TLDR
Polish Focus Tree from United and Ready DLC contains option to create Międzymorze faction. Unfortunately, it had very weak option to expand, containing only Baltic states by default. With the help of Polish Revanchism and La Resistance DLC, it may look like below. Yes, I denied Anschluss to Germany.
Concept
As Polish myself I want to polish (hehe) my strategy with Poland in HOI4. I was looking at gameplays from Taureror, TommyKay, Pravus, FeedBackGaming, shenryyr, Kałach, Lutel and few others. I found them all dissapointing. In none of them gameplay is with historical AI, nice to others and decent. All strategies are:
- go excile
- conquer neighbours to become stronger
- side with fascist/communist, then destroy the second (backstabing original ally is an option)
- go with ahistorical AI hoping for profitable deviation
- create small bubble stacking units on top of each other waiting for Barbarossa.
I was able to make Poland in Allies stalemating Germans. But, it always ends with Russian steamrolling me. RIght now I am figuring out a strategy utilizing Międzymorze faction. Invited country will accept if they are willing to accept your policy and world tension is high enough. The first one is done with spies on diplomatic pressure mission. The second one by wargoal justification, which is possible early by focus Polish Revanchism. Right after a new member joins a faction, war declaration can be canceled.
Also: the Fall of Berlin event (press note), raised when Poland takes Berlin, mentions collapsing a Brandenburg Gate because of being rammed by Polish tank. So I really want to use tanks!
Historical Background
In XIX century central Europe was dominated by 3 empires with strangely similar heraldic badges: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia.
After World War I many nations governed by them won independence. Those new countries started conflicting trying to cut territory from each other. Those hostilities prevented central Europe from alliance against German and Russia. All those countries were teaming up with Germans, Russians or Allies. Polish conflicts for interested
- Żeligowski's mutiny
- Peace of Riga (Poland and Russia agreed to deny independence to Ukraine and Belarus)
- Zaolzie conflict
And obvious demands from Germany and Russia wanting to restore situation from before 1914.
AAR
Will be poorly pictured and general. I didn't plan to make AAR, but the newest DLC forced me to prepare this post as a background before I make some statements there.
No ideology change for Poland, historical AI. I want to team up central Europe to quickly beat up Germans, before fighing Russia. It has a benefit, as all those countries are getting free factories from their focuses. It is an alternative to conquering neighbouring minors to create a snowball effect.
At January 1937 I started making my intelligence. As 9th and 10th focus i picked up Polish Revanchism and The Between The Seas Concept. 11th German focus is Anschluss, so I made a diplomatic pressure on Austria, Romania and Bulgaria. At the same time I improved relations with them. When diplomatic pressure is 20 and relation is 100, I start justifing wargoal on Russia at 23:00. It raises both world tension and acceptance of my diplomatic efforts for non-aligned contries (DANGER! It does not work for democracies, so Czechoslovakia and Scandinavia cannot join Międzymorze). They all accept my invitation, so I cancel wargoal justification. It's 19th December and Międzymorze just started expanding.
I value Austria a lot. Germany is much weaker without them. It also stretches their lines, as even neutral Austria (they refuse call to arms) forces them to guard the border.
I repeat that trick for Baltics, and on November 1938 for Hungary, Yugoslavia and Albania. For the rest of time my operatives were boosting neutral ideology for Hungary, because if fascist support is below 40% when they finish Renounce The Treaty of Trianon focus, they'll remain neutral. I skipped Finnland, as I still did not figure out an optimal output for future dealing with Russia. They asked to join later anyway...
Germany was blocked for a while with Fate of Czechoslovakia focus, becuase they were lacking troops after lack of Anschluss. They demanded Danzig on 13th December 1939 (disturbing Polish fact: on 13th December 1981 general Wojciech Jaruzelski made a coup and started martial law for the whole year to destroy anty-communist opposition). I had 3O CIVFs (14 for consumer goods, 4 for trading), 30 MILFs (lol) and 4 dockyards. I was training fighter and CAS with 2 factories all the time. I've ended up with 3 armies benefitting from Grand Battleplan Doctrine:
Władysław Sikorski (30% entrenchment) marshal
As I was testing diplomatic options, I did not plan properly my production lines and I neglected collecting army XP. So my divisions were weak. But as country team was kinda big, I felt bold and decided to fight. I did not save that part, so no screens, I am sorry. Prussia was quickly taken out. Then I used my attack army to make a few encirclements around sea, which ended with Fall of Berlin.
I neglected providing guarantees for Yugoslavia from Allies. They were attacked by Italy, I do not call them for fighting Germans. Still, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named decided to help me by declaring war on BENELUX. So Allies were helping me and even asked for military access to participate in Eastern Front. So nice <3
I continued my march towards Netherlands. Just before my destination, a stalemate occured. I was pushed back around Katowice, Kielce and Kraków which was a disater. Those are the only Polish provinces with resources, so I maxed infrastructure there. Majority of my factories were also build there. I was quickly running out of equipment, even despite heavy supplementation from Allies and USA. Also, regular German divisions started to pierce my tanks. Fortunately, without Berlin and naval ports Germany ran into worse supply problem than me, so Netherlands took final coast provicies. At 4th July 1941 peace conference in Allestenstein took place. Right in time, my attack army melted to only 4 motorised divisions! The rest of German coast was kept by my defensive army and Allies support. I was lacking warscore to make a decent borders. Also, because I had to cede East to Russia, I decided to recompensate on Germans. In the result I generated too much world tension and nobody liked me. Especially Balkans looked funny with Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Hercegovina, Bosnia, Slovenia, Transylvania and gains for both Italy and France.
Unfortunately, I ended up fighting with Romania against Russia after exhausting war with Germany. So Poland became a communist republic. I decided to stop playing there.
Epilogue
It can be done better. In next run I will try to avoid below mistakes:
- I should not put so many factories in German reach
- I should lend lease equipment and sent attaches for army experience
- I should investigate Bulgaria historical AI, because they turned fascist and joined Axis. Only to be conquered by Romania singlehandly. At first invintation I should skip Bulgaria favoring Albania. First, I do not had to worry about Albania annexed by Italy thanks to historical AI. Second, to have more time playing with spies in Bulgaria to prevent them joining Germany
- I should skip on Yugoslavia and Latvia before they are attacked. Instead, I should start justifying on them to make Allies guarantee them. I really need their support against both Germany and Russia
- I should consider a different, less greedy approach at peace conference. Less for myself, more to my allies, to team up again before Russia. Only Romania, Lithuania and Estonia remained in my faction during that gameplay.
Possibilities to check:
- try to invite also Turkey and Iran, which should allow for hidden Polish general leader event
- quickly switch to democracy and try to invite Central Europe to Allies
- release Belarus and Ukraine at start of the game, so they can make industry from general focus tree
Share your toughts and advices. Now I can make some statements about planned DLC for Poland, to be released with Barbarossa update.
Polish Focus Tree from United and Ready DLC contains option to create Międzymorze faction. Unfortunately, it had very weak option to expand, containing only Baltic states by default. With the help of Polish Revanchism and La Resistance DLC, it may look like below. Yes, I denied Anschluss to Germany.
Concept
As Polish myself I want to polish (hehe) my strategy with Poland in HOI4. I was looking at gameplays from Taureror, TommyKay, Pravus, FeedBackGaming, shenryyr, Kałach, Lutel and few others. I found them all dissapointing. In none of them gameplay is with historical AI, nice to others and decent. All strategies are:
- go excile
- conquer neighbours to become stronger
- side with fascist/communist, then destroy the second (backstabing original ally is an option)
- go with ahistorical AI hoping for profitable deviation
- create small bubble stacking units on top of each other waiting for Barbarossa.
I was able to make Poland in Allies stalemating Germans. But, it always ends with Russian steamrolling me. RIght now I am figuring out a strategy utilizing Międzymorze faction. Invited country will accept if they are willing to accept your policy and world tension is high enough. The first one is done with spies on diplomatic pressure mission. The second one by wargoal justification, which is possible early by focus Polish Revanchism. Right after a new member joins a faction, war declaration can be canceled.
Also: the Fall of Berlin event (press note), raised when Poland takes Berlin, mentions collapsing a Brandenburg Gate because of being rammed by Polish tank. So I really want to use tanks!
Historical Background
In XIX century central Europe was dominated by 3 empires with strangely similar heraldic badges: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia.
All three are black eagles!
After World War I many nations governed by them won independence. Those new countries started conflicting trying to cut territory from each other. Those hostilities prevented central Europe from alliance against German and Russia. All those countries were teaming up with Germans, Russians or Allies. Polish conflicts for interested
- Żeligowski's mutiny
- Peace of Riga (Poland and Russia agreed to deny independence to Ukraine and Belarus)
- Zaolzie conflict
And obvious demands from Germany and Russia wanting to restore situation from before 1914.
AAR
Will be poorly pictured and general. I didn't plan to make AAR, but the newest DLC forced me to prepare this post as a background before I make some statements there.
No ideology change for Poland, historical AI. I want to team up central Europe to quickly beat up Germans, before fighing Russia. It has a benefit, as all those countries are getting free factories from their focuses. It is an alternative to conquering neighbouring minors to create a snowball effect.
At January 1937 I started making my intelligence. As 9th and 10th focus i picked up Polish Revanchism and The Between The Seas Concept. 11th German focus is Anschluss, so I made a diplomatic pressure on Austria, Romania and Bulgaria. At the same time I improved relations with them. When diplomatic pressure is 20 and relation is 100, I start justifing wargoal on Russia at 23:00. It raises both world tension and acceptance of my diplomatic efforts for non-aligned contries (DANGER! It does not work for democracies, so Czechoslovakia and Scandinavia cannot join Międzymorze). They all accept my invitation, so I cancel wargoal justification. It's 19th December and Międzymorze just started expanding.
I value Austria a lot. Germany is much weaker without them. It also stretches their lines, as even neutral Austria (they refuse call to arms) forces them to guard the border.
I repeat that trick for Baltics, and on November 1938 for Hungary, Yugoslavia and Albania. For the rest of time my operatives were boosting neutral ideology for Hungary, because if fascist support is below 40% when they finish Renounce The Treaty of Trianon focus, they'll remain neutral. I skipped Finnland, as I still did not figure out an optimal output for future dealing with Russia. They asked to join later anyway...
Germany was blocked for a while with Fate of Czechoslovakia focus, becuase they were lacking troops after lack of Anschluss. They demanded Danzig on 13th December 1939 (disturbing Polish fact: on 13th December 1981 general Wojciech Jaruzelski made a coup and started martial law for the whole year to destroy anty-communist opposition). I had 3O CIVFs (14 for consumer goods, 4 for trading), 30 MILFs (lol) and 4 dockyards. I was training fighter and CAS with 2 factories all the time. I've ended up with 3 armies benefitting from Grand Battleplan Doctrine:
Władysław Sikorski (30% entrenchment) marshal
Roman Abraham (4 defense skill): 24 divisions of 9 infantry with ENG and ART support (guarding West border)
Władysław Bortnowski (3 defense skill) 24 divisions of 8 infantry/ 1 mountainer with ENG support (guarding hills at South)
Stanisław Kopański (4 attack) marshalWładysław Anders (4 attack): (operational army ready to take out Prussia)
4 divisions: 3 light tanks/ 3 motorised with AA and ART support
10 divisions: 6 motorised with ART support
10 divisions: 3 cavarly with ART and horse reckon support
As I was testing diplomatic options, I did not plan properly my production lines and I neglected collecting army XP. So my divisions were weak. But as country team was kinda big, I felt bold and decided to fight. I did not save that part, so no screens, I am sorry. Prussia was quickly taken out. Then I used my attack army to make a few encirclements around sea, which ended with Fall of Berlin.
I neglected providing guarantees for Yugoslavia from Allies. They were attacked by Italy, I do not call them for fighting Germans. Still, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named decided to help me by declaring war on BENELUX. So Allies were helping me and even asked for military access to participate in Eastern Front. So nice <3
I continued my march towards Netherlands. Just before my destination, a stalemate occured. I was pushed back around Katowice, Kielce and Kraków which was a disater. Those are the only Polish provinces with resources, so I maxed infrastructure there. Majority of my factories were also build there. I was quickly running out of equipment, even despite heavy supplementation from Allies and USA. Also, regular German divisions started to pierce my tanks. Fortunately, without Berlin and naval ports Germany ran into worse supply problem than me, so Netherlands took final coast provicies. At 4th July 1941 peace conference in Allestenstein took place. Right in time, my attack army melted to only 4 motorised divisions! The rest of German coast was kept by my defensive army and Allies support. I was lacking warscore to make a decent borders. Also, because I had to cede East to Russia, I decided to recompensate on Germans. In the result I generated too much world tension and nobody liked me. Especially Balkans looked funny with Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Hercegovina, Bosnia, Slovenia, Transylvania and gains for both Italy and France.
Unfortunately, I ended up fighting with Romania against Russia after exhausting war with Germany. So Poland became a communist republic. I decided to stop playing there.
Epilogue
It can be done better. In next run I will try to avoid below mistakes:
- I should not put so many factories in German reach
- I should lend lease equipment and sent attaches for army experience
- I should investigate Bulgaria historical AI, because they turned fascist and joined Axis. Only to be conquered by Romania singlehandly. At first invintation I should skip Bulgaria favoring Albania. First, I do not had to worry about Albania annexed by Italy thanks to historical AI. Second, to have more time playing with spies in Bulgaria to prevent them joining Germany
- I should skip on Yugoslavia and Latvia before they are attacked. Instead, I should start justifying on them to make Allies guarantee them. I really need their support against both Germany and Russia
- I should consider a different, less greedy approach at peace conference. Less for myself, more to my allies, to team up again before Russia. Only Romania, Lithuania and Estonia remained in my faction during that gameplay.
Possibilities to check:
- try to invite also Turkey and Iran, which should allow for hidden Polish general leader event
- quickly switch to democracy and try to invite Central Europe to Allies
- release Belarus and Ukraine at start of the game, so they can make industry from general focus tree
Share your toughts and advices. Now I can make some statements about planned DLC for Poland, to be released with Barbarossa update.
Last edited:
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