FoW: Anti-Tank Platoons Obrona Narodowa (National Defence)

Finally! We have come to the end of all of the modelling projects to do with the Polish National Defence forces of 1939. This will be the last one that covers any of the different troop types and their modelling.

A full Obrona Narodowa anti tank platoon

In this final swan song for the Obrona Narodowa we are going to take a look at the Anti-Tank platoons that, in theory, each of the battalions was furnished with...

... of course 'in theory' is very much the operative words in this case! There was such a lack of the bofors wz.36 37mm anti tank guns available that very few actually managed to reach the Obrona Narodowa.

The WIP of the Intelligence Briefing page detailing the anti tank platoon that is available

In fact, despite their establishment lists stating that they should be in receipt of at least a platoon of three guns very often they had none, or maybe one if they were lucky.

It would seem that the Type III Silesian Battalions may have been the exception here as the Army headquarters saw a significant combat value in them owing to the intensity of their training and the length of time that they had been under arms which may  explain why almost all of the National Defence Battalions were amalgamated into Reserve Infantry Regiments and Divisions on the Silesian front.

A Bofors 37mm wz.36 in action

Major Parczynski of the Naklo National Defence Battalion fighting around the area of Bydgoszcz was in a particularly strong position, situated as they were behind canals on the Notec river that had had their lock gates opened providing a significant impedance to German advances. Unfortunately he was forced to repeatedly ask for a provision of anti tank guns to be emplaced in suitable positions to help them resist German armour... this was not done and within 24 hours they were forced to abandon their positions along with the 15th Infantry Division.

A Bofors 37mm wz.36 relegated to a rusty museum piece

The Kepno National Defence Battalion was a story of opposite value. Army high command deemed the Kepno region to be of critical importance and the Kepno National Defence Battalion was deemed to have a combat capability as high as any regular army units and as such was tasked with independent shielding duties and with the exception of those battalions that had been collected into Reserve Regiments, the Kepno battalion proved to be one of the few unamalgamated battalions that received a full complement of anti tank guns.

A Bofors 37mm wz.36 being wheeled into position

Another prominent example of a National Defence battalion receiving anti tank guns was the Zywiec Battalion that was stationed around the town of Zywiec in the Karpaty. This Battalion received two but instead of concentrating them into a single anti tank platoon they instead split them, allocating the first to the battalions 1 Company which was left to defend the Zywiec area whilst the second was sent off with another company to defend the area of Skomielna Biala. the Zywiec Battalion was one of two battalions that were to take such an active participation in the Black Brigades defence of Jordanow and Wysoka although their AT guns were not present at these engagements, being deployed elsewhere.

A frontal view of a full National Defence Anti-tank platoon with command element

OK so there is a brief exposure to the use of anti tank guns by the Obrona Narodowa and now that that is done its time to take a brief look at the modelling that went into creating a full platoon of these death dealing beauties!

Another side view of the same Anti-tank platoon as above

So, given the way that I have been modelling my Obrona Narodowa from the start and the resources that I have been using to form them I am sure that much of this will come as no surprise to any of you that will have read any of my Polish oriented blog posts over the last two years.

The Bofors 37mm wz.36 anti tank guns are all from True North Miniatures, sold in the UK by the inestimable Andy Copestake who owns Old Glory UK. Each of these models comes without crew but with a caisson which I have obviously chosen not to use owing to a shortage of real estate on the bases!

More of a top down view of the very same platoon as mentioned almost ad nauseum...

The limbers are all Battlefront Miniatures, and are actually the same ones that I use for both my Cavalry and my Piechoty armies. They are serving triple duty and I only expect that duty to increase as time goes by! 

The command wagon is a Museum Miniatures one from their equipment range. A range I have to be honest; I am rather enamoured with, providing as it does many items of hard to findness that would just create a mountain of struggle if looking anywhere else... oh yeah, and they just have such a great variety of wagons and stuff that it would be criminal not to employ it somewhere!

A closer look at the command team with its personal cart and horse

The figures all come from the same resources as much of the rest of the stuff with the command figures coming from Peter Pigs Spanish Civil War Carlist range with judicious Peter Pig headswaps applied, swapping out the Carlist tasseled berets for French Adrian helmets (which I honestly think just look so damned cool!)

Another perspective view of the same command element and transport

As per usual with my Obrona Narodowa I have kept with the Catholic lunatic theme and opted to have a cross bearer within the command staff! God is on their side y'know? 

A side on view of a complete gun section with the gun base and its horse & limber

 The crews for the actual guns themselves have come from Peter Pigs WW2 French Motorised Troops range specifically using the Motorised Gun Crew and the Motorised 60mm Mortar Crews.

Yup, another view...

 Where the painting for all of these bits and pieces is concerned I will try not to bore you with too much detail... in fact I will just say that if you want to know how I paint the specifics have a look through the earlier Piechoty based blog posts where the actual paint and colour schemes can be found.

... and yes! The final view for this blog post!

So there we have it ladies and gents. So finishes my rather voluminous guided tour around Poland National Defence that fought tooth and nail in defence of their homes and homeland in 1939.

..and that I am sure the majority of you will be pleased to hear will be the last of the Polish oriented modelling stuff that I will be doing this year. Apart from the announcement of the release of my Intelligence Briefing for the Obrona Narodowa which I will hope (fingers very tightly crossed at this stage) to announce next week, this will be the very last thing Polish you will hear about this year. 

Its now time for something completely new!

Whats next I wonder?

FoW: HMG Support Platoons Obrona Narodowa (National Defence)

So in our latest installment of our tour around the nuts and bolts of the Polish National Defence we are going to take a look at some of the company support platoon options that are available to a National Defence commander.

All in all there were three main types of heavy machine guns that came to be used by the Obrona Narodowa in 1939.

A Type I battalion HMG platoon with its two HMG sections, command and wagon transports

For the battalions that were either new or were not considered to have a combat efficiency high enough older retired weapons were supplied. The Hotchkiss wz.14 & wz.25 and the Maxim wz.08 were the two weapons that were most prevalent in the states stockpiles. For those battalions that were the oldest types which has been refined and trained to the point where there was little distinction between them and their regular counterparts supplies of the Polish home produced Ckm wz.30 HMG may have been made available to some of these, most likely in the Type III Silesian battalions which were considered some of the best National Defence troops in the entirety of Poland.

A WIP of the Intelligence Briefing Page for some of the HMG options

In 1939 Poland had about 2,600 wz.14's and about 1000 wz.25's. There were many supporters of the Hotchkiss in Poland mainly because of the air cooled nature of the weapon and its simple, reliable and robust construction. Many of the extant weapons were used in the States armoured vehicles but the remainder largely went to equipping the Obrona Narodowa. The downside was a relatively sedate rate of fire of 400 rpm.

A Polish owned Hotchkiss wz.14 tripod mounted HMG being operated by a member of the National Defence

The German Ckm 7.92mm wz.08 version of the Maxim was the most popular version of this weapon anywhere in the world. Manufactured at the Spandau and DWM plant in Germany before the first world war Poland was able to retain almost 6000 units when the State was reborn. Water cooled and highly rugged the weapon was installed on a four legged sled. Heavy but owing to its 500 rpm rate of fire by 1939 they had long since been withdrawn from the front line infantry and cavalry and were left for the reserve divisions, anti aircraft companies and some of the independent cavalry units.

A Polish owned German Ckm 7.92mm wz.08 on four legged sled

Owing to the less positive reviews of the upgraded Hotchkiss wz.25's at the start of 1928 Ckm held a state competition for the provision of a new HMG for the armed forces. The winner was Browning with its wz.1919. A simple construction, water cooled with the ability to change mid operation, it was resistant to dirt blockages and jams. Able to operate over long ranges whilst being able to retain a high degree of accuracy it also had a respectable 500 rpm rate of fire. It was produced in such numbers with such positive reviews that it ended up being used in almost all Polish vehicles where available and supplying almost all of the armed forces. Only the most highly rated Obrona Narodowa battalions would have received any of these however and they were a rarity within the formation as a whole.

A Polish license produced Browning HMG labelled as Ckm wz.30

The lightest formations with regards to both manpower and equipment supplies was the Type I National Defence Battalions which were largely established as a reaction to Polands deteriorating international situation, the collapse of the Czechoslovakian state and Poland becoming hedged in by the Nazi's on three of its borders. 

A typical HMG platoon command element with its horse drawn supply cart.

The Type I battalions were seens as only having to supply support services behind the front line fighting, dealing with fifth column activists and ensuring the civilian panic was not getting out of hand behind the lines.

Another typical example of a Type I battalion HMG platoon

Because of these facts the Type I battalions were only provided with what amounted to a token support platoon of just two Hotchkiss wz.14 HMG's transported in horse drawn carts appropriated from the local populace.

A Hotchkiss wz.14 supplied Obrona Narodowa HMG base

The Type II and Type III battalions had their HMG support platoons held at Battalion level and were parsed out amongst the companies that needed them as circumstances required. They would be supplied with a combined HMG and Mortar platoon with three HMG sections and one Mortar section within the single support platoon.

A rear view of the above Hotchkiss wz.14 supplied Obrona Narodowa HMG base

The Type IV battalions would have a single HMG platoon within each of the battalions three rifle companies with each of the HMG platoons having three HMG sections providing each of the three rifle companies with some instant call up clout!

A combined HMG and Mortar platoon typical of the Type III & IV Battalions

The Type S 'fortress' battalions (of which there were only three by the time hostilities commenced in 1939) had an abundant supply of HMG's with each rifle company having two rifle and two HMG platoons, with each HMG platoon having three HMG sections.

An example of the many types of local horse drawn wagons and carts that were appropriated for use by the ON.

 All of the wagons and carts came from the same supplier; Museum Miniatures. In order to create a little more variety within the models themselves I added a few tarpaulins sculpted out of Magic Sculpt.

The rear view of the above wagon.

A cart piled high with baggage

 The painting on each of the wagons is pretty standard using one of the Vallejo Wood Paint selections and using their instructional book in order to create a well worn wooden look. The wheel rims and other metal attachments on each of the wagons were painted with Molten Metal Steel with a red brown wash thinly washed over them to give the impression of rusty metal.

Another rear view of the above cart

 The rest of the colours are really down to personal choice, but I opted to go for the washed out drab look for all of the bundles that were piled into the back of each cart and wagon.

...and yes another cart.

...and just to add some variety a wagon... piled high with ammunition!

Where the Type K companies were concerned, whilst the troops were all mounted on bicycles the HMG platoon would be provided with a small provision of Motorcycle and Sidecar combinations with which to ferry around their weapons.

The complete Type K HMG platoon with all of its accompanying Sokol 1000 motorcycle transports.

The command base with its personal votive means

The motorcycles were provided by a couple of packs of spare True North Miniature Black Brigade motorcycle troops. All of the original crews had been repurposed leaving the motorcycles spare. This finally gave me the opportunity to use them.

An example of the 7.92mm wz.08 heavy machine gun

 The German 7.92mm wz.08's were Peter Pig Austrian Schwarzlose HMGs from their World War One range with the usual head swaps that I keep doing. I've gone over the way that I paint Polish so many times now that I wont bore you with it all again.

Antother view of the above HMG team

A closer look at one of the motorcycle transport bases

A rear view of the above seen transport team

Another view of the complete Type K HMG platoon.

So there you have it. Loads and loads of heavy machine guns of different types to play around with, a WIP of an Intelligence Briefing Page and buckets of modelling photos... and not a bayonet in sight!

Next time we will take a look at the Mortar and Grenade Launchers that were present in the organisations.

Until next time gents... Fix BAYONETS!!!!

FoW: Obrona Narodowa (National Defence) Platoon

So these guys are the somewhat unsung heroes of September '39. Along with the State Police (a.k.a The Blue Police) these guys were all over Poland fighting in almost all of the battles... but just like the Blue Police, nobody really seems to give them the credit they deserve.

For me they represent another opportunity for a funky modelling project where I get to put something together that looks a little different from the average so let me run you through a little bit of history and then I'll take you through how I put my ON (Obrona Narodowa) platoon together.

The History of the Obrona Narodowa

The Obrona Narodowa (ON) was a territorial military formation that existed between 1937 and 1939. It comprised a system of Brigades and Demi-Brigades which were each assigned to District Corp Headquarters where in times of need they would be subordinated to specific Polish army groups based on perceived local needs.

The decision to establish an organisation of National Defence units was taken in December 1936, with service in the ON units being based on the well known principles of our own Territorial Army. Initially the National Defence units service was performed exclusively by volunteers of Polish nationality, unrestricted reserve soldiers and the unemployed. The basic organisation was by the Battalion with varying levels of manpower depending upon which model of battalion you were serving in; Types I, II, III, IV and S (there was also a Cavalry ON brigade as well).

Formation of the first ON Battalions began in January 1937 with Reserve Troops populating the territorial system and initially formed on the instigation of each of the District Corps, depending upon whether or not there was a perceived need for more manpower at that time.

National Defence formations were equipped with a variety of uniforms and equipment, rarely modern at inception, although by 1939 many Battalions had been issued uniforms that were to a larger degree identical to the regular army with the exception of formation markings.

Formations of the ON were provided for the short term defensive activities of any given area whereby the ON would assist in the defence of their own homes and other short term defence tasks when under favourable field conditions, principally with the support of regular troops.

ON troops participating in the Zaolzie occupation 1938

It would seem that when the ON were deployed as envisioned they performed admirably though if, through events beyond their control, they were pulled out of their comfort zones and expected to operate in a wider tactical environment their lack of weaponry and training would start to tell very quickly, frequently precipitating a collapse in morale.

When the second world war started Poland was able to mobilise a total of about 83 battalions with a total strength of about 1500 officers and between 50-60,000 NCO's and Privates.

Sequence of Events in 1939

7th April 1939: A root and branch reorganisation of the ON started to take place with the issue of order L. 1022/Tjn which dealt with the theoretical strengths and mobilisation plans for the ON.

2nd May 1939: The start of the physical establishment of the ON Battalions followed soon after with order L.dz 1600/ Tjn. HE. and L.dz 1601/ Tjn.

New brigades were established and existing ones expanded and in place of the original organisational TO&E's 1,2,3 & 4 the following organisational TO&E's were introduced:

Brigade Headquarters (demi-brigade) ON type I
Brigade Headquarters (demi-brigade) ON type II
Battalion ON Type I
Battalion ON Type II
Battalion ON Type III
Battalion ON Type IV
Battalion ON Type 'S' (Fortress Garrisons. June '39 mobilisation of 12 such battalions was planned)
Company ON Type 'KS' (Cyclists)
Company ON Type 'K' (Cyclists)

The breakdown of a Type IV Obrona Narodowa Battalion

10th May 1939: The commander of Corps Area Command No. VII in Poznan issued order L.dz 2398/ Tjn.Org.ON outlining the creation of ON units in the Corps area.

31st May 1939: Brigadier General Kazimierz Sawicki was appointed General for Unit Affairs and Head of the National Defence Agency whilst also retaining the post of Director of the State Office of Physical Education and Military Training.

10th July 1939: The N ational Defence Department is legally separated from the M.S.Wojsk Infantry Department, and is subsequently integrated into the National Defence Agency.
Head of the Obrona Narodowa - Lieutenant Colonel Jozef Zoncyk-Bohusz
Head of Organisational Documentation - Capt Kazimierz Gustaw Czermak
Head of Budget - Captain Stanislaw Marian Bigo
Head of Department - Major Tadeusz Wiktor Rozek

27th July 1939: The Office for Units of the Army issued an order 136/ Tjn. for the formation of ON artillery platoons

28th July 1939: The Office for Units of the Army issued an order 182/ Tjn. for the formation of Gdynia ON Battalion III and the reorganisation of Gdynia ON Battalion II and Kashubian ON Battalion to the Type IV organisational structure

2nd August 1939: The Office for Units of the Army issued an order 183/ Tjn. for the formation of the Dabrowa ON demi brigade

25th August 1939: Brigadier General Bronislaw Regulski was replaced by the Minister of Military Affairs due to a combat alarm carried out by units of the ON.

29th August 1939: The Office for Units of the Army issued an order 349/ Tjn. outlining the change of command organisation for the Poznan and Podhale ON Brigades from Type I to Type II.

29th August 1939: The Office for Units of the Army issued an order 183/ Tjn. for the formation of the National Defence Brigades in Warsaw.

That brings us up to the war....

Owing to the precipitous collapse of the Polish front lines at the start of September the ON were frequently called upon to fight outside of their local environments in circumstances that were not suitable for their organisational imperatives. The most effective battles that the ON waged were when they were fighting for their 'little homeland'. 

This is labelled as an ON section launching an attack but I am almost certain that this is a Cavalry section.
The troops are all wearing cavalry boots and the soldier in the foreground still has spurs on his boots.

In the German overrunning of Army Pomerania (Armii Pomorze) to the west of Bydgoszcz on 2nd September 1939 the ON Battalion 'Koronowo' is a good example of what well led battalions could achieve when fighting for their homes.

With the Polish front line having been overrun by German armoured thrusts the Polish 'Koronowa' ON battalion was all that stood in their path. Without external support they fought off a succession of German waves holding back the entire German 3rd Infantry Division until all ammunition was exhausted. When the ammunition had run out Major Wrzesinksi took the decision to order a bayonet charge instead of a withdrawal. Nobody considered capitulation. They fought to the very end with only a few managing to escape the carnage.

ON soldiers... actually in Greatcoats!

Similar resistance was made by many other battalions throughout Poland although few will come close to the extreme valour demonstrated by the ON Battalions that fought with the Naval Rifle Brigades around Gdynia, most especially on the Oksywie Kepa where 15,000 troops dug themselves into a local hillside and forced the Germans to literally dig them out having to wage over 100 individual  battles over a 10 day period up to 19th September when the commander Colonel Stanislaw Dabek committed suicide and the remaining troops laid down their arms. Kazimierz Pindel wrote: "All Coastal Land Defence forces have been completely destroyed. There was no surrender at Oksywska. The struggle of the few Coastal Defence Troops in comparison to the German forces continued until their destruction by the enemy!" 

The troops did actually eventually surrender, but only when ammunition and food was exhausted, medical supplies were non existent, casualties had risen to over 40% and a complete organisational breakdown had been forced upon the defenders.

Despite what the world may think, Poland was no pushover!

Sadly a lot of the troops serving with the ON were murdered either on the field of battle, or most especially in prisoner of war camps where the ON's efforts to suppress German 5th Column activities drew savage reprisals from their captors. There were a number of officers of various battalions who actually suffered the indignity of being guillotined.

Uniforms

Miniatures portraying some Obrona Narodowa soldiers from 1939 in older pattern uniform items.

The outfitting of soldiers of the National Defence organisations was along the same lines as those of the regular army with the ideal kit being provided being the same as that provided to regular army soldiers.

The reality was somewhat more disparate however with the Brigades frequently, and especially at inception being issued with older pre 1936 military uniforms. As time went by and war approached however replacement of these older uniforms for the newer post 1936 model became more accelerated. Because of this I will only address the more outdated uniforms issued to the ON as, other than ON markings the modern uniforms bore no noticeable difference.

A fine artists impression of an older uniformed Obrona Narodowa soldier of 1939

There were small differences in the uniforms between the ON and the Regulars however, even with the most modern uniforms. So to detail the uniforms:

A typical ON uniform but with a wz.36 helmet

Headwear: Other than the rogatywka cap that the troops habitually wore the ON were issued with old world war 1 era French Adrian helmets. These were eventually replaced by the more modern wz.1936 helmet as war approached.

Upper Body: A standard 'kurtka sukienna' (cotton jacket) was issued. The more modern wz.1936 issue jacket would have been issued as war approached but for wargaming purposes there is practically no difference. Their cotton greatcoats or sleeping blankets would be worn rolled across the chest, over the shoulder and tied together with the other end just above the belt. 

Lower Body: The cloth trousers of the ON were typical of the era and were tight laced around the calves, ballooning out above the knee. One of the most identifiable things about the ON uniforms however was the leg wraps. As opposed to the puttees of most European armies by this time the Polish were still issuing long cotton strips of fabric that were tied around the legs, starting just above the ankle and being tied off below the knee. Even when newer uniforms had been issued many ON formations still retained the use of these wraps.

Feet: The ON were issued older black leather ankle boots. Nothing much to say here. Exactly as it says on the tin!

Equipment: The equipment issued to the ON, such as the webbing, harnesses, ammo pouches and rucksacks etc. was exactly the same as that issued to regular infantry. The older gas mask tin was issued as opposed to the newer canvas bags but other than that there is no practical difference for a wargamer to worry about.

Armament: As a militia organisation that was tasked with defending hearth and home the ON did not have access to the newest weaponry the Polish army was being equipped with. However they were not bereft of heavy weaponry and/or support weaponry that many suppose although much of it had been reallocated before the war started. Some ON Battalions were very well furnished, such as those in the Karpaty whilst others such as those up in Grodno were somewhat bereft.

Typically the personal weapons issued were old French Mannlicher rifles of World War 1 vintage with a smattering of equally unPolish lmgs, such as the French Berthier's. As time went by more BAR's were issued although they kept their French rifles. Ammunition on the field of battle was to be a perennial problem.

Insignia: The ON uniforms had no insignia on them other than the coat of arms of the Obrona Narodowa and a collar flash of white over red cut diagonally on both jackets and cloaks. The older Adrian helmets could also be found sporting the Polish Eagle, although the majority of these had been removed by the time war broke out. Ranks were carried on epaulettes just as with other arms.  

Modelling the Obrona Narodowa

Organisationally speaking the ON Type IV Battalions were a bit different from the average Polish company. Each company, as expected would contain three platoons each of three sections... but this is where the similarities end. Each section was only 15 men as opposed to the normal 19. There is questions as to how many LMG's the platoons would have access to as well although just for variety I've included a base in each section with a team.

So, I can obviously just choose to repurpose my normal piechoty for use as Obrona Narodowa should I choose but I just can't help feeling that I would be missing out on another modelling opportunity and a chance to field something  just this side of funky!

The full Obrona Narodowa platoon in all its undermanned and undergunned glory!

I decided that I would opt to model and field an ON platoon equipped with the older uniforms that were initially issued in 1937. That would mean the older Adrian helmets, leg wrap putties, rolled greatcoats/blankets and an assortment of weird and wonderful weapons (OK so practically this would just mean an alternative LMG)

A full section of 15 conscripts advancing, waved on by their NCO in the middle.

I cast my eyes about the wargames world to find some options. Generally speaking the armed forces of the world of this time period all wore similar uniforms that could be nicely done with a little nip and tuck. One option was obviously the True North National Defence troops which is a manufacturer I normally swear by but I just wanted to try something different, and in any case the True North ones have been sculpted without the leg wrap putties, in fact the only difference here would be the helmets and at the moment I am very taken with my chosen alternatives.

A closer look at one of the LMG bases

I settled on the Carlist range of Spanish Civil War miniatures by Peter Pig, whose heads I quickly removed. These were then replaced with Adrian helmet heads, again provided by Peter Pig and Czapka heads, also provided by the same. 

A closer look at the platoon command base.... complete with their very own Catholic, cross toting nutter!

It would be nice if they actually sculpted Rogatywka heads, which is what the Poles actually wore in the field as opposed to the czapkas which were actually chiefly worn with dress uniforms, parades and special functions... for a lack of an alternative I had to go ahead and use them anyway. 

An excuse to have a closer look at one of the Sergeants

The benefit of the Carlist miniatures is that with the exception of water bottles these miniatures wear the correct form of belt, harness and ammo pouches, have leg wraps, have the blanket/greatcoat rolled across the body and sling the rest of their bags in almost the same way as ON troops. They were an ideal fit once all of the heads had been replaced.

A look at the rear of the soldiers showing to good effect their rolled blankets, leg wrap putties, Adrian helmets and packs.

Given that the Poles are a bit Catholic nutty and I figured it would only have been worse in 1939, especially given the fact that they were having their own Jewish pogrom before the Germans even bounced across their borders I thought I would keep the Holy Cross touting Carlist and use him as a proxy banner bearer along with two officers. 

A decent view of one of the sections advancing straight towards the camera crew :D

Unlikely this would ever have happened in a real battle of course but I do like the idea of a hard pressed ON battalion being brought back to the fight by a lonely officer or NCO hauling a cross into the air, planting it firmly in the ground and urging his men to take not one further step backwards!

Anyway apart from that all of the painting was completed as with everything else Polish that I've done and just so with the bases!

The whole platoon viewed from the front, command in the background!

So Im left with the feeling that this particular little force went so well that I decided to go ahead and order one more platoon of Carlists, and enough weird and wonderful troops types and heads to allow me to create 2 HMG teams, 1 mortar team, 1 anti tank gun team and three horse drawn wagons of typically rural types... I just cant help adding these little projects!

Its no wonder I never seem to finish anything! :D

FIX BAYONETS!!!!!!!!!