Polish Winged Hussar

I've actually heard the Polish Lancer story is based on an account of guys on horse back using sticks to push explosives down damaged/destroyed tanks deserted on the battlefield post battle. That the actual lance vs tank didn't happen.

I'd risk a claim that the whole Commonwealth army of that period was pretty cool. Central-Eastern Europe was such the kind of crossroads, that the locals had to end up with a force definitely more diverse than their enemies. A Commonwealth commander could field Western-style landsknechts, musketeers, dragoons and reiters, add to that native specialties like the hussars, armoureds and commoner infantry, and top it with registered Cossacks and Tatar allies.

However, an army that is too diverse tend not to function as well as crossover fics like to make you believe. For one thing, the Germans may or may not like to work with the Polish.

Also, in regards to my comment on hot Polish chicks, Kasia. Just, Kasia.

God. DAMN.

I don't think there was that much of a problem, by that time period it was a matter of who pays. Though I'd guess each kept to his own when in a camp.

Katies are fun.  ^*

Firstly, it's NAZI propaganda that the Poles charged at tanks with cavalry, they were actually charging at an apparently unsupported infantry unit (which they'd done to some effect previously), and didn't see the tanks in the forest.

It's also a lie that the Poland was an easy victory. Poland had 39 Divisions to the Germans' 60, and still managed kill over 16 thousand. Compare that to the invasion of France where it was about even (141 German to 144 Allied), and the allies only managed to inflict just over 27 thousand casualties. Outnumbered, with (mostly) poor equipment, and expecting a French/British counter-offensive that never came, the Poles still managed to bloody the Germans' noses.

I don't think anyone here is saying it was an easy victory. The fact that it took six weeks to beat them in a four-front war belays that claim.

The fact remains that it was a brutal display of the crushing effectiveness of the new Blitzkrieg war doctrine.

That too. But the Poles held out a lot longer than some other countries would have under the same circumstances.

From the signature of Manuel I Komnenos from the TW Center forum:

Country Approximate days of resistance until surrendering to the Axis

France 296

Greece 210

Norway 60

Poland 36

Belgium 18

Netherlands 5

Denmark 1

And with the exception of Greece, the "score" goes roughly in descending country size. Greece, of course, has its own issues, like that the place is a mountain sprinkled with a shitload of islands.

Well, that guy is a Greek, after all.

On that note, today 70 years ago is the day the Greek resistance against Italian and later German troops began.

edited 28th Oct '10 11:19:11 PM by ArgeusthePaladin

'''And with the exception of Greece, the "score" goes roughly in descending country size. Greece, of course, has its own issues, like that the place is a mountain sprinkled with a shitload of islands. '''

Eh, Poland is larger than Norway.

I included "roughly" on purpose, you know.

Norway also has shitloads of mountains. That makes the tanks that were a big part of the Blitzkrieg concept less useful.

Ah man, Denmark only resisted ONE day?

Makes me feel sad, what with being of Danish ancestry. Still, Denmark hid their Jews and helped them flee the country.

Which is why Denmark has a good economy today.

^^ Not really, Norway has a lot of mountains, but basically everyone lives in a single valley. (well, there's also a couple of people in Narvik, which is which accounts for most of the time)

Denmark didn't resist too hard, but they didn't exactly cooperate withthe Germans after the invasion.

Denmark knew they didn't stand a chance, so they got the "conquered" part over with minimum fuss to minimize the damage and loss of life, then more or less concentrated on Underground and Resistance activities, is the way I always heard it.

At least Poland actually got to fight. Czechoslovakia and Yougoslavia got shafted horribly before 1939 when Germany swallowed whole countries with no one saying a thing.

Those two countries kinda sorta got forgotten by GB and France, last time I checked. Not a good thing to live by when your next-door neighbour is Germany.

Also, Czechoslovakia and the Sudetenland. Herp Derp.

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