The German military that entered the war with Poland was one that had been prepared for months...for this one purpose. Forces had been shifted from the fronts with Italy and France, with the knowledge that neither was likely to intervene. And even were the French or Italians to interfere, they would have crippling issues. Italy would have the Alps to cross under fierce defensive fire, while France was far too caught up in its Maginot Line to attempt offensive actions. As a result, it had been considered safe to mass a substantial force along the Polish border...on the chance that war would come.
This force was divided into three major groups. The first was the Westpreußen Armee, based along the Northern sector of the line with Poland. This force was made up of thirteen divisions, spread from the Baltic in the north, to the 'bulge' of Polish territory in West Prussia in the south. Ten of these divisions were infantry, with the remaining three being some of the still-rare Panzer Divisions. Specifically, the Third under General Walther Nehring, a light armored force, the Sixth under General Johann von Ravenstein, and the Seventh under General Erwin Rommel. The latter two were equipped with the new Panzer Mark III, which will be examined in detail later in this chapter.
Second was the Ostpreußen Armee, based in East Prussia. This force was smaller at a 'mere' ten divisions strong, though even this was 45000 men. The Ostpreußen Armee was under overall command of Gerd von Rundstedt, and was an entirely infantry force, as OKR (
Oberkommando der Reichswehr) predicted difficulties properly supplying an armored force from Königsberg. Even so, Ostpreußen's border with Poland was very lightly garrisoned despite its proximity to Warsaw. Thus, it was not considered necessary to provide more forces.
The third, and final, front with Poland was under the purview of the Sudeten Armee. This was the smallest front, with a mere nine divisions, though the garrison along the Czechoslovak border could be called up if needed. The reason for the relatively small size of General Günther von Kluge's force was simple...both West and Ostpreußen Armees were the force that would be used offensively. Taking Warsaw, it was believed, would create a cascade effect that would force Poland to surrender. As a result, those two Armies held the larger forces. The Sudeten Armee was merely meant to hold the line, and provide an 'anvil' for the Westpreußen Armee. Even so, the Ninth Panzer Division was stationed in the south, to move with infantry support on the city of Krakow, if needed.
Altogether, 32 divisions were gathered for
Fall Weiß. This was the largest force the
Reichsheer could spare, with the need to properly garrison the Reich's other borders.
And these were the best forces the Reich could provide. The troops in the Infantry Divisions had been training heavily ever since the revival of the
Heer, precisely for such an offensive. The Infantry formations, now made up of two Infantry brigades, one Artillery and one Anti-tank brigade, were the best in the world. Focused heavily on the offensive doctrine of blitzkrieg, these troops were armed with new semi-automatic rifles and the MP-40 submachine gun. They were heavily motivated, and extremely well trained.
Their Polish counterparts were armed with old Mauser and Mosin-Nagant rifles, primarily taken from old Imperial German and Russian stores. There had been efforts to replace these weapons with home designs, but they had not been as successful as the Poles may have hoped. As a result, they were both outnumbered and outgunned.
The Poles were further outmatched by the Panzer Divisions. There may have only been four of these divisions attached to
Fall Weiß. But these forces heavily outmatched anything Poland could offer. The Panzer Mark III, equipped with a high-velocity 50mm cannon, was more than a match for any armored forces the Poles could muster. Even the lighter Panzer Mark II that the Third Panzer Division fielded would cut through Cavalry or Infantry. With three of these divisions placed in West Prussia, it was little doubt that they would break through the Polish lines in the manner that Guderian had proposed with his
Blitzkreig theory.
Of course, the
Reichswehr was more than just the Army. The
Luftwaffe was also present in the plans for the invasion, primarily in a supporting role. As such, the new Ju-87 Stuka divebombers were based close to Poland's border, to provide close air support to the advancing ground forces. These bombers, slow and lumbering as they were, would be escorted by the new Heinkel He 100 fighter. This design was finding acceptance, even above the Messerschmidt 109, due in large part to its agility. It would need this against the maneuverable PZL fighters Poland was known to field.
Overall, however, the
Luftwaffe was for support, not there to overwhelm Poland on its own.
While not playing a direct role beyond shore bombardment of Danzig, the
Reichsmarine will also be examined, as this chapter focuses on the overall military of the German Reich. The Navy, while still far from its glory days, was steadily being rebuilt. The main hitting force of the
Reichsmarine remained its battlefleet. However, this force was now reinforced by two new battleships to complement the
Scharnhorst-class. SMS
Bismarck and
Tirpitz, the first battleships built since the Great War. These mighty warships were large, and considered more than a match for the aging Royal Navy should the British decide to intervene. Two sister ships, the
Großdeutschland and
Ludendorff were expected to be commissioned in early August of 1940, bringing the big-gun force of the
Reichsmarine up to four
Bismarck-class battleships, two
Scharnhorst-class Battlecruisers, and the two aging pre-dreadnoughts.
While Admiral Raeder was satisfied with this pace of construction, he did have to make some concessions. Admiral Canaris in particular, had managed to push through his own plans. Three Aircraft Carriers were well on their way to completion. Two, SMS
Seydlitz and
Jade were small, light carriers. These ships were roughly equivalent to the American USS
Ranger, and while they were far from large, they did give the Navy some aircover that could hopefully counter the British carrier force. It was expected that these carriers would be completed, with a well-trained airgroup, by mid-January 1940.
Their larger counterpart, SMS
Graf Zeppelin was taking longer to complete. This warship, equal to any currently under development in the world, would not be completed until September. When it was, however, it would provide the
Reichsmarine with a warship the envy of any other Navy.
Something that may be needed...should Germany's moves in the East rouse the sleeping foes in the West...
