Prefered style of playing Poland

[Mziln]

[:D] Blow the dust off your old WiF game map (or use your copy of CWiF) and try My Polish gambit. [:D]

Setup

(47, 44) Danzig - 3-4 Cavalry Corps (Tarnow), Polish Destroyer Flotilla, and Convoy unit.
This is a sacrificial force to give the ships a chance to rebase to England.

(49, 45) Hex Northwest of Warsaw - 4(2)2 Polish Army HQ (Rydz) and 3-3 Infantry Corps (Karpaty).
This is a sacrificial blocking force and must be placed here.

(50, 45) Lodz (Town West of Warsaw) - 4-4 Infantry Corps (Pomorze) and 4-3 Infantry Corps (Modlin).

(50, 46) Warsaw - Both Air units, 1st Infantry Division, and Two 5-3 Infantry Corps (Krakow and Poznan).

The Commonwealth player will choose the "Assault" chart on all attacks on Danzig, Lodz, and Warsaw. The Polish Air Force will only fly in defense of Warsaw. Intercept Missions will be attempted against Ground Strikes on Warsaw only.

Now, Can you take Warsaw on the first Land Combat Action Phase [&:]

Even with hidden unit strengths the Cavalry Corps and Polish Army HQ allow the German player the ability to caluclate the odds on attacks containing these units.

My Polish gambit allows for three variants:

(1) The setup displayed here.
(2) Swap both 5-3 Infantry Corps from Warsaw with the 4-4 Infantry Corps and 4-3 Infantry Corps in Lodz.
(3) Swap one 5-3 from Warsaw with the 4-3 (or 4-4) Infantry Corps in Lodz.

Swaping any units with the sacrificial stacks will not improve the chance to inflict losses and it weakens the objective (the defense of Warsaw). Assume the German Player will Blitzkrieg any chance he/she can especialy (49, 45) Hex Northwest of Warsaw.

[meyerg]

I do not believe in putting planes in Warsaw to be ground-striked on the surprise impulse. Forest hexes out of overrun range are better.

I do believe in making maximum use of terrain. Small delaying units can be placed in forests. No overrun or B result can be implemented against them.

My opinion is changing now that a second impulse attack against Belgium is the way to go. Two units per city may be the way to go.

Against your setup if I was attacking Belgium second impulse I would probably steal both resources and take out Danzig first impulse. I would make one high odds attack per impulse and never attack Lodz. When I had maximum concentration around Warsaw (at least all clear hexes not across a river) you would see at least one attack on Warsaw near the end of the turn. It is conceivable your Poles could hold out longer than France, but I have the two resources on turn one and savor my conquest of Poland.
Greg

[Mziln]

First some clarifications:

The first Turn, "Action Stage One", "Declare War Step", is hard coded where you can only declare war on Poland. This why you can't invade Belgium until "Action Stage Two" as Meyerg plans to do.

Assume Danzig and both resources are easily captured and You plan to leave Lodz alone.

Do you also plan to leave hex (49, 45) alone [&:] If so I can reorg the some of the units in Warsaw.

When I had maximum concentration around Warsaw (at least all clear hexes not across a river).
This would just be hexes (51, 45) and (51, 46) [&:]

You would see at least one attack on Warsaw near the end of the turn.
I assume you looking to force a retreat of the units in Warsaw if your only going to attack from two hexes.

[:)] But I have achieved my objective Poland is unconqured at the end of "Action Stage One". Later, if Polish Patisans are generated you better have the resources garisoned [:)]

[:D] As for a Belgium gambit that is another situation altogether [:D]

I assume your initial set up will have at least one stack of Panzers moved from the Polish frount. In which case I choose to allow the Commonwealth to control Belgium so the BEF can land in Antwerp.

[meyerg]

Mziln:
(1) I think five units in clear Warsaw is too much a temptation.
(2) 49 factors with an armor can 7-1 B your HQ stack. Any flipped units in Warsaw then stay flipped. This is probably still not Germany's best move.
(3) With armor in East Prussia, I think you can see a four hexside attack on the surprise impules (no river effects) if they want to leave your HQ stack alone. You have 11 factors, so I think Germany can get a 5-1 assault on impulse 1 from four hexsides. I think that's 80+% chance of taking Warsaw leaving Polish HQ stack out of supply and unable to counterattack.

I think you need to delay in Krakow, delay in forest 3 hexes east of Krakow and delay in forst NE of Warsaw. Unfortunately this does not allow two units in Lodz and one with the fleet, but I think you can lose Warsaw impulse one otherwise.

[Mziln]

To get 4 stacks on Warsaw on "Action Stage One" one stack of Panzers in East Prussia will have to start in Hindenburg (53, 43). They will then end their move Southeast of Warsaw in hex (51, 46). This will warn me before I set up what your planning. I could then send the 3-4 3-4 Cavalry Corps (Tarnow) to the forest at hex (52, 44) and let the Destroyer Flotilla and Convoy take their chances.

Somthing you might want to consider prior to starting a two front war (Belgum befor Poland falls) is found in RaW-7m rule 19.6.2 Rumania (The USSR claims Bessarabia). If this third front opens up you have a serious situation on your hands.

If Germany allows the USSR's claim:
Allowing the claim immediately reduces the resources the USSR supplies to Germany by one (see 5.1).
In the next Axis declaration of war step, Hungary and Bulgaria make demands on Rumania for Transylvania and South Dobruja respectively. Germany, as mediator, must either allow both claims or deny both.

If Germany allows Hungarian and/or Bulgarian claims:
Transylvania becomes part of Hungary for all purposes. Germany can declare Hungary aligned with Germany during any later Axis declaration of war step.
South Dobruja becomes part of Bulgaria for all purposes. Germany can declare Bulgaria aligned with Germany during any later Axis declaration of war step.
Germany can declare Rumania aligned with Germany during any Axis declaration of war step if Germany has declared war on the USSR (not if the USSR has declared war on Germany), is at war with Yugoslavia, or controls Belgrade.

If Germany denies Hungarian and/or Bulgarian claims:
Hungary stops supplying its resource to Germany until Hungary aligns with Germany. Germany can declare Hungary aligned with Germany during any Axis declaration of war step after Germany has declared war on the USSR (not if the USSR declares war on Germany). No more than 1 Hungarian unit can ever be outside of Hungary;
Bulgaria can never align with Germany but the USSR can declare it aligned with the USSR during any later Allied declaration of war step.
Rumania becomes aligned with Germany as a full Axis ally during the next Axis declaration of war step. It need no longer keep half of its units inside Rumania - they can all leave.

If Germany denies the USSR's claim:
Hungary stops supplying its resource to Germany until Hungary aligns with Germany.
Bulgaria can never align with Germany but the USSR can declare it aligned with the USSR during any later Allied declaration of war step.
On the plus side, Rumania becomes aligned with Germany as a full Axis ally during the next Axis declaration of war step (you get all 3 oil from Rumania).

On the BIG minus side the USSR can do to Rumania what your doing to Belgium unless you send German reinforcements.

[vonpaul]

you can always just allow the claim , it all depends on how much stuff Russia has put on the border. My polish defense is full stack lodz & warsaw, hq and a/c in forest east of warsaw(hq zocs also block wraping around warsaw from east), delaying units in cities in the west. Warsaw shouldnt fall on the first impulse if you setup half decently. Give the german player more attractive attacks (aka sacrifical units) and they'll do that instead of a low odd attack vs warsaw. Basically if german does poland first there all dead barring the luck of the devil, however gets more interesting if they are trying a france '39 attack

[Mziln]

Yup Vonpaul every gambit has its reprecussions. Normaly I wouldn't even think of invading Rumania.

If Germany starts a second front without finishing off Poland. Those 3 oil resources become mighty tempting for the U.S.S.R. to give Germany a third front to worry about.

[meyerg]

Mziln:
Even three hex sides allow an easy 4-1, which is probably too risky for me as the planes don't even fly and the Germans can sew up Poland impulse one (making the Belgium gambit that much more attractive). The Germans still have the conservative auto elim the HQ stack and take two nonriver and 3 river hex sides on the next impulse.
I think you have to delay (at least unit Lodz, forest NE Warsaw, Krakow, forest 2 hexes E of Krakow). HQ can sit alone SE Warsaw or in Lodz (probably better), and two planes NE Krakow and SW of Warsaw. Of course your 11pt Warsaw stack is the way to go.
I would like to setup two units in Lodz and garrison the ships, I just don't think you can risk it. Especially with the Belgian gambit out there.
Finally, you can't mess with Russia and France at this stage of the war. If Russia makes the claim for Besserabia, Germany has to remember the price for Russian neutrality is quite small in the long run. I guess all this Wif talk is almost as good as playing (well, maybe not, but I tried).
Greg

[Mziln]

My Solution

NAV (He115c) NavAir mission to Baltic Sea to catch rebasing Polish naval units.
LND (Ju88a1) in Konigsberg does a Ground Strike mission to Warsaw.

Three Attacks

(47, 44) Danzig - one weak X-3 Infantry Corps moves through Gdynia ending its move stacking with another Infantry Corps West of Danzig. Army HQ (Von Leeb) one Infantry Corps (and optional Artillery unit) move Southwest of Danzig. One Infantry Corps from Konigsberg moves to the East of Danzig.

(49, 45) Hex Northwest of Warsaw - East Prussian Panzers move to the east of this group. Two Infantry Corps that start Southeast of Konigsberg move to the North east of this stack (and maintain supply lines to the panzers). Von Rundstedt stack stays put.

(50, 45) Lodz (Town West of Warsaw) - Army HQ (Von Bock), a Panzer Corps, a Motorized Corps. 5 strong Infantry Corps, 2 Artillery Divisions, a Engineer Divsion, and a Infantry Division attack from the Northwest, West, Southwest, and Southeast.

"Action Stage Two" you can you take Warsaw and start troops heading toward Belgium.
CAP can take out the Polish Air force. [:D]