Defining the "Polish Question"

At some point in the game, Germany and Russia will go to war with each other. Poland can't avoid involvement when they do, but what form will that involvement take?

by Team Krieg! (Alan Emrich and Steve "Kos" Kosakowski)

Click Here to go to the TK! Home PageWhen surveying the starting position of the Axis player in a Campaign Game of Totaler Krieg!, we have been often asked, "Is Poland neutral? Don't I have to invade it first? Isn't that a good idea?" The answers to these questions are, in order, "Yes," "No," and "Maybe." This article will examine the consequences to Axis' answers concerning The Polish Question.

In the West, Germany and Russia received much of the blame for starting the First World War. The Western powers were very happy to see the emergence of the Baltic States, Poland, and Hungary as independent nations in the 1920s. Dubbed the "Sanitary Corridor," these countries were to provide a buffer that would keep Germany and the now Soviet Union off each other's doorsteps and help ensure peace in the region.

We all know, of course, that things didn't work out that way.

As the Axis player, at some point in the game (certainly no later than the commencement of Total War), you must come to grips with the Soviet Union. Consequently, Poland has about as much chance of surviving the game as a neutral country as a wargamer has of marrying a supermodel for her millions. The fate of Poland, therefore, is "The Polish Question."

Poland as a Conquered Western Allied Country

Historically, the Nazi-Soviet Pact defined the spheres of influence for Germany and the Soviet Union - spheres that the Soviets were always eager to push to their advantage. They both knew that, initially, Hitler needed the Nazi-Soviet Pact more than Stalin did. Therefore, Hitler, when pressed by Stalin, gave up extra bits of the Baltic States and oil fields around Lvov that were within Germany's sphere as a deliberate act of appeasement. (For his part, Stalin was happy to sell that oil back to Hitler to help in Germany's war effort against the West right up until war broke out between their two countries.)

When the hour comes to grapple with Russia, the Axis player cannot press the Soviets hard enough on enough fronts. Massing up an army in Poland and blasting into the Russian heartland worked for Napoleon, and it will work for you, too. Therefore, simply crushing Poland and deploying your Axis forces there en masse for the Day of Reckoning with the Reds is a sound, solid plan. As a conquered Western Allied minor country, Poland is the perfect staging area for an attack into Russia. Naturally, there will be Polish partisans to possibly contend with later in the war, Poland's liberation could occur, and the Poles certainly won't fight beside you in Russia, but at least these won't be problems when it comes time to punch the Soviets right in the nose. The German invasion of Russia is usually the single most important event in the game. So, from an Axis perspective, conquering Poland is an excellent solution to The Polish Question.

By attacking Poland on Turn 1, you're assured that Poland will be a Western Allied minor country and that, in turn, keeps the Nazi-Soviet Pact in place to protect your rear. (Attacking Poland on any subsequent turn leaves the decision of Poland's East/West alignment up to the Western Allied player.) Another advantage to taking out Poland promptly is that Russia must move across Eastern Poland to interfere with you in Western Poland. It's not much of an obstacle, but if you attack Poland at a later date with the Red Army already parked on the border, things can easily get worse for the Axis. Suddenly, you'll have Soviet (i.e., "enemy") Zones of Control to worry about, plus those rascally Reds are pre-positioned to sprint in from a much closer starting line, seizing any hex you leave uncovered by your own ZOCs. Not a satisfactory situation....

The other disadvantage to overrunning Poland after the first turn is that you will usually want to do that only as a precursor to a direct attack on Russia (since this action could sound the death knell of the Nazi-Soviet Pact - although it might not, but you can't count on that). This means, in all probability, attacking in the Spring of 1941 and going into Russia during that Summer. Consequently, this makes Poland one huge "speed bump" on the road to Moscow and will get those big Russian cards out on the table a Season sooner than they were historically for no significant advancement in your eastward campaign. Besides, you'll have to live with Poland as a neutral neighbor for quite some time, and here's the news about that little problem...

Polish Neutrality

While neutral, Poland is a threat. A lot can happen there. Axis Aggression could stir things up. Soviet adventurism might pry open the gates of Warsaw before you're ready to deal with the Red Menace. A bungled Treaty attempt toward Poland might causes a Diplomatic Incident with its myriad of repercussions. But the real hell of it is that, while neutral, The Polish Question remains unanswered. Eventually, something will have to be done about Poland. You can't ignore it forever. If Poland doesn't do something to enter the fray via an event or card, you'll either have to attack it in order to get at the Soviets, or entreat it and try to have the Wehrmacht pass through it like a bunch of friendly, smiling, well-armed tourists on their way to Minsk and Kiev. Assuming you're considering this latter course, let's examine...

Poland as an Axis Ally

So, you've decided you want the Polish army to march beside the Germans against the Soviets, eh? Sort of a warm, fuzzy Anti-Bolshevik Crusade. Isn't that lovely?

While this sounds great in theory, having seen it in practice we should warn you that there are a few teensy problems with this scenario. First, you'll need to win Poland over to the Axis cause. There are three ways that you can control this process: either 1) use a Treaty card on Poland in lieu of some other minor country; 2) via the Barbarossa card's Conditional Event (i.e., preserve Polish neutrality and remove the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker from the Soviets and the end of one of your turns to activate them as your buddies); or 3) Liberate Poland if they're a Soviet Allied minor country. While the first and last options are self-explanatory, it's darn difficult to kick off any sort of reasonable Barbarossa attack into Russia if Poland begins the operation as a huge neutral obstacle to hitting the Soviets as hard as you can with your initial hammer blow. Then, of course, there is the diabolical 4) take Poland as your free minor ally after collapsing the British, but that will probably mean not launching your Russian Campaign until 1942, which presents its own myriad problems.

Even when the Poles are your friends, how can you avoid "occupying" their country (with more than one multi-step Axis unit in its territory)? It's a very tricky business that usually winds up with the Axis trying to deliver body blows to the Red Army with a bunch of German corps-size units. Chance are, you'll want to chuck in the towel, "occupy" Poland, and try to resurrect as many of their steps as you can over the course of the rest of the game. And if you go that route, all you've really gained is one less place to worry about partisans. If you can manage to have your cake (the Polish army in full flood attacking the Soviet Union along side the German army) and eat it too (avoid occupying Poland by somehow never ending one of your turns with more than a single multi-step German unit in Poland), then having Poland as an ally can really be worth it. Their units make fine garrisons of Soviet cities so that the fighting front lines can be flush with German forces.

And the Answer to the Polish Question is...?

So, The Polish Question, as you can see, is a thorny one. How the Axis handle Poland will have long term repercussions for what is, undoubtedly, the Main Event of the war - the Axis initial onslaught against the Russians. There's a lot of ways the Axis can play in the face of a neutral Poland, with everything from force to finesse. In Totaler Krieg!, it's up to you....

Polish Question and Answer

Q: I am trying to play the game as historically accurate as possible my first time out. What is the best initial set-up for Germany in order to defeat Poland right off the bat?

A: Kos suggests placing one German army in Frankfurt and one in the Ruhr (historically, the 1st and 7th). That is sufficient to cover your rear in the west. Everything else can and should go attack Poland.

Against Poland, your goal is to take all three cities in one Combat Phase. (Remember, you don't have to take Lvov to conquer Poland if the Nazi-Soviet Pact is in place.) Set up 4th army (your good one) in either Berlin or Breslau; you'll want to put a replacement corps on it so it can combine and become a "monster" 6-6-3 unit. Put other armies in or adjacent to Konigsberg, Berlin, Breslau, and Vienna. Use at least one panzer corps up north; you'll want exploitation advances in the Blitz Combat Segment to get troops adjacent to Warsaw for regular combat. In the south, Krakow is close enough to the front that, even if the Poles set up in front of it, you can get adjacent for regular combat without exploitation advance. You probably don't need tanks down there unless you want to try to hit Warsaw from two directions during the Regular Combat Segment.

Tactical Hint: Use armor only when necessary to get exploitation advances needed to make Big Things happen. Tanks die first when attacking and you'll never have as many as you think you do, so don't fritter them away. Use armor steps only in a Blitz context in key campaigns. Efficient surgical use of panzers is one of the keys to long-term Axis success in Totaler Krieg!

If you don't succeed in taking Poland out in one turn, you only have to re-set the Germans and the Poles and trying again. After all, the Soviet and Western Allied setup won't have changed. So, you can either march on, with lessons learned, or you can re-play that first Axis turn until you've mastered the art of the mini-blitz. It's a harder problem if you blow the Ultimatum roll on the first turn, so you may want to play that as a "gimme" DoW while working on this "Polish Clinic."

Eastern Poland: A Look at Soviet Border Regions

Soviet Border Regions seem to cause some Totaler Krieg! players confusion. Well, the TK! rules are sound enough and it is possible to find the ramifications of what happens in every Soviet Border situation you can think of. But you might find it easier to use the following as a guide instead of consulting the rulebook.

Since Eastern Poland is usually the flashpoint in these border brouhahas, the following 10 examples use that specific Soviet Border Region as its example. We’ve also considered the situation as it might stand on the first turn of the game – if you are answering the Poland Question later in the game, you may still be able to use this as a guide by finding the most applicable situation.

Situation 1:
The Axis Player successfully plays Ultimatum against Poland and makes it a Western Allied Minor, and the Soviet Player has his Polish Border Dispute card face-up (the historical case).

What this situation means to the Axis Player:

  1. If any German units enter Poland, that ends Appeasement (14.2.5).
  2. If any German units enter Eastern Poland for the duration of the current Season, that also breaks the Nazi-Soviet Pact (14.1.5).
  3. As long as the Pact is in effect, German unit’s ZOCs don’t extend across the border into Eastern Poland for now (14.1.4 with errata).
  4. The Axis player only needs to capture Warsaw, Posen and Krakow to conquer Poland (18.1.1).
  5. The Polish Corridor will become part of Greater Germany after the Axis player conquers Poland (12.5.2).
  6. If the Soviet Player succeeds in rolling on the Border War Table this Season and places the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker in the Ceded Border Marker Holding Box, then 2 and 3 above become true for the rest of the game (14.1.4 and 14.1.5).
  7. If, however, the Soviet Player whiffs his rolls on the Border War Table and does not gain Eastern Poland as a Ceded Border marker, then 2 and 3 above will not apply after this Season. The Axis player may, after this Season, move German units into Eastern Poland without violating the Pact. He would then be considered to be Seizing the Border Region (12.5.1.2). For the ramifications of this act, see Situation 9.

What this situation means to the Soviet Player:

  1. His units will be able to enter Eastern Poland. They may even move adjacent to German units in along the border with Western Poland and East Prussia (since German unit’s ZOCs don’t extend across the border) (12.5.1 and 14.1.4).
  2. His units can also enter Western Poland, but they cannot enter German ZOCs (14.1.3 and 14.1.4).
  3. He will roll on the Border War Table during his Conditional Events Segment (Polish Border Dispute card) but only counting Soviet Attack Factors in Eastern Poland proper (not any that rushed through into "Western" Poland).
  4. An "Axis" result on the Border War Table will allow the Axis Player to activate an adjacent Minor Country (Hungary, Rumania or the Baltic States) as an Axis Minor Country.
  5. Should he fail to secure Eastern Poland on the Border War Table before the end of this Season, his units will not be interned, because Poland is either a Western Allied or Conquered Western Allied Minor (12.2.1 "Important").

What this situation means to the Western Allied Player:

  1. If he has any units in Eastern Poland at the moment the Soviets successfully gain Eastern Poland as a Ceded Border on the Border War Table and the Pact is still in effect, then his units in that region would be interned until next Season (18 with errata).

Situation 2:
The Axis Player successfully plays Ultimatum against Poland and makes it a Western Allied Minor, and the Soviet Player does not have his Polish Border Dispute card face-up.

What this situation means to the Axis Player:

  1. If any German units enter Poland, that ends Appeasement (14.2.5).
  2. If any German units enter Eastern Poland for the duration of this Season, he is considered to be seizing the Border Region (12.5.1.2). For the ramifications of this act, see Situation 9, below.
  3. As long as the Nazi-Soviet Pact is in effect and the Axis Player has not seized Eastern Poland, German unit ZOCs don’t extend across the border into Eastern Poland (14.1.4 with errata).
  4. He only needs to capture Warsaw, Posen and Krakow to conquer Poland (18.1.1).
  5. The Polish Corridor will become part of Greater Germany after the Axis player conquers Poland (12.5.2).

What this situation means to the Soviet Player:

  1. His units will be able to enter Poland (both East and West), but since the Nazi-Soviet Pact is in effect they cannot enter German ZOCs (14.1.3 and 14.1.4).
  2. He may still play Polish Border Dispute in a later Season, regardless of whether the Axis player seized Eastern Poland. For the ramifications of playing Polish Border Dispute later, see Situation 10, below.

Situation 3:
The Axis Player successfully plays Ultimatum against Poland and makes it a Soviet Allied Minor, and the Soviet Player has his Polish Border Dispute card face-up.

What this situation means to the Axis Player:

  1. If any German units enter Poland, that breaks the Nazi-Soviet Pact (14.1.5).
  2. He needs to capture Warsaw, Posen, Krakow and Lvov to liberate Poland (18.1.2) unless the Soviet Player succeeds in placing the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker in the Ceded Border Marker Holding Box during the Soviet turn. In that case, Eastern Poland (and Lvov) would then be considered part of the Soviet Union, not Poland (12.5.1).
  3. The Polish Corridor will become part of Greater Germany after the Axis player liberates Poland (12.5.2).

What this situation means to the Soviet Player:

  1. His units will be able to enter Poland, as it is a Soviet Allied Minor Country (14.1.3).
  2. He must still roll on the Border War Table during his Conditional Events Segment (Polish Border Dispute card).
  3. An "Axis" result on the Border War Table will allow the Axis Player to activate an adjacent Minor Country (Hungary, Rumania or the Baltic States) as an Axis Minor Country.
  4. Should he fail to secure Eastern Poland on the Border War Table before the end of this Season, his units will not be interned, because Poland is not a neutral Minor Country (12.2.1 "Important").

What this situation means to the Western Allied Player:

  1. Appeasement is still in effect (14.2.5).
  2. His units may enter Poland (as it is either a Soviet Minor or an Axis Minor, should the Axis player liberate it) (14.2.3). Any Western Allied units in Eastern Poland would be subject to internment if the Soviet player succeeds in his Border War and places the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker in the Ceded Border Marker Holding Box and the Pact is still in effect (18 with errata).

Situation 4:
The Axis Player successfully plays Ultimatum against Poland and makes it a Soviet Allied Minor, and the Soviet Player does not have his Polish Border Dispute card face-up.

What this situation means to the Axis Player:

  1. If any German units enter Poland, that breaks the Nazi-Soviet Pact (14.1.5).
  2. He needs to capture Warsaw, Posen, Krakow and Lvov to liberate Poland (18.1.2).
  3. The Polish Corridor will become part of Greater Germany after the Axis player liberates Poland (12.5.2).

What this situation means to the Soviet Player:

  1. His units may enter Poland, as it is a Soviet Allied Minor Country (14.1.3).
  2. He may still play Polish Border Dispute in a later Season. For the ramifications of playing Polish Border Dispute later, see Situation 10, below.

What this situation means to the Western Allied Player:

  1. Appeasement is still in effect (14.2.5).
  2. His units may enter Poland, as it is either a Soviet Minor or an Axis Minor, should the Axis player liberate it (14.2.3).

Situation 5:
The Axis Player unsuccessfully plays Ultimatum against Poland. He waits until the end of his turn and issues a Declaration of War against Poland during his War & Peace Segment.

What this situation means to the Axis Player:

  1. He will still choose whether Poland is a Western Allied or Soviet Allied Minor Country, as this ability last for the entire first Game Turn (Special First Turn Rules, A.1)
  2. Both Appeasement and the Nazi-Soviet Pact will remain in effect for now (14.1.5 and 14.2.5).

What this situation means to the Soviet Player:

  1. If the Axis player has declared Poland to be a Western Allied Minor Country, and Polish Border Dispute is not the Soviet player's current Option Card, then his units will not be able to enter Poland (14.2.3) at all.
  2. If the Axis player declared Poland to be a Soviet Allied Minor Country, then Soviet units will be able to enter Poland.
  3. If Polish Border Dispute is his current Option card (regardless of Poland’s factional alignment), then his units can enter Eastern Poland and he will roll on the Border War Table during his Conditional Events Segment (Polish Border Dispute card).
  4. An "Axis" result on the Border War Table will allow the Axis Player to activate an adjacent Minor Country (Hungary, Rumania or the Baltic States) as an Axis Minor Country.
  5. If Polish Border Dispute is his current Option card, and he should fail to secure Eastern Poland on the Border War Table before the end of this Season, his units will not be interned because Poland is not a neutral Minor Country (12.2.1 "Important").
  6. If Polish Border Dispute is not his current Option card, he may play it in a later Season. For the ramifications of playing Polish Border Dispute later, see Situation 10, below.

What this situation means to the Western Allied Player:

  1. Because both Appeasement and the Nazi-Soviet Pact will still be in effect when it comes time to select next Season’s Option card, he will not be able to select either British Mobilization or The Dyle Plan.
  2. If he has any units in Eastern Poland at the moment the Soviets successfully gain Eastern Poland as a Ceded Border on the Border War Table and the Pact is in effect, then his units there would be interned until next Season (18 with errata).

Situation 6:
The Axis Player successfully plays Treaty (or Pre-war Diplomacy) on Poland and makes it an Axis Minor Country, and the Soviet Player has his Polish Border Dispute card face-up.

What this situation means to the Axis Player:

  1. If any German units enter Eastern Poland for the duration of this Season, that breaks the Nazi-Soviet Pact (14.1.5).
  2. As long as the Nazi-Soviet Pact is in effect, German unit ZOCs don’t extend across the border into Eastern Poland (14.1.4 with errata).
  3. The Polish Corridor will remain a part of Poland for now, as Poland has neither been conquered nor liberated by the Axis (12.5.2).
  4. Assuming no German units have entered Eastern Poland and the Axis player haven’t done anything to end Appeasement or the Nazi-Soviet Pact, then these two Policies will still be in effect at the end of the Axis turn. If German Mobilization is his Pending Option card, he will probably want to find some way to break either Appeasement or the Nazi-Soviet Pact soon (see the errata for the German Mobilization card), probably by attacking the French or the Soviets.
  5. If the Soviet Player succeeds in rolling on the Border War Table this Season and places the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker in the Ceded Border Marker Holding Box, 1 and 2 above become true for the rest of the game (14.1.4 and 14.1.5).
  6. If, however, the Soviet Player whiffs his rolls on the Border War Table and does not gain the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker, then 1 and 2 above will not apply after this Season. The German player may, after this Season, enter Eastern Poland without violating the Nazi-Soviet Pact. He would then be considered to be seizing the Border Region (12.5.1.2). For the ramifications of this act, see Situation #9, below.

What this situation means to the Soviet Player:

  1. His units will be able to enter Eastern Poland. They may even move adjacent to German units in West Poland along the border (since their ZOCs don’t extend across the border if the Pact is in effect; 12.5.1 and 14.1.4).
  2. His units can enter Western Poland, but they cannot enter German ZOCs (14.1.3 and 14.1.4).
  3. He can attack Axis Polish units, provided they are not stacked with German units (14.1.4, first bullet)
  4. He will roll on the Border War Table during his Conditional Events Segment (Polish Border Dispute card).
  5. Should he fail to secure Eastern Poland on the Border War Table before the end of this Season, his units will not be interned because Poland is not a neutral Minor Country (12.2.1 "Important").

What this situation means to the Western Allied Player:

  1. If both Appeasement and the Nazi-Soviet Pact are still in effect when it comes time to select next Season’s Option card, he will not be able to select either British Mobilization or The Dyle Plan.
  2. If he has any units in Eastern Poland at the moment the Soviets successfully gain Eastern Poland as a Ceded Border on the Border War Table and the Pact is in effect, then his units there would be interned until next Season (18 with errata).

Situation 7:
The Axis Player successfully plays Treaty (or Pre-war Diplomacy) against Poland and makes it an Axis Minor, and the Soviet Player does not have his Polish Border Dispute card face-up.

What this situation means to the Axis Player:

  1. If any German units enter Eastern Poland for the duration of this Season, he is considered to be seizing the Border Region (12.5.1.2). For the ramifications of this act, see Situation 9, below.
  2. As long as the Pact is in effect and the Axis Player has not seized Eastern Poland, German unit’s ZOCs don’t extend across the border into Eastern Poland (14.1.4 with errata).
  3. The Polish Corridor will remain a part of Poland for now, as Poland has neither been conquered or liberated by the Axis (12.5.2).
  4. Assuming no German units have entered Eastern Poland and the Axis player haven’t done anything to end Appeasement or the Nazi-Soviet Pact, then these two Policies will still be in effect at the end of the Axis turn. If German Mobilization is his Pending Option card, he will probably want to find some way to break either Appeasement or the Nazi-Soviet Pact soon (see the errata for the German Mobilization card), probably by attacking the French or the Soviets.

What this situation means to the Soviet Player:

  1. His units will be able to enter Poland (both East and West), however they cannot enter German ZOCs which do extend across the border between Poland and Eastern Poland (14.1.3 and 14.1.4).
  2. He can attack Axis Polish units, provided they are not stacked with German units (14.1.4, first bullet).
  3. He may still play Polish Border Dispute in a later Season, regardless of whether the Axis player seized Eastern Poland. For the ramifications of playing Polish Border Dispute later, see Situation #10, below.

What this situation means to the Western Allied Player:

  1. If both Appeasement and the Nazi-Soviet Pact will still be in effect when it comes time to select next Season’s Option card, he will not be able to select either British Mobilization or The Dyle Plan.

Situation 8:
The Axis Player ignores Poland for now and does something else. The Soviet Player has his Polish Border Dispute card face-up.

What this situation means to the Soviet Player:

  1. His units will be able to enter Eastern Poland. (12.5.1).
  2. His units cannot enter Western Poland, as Poland is still a neutral Minor Country (12.2.1); i.e., it has not yet been activated (12.2.2).
  3. He will roll on the Border War Table during his Conditional Events Segment (Polish Border Dispute card).
  4. An "Axis" result on the Border War Table will allow the Axis Player to activate Poland as an Axis Minor Country.
  5. Should he fail to secure Eastern Poland on the Border War Table before the end of this Season, his units will be interned if Poland is still a neutral Minor Country (18 with errata).

Situation 9:
The Axis Player seizes the Eastern Poland Border Region.

What this situation means to the Axis Player:

  1. If he moves a German unit into Eastern Poland, Polish Border Dispute is not the Soviet Player’s Current Option card, and the Nazi-Soviet Pact is in place, then he places the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker "on the map" near Warsaw (12.1.5.2).
  2. He is now able to move German units inside Eastern Poland without violating Nazi-Soviet Pact restrictions, unless it is the Season when the Soviet Player’s Current Option card is Polish Border Dispute.
  3. The ZOCs of German units will always extend across the border hexsides between East and West Poland, even when the Pact is in effect (14.1.4 with errata).

What this situation means to the Soviet Player.

  1. Because the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker is now "on the map," he will be able to count it when performing the Conditional Events for his Mobilization, Comintern, General Mobilization and similar cards.
  2. However, because the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker is not in the Ceded Border Marker Holding Box, he will not be able to perform the Conditional Events for his Balkan Pact or Baltic Settlement cards. Note that these card’s Political Events can still happen if the Soviet player wishes to use them to break the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
  3. Because the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker is "on the map," he will not roll on the Border War Table if he later reveals his Polish Border Dispute card.

Situation 10:
The Soviet Player plays Polish Border Dispute in a later Season.

What this situation means to the Axis Player.

  1. If any German units enter Eastern Poland for the duration of this Season, that action would break the Nazi-Soviet Pact (14.1.5). This is true even if he has already seized the Border Region (Situation #9, above). Any German units already in the seized Border Region are fine staying there or leaving. (Think of this time as a crisis point between Germany and Russia; Stalin will declare war if the Germans escalate matters by reinforcing the frontier in Eastern Poland that Season.)

What this situation means to the Soviet Player (assuming that Poland is not a neutral Minor Country by the time the Soviet Player performs his Polish Border Dispute; if Poland is neutral, see Situation #8, above):

  1. Soviet units will be able to enter Poland (East or West), but they may not enter German ZOCs if the Nazi-Soviet Pact is in effect. German ZOCs extend into Eastern Poland only if Germany has seized Eastern Poland. They do not extend into Eastern Poland if the Nazi-Soviet Pact is still in effect and Germany has not seized Eastern Poland. (12.5.1 and 14.1.4 with errata).
  2. As long as the Eastern Poland Ceded Border Marker is not already on the map, either near Warsaw (12.5.1.2) or in the Ceded Border Marker Holding Box, he will roll on the Border War Table during his Conditional Events Segment (Polish Border Dispute card).
  3. An "Axis" result on the Border War Table will allow the Axis Player to activate an adjacent Minor Country (Hungary, Rumania or the Baltic States) as an Axis Minor Country.
  4. Regardless of whether he rolls on the Border War Table or not, his units will not be interned since Poland is not a neutral Minor Country (12.2.1 "Important").

What this situation means to the Western Allied Player:

  1. If he has any units in Eastern Poland at the moment the Soviets successfully gain Eastern Poland as a Ceded Border on the Border War Table and the Pact is in effect, then his units in that region would be interned until next Season (18 with errata).