Bolt Action Early War Polish!

If you like to play games set in the early part of WWII (it’s not all Tigers, Shermans and 88s, you know!) you’ll love this little lot – the Poles are here! Not only have we reorganised and repackaged the range but we’ve given the gallant Poles more punch with two new guns. Check it all out here…

Early War Polish Infantry Boxed Set

The Polish army that fought and died so bravely in 1939 was large, well-officered and relatively well equipped. It fought hard, but was entirely outmanoeuvred by fast moving German armoured thrusts supported by all arms in a new dynamic style of war that a largely foot slogging army could not match.

When the Russians stabbed them in the back, dividing Poland into two, it was all too much for an already over extended army short of armour and air support and the end was inevitable.

That being said there were many desperate actions fought where the Poles fought the invaders to a standstill, and the stolid infantry held their ground and their dashing cavalry caught the enemy napping.

One such action was the Battle of Wizna – also known as the Polish Thermopylae.  During the opening moves of the Invasion of Poland (between September 7 and September 10, 1939) a small Polish force led by Captain Wladyslaw Raginis held back a vastly greater force before being annihilated. It sounds like a massacre but when you look at the odds it’s undoubtedly one of the great last stands in history:

Polish forces:
720 men (20 officers)
Six 76 mm guns
42 MGs
2 anti-tank rifles

German forces:
42,200 men
350 tanks
657 mortars, guns and grenade launchers
Air support

This box contains 24 metal models with a classic rifle section and their accompanying Browning Automatic Rifle. To take control of the action we also include a command group with a young junior officer, NCO, runners and the Polish deadly anti-tank rifle. This boxed set is the best way to get your Polish army started!

---

Polish WZ.1897-17 75mm Gun

All new for the Poles this week is the first of two big guns. The 75mm Gun was also exported to Poland who used it with its original spoked wheels rather than the more modern pneumatic wheels on the French gun.

---

Polish WZ.36 37mm Gun

And secondly we have the Early War Polish 37mm anti tank gun, more than capable of taking out Soviet and German tanks from all angles!

These guns and the boxed set are just the newest additions to the line. We’ve plenty of solid support packs to check out as well, have a look below!

---

Early War Polish Squad

The Polish infantry squad was a powerful fighting force, comprising of up to 19 men. The riflemen were equipped with Mauser bolt-action rifles and the squad support weapon was the well proven Polish-made Browning automatic rifle, or RKM WZ.28. This machine gun was adequate for most of its roles but would be overpowered by the shattering rate of fire of German MG34′s.

The Polish infantryman of our period was well trained and highly motivated, attacked as he was on two fronts in a dastardly move by two of the world’s most aggressive powers.

This pack contains a random assortment of 12 metal figures, supplied unpainted.

---

Early War Polish Heavy Mortar Team

The classic infantry support weapon. As with most armies of the period the Poles adopted the 81mm medium mortar. Capable of laying down a rain of shells in short time, this is the weapon you want to either smother the foe with firepower or to break up any assault on your position.

The mortars were normally grouped together with the heavy machine gun company of the Battalion.

This set contains 3 metal crew and a mortar. Models are supplied unpainted.

---

Early War Polish Sharpshooters

We have paired up a Marksman team to give you some chance of keeping the German and Russian heads down! One of them has either robbed a corpse or obtained his own telescopic sight, but together these two bold fellows will make the invaders pay!

Our two brave tank hunters are both equipped with the W2 35, hoping to get a few shots from its 4 round magazine into an enemy tank, the tanks and armoured cars of the day were vulnerable to this most excellent weapon.

This set contains 4 metal miniatures. Models are supplied unpainted.

---

Early War Polish WZ30 HMG Team

Just what the infantry and cavalry need; the reassuring tap, tap, tap of a heavy machine gun covering their front!

The WZ30 was the rugged and standard medium/heavy machine gun of the Polish army. Solid and dependable it was in actual fact a pretty much complete copy of the classic Colt machine gun from the USA, who foolishly had not patented the design in Poland!
Either way it gave good service in all branches of the armed forces and here it is in all its glory!

This set contains 3 metal crew and a HMG, supplied unpainted

---

Early War Polish Lancer Regiment

Warlord Games salute the brave Poles, whose motto was “Honour and Fatherland”, and we supply models with lances for the old fashioned cavalry types who still hear the snorting of the horses and the jangle of the bits before the trumpeter sounded the Charge!

This set provides you with 10 Polish Cavalry including a full command. Mounted figures with open hands and sabres. Can be modelled with lances (included).

---

Early Polish Lancer Command

There are few more heroic and stirring sights than Polish cavalry dashing themselves in a desperate charge against German armoured might; lance against Krupp steel… Only, it largely of course didn’t happen. Gallant though they were, the Polish Cavalryman was no fool. After reforms in 1936 the Polish cavalry was reorganised into twenty six regiments, of four squadrons each with one hundred and twenty men in each squadron. They were supported by HMG and anti-tank squadrons, backed too with tankettes and infantry on bicycles. Sadly for the romantics amongst us, the lance had been retired and was used largely for ceremonial purposes.

Polish mounted, early war, lancer command pack consisting of an officer, bugler and NCO.

---

Early War Polish Lancers

Pack of three early war Polish lancers. Mounted figures with open hands and sabres. Can be modelled with lances (included).

To check out the rest of our Polish offerings, like individual reinforcements and vehicles, head here now!