WI: German invasion of Poland fails

How possible is for the German invasion of Poland failing? Let's say Hitler invades Poland but somehow it fails or it just doesn't work according to his plans due to a better Polish performance in the beginning stages of the war thus making the Soviets uncomfortable to intervene and maintain a neutral policy? In what possible ways could this have ended up happening and what is the result?
 
I think the German military would have to be significantly smaller and weaker for their attempt at invading Poland to fail. And if they failed to take Poland, I doubt Hitler would be willing to make moves on other European countries.
 
I think the German military would have to be significantly smaller and weaker for their attempt at invading Poland to fail.

Indeed

The Poles could have fought better, I wonder if we could define failed as a long drawn out campaign that Germany still wins but takes so long and costs so much that it becomes a disaster eg Finish Russian War. In this case, the only way to make this happen is if Russia is in some way involved.



And if they failed to take Poland, I doubt Hitler would be willing to make moves on other European countries.

He was already by invading Poland at war with France and Britain.
 
Hmm... Aside from no Soviet invasion.

Poland has put more time into training and spent more on weapons and motorization.

Poles have a air defense radar & fighter control system comparable to what the Brits had built. This allows a couple hundred more German aircraft lost.

Poland fully mobilized in August, adding eight third echelon reserve divisions to the defense.

Poland sends its small bomber force on a well rehearsed preemptive strike onto German air fields. Hitting about a half hour before the German airstrikes launch.

Polish ground defense attritions away the German tanks corps and runs down the artillery ammunition supply

The Soviet attack occurs as per OTL but the Polish armies in the west still last a few weeks longer and leave the Germans in worse shape
 
How about if the British and French mobilise after Munich and they place their armies on the German border. The Russians can't be persuaded to invade Poland as well and the situation changes dramatically. The Germans are forced to maintain a very strong military presence in the west and the Poles are only fighting on one front. Then if the British and French attack as well.....
 
I think it would be difficult to get it to fail. Thanks to Munich, Poland was 'surrounded' on three sides by Germany - the Czech lands provided additional points of invasion routes.

It is more likely that if the Czech had refused any surrender at Munich and decided to fight, their 'Maginot line in the East' would have caused severe headaches for a German army at that time.

Poland and German preparations in 1939, I believe, were very different. If Gamelin would give Poland a max of 4 months, I think that would be it.

Ivan
 
What if France invaded Germany instead of hiding behind the Maginot Line? Perhaps with more competent leadership in the French Army instead of General Gamelin, France follows through with the Saar Offensive, Poland may be relieved and Germany stretched, leading to it failing to invade Poland. It also deters the USSR from invading Poland.
 
To quote Dale Cozort as to why the Poles lost:

Delayed Polish mobilization - The French and English convinced the Poles not to mobilize until long after the Germans had completed their mobilization. When the invasion started, only one quarter of the Polish army was armed and in position. Another quarter of it had been mobilized but hadn't made it to the front lines. About one-third of the Polish army never even formed before the war was over. The rest of it mobilized under German attack. On day one the Germans faced a quarter of the men that the Poles theoretically could have faced them with.

The Polish high command cut itself off from it's own army on September 7 - They were afraid of getting cut off in Warsaw, so they moved to another town. That town lacked the communication facilities necessary to deal with an army, so after the move the individual Polish armies were essentially on their own, with no coordination. That was fatal against a fast moving opponent like the Germans.

The rainy season came late in 1939 - The Poles expected fall rains to turn Central Poland into a large swamp by mid-to-late September. Then German mechanized units would lose mobility while Polish cavalry units would still be mobile. At that point the Poles would come into their own.
 
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