When I finally dived into regular infantry formations of 1939, I've found major error, that should not wait until next season. Now, there can't be assembled a correct infantry platoon at all and it's very underpowered.
A platoon in 1930-39 is
formation 300 Rifle Platoon, consisting of:
- one class 40 Heavy inf.
- one class 1 Inf.
- one class 64 Medium Inf.
In fact, all three squads were identical.
In both regular and reserve infantry
each squad had an LMG. Lacks of LMGs could be encountered only in part of second-line units, like Obrona Narodowa (which is treated separately), and few improvised units, non representative for a bulk of the Polish infantry at all. So, all Rifle units without LMG have no reason to exist.
In reality a platoon had a 5-men HQ section, which included a marksman, in 1939 changed to AT-rifle.
I don't know, if it's better to add AT-rifle to one squad (preferably Heavy infantry class), or to add unit 405 wz.35 AT-Rifle to a platoon of three identical squads. In the first option, we should artificially increase a squad from 19 to 20 men.
In the second option, there should be a different platoon with a marksman, and only after 6/39 it could be replaced with a platoon with AT-rifle (assuming, that all units opened their top-secret only-in-case-of-war boxes). The platoon with a marksman could remain to choose in 1939 also anyway, but the one with AT rifles should be on a pick list.
Besides, 46mm grenade launchers were never used by rifle squads, but were used in a whole GL section with 3 GLs on a company level (
long time ago, when I corrected SP-1, I also thought, that one squad in a platoon should receive a GL, but many things were written since that time).
So, as for Class 40 units:
282 Rifle Squad - with SLR and SMG - was extremely rare (radio should be 3), but it should have LMG.
283 Rifle Squad - without LMG - should be removed
288 Rifle Squad - without LMG, with 46mm GL - to be removed
289 Rifle Squad - without LMG - should be removed
302 Rifle Squad - without LMG, with 46mm GL - to be removed
303 Rifle Squad - the same unit as above with different radio
307 Rifle Squad - early unit with LMG 05/15 and Lebel rifle, available until 1936 - there could be kept an unit with French rifles (rather Berthier) until end of 1934, BUT by the end of 1930 all regular infantry units were given wz.28 LMG instead of 08/15, so it should be changed (BTW, currently it's the only class 40 unit with LMG).
Class 1 units:
284, 300, 306 Rifle Squad - all without LMG - should be removed.
Class 64 units:
285 Rifle Squad - correct one, with LMG and 19 men
301 Rifle Squad - with additional rifle, which does not seem accurate, because a weapon in the 1st slot should be multiplied already.
Apart from a standard unit with wz.98 rifle, wz.28 LMG and some grenades, available in 1930-39, it's worth to keep one with #176 8mm Berthier Rifle and wz.28 LMG, until 12/34 (Lebels were earlier withdrawn from regular infantry, remaining in second-line duties). There also could be created newest squads like 282 Rifle Squad, with radio 3.
There should be created units:
- grenade launcher section with three #220 46mm wz.36 Mrtr and wz.29 carbines, 14 men, from 7/37 to 10/39. Ammo was probably 60 (using a section's cart; crew only carried 20).
- grenade launcher section with three #216 46mm wz.30 Mrtr, available in 2/33-10/39, radio x1 (details and ammo could be the same)
- grenade launcher section with three #218 46mm wz.16 Mrtr, available in 1/30- (say) 12/35. Details and ammo could be the same for simplicity (I have no data), but according to Polish sources, max range should be only 300 m, and it wasn't 46mm (it was a spigot mortar -
http://www.bulgarianartillery.it/Bul...erfer%2016.htm)
A rifle company - formation 301 should have 3 platoons and GL section - and it would be most correct to replace its leading class 51 Light infantry unit with 7-men HQ section, but it probably won't be practical. Or we can assume, that it's a HQ squad gathered of all company logistic support soldiers, wagon drivers and cooks, excluding medical section (it would be 17 men). They should have no LMG indeed.
Regards
Michal