Poland (Alternate 1939)

The Second Polish Republic was a country in Eastern Europe. Formed in 1918 after the First World War, the new Poland faced its first challenge against the also newly formed Russian Socialist Republic in the 1920 Polish-Soviet War. After the victory, and a coup, Poland's economy slowly began to grow, and under the leadership of Józef Piłsudski, the military was quickly growing, as he recognized that the USSR, and by 1936, newly formed Nazi Germany, were both a threat to Poland.

On September 1st, 1939, the first shots of the 1939 Polish Defensive War were fired at Westerplatte. Although the Poles were smashed in the initial days of the invasion, Polish forces quickly regrouped, and began battering German forces. Thanks to Piłsudski's foresight, and his buildup of the military, Poland was successfully able to trap several divisions of the Wehrmacht in East Prussia.

Eventually, Poland's cavalry units, now all of which were augmented with the 7TP light tanks, moved into Nazi Germany proper, as other cavalry units from Krakow rushed through Slovakia, and eventually linked up with the units driving from the north, trapping several more divisions of Nazi troops. As bombers continued to pound Berlin, the French and British finally moved in from the west. With Germany now fighting a war on two fronts, they begged the Soviet Union to intervene as per their pact, but Stalin, fearing the collapse of his regime, did not follow through.

By February 4th, 1940, Polish troops linked up with their French and British cohorts at the Elbe. The Defensive War was over.