Panzer Campaigns Poland ’39 4.05.3h1 Update and After-Action Report

Hi All,

We are releasing the first update for the recently released Panzer Campaigns: Poland ‘39 to version 4.05.3h1.  This version includes bug fixes and other enhancements since this title's May 2025 debut. 

Of equal importance, this is a new "hotfix" version of the 4.05.3 release as several bugs have arisen and we felt it was important to correct them now. We will be doing another upgrade to all 4.05.3 titles very soon; we will notify you when ready in a future blog post. Included in the hotfix are a few enhancements as well.

In addition, a few issues have arisen with the France ’40 release of a week ago. We are specifically updating that title to 4.05.3h1 as well this week.

Firstly, here is the Changelog for the upgraded Panzer Campaigns: Poland ‘39:

Poland ‘39 Patch 4.05.3h1 Changelog

Bug Fixes

•         Bug: Programmed weather display in the status was being shown before the weather check was made.

•         Bug: Programmed weather for PBEM was being reset by an incorrect check.

•         Bug: Reverted the F1 General Help key to open the pzc manual, not the user manual.

•         Units with Hold orders will be more reticent to instigate assaults when in entrenchments.

Enhancements

•         Location labels now cycle through three settings, all on, all off and size 3 & 4 names only. This should unclutter the map in some titles and accelerate map scrolling while maintaining significant labels.

•         Next stack / Previous stack now works for the Assault Phase in Phased Play.

Content Changes

OOBs

·         Changes to units’ strengths.

·         Added Armored Car platoons to SS Standarte.

·         Reduced Recon Battalion in German 44th & 45th Infantry Divisions to single company.

·         Removed one light artillery battalion each from German 44th & 45th Infantry Divisions.

·         Vickers company in DOW armored group changed to Twin-Turret 7TP.

·         Corrected unit class issue for Polish armored cars.

·         Soviet infantry division recon battalions changed to 1 motorcycle and 1 horse company.

·         German recon battalions have two bicycle companies instead of two horse.

·         Gebirgs division recon battalion has 1 motorcycle and 1 horse company instead of two horse.

·         New unit components to reflect different organizations of German recon battalions.

·         Revised values in German Panzer battalions. New unit components reflect varying balance of heavy or light tanks.

·         IV/16 pp now composed of companies drawn from other battalions in 16 pp and 12 pp

·         Various spelling corrections.

Scenarios

·         Unit strengths changed to reflect changes to OOB.

·         Revisions to deployment between Ratibor and Nowy Sacz in relevant scenarios.

Maps

·         Various spelling corrections.

·         Altered the Polish-Slovak border in vicinity of Chocholow.

 

Poland ‘39 Patch 4.05.3 Changelog

Bug Fixes

•         Bug: Fixed an issue where scenario files were being overwritten when creating a PBEM game.

•         Bug: Fixed crash when selecting the Unit List Dialog under the Air Availability Dialog.

•         Bug: Fixed the default Action Speed being set too high.

•         Bug: The game will now load the weather file on scenario load if the Programmed Weather optional rule is selected.

•         Bug: Dust spotting calculation fixed for foot units.

Enhancements

•         Night Shading added.

•         Fixed the date order in the Supply Variation Dialog.

•         On the Artillery Dialog, Target List Dialog & Selection Dialog the list now has initial focus on opening.

Content Changes

·         Updated master map. A trail was added into hexes (395, 303), (395, 304) and (399, 304) to allow 14./I.R. 89 and 14./I.R. 48 (motorized AT guns) to move out of their respective marsh hexes. This is a temporary fix< and we expect we may update all scenarios in the future, to move the AT guns to a more reasonable location. All hex references are to the campaign game map.

·         Removed the erroneous ‘underwater’ rail line between hexes (243, 204) and (244, 203).

·         Changed the name of Wlayslawowo to Wielka Wies (hex 316, 169).

·         #0901_07_Mokra - Allied AI scenario - corrected the description to show for play as Axis Human vs Allied AI or Head-to-Head.

·         #0901_07_Mokra - Axis AI scenario - corrected the description to show for play as Allied Human vs Axis AI.

·         Carpet bombing sound replaced.

These latest changes are important, and we suggest you either get the patch or download a fresh full build from your store account. Importantly, despite the changes to the OOBs, we have moved some unneeded units from within the OOB structure into a separate organization at the bottom of the relevant OOBs so to ensure that ongoing games do not crash. We will probably tidy this up again in a future patch as all games started post this patch will use the new formation structures.

For Panzer Campaigns: France ’40, there were reported issues of missing wired bridges and protection values for the German Eben Emael glider assault forces. These have now been corrected and revised scenarios included in the 4.05.3h1 patch, available today. Following is the changelog for the upgraded France ’40 title.

France ‘40 Patch 4.05.3h1 Changelog

Bug Fixes

•         Bug: Programmed weather display in the status was being shown before the weather check was made.

•         Bug: Programmed weather for PBEM was being reset by an incorrect check.

•         Bug: Reverted the F1 General Help key to open the pzc manual, not the user manual.

•         Units with Hold orders will be more reticent to instigates assaults when in entrenchments.

Enhancements

•         Location labels now cycle through three settings, all on, all off and size 3 & 4 names only. This should unclutter the map in some titles and accelerate map scrolling while maintaining significant labels.

•         Next stack / Previous stack now works for the Assault Phase in Phased Play.

Content Changes

Scenarios

·         The #0510_01B_Campaign_WDS, #0510_01D_Campaign_WDS, #0510_04C_Ardennes_WDS, #0510_04D_Ardennes_WDS, #0510_10C_Netherlands_WDS all have the wired bridges reinstated.

·         The four #0510_01X_Campaign_WDS scenarios have had the protection values for the Eben Emael glider forces reinstated as 1.

The location label enhancement is particularly significant for this title as there are a lot of labels on the map. See the following examples showing All Labels and then size 3 & 4 only.

All Labels

Size 3 & 4 Labels

You can get both patches from the Panzer Campaigns Updates page here or download fresh copies from your Store Account.

All new purchases from today will include these fixes, and as mentioned above, the build available in your store account will be the latest version if you need to download and reinstall the game again in the future.

We would also like to share a Poland ’39 After Action Report (AAR) from Facebook user Paweł Pietroń.

In Pawel’s own words:

“Although you have already published one AAR related to Poland '39, I believe the one I’ve prepared could offer a fresh and perhaps more compelling perspective to potential new players. The game itself had an extraordinary and unpredictable flow – the kind that truly shows how Panzer Campaigns can deliver exciting, balanced gameplay where both sides have a real chance to win.

In this AAR, I’ve tried to capture the “big picture” of the PzC system: identifying and exploiting my opponent’s weaknesses, turning a seemingly hopeless situation into a victory, and presenting the full course and outcome of the match in a clear and engaging format. I also added a personal touch by including some family memories connected to the historical setting of the scenario.

Many players likely have relatives who took part in the real-life operations represented in PzC. Who knows – maybe this AAR will inspire them to explore their own family histories, and in doing so, bring more people into the PzC community?

I also hope this piece demonstrates that your titles can be approached with a serious and thoughtful mindset, offering an experience that is both intellectually and emotionally engaging.”

After Action Report

I had been eagerly awaiting the release of Panzer Campaigns: Poland '39 for years. So when the game finally became available, I immediately launched a PBEM match with a fellow gamer, Michele Farina. He suggested a fairly large scenario – #0901_09_North, which covers operations on both sides of the Vistula River.

In writing this AAR, I decided to focus on the operational “big picture,” rather than providing hex-by-hex or unit-level analysis. The scale of the scenario called for a broad, synthetic approach that captures the flow of the campaign rather than its micro-details.

Playing as the Poles and being well aware of how the 1939 campaign unfolded historically, I knew I had little chance in a direct confrontation with the superior German forces. So, I resolved to attempt what seemed like the best possible outcome – not losing outright. My initial plan was a rapid withdrawal behind the Vistula and demolition of all bridges to deny the enemy access to high-value victory locations (fig. 1).

I divided my forces into three operational fronts: western (west of Vistula River), central (from Vistula River to NBK), and eastern (units east of NBK).

The Western Theater

This report will focus primarily on the eastern side of the Vistula, as the western front involved mostly a fighting retreat and bridge demolition in the face of overwhelming enemy superiority. Polish forces on the western bank – OWC and the 9th Infantry Division – were tasked with delaying the Germans long enough to allow the 27th Infantry Division and the Pomeranian Cavalry Brigade (PBK) to evacuate by rail. These units would later prove critical on the eastern front.

Meanwhile, the 15th and 26th Infantry Divisions were assigned to hold defensive lines along the Noteć River. The strategy worked well: OWC and the 9th Division successfully slowed the enemy’s advance, eventually entrenching east of the Brda River. The 15th and 26th Divisions blew all bridges on the Noteć and fortified their new line. The PBK and 27th Infantry Division were safely evacuated and would soon play a key role in the central theater.

By the end of the game, the German position west of the Vistula was hopeless. Polish forces had destroyed every crossing and concentrated significant strength to repel any attempted river assaults (fig. 6).

The Central and Eastern Theaters

Initial engagements quickly confirmed that a retreat was the only viable strategy. Polish units stood no chance in direct combat against their German counterparts. However, I soon noticed that the speed of the German advance was creating gaps in their lines – gaps I could exploit to disrupt their cohesion and encircle isolated units.

Around Turn 10 (Fig. 2), it became clear that German forces east of the Vistula were advancing too quickly, exposing their flanks, and losing front-line continuity.

At that moment, I shifted from cautious withdrawal to what I called a “Uhlan Fantasy.” The new plan involved an even deeper retreat, luring the enemy into a salient, then regrouping my cavalry brigades (NBK, MBK) to strike at the flanks. Meanwhile, infantry divisions previously evacuated by rail (27th, 4th, PBK) were repositioned to support future envelopment maneuvers (Fig. 2a.).

Despite being outclassed in open battle, Polish forces proved highly effective at eliminating isolated and encircled German formations.

The plan worked brilliantly (Fig. 3).

OWS, PBK, and the 16th Infantry Division launched a counterattack from the Grudziądz bridgehead. The 16th cut off its retreat and pushed into the German rear, initiating encirclements. Simultaneously, NBK and MBK cavalry brigades launched surprise flank attacks in the east, completing the envelopment of German forces.

Polish cavalry didn’t need fuel to conduct effective maneuver warfare!

Blitzkrieg Broken

At this point, the German blitzkrieg came to a halt, and the Polish meat grinder took over (Fig. 4).

Polish forces surrounded entire German divisions and began methodical destruction. A new doctrine emerged: Isolate – Disrupt – Destroy by Assault.

The final turns of the game were spent mopping up surrounded enemy formations. The Germans had completely lost the initiative and were making chaotic, futile breakout attempts. Polish forces eliminated over 14,000 Germans through direct assaults alone.

The game ended in a total Polish victory, with the German player scoring -337 points (Fig. 5).

Supporting Screenshots

Key role of rail transport in supporting the defense and conducting strategic withdrawals (Fig. 6a)

Step-by-step encirclements and destruction of enemy forces in the central (Fig. 7) and eastern sectors (Fig. 8)

Screenshots of selected Polish assaults (Fig. 9)

Loss graph and overall victory points timeline (Fig. 10)

Analyzing the Graph

Let’s briefly analyze fig. 10. As shown, the Germans steadily gained points until Turn 15, when my flank attacks fully developed, regaining 818 location points in one stroke. This completely reversed the game’s momentum – the Germans had reached nearly 1700 points, and if my retreat had continued without interruption, it would likely have ended in my defeat.

Daily casualty figures show minimal German losses during the Polish withdrawal – except in Turns 13-15, where I managed to eliminate isolated enemy units. The permanent shift occurred around Turn 20, when entire German divisions were fully encircled and systematically destroyed. At the height of this phase, Polish units were eliminating 3,000-4,000 Germans per turn.

I dedicate this match to my grandfather, Władysław, who fought in the Defensive War of September 1939 (attached: a photo of the medal he received Fig. 11).

His unit was shattered in the early days of the campaign, and he attempted to break through to Warsaw but was eventually encircled and forced to surrender.

He spent six years in a German POW camp (Oflag) and endured a forced winter evacuation as the Soviets advanced. Eventually, he was liberated by American forces and returned home to his children – and to help rebuild our war-ravaged homeland.

To the Soldiers of September 1939 – may your memory live on !

Thank you, Pawel, for sharing your experience.

If you haven’t bought Panzer Campaigns: Poland ‘39 yet, have a look at some of the information on the Product page including the free to download Designer Notes. Alternatively, come and see what others are saying about the game at our WDS Forums.