Polish OOB2 corrections/suggestions (v.6)

[Pibwl]

misc. less important changes

231 Honey Ammo Tank - should be renamed to Stuart (name Honey applied to early versions rather, and was unknown by the Polish)

236 152mm A Nadbrze
237 105mm A Nadbrze - I suggest more understandable English name rather, like: "...mm Coast Art", "Coast Gun". A name: "A Nadbrze" isn't a valid abbreviation in Polish, just cut words (A[rtyleria? Armata?] Nadbrze[żna]). Eventually "A.Nadbrz.", with points.

238 Lesny Bunkier (forest bunker) - if we keep a Polish name, more natural is "Lesny bunkier".
13077

239 Budynek - might be translated to Building

240 Bunkier - dates 11/39-12/46 don't fit to Polish armament - probably it should be 1/30-10/39. Pistol doesn't seem necessary.

251 Polish HQ - 1940 HQ could not use wz.29 carbines and Vis pistols. The carbine could be replaced with 112 Lebel and pistol with 114.

264, 265, 266 Sniper - it uses 1939-era picture - see unit 193 Commando Sniper above.

278, 279 Partisans - to me, partisans armed with rare Mannlicher and Berthier rifles are redundant if we have otherwise identical standard unit 340.

282 Rifle Squad - its weapon #60 wz.38M rifle was self-loading rifle and therefore should have kill=2 (now 1), BUT such unit was extremely rare and should have radio=3(now 2).


I've just found, that only Paras, Marines, Bicycle Squads and Mot Rifles use a weapon 86 defensive Granat wz.24 Ob, while all the other infantry uses offensive 87 Granat wz.24 Za. In fact, all the infantry used both defensive and offensive grenades, and with offensive grenades only they will be inferior to enemy (I've started a separate thread on grenades in general http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=49960).

Since defensive grenades are generally used by other countries, I think, that offensive Granat wz.24 Za is redundant and all cases of its usage should be changed to Granat wz.24 Ob (renamed to "Granat obronny").
And since 87 seems a standard slot for hand grenades, a new defensive grenade could be placed in this slot.

A standard was two defensive and two offensive grenades for a soldier, so in units which has two slots with grenades, the second entry of grenades could be changed to lighter #80 Granaty (that could be renamed to "granat zaczepny" ie. offensive). This concerns units 284, 285, 289, 290, 293, 306.


330 105mm Gun Bty - correct picture of wz.29 gun is 23598 (in Finnish service). They were used at least from 1934 (now 1/35)

332 100mm Gun Bty - should be used from 1/30 (1/35)

333 81mm Mortars - mortar crews should rather have #173 wz.98 Carabine, than rifle


360 Ursus 'A' [truck] - used from 1/30(1/35). Name could be written just Ursus A

362 Jeep - earliest serial Jeeps were manufactured from late 1941 - I don't know when the Poles got them, but I guess some 1/42 (now: 7/40). Some Austin Tilly (#286 in the British oob) could be copied to fill a gap from 7/40

Michal

[Pibwl]

Another part of shallow digging through plethora of infantry units... Their structures and weapons should be examined deeply, but maybe next year.

287 Rifle Squad - picture 30211 without LMG will be more appropriate

310, 311 Obrona Naradowa - should be Narodowa.

313 Patrol - has a picture of marksman. 15000 could be, as used for #312

318 Rifle Section - picture 30553 seems better, than some soldiers with Sherman (used as mech patrol)

322, 323 Engineer Sec - soldiers on the photo looks rather like Germans to me. Maybe 30553 will do.

324, 327 Engineer Squad - photo 30211 looks better for a French period

325, 326 Engineer Squad - photo 30220 looks better for engineers (not charging on bayonets)


Off-map Artillery

Now 1939 artillery is organized this way:
- Lt arty - 75 mm FG
- Med how - 100 mm FH, 105 mm FG (wz.13), 105 mm FG (wz.29)
- Hvy arty - 120 mm, 155 mm FH, 220 mm

A problem is, that in fact 100 mm FH were used in Light Arty Regiments (along with 75 mm guns), while 105 mm FG were in heavy arty units (along with 155mm FH)

If we want to be closer to original, 100 mm FH battery should be reclassified as Light Arty. There would be available a whole Lt Arty Bn with three 4-gun batteries of 75 mm or 100 mm, which is correct.

A bigger problem is, that heavy divisional arty, using 105 mm FG/155 mm FH, had a different structure (3-gun batteries), than C-in-c Heavy Arty, using same guns (4-gun batteries), plus 120 mm guns and 220 mm mortars. There's a page on 105mm guns, indicating this problem http://derela.republika.pl/105mm_wz1..._schneider.htm

There didn't exist battalions with three 3-gun 105mm batteries, like formation 358 in a present oob.
Unfortunately, it seems impossible to create real mixed off-map divisional Heavy Arty Battalions with one battery of three 105mm guns (wz.13 or wz.29) and one battery of 155mm FH.

That's why I suggest to use 3-gun 105mm and 155mm batteries as single batteries only, and not to include them in any Battalion. Unit #331 155mm How Bty should be reclassified to 10 Off-map arty, like 105mm batteries. If a player would like to create original divisional Heavy Arty Bn, he'd have to take one 3-gun 105mm Bty and one 3-gun 155mm Bty separately.

There should be created new four-gun units, modified from #99 105mm Gun Bty, #330 105mm Gun Bty and #331 155mm How Bty. All these four-gun batteries should be classified as Heavy off-map arty. Of them, 155mm howitzers should be most common.

Unit 416 120mm How Bty should be given a fourth gun to be true (you can read about them here: http://derela.republika.pl/120mm_wz78-09-31.htm).

Then, if we add one more battery to a battalion 357, there will be available heavy arty battalions with three 4-gun batteries of 105mm, 120mm or 155mm, which is correct, or with three 2-gun 220mm batteries, also correct.


Suggested changes to formations to reflect changes above:
form. 358 Med Howitzer Bn - to be removed, as non-existing. A problem is, that it might be on a pick list in assault mode (sometimes there is Lt or Hvy Bn instead).
form. 365 Med How Bty - rename eg. "Hvy Art Bty/3", "Hvy Art Bty(3)" - it will cover divisional heavy arty of 105mm guns and 155mm FH
form. 357 Heavy Art Bn - add the third battery and change template unit (331) to Off-map Hvy Arty, eg. 416
form. 367 Hvy Art Battery - rename eg. "Hvy Art Bty/4" and change template unit


332 100mm Gun Bty - should be named 100mm How Bty or FH Bty, and used from 1/30 (now 1/35)

333 81mm Mortars - if there's a choice, a secondary weapon should be shorter 144 wz.29 Carbine


Michal