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Originally Posted by B.T.
I talked to several born Poles in the last few years, although I'd never say, these persons share the point of view of the Polish majority.
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This illustrates my overall point rather well I think. There's been roughly 20 years since the Soviets had any real influence in Poland. 20 years for the Poles to form their own opinions without the propaganda of the Soviets ringing in their ears.
What Poles today are saying isn't really relevant to the world of T2K.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rainbow Six
I forgot about the Soviets sitting on their hands on the east bank of the Vistula whilst the Germans leveled Warsaw.
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Again, 50 years of propaganda on the Soviets part to level the blame for this squarely on the Germans. Perhaps the Soviets had implicated the other allies, specifically the Americans - they wouldn't release supplies through the lend lease system or something. The scope here is limitless given the time frame and captive audience.
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Originally Posted by Rainbow Six
Wikipedia says that Solidarity erected a memorial in 1981, so it would seem to have been out in the open - might have been a useful propaganda weapon for NATO to exploit at the start of 1997.
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True, however NATO only had a few short months to act before they were driven back almost in disarray. While PsyOps are certainly important in my view, I doubt there'd have been the time available to undo the previous 5 decades. Remember also that NATO did not move across the border and join the fight until around December 1996. Yes they reached into the Soviet Union, however most of Poland was only under NATO control for a relatively brief period.
Quote:
Originally Posted by natehale1971
And with how weakened both NATO and Warsaw Pact forces are, the Poles actually have the ability to push everyone out of their country if they were just able to get all of the Polish Nationals to actually work together.
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Not likely! Take a look at the information we're given in the books and you can quickly see the Poles barely have the strength to hold onto what little land they're already sitting on. Equipped with T-55's and a few T-72s, and mounted on horses, they don't stand a chance against even one smallish Soviet Army let alone the superior firepower of the west.
One more point I forgot in my original post, is that the locals, and it really doesn't matter what nationality they are, are likely to be friendly, or at least grudgingly supportive, of whatever military unit is in the vicinity, especially if they're making no signs of moving on. By being actively hostile, even passively resistant, they will invite the wrath of that heavily armed unit.
It could be said that Poland actually won the war long term. With the help of their PACT allies, they ejected NATO from their borders. Ok, there's nothing left of the country and the population suffered hideous casualties, but hey, the aim was essentially achieved!
