The remaining vessels of the Polish Navy in the Baltic were captured or sunk in combat with German forces over the following weeks, with the sinking of both Wicher and Gryf (a heavy minelayer and largest vessel in the Polish fleet) on 3 September 1939. On 1 September 1939, the ships made contact with elements of the British Royal Navy (destroyers HMS Wanderer and Wallace) and proceeded to Leith (Edinburgh's port), having received news that morning that Germany had invaded Poland. The flotilla was spotted by German seaplanes on 31 August 1939, but managed to elude them by altering their course during the night. The three vessels, among the most modern elements of the Polish Navy, successfully evacuated with their crews and stores despite being spotted by the German light cruiser Königsberg and a destroyer escort, as hostilities had not yet begun. On 29 August 1939, two days before the outbreak of the Second World War, Błyskawica, Grom, and the Wicher-class destroyer Burza departed from their base on the Baltic as part of the Peking Plan (Operation Peking), an attempt to preserve the vessels in the event of war with Germany. Successful sea trials were followed by her commissioning on 1 October 1937. On 1 October 1935, the keel of Błyskawica was laid down at White's Cowes, Isle of Wight, shipyard, and the vessel launched on 1 October 1936. Two destroyers were ordered on 29 March 1935. Samuel White, a British shipbuilder, over competing designs from other British (Hunter) and French (Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire) shipbuilders. It seems likely then that this negative prior experience drove the Polish Navy's selection in 1934 of J. However, the resulting Wicher-class destroyers possessed considerable flaws, including low speed, large silhouettes, and inadequate armor. The preceding two-ship Wicher class had been ordered from France's Chantiers Naval Francais, perhaps in part due to an implicit agreement between the the Polish and French governments that France would extend credit to Poland if Poland were to commission the newly-created shipyard. The Grom-class originated from a competition to design and build destroyers for the Polish Navy to succeed the Wicher class. Whether played as a gunboat or a torpedo boat, Błyskawica is a very balanced ship that can dish out the damage and rake in the credits.īłyskawica, the second of two Grom-class destroyers, served in the Polish Navy during the Second World War. This particular flaw can be mitigated somewhat with the Steering Gears Modification 1 upgrade. While she packs a top speed in excess of most other same-tier rivals, Błyskawica’s handling is a mixed bag she has a good turning radius, but has the least-responsive rudder of all Tier VII destroyers. The best she can hope for against enemy battleships and heavy cruisers is to light fires for extra damage output.Īs is typical of destroyers, her anti-aircraft suite is abysmal. Błyskawica’s commander can also pick up the Level 4 skill Advanced Firing Training to extend her main battery range significantly her shells are comfortable to fire at such ranges - with similar shell performance to Soviet counterparts Minsk and Leningrad - but they will struggle to do consistent damage to larger targets. Her main battery is strong enough to do her well in gunnery engagements with opposing destroyers, especially if they are already down hit points from previous engagements. Once her commander has the Level 4 skill Concealment Expert, Błyskawica’s detection radius is low enough that she is capable of the ninja torpedo tactics that characterize the Japanese destroyer line. Sporting several 120mm guns in fast turning turrets and a reasonable set of torpedoes, she is effective whether fighting other destroyers at close range, performing stealth torpedo attacks on enemy capital ships, or harassing them with long-range fire. Tier VII's Błyskawica is a stalwart ship that can fill the niche of a premium credit earner for aspiring destroyer captains. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.įor a graphic summary of ships Tiers VIII thru XI see LittleWhiteMouse's "Actual AA DPS".
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