https://blitzkrieg1939-41.blogspot.com/

 Blitzkrieg 1939-41 - Don't forget to visit my new blog on the opening campaigns of the Second World War. Today I put a new mini documentary on the fortress of Eben-Emael in Belgium by History hit.

Blitzkrieg 1939-41

I have started a new blog. About the period 1939-41. Most of the early stuff is taken from here but hopefully it will grow. Go here to see it  Just put a piece about a 1940 immersion event in the USA up.

Quick Reaction Force 15mm WW2

 Pretty comprehensive list here including Polish guns and vehicles.

Plastic Soldier Company

PSC do quite a few things in 15mm. Mostly geared to the Soviet v German aspect but useful. See a video review of the early Germans here
 

Forged in Battle 15mm

 So last night I was having a look at who does 15mm WW2 which goes with 1/100 (see below) and found this range by Forged in Battle. Look good. See them

Tank Chats #97 | Panzer II | The Tank Museum

 Here David Willey discusses the Panzer II, a German tank which was instrumental in the early days of the Second World War, especially during the Blitzkrieg.

Kfz 13

 This is an armoured car used by the Germans in 1939 although it was quite archaic. Wiki. Retired 1941. First to Fight 1/72 do a model of it. 

Adam Kliczek, http://memoriesstay.com (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Poland 1939

 Just instigated a label 'Poland 1939'

Heroes of Westerplatte 1939 - (Tajemnica Westerplatte) 2013 trailer (English subtitles)

 Just ordered the DVD of this. I will let you now what it's like. It was only £2. 

1939 Battle of Westerplatte, originally titled in Poland as Tajemnica Westerplatte ("The Secret of Westerplatte"), is a 2013 Polish-Lithuanian war film written and directed by Paweł Chochlew. It portrays the Battle of Westerplatte between the Polish Army and Nazi German forces at the start of World War II in 1939. The film focuses on the conflict between Westerplatte commander Henryk Sucharski (Michał Żebrowski) and his deputy Franciszek Dąbrowski (Robert Żołędziewski).^[1]

Pathe Gazette Special - Polish Army Manoeuvres (1939)

Polish WW2 Aircrafts - Polish Campaign 1939

 Reading First to Fight about the Polish war of 1939 and I realized I knew nothing about Polish aircraft of 1939. Luckily this short film is a good starter.

Osprey I might get

 

First to Fight 1/72 at Hannants

Been looking to see who stocks this comprehensive range of Polish and German 1939 kits in the U.K. and figures and find that Hannants stock them. See here

First to Fight Roger Moorhouse

 My library got me this today and I have started it. Very good. Tells the hidden tale of Poland's war in 1939. I am a learner on this period but I have put some Polish images here.

The blurb at Goodreads says:

Drawing for the first time on Polish, German and Soviet sources, First to Fight is the definitive history of the German invasion of Poland, which opened the war in September 1939. Roger Moorhouse provides a dramatic narrative of military events, brought to life by a select cast of generals and politicians, soldiers and civilians from all sides. In the process, First to Fight explodes many of the myths that still surround the campaign and challenge our understanding of how Britain and France entered the war.

Did Britain and France assist their Polish ally to the best of their abilities when the German armies crossed the border on 1 September 1939? While they went to war with Germany, why did they not declare war on the Soviet Union when its troops invaded Poland from the east later in the month? And if the violation of Poland had been the reason to go to war in 1939, how could the Western Allies justify handing the country over on a plate to Stalin in 1945?

Published to tie in with the eightieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, First to Fight explodes many of the myths around what is a shameful chapter in both British and French history, and forensically examines a pivotal moment in the war’s history.

TKS Polish tankette

 As blog readers may know I like tankettes. They are a 30s thing. 

List of Polish armoured fighting vehicles

The TK (also known as the TK-3) tankette was a Polish design produced from 1931 based on the chassis of the British Carden Loyd tankette, with an improved hull and more powerful engine, and armour up to 8 mm thick (10 mm on the TKS). TKS wiki

Polish Light Tank 7TP

 Wiki

From the book Tanks and other AFVs of the Blitzkrieg era BT White

Battlegroup Blitzkrieg

 I asked the people at a facebook group dedicated to WW2 for the best rules for Poland 1939 and they recommended this supplement. Review here

Polish Ursus Wz. 29 Armoured Car, September 1939

 I have, inspired by the First to Fight 1/72 range, been looking at Polish 1939 images. First to Fight is a very comprehensive collection of an interesting selection of afvs and artillery.

First to Fight Roger Moorhouse

 The Second World War began on 1 September 1939, when German tanks, trucks and infantry crossed the Polish border, and the Luftwaffe began bombing Poland’s cities. The Polish army fought bravely but could not withstand an attacker superior in numbers and technology; and when the Red Army invaded from the east – as agreed in the pact Hitler had concluded with Stalin – the country’s fate was sealed. Poland was the first to fight the German aggressor; it would be the first to suffer the full murderous force of Nazi persecution. By the end of the Second World War, one in five of its people had perished.

The Polish campaign is the forgotten story of the Second World War. Despite prefacing many of that conflict's later horrors – the wanton targeting of civilians, indiscriminate bombing and ethnic cleansing – it is little understood, and most of what we think we know about it is Nazi propaganda, such as the myth of Polish cavalry charging German tanks with their lances. In truth, Polish forces put up a spirited defence, in the expectation that they would be assisted by their British and French allies. That assistance never came.

First to Fight is the first history of the Polish war for almost half a century. Drawing on letters, memoirs and diaries by generals and politicians, soldiers and civilians from all sides, Roger Moorhouse’s dramatic account of the military events is entwined with a tragic human story of courage and suffering, and a dark tale of diplomatic betrayal.

First to Fight 1/72

 A Polish range of kits  that are easy build. They seem to specialise in models of subjects (figures, vehicles artillery) from around the Blitzkrieg of 1939 which suits me fine. Check your model supplier for these but they look great. If you want to see what's out there search First to Fight 1/72 on ebay

.