cutting off the biggest number of German divisions so far.

Polish planes can reach Berlin!

HoI311041.jpg
 
I'd think of something about that Hungarian border in the near future. Sooner or later there will be a call to arms.

Following German invasion to Belgium and Luxemburg and Italian invasion to France I really hope that won’t be the case.

In none of my games so far did the AI call in Hungary.

That is my experience too.

I hope you are planning to deploy your 2nd Army (or at least part of it) to Hungarian border. :D

I had extra troops stationed in the south of Poland just in case. I also checked possibility of getting Rumania as an ally. It was “likely”. That was one of the main reasons why I didn’t attack Rumania for its access to Black Sea and resources.


However, now if Hungary joins the war, Poland would be really doomed as all spare divisions are in the north.
 
1 October 1941 – 1 November 1941

French commenced a very impressive counter-offensive in South France and broke through Italian lines. Italian army is on a brink of disaster as French threatening a full encirclement.

However, in North France, the situation remains critical. Germans continue the offensive and threaten with the encirclement of Maginot line.

HoI311141France.jpg



British launched an offensive in North Africa, took Tobruk and approached Benghazi.

HoI311141Libya.jpg
 
The Second Polish Army carried off the most successful encirclement of German troops so far and at last liberated Danzig. The blockade of Polish ports was lifted!

German for the third time took Poznan while the bulk of the Second Polish army was entangled in elimination of Danzig pocket (approximately 80.000 encircled German troops).

A loss of Polish troops stabilised at around 20.000 a month. That gives more precious time before reserves would run out.

HoI311141.jpg
 
Very strange rule

If I previously suspected then now I am almost sure that only fully annexed (occupied not enough) ports can trade overseas. It doesn’t make sense to me. That means - you should never surrender Danzig! My huge mistake.

HoI311141Trade.jpg
 
1 November 1941 – 1 December 1941

In South France, French continued their brilliant operation. Italian army is scattered and in a disarray. Many troops were taken prisoners. If French continue this way then soon they would drink vine in Rome.

In North France, Germans are pushing forward but very slowly. The front line should be soon stabilised.

HoI311241France.jpg