"Late-war Brits as Polish 1st Armored" Topic

Helloa. How much do I have to modify my Plastic Soldier Company late war British infantry to make Polish 1st Armored troops (or British airborne as Polish 1st Airborne)? I can't seem to find any articles or information that supports or requires whole-sale changes to the models themselves. I just want to be sure.

Regular infantry, no changes needed afaik. For airborne, Polish paras wore their berets differently to the British, but helmeted figures should be fine.

Eg:

link

You can see it's a fairly different look to the usual fairly tight-fitting and flattened down on the right British para beret.

(Actually that one's not the best example, as it's still at quite a rakish angle – usual for the Poles was for the beret to be worn more like these reenactors and the veteran on the left; slanting it to the rear was normal, to the right rare: link ) They were also grey rather than maroon, but obviously that doesn't matter at the finding figures stage.

1st Armoured Division (Poland) had Cromwells, buy a Guards Armoured Recce unit and add them together.

Or grab a load of Shermans

Use the Market Garden lists for 11th AD as a Proxy or download the specific PDF below.

Use the Infantry as….Infantry rather than PARA's and buys some PSC Tanks and you are "laughing kit bags"

link

PP do Polish Paras only the Armoured Recce Regt had Cromwells the Armoured Regt used Shermans.

No modifications needed, unless you feel the need to paint "Poland" in very small letters on their shoulders. As for vehicles they are bog standard British armour with Polish markings. The Rapid Fire authors suggest that one way of making them look like Poles is by making any attached stowage look rather tidy. Apparently the Poles were very fussy about keeping their vehicles neat and tidy unlike the usual mobile jumble sale that was a British armoured unit.

Infantry and vehicles from PSC can be used without any problems or real modifications.

The odd tank commander with the beret raked back in the Polish style can help as well. Eg. General Maczek's Cromwell command tank:

(I think the lucky horseshoe on the mudguard is an optional extra….)

If its in FOW remember to include the soldier bear amunition loader, bear tank driver or bear master gunner figuers as well.

Thank you all so much!

Ugh,thats an unlucky horseshoe,putting it top down lets the luck drain out!(well,if they made it through without being seriously hurt,it really doesnt matter) :)

I expect the horseshoe was an homage to the Polish cavalry not a good luck token.

For Polish infantry, use the standard British infantry as mentioned above. If the helmets are uncovered, paint a yellow Polish eagle on the front.

Collars were often decorated with regimental 'lance pennant' patches, with the colours denoting the regiment. However, these were sometimes removed in the field.

Officers usually wore the regimental badge centrally on the left breast pocket, rather like the star of a chivalric order.

Officers and NCOs of the 1st Armoured Division usually wore black shoulder-boards (often on only the left shoulder). Privates also wore them on parade, but usually removed them in the field.

Berets were black, with the polish eagle badge on the front. Normally worn with the badge centrally and swept back on the head, though I have seen the odd example of them being worn 'British-style'; with badge over the left eye and swept down over the right ear.

As has been said above – weapons, vehicles and kit were as for British armoured divisions, so Shermans and Fireflies for the three armoured regiments (1st Armoured, 2nd Armoured & 24th Uhlans) and Cromwells for the armoured recce regiment (10th Chasseurs a Cheval, who also got Challengers in the autumn of 1944). However, that all changed in 1945, when the 75mm-armed Shermans were all replaced with 76mm-armed Sherman IIa (M4A1 76 W).

One minor organisational difference – in Normandy, the armoured regiments and armoured recce usually had one troop less per squadron than British regiments. The Motor Battalion (10th Dragoons) was similarly short a platoon in each company. This was due to manpower shortages. However, with the capture and conscription of large numbers of Poles serving in the Wehrmacht, these shortages were largely made good by 1945.

There's an earlier thread here that you'll find useful:

TMP link