Report on the Duchy of Polish Pommerania

History

Polish Pomerania was forged out of the northwest portion of Old Poland by Lieutenant General Josef Dombrowski, commander of the Polish 4th Tank Army in 1985. After Poland's defection from the Warsaw Pact in the second week of October, 1985, Dombroski's Poles turned on their erstwhile Soviet overlords and expelled them from this area while linking up with the British Army of the Rhine near Bydgosz on October 11. Four days later, the Soviets fired their first tactical nukes at the advancing NATO forces, and within hours, a limited, but general exchange of nuclear weapons ensued.

As civilization began to quickly unravel, Dombroski used his forces, and the survivors of the British 1st Armored Division and various German detachments, to secure control of Polish Pomerania. In November, he allied with Major General Gerhard von Sieben of the German 10th Panzer Division, who had the largest detachment of troops west of the Oder River.

In 1990, Dombrowski sought legitimization of his rule by applying to the court of the new Roman Emperor for recognition. On October 10, 1990, Dombrowski was recognized as sovereign Count of Polish Pomerania. While it has had secure boundaries to the west, Polish Pomerania has been in a nearly constant state of war with the ethnic Russia Duchy of Kaliningrad to the east since 1985. The sparse population and poor agricultural capacities of Polish Pomerania and Kaliningrad have made this conflict a series of slave and plunder raids, rather than pitched battles with conclusive results.

Duke Josef I died in 2004 and was succeeded by his son, Josef II, who had married the daughter of his father's ally, Michaela von Sieben. Duke Josef II died in 2014 without issue. His sister Anna Marie married Gerhard von Sieben's second son, Adolf, who became Duke Adolf I. He died in 2024, and was succeeded by his son-in-law Duke Mikhail Anton Radziwill. On October 24, 2044, Duke Mikhail, his wife, and seven of his nine children were murdered by a faction of nobles who opposed the alliance with the German Pomeranians. His ten-year-old son Boleslav fled to German Pomerania, where his relatives have proclaimed him Duke Boleslav I. His cousin, Count Erich von Sieben has reconquered part of Boleslav's inheritance, however, Boleslav remains in exile in Erich's capital Stettin.

Little is known of the rebel leadership, though they do have assistance and recognition from Kaliningrad. The leader of the rebels is Baron Anton Tyziewski.

Diplomatic Situation

Currently, the duchy is divided and in a civil war, with the legitimate pretender, Duke Boleslav and his German Pomeranian allies controlling the western portion and a pro-Kaliningrad faction, the east. Traditionally, Polish Pomerania has been oriented toward German Pomerania and has been mildly pro-Italian (an easy thing to do since they were so far away.)

The Ducal Family

Duke Boleslav I Radziwill is an eleven-year-old minor under the guardianship of his cousin, the Count of Pomerania. Boleslav's younger brother Wladimir, born in 2040, also survived and is in exile in Stettin. Boleslav's aunt Valentina is the Dowager Duchess of Transylvania and his first cousin Nicholai is duke. The Counts of Pomerania are slightly more distantly related.

Military Situation

The current military situation within the duchy is chaotic. The battalion-sized regular army disintegrated during the coup. Loyalist forces center around militia backed up by the German Count of Pomerania's regular army, while the rebels consist of noble's retinues armed by the Duke of Kaliningrad.

Army Organization (provided by the RFIS, accuracy not verified by our sources)

Rebels: No formal organization. Loyalists: several companies of militia.

Military Equipment

Rebels: A mixture of black powder and Italian trade arms are in use.

Loyalists: Militias are armed with Italian-made muzzleloaders and Portland Trade Rifles.

Economy

Agricultural exports are the mainstay of foreign trade, despite low productivity. Some foreign revenue is generated by sale of salvage, though this is declining. Other sources of revenue include slaves and plunder from Kaliningrad. Other manufactures are at the handicraft level for domestic consumption. Currently, foreign trade is at a standstill.

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