Summer Lighting - The Invasion of Poland 1939

The Invasion That Changed the World

Poland in September 1939 had a long border, no depth, and allies who were not coming. It fought anyway, for five weeks.

Take the German and Slovak forces driving on Warsaw, or take the Polish Army trying to make it cost something.

Divisions, corps and headquarters formations on a hex map where each hex is about thirty kilometres and each turn is two days. The Polish player delays, disrupts and counterattacks where it is worth doing, while trying to keep an army in being and hold the cities. Then the Soviets may come in from the east, and there is no front to turn to face them with.

Your Headquarters Decide Who Moves

Activation runs on headquarters chits drawn each turn, so which of your formations gets to do anything is not up to you. That is the command problem both sides actually had, and it is the reason a good plan can sit still while the wrong corps goes forward.

Choose Your Mission in Secret

Combat works by both sides secretly picking an operational approach, and it is the interaction of the two choices that produces the advance, the retreat or the casualties. It is manoeuvre warfare rather than an odds table.

Or Change the Conditions

Air superiority, weather and supply all shape the campaign, and optional rules let you alter Polish mobilisation, foreign reaction or Soviet involvement and find out what any of it was actually worth.

Print and Play

This is a digital download. Nothing ships. You print the map, the counters and the materials and assemble them before the first game.

Summer Lightning: The Invasion of Poland 1939 is a complete operational game designed by Brian Train, and nothing else is required to play it.

This product is a Print-and-Play edition. No physical items ship with this purchase. This product is a digital download, After purchase, a download link will be emailed. The same download link will appear in the purchaser's order history for future access. Some product materials may need to be assembled before use. This downloadable product is for use by the original purchaser only. Hosting, distribution, or resale of the files or printed components is prohibited without written permission from Lock 'n Load Publishing.