NORTHAG Division #10 - Grupa Desantowa
Hello commanders,
We return with Division #10, the last of our divisional previews of our upcoming major NORTHAG expansion. In today’s DevBlog, we’ll look at the Warsaw Pact’s special Polish airborne-naval Grupa Desantowa.
Onwards!
[h2]Warsaw Pact’s Polish Grupa Desantowa[/h2]
Much like the preceding NATO’s US 9th Infantry (Motorized) Division, the Polish Grupa Desantowa will feature units not specifically earmarked for combat in NORTHAG in West Germany, but to be used instead against Denmark. To be more precise, Denmark’s many outlying islands.
Today’s battlegroup isn’t a division per se, but the combined Grupa Desantowa, a corps-size “assault group” made up of three distinct Polish People’s Army formations.
6th Airborne Brigade
The 6th Airborne was formed as the 6th Infantry Division before being turned into the 6th Pomeranian Airborne Division in 1957, and ultimately the 6th Pomeranian Airborne Brigade in 1986. Interestingly enough, when the division was first created, the communist Polish commanders took their cues from the World War 2-era Allied 1st Independent Airborne Parachute Brigade (which saw action during Market Garden in 1944) in the best ways to organize the formation. In the late Cold War, based in Warsaw, this airborne brigade wore their red berets and were highly trained paratroopers destined for airborne assaults.
7th Sea Landing Brigade
This brigade saw life as another infantry formation (the 23rd Infantry Division in the 1960s) before being turned into the 7th Sea Landing Division in the 1963, downsized to brigade size in 1986. Originally destined to be a mechanized division, with the new planning to take the Denmark islands, this formation was reorganized in the 1960s and 70s into a naval infantry unit before being earmarked for amphibious landings (and duly re-equipped with amphibious-capable vehicles and tanks). They were famously known for their blue berets. This brigade was among the first Polish formations to maintain full combat readiness during peacetime.
(for Polandballs, and many others, see Feldwebelkatze's DevianArt gallery)
15th Mechanized Infantry Division
A typical Polish People’s Army mechanized infantry division, it too saw life in the 1950s. It would form the second wave of the offensive into Denmark.
[h2]The Polish Grupa Desantowa Detailed[/h2]
The Polish plan for Grupa Desantowa was for the two elite light brigades to invade the outlying Danish islands through airborne and amphibious landings, establish a foothold, and be reinforced by a second wave of troops coming from the mechanized division. Meanwhile, the Polish 1st Army (the parent formation of our 20 Pacerna armored division) would invade Denmark through a more conventional land route (through West Germany).
Our WARNO Grupa Destanowa will represent the first phase of the assault, with a combination of airborne and naval troops. A few scattered elements of the 15th Mechanized are a token representation of the second wave and featured to make the battlegroup in WARNO a bit more viable. As such, this Polish division will be a unique blend of paratroopers (coming with Forward Deployment and Shock traits) and naval infantry (with Resolute trait), each featuring their own organization and equipment.
[h2]The Polish Grupa Desantowa in WARNO - NORTHAG[/h2]
LOG
INF
ART
TANK
RECO
AA
HELO
AIR
We return with Division #10, the last of our divisional previews of our upcoming major NORTHAG expansion. In today’s DevBlog, we’ll look at the Warsaw Pact’s special Polish airborne-naval Grupa Desantowa.
Onwards!
[h2]Warsaw Pact’s Polish Grupa Desantowa[/h2]
Much like the preceding NATO’s US 9th Infantry (Motorized) Division, the Polish Grupa Desantowa will feature units not specifically earmarked for combat in NORTHAG in West Germany, but to be used instead against Denmark. To be more precise, Denmark’s many outlying islands.
Today’s battlegroup isn’t a division per se, but the combined Grupa Desantowa, a corps-size “assault group” made up of three distinct Polish People’s Army formations.
- The 6 Brygada Powietrznodesantowa or 6th Airborne Brigade.
- The 7 Brygadę Desantowa or 7th Sea Landing Brigade.
- The 15 Dywizja Zmechanizowan or 15th Mechanized Infantry Division.
6th Airborne Brigade
The 6th Airborne was formed as the 6th Infantry Division before being turned into the 6th Pomeranian Airborne Division in 1957, and ultimately the 6th Pomeranian Airborne Brigade in 1986. Interestingly enough, when the division was first created, the communist Polish commanders took their cues from the World War 2-era Allied 1st Independent Airborne Parachute Brigade (which saw action during Market Garden in 1944) in the best ways to organize the formation. In the late Cold War, based in Warsaw, this airborne brigade wore their red berets and were highly trained paratroopers destined for airborne assaults.
7th Sea Landing Brigade
This brigade saw life as another infantry formation (the 23rd Infantry Division in the 1960s) before being turned into the 7th Sea Landing Division in the 1963, downsized to brigade size in 1986. Originally destined to be a mechanized division, with the new planning to take the Denmark islands, this formation was reorganized in the 1960s and 70s into a naval infantry unit before being earmarked for amphibious landings (and duly re-equipped with amphibious-capable vehicles and tanks). They were famously known for their blue berets. This brigade was among the first Polish formations to maintain full combat readiness during peacetime.
(for Polandballs, and many others, see Feldwebelkatze's DevianArt gallery)
15th Mechanized Infantry Division
A typical Polish People’s Army mechanized infantry division, it too saw life in the 1950s. It would form the second wave of the offensive into Denmark.
[h2]The Polish Grupa Desantowa Detailed[/h2]
The Polish plan for Grupa Desantowa was for the two elite light brigades to invade the outlying Danish islands through airborne and amphibious landings, establish a foothold, and be reinforced by a second wave of troops coming from the mechanized division. Meanwhile, the Polish 1st Army (the parent formation of our 20 Pacerna armored division) would invade Denmark through a more conventional land route (through West Germany).
Our WARNO Grupa Destanowa will represent the first phase of the assault, with a combination of airborne and naval troops. A few scattered elements of the 15th Mechanized are a token representation of the second wave and featured to make the battlegroup in WARNO a bit more viable. As such, this Polish division will be a unique blend of paratroopers (coming with Forward Deployment and Shock traits) and naval infantry (with Resolute trait), each featuring their own organization and equipment.
[h2]The Polish Grupa Desantowa in WARNO - NORTHAG[/h2]
LOG
- Not that great. Although the Grupa Destanowa is not entirely airborne, the battlegroup is regarded as such as its combat role is to project into enemy-held territory with whatever equipment and manpower it could bring. Thanks to the Polish People’s Navy support and relative proximity to Poland, it can rely on heavier supply units compared to other airborne battlegroups.
- This means no FOB, but supply units do include the light DESANT. WD-43 ZAOP. jeep with Forward Deployment trait, the amphibious new medium BAW-485 ZAOP. (basically, a World War 2-era DUKW) and the heavy PTS-M ZAOP[ (same as found in Rügener Gruppierung) supply vehicles. Additional supply support comes as the new heavy Mi-6 ZAOP. helicopter.
- Command vehicles include the DOW. DESANT WD-43, BRDM-2 R-5, and the naval infantry’s (new) TOPAS R-3M.
INF
- An excellent category, as is fitting for an “airborne” division. As described previously, the roster of infantry is mostly divided between Polish airborne and naval troops, with some additional support:
- SPADOCHRONIARZE are new paratrooper squads and come in leader, RPG-7VM, Metis and triple-PKM variants.
- Other (new) DESANT. (Airborne) units include new SAPERZY (leader, explosives and 3-man flamethrower), existing SPG-9, FAGOT, PKM HMG weapon teams, and new security units.
- Airborne troops also bring their sole fire support vehicle, the DESANT. WD-43 SPG-9.
- All of the above units come with the Forward Deployment trait, plus one level of veterancy. They can only deploy in WD-43 jeeps or GAZ-66B trucks.
- NIEBIESKIE BERETY are the “Blue Berets,” the new Polish naval infantry, and come in command and 12-man rifle squads.
- Additional naval troops include the new NIEB. BERETY SAPERZY in command, explosives, and flamethrower (with three flamethrowers!) variants.
- PKM HMG and new DRUZYNA PPANC. tank hunters.
- All the above units feature the Resolute trait and come in either MAW/BAV-485 amphibious softskins or TOPAS-2A (with PKT), TOPAS-2AP (with KPVT/PKT AA turret) or the new TOPAS SPG-9 with two fixed-forward RCL strapped to its hull.
- The airborne brigade component of the Grupa Destanowa can also count on its own (new) DESANT. KOMANDOSI special forces elements. These squads are the only heliborne unit available, with access to the W-3 SOKOL, and either the unarmed or armed Mi-8T.
- Additional naval troops include the new NIEB. BERETY SAPERZY in command, explosives, and flamethrower (with three flamethrowers!) variants.
- SPADOCHRONIARZE are new paratrooper squads and come in leader, RPG-7VM, Metis and triple-PKM variants.
ART
- A typical category with a standard number of weapons. These include M43 82mm and 2S12 120mm mortars, plus DESANT. 2B9 VASILEK automatic one.
- The new 2S1M MORSKI GOZDZIK self-propelled gun, which is a naval-only model featuring the same stats as its land-based cousin, plus the BM-21 GRAD. These are the only true artillery pieces the naval brigade can muster.
- 2S7 PIWONIA 203mm heavy artillery guns were attached to the Grupa Desantowa to provide heavier support.
- A new unit is the WP-8Z, a light towed MLRS launcher with 8x 140mm tubes.
TANK
- Not very spectacular. The naval brigade had its own tank battalion and some anti-tank vehicles. These include PT-76B in command and “tank” variant, the T-55A, in the same range of flavors, and the BRDM-2 MALYUTKA-P.
- The airborne brigade brings its scant anti-tank means. In real life, this only amounted to the DESANT. WD-43 FAGOT.
- We added some additional vehicles the Poles had removed from the paratroopers when the division was downgraded to a brigade in 1986. These were kept in storage but now see renewed action: the new ASU-85 light airborne tank destroyer. It features a D-48 anti-tank gun in a casemate on a PT-76 chassis. This unit comes in command and “vanilla” variants.
RECO
- A pretty good category including DESANT. variants of existing units such as SNAJPER, ZWIADOWCY, and ROZP. SPECJALNE.
- Armored recon vehicles are the BRDM-2 and PT-76.
- And airborne recon includes the new W-3RR PROCJON helicopter with SIGINT trait (this is being tested as we speak).
AA
- Below-par with only light and towed equipment available.
- These include STRZALA-2M and DESANT. STRZALA-2M MANPAD teams.
- Non-airborne AA units come as either the TOPAS-2AP (with AA turret) or the TOPAS JOD with a ZUR-23-2S.
- DESANT. ZU-23-2 and DESANT. ZUR-23-2S towed guns.
- And the HIBNERYT-KG gun truck.
HELO
- Pretty good, as this battlegroup has been given the lion’s share of communist Poland’s helicopter support for our war scenario.
- This means both Mi-24D [AT] (with Falanga-P) in two distinct variants, and the Mi-24W (with Kokon).
- New gunship variants of the SOKOL, being the W-3W [RKT] (23mm gun plus 40x 80mm rockets) and the W-3W [AA] (23mm gun plus 20x 80mm rockets plus 4x Strela-2M missiles).
AIR