Someone did a great one-shot timeline of this, but I can't remember who it was.
How plausible is this one?
POD is 1920 almighty.
So the Polish-Soviet War has Poland actually stand up for her allies, namely Ukraine. Poland begins to court other nations to be part of the Międzymorze Alliance. By 1938 the alliance contains, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Czechoslovakia. The Polish army agrees to modernize mostly in preparation for round two with the Soviets. By 1938 when the Nazis come calling for the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia, where the west wants to do the whole appeasement, Poland and the rest of the Miedzymorze alliance support Czechoslovakia and thus war breaks out over the Sudetenland. By the end of this war, it is Poland and her alliance that has emerged on top not the Nazis.
How plausible is this one?![]()
POD is 1920 almighty.
So the Polish-Soviet War has Poland actually stand up for her allies, namely Ukraine. Poland begins to court other nations to be part of the Międzymorze Alliance. By 1938 the alliance contains, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Czechoslovakia. The Polish army agrees to modernize mostly in preparation for round two with the Soviets. By 1938 when the Nazis come calling for the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia, where the west wants to do the whole appeasement, Poland and the rest of the Miedzymorze alliance support Czechoslovakia and thus war breaks out over the Sudetenland. By the end of this war, it is Poland and her alliance that has emerged on top not the Nazis.
How plausible is this one?![]()
The problem with 1920 is that Poland was willing to establish a separate Ukraine but could not sustain operations so far to the east. This might have gone differently if Petlura's army had been more popular among Ukrainians, but at this point Ukraine already seen 2 years of constant revolution and war, Kiev had changed hands multiple times, and the population understandably had enough of it all. Or maybe Wrangel could have gotten lucky and managed a serious counterattack out of Crimea, diverting more of the Red Army's strength. But I don't think it can realistically happen with a 1920 PoD.
Also the poles with the help of dirk pit raise the titanicOctober 25 1936 Polish commandos commit a clear act of war in the hijacking of the Soviet vessels Kine, Kursk, Neva, and Volgoles in Cartagena harbor. The Soviet crews and four Spanish treasury employees are killed after the transfer of the gold by Treasury Director-General Francisco Mendes Aspe and NKVD Head of Spanish Operations Alexander Orlov.
The ships rendezvous with a Polish support vessel and are repainted and have their lines altered - lifeboat davits are moved, awnings added, a false funnel raised - and proceed away from the normal shipping lanes west of Ireland, rounding Scotland to the north and passing through the Skagerrak November 2nd. After unloading in Gdansk they are scuttled in the Baltic until they are discovered in 1994 by a NUMA team lead by Dirk Pitt seeking the Treasury Seal left by Director Aspe with the leader of the treasury employees.
Poland uses the 510 tons of gold to purchase foreign-built armaments.
Soviet intervention in the Spanish Civil War decreases as the Republicans believe that Stalin has stolen the gold (OTL he did not defraud Spain of it, but did charge his Republican allies for all of his aid).
Poland transfers the gold to the American, British, and French governments over the next two years in exchange for lines of credit for the purchase of war materiel.
You know, it's a cool premise for a dire Clive Cussler airport-bookshop technothriller, but I think there just isn't the time to get the new production ready before September 1939.
Oh well, back to the drawing board.
There is nothing impossible about Polish campaign lasting longer and absolutely easiest POD for it would be change of weather in summer 1939-OTL that summer was hot and dry in Poland, make it rainy and war would last longer-Polish roads would turn into sea of mud, rivers with higher water levels would be harder to cross.While the challenge is to have Poland defeat Nazi Germany, what could Poland do at minimum to at least give Germany enough of a bloody nose to at least buy the British/France as well as the Soviets a bit more time before Barbarossa?
The challenge is to have Poland defeat the Nazi invasion before the Russian invade since I doubt the Russians would invade if Germany getting defeated
OTLWhat if all the money and resources sunk into the air force was invested in (homemade) 75mm antiaircraft guns and plenty of antitank guns of the same caliber?
In addition an envoy is sent to the Soviet Union to sound out Stalin about the possibility of Russian "volunteers" being allowed to help their Slavic brothers in their "noble struggle against fascism."
Pod should be before 1914 or better yet before 1814POD should be after the 1920 war with Russia.. Poland becomes a leader in modern warfare.. Avation, mobile infantry, Fully fortified border with Russia, Building Licensed Skoda Tanks until Cheslovakia is over run by Germans, then Poland with money from UK and France builds even more tanks.. Think 3 or four mobile Polish divisions, Cavalry and mechanized infantry, with a brigade of Chezcz Skoda 35T tanks per division.
Maybe invest more money in AT defences (perhaps at the expense of the Navy ?) Doctrine and training to employ the new assets would also be needed.While the challenge is to have Poland defeat Nazi Germany, what could Poland do at minimum to at least give Germany enough of a bloody nose to at least buy the British/France as well as the Soviets a bit more time before Barbarossa?
They might have the coal, the iron and the lead. So now they only need to find oil, rubber, aluminium, steel additives (manganese etc.), and so on. And build the factories.
Oh, and convince the French to spend less on the Maginot so that they can bankroll the Poles. And the British, who after all jumped aboard the Polish defense's boat a bit late.
Maybe invest more money in AT defences (perhaps at the expense of the Navy ?) Doctrine and training to employ the new assets would also be needed.
Maybe lots of small units equipped with AT weapons, mines, mortars and machine guns that fight delaying actions against the Germans and use camouflage to avoid air attack prior to engaging the German army ?
Maybe light vehicles to transport them and a lot of emphasis on movement at night and use of camouflage to avoid air attack ?