Polonsky

"Those fucking animals, they killed him! You're all going straight to hell, ya hear me? Straight to fucking hell!"

- Roebuck, if Polonsky dies

Private (Corporal in Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts and promoted if survived) Polonsky was a young United States Marine during World War II. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Division and fought under Sergeant Sullivan's and Sergeant Roebuck's command.

Call of Duty: World at War
Polonsky was a United States Marine under the command of Sgt. Tom Sullivan during the level "Little Resistance" and was under Sgt. Roebuck's command for the rest of the game. As described by Roebuck, he is one of the "new breed" assigned to Sullivan and Roebuck after the raid on Makin Atoll contrary to Miller, Sullivan, and Roebuck who are referred to as the "old breed" by the new recruits, even when none of them are out of their twenties. He is first seen in the LVT-4 amtrac carrying Miller and the squad to Peleliu Island. He and other Marines fight their way through Japanese beach defenses and clear the way for an Allied assault. However, at the end of the mission, Sullivan is stabbed and mortally wounded by a Banzai Charger. Polonsky and the others kill Sullivan's assailant although it is too late. After Roebuck is promoted to Sergeant, the squad is assigned to take the Peleliu airfield. The squad comes across an F4U Corsair that was shot down and attempts to rescue the pilot, only to find that the plane was wired with booby traps, much to Polonsky's disgust. After taking the airfield, they are assaulted by a Japanese convoy and hold out until U.S. fighters provide close air support. He then goes on with the squad to take the rest of Peleliu and later on, Okinawa. After the assault on Wana Ridge, he is seen complaining to Major Gordon about the Marines lack of supplies, while Roebuck and Miller help load wounded marines into a truck, but to no avail. On the final American level in Call of Duty: World at War, he assaults Shuri Castle with the rest of them. Near the end, a group of Japanese soldiers surrender to the squad, which turns out to be a trick. He is attacked by one, letting his guard down. If the player does nothing to save Roebuck, he will be killed when his attackers detonate a grenade by his head, killing them as well. Polonsky will curse, and fire his M1 Garand rifle at the rest of the Japanese forces after that. At the end of the battle, Polonsky gives Miller Roebuck's dog tags as Roebuck's voice can be heard doing the narration for the level's conclusion. If the player chooses to save Sgt. Roebuck's life, then the grenade will kill Polonsky instead of Roebuck. The ending and the battle are the same, except that Roebuck remains as the person shouting orders.

He assists the player throughout the campaign and is also known for his humorous lines and quotes. If at any point during the gameplay the player lets their guard down he will usually cover them if they are in range, killing the enemy. Also, he could effectively counter Banzai Chargers by either beating them down with the butt of his rifle or knocking them down and shooting them at point blank range. Polonsky is almost always seen wielding his trusty M1 Garand. He seems to be an expert rifleman.

Quotes

 * "Oh yeah! Good night!"
 * "Let's hand Miller over, then they'll surrender for sure!"
 * "I'll tell you boys, the Japanese want this mountain so bad, they can have it. It's just a whole mess of stinkin' jungle and... [kills mosquito] Son of a--! ...Bugs!"
 * "You can't get rid of me that easy, Sergeant!"
 * "Besides, who's going to keep Miller from falling off his works?"
 * "Look who decided to join the party!"
 * "We gotta go bail out the 8th? What's next, my mother in Queens?!"
 * "Die! You son... of... a... BITCH!" (heard in "Breaking Point", after Roebuck is killed, when he rushes to a Japanese soldier, pins him down, and repeatedly punches him. This happens if the player holds his fire on the Japanese until Roebuck dies)
 * "Miller! They killed the Sarge!"
 * "Y'all are going to Hell, ya hear me?! Straight to Hell!"
 * "Nice shootin' there, eagle-eye!"
 * "A fuckin' bloodbath."
 * "That our objective? It's a damn fortress."
 * "You worthless animals!"
 * "You hear that? Call in those fucking planes!" (After Air Strikes are ready)
 * "Blow the bastards to kingdom come!"
 * "Take THAT, Tojo!"
 * "This is bullshit! You hear this Sarge? We ain't gettin' shit 'till tomorrow."
 * "I'M UNSTOPPABLE!"
 * "Shit, we'll be sitting ducks!" (only heard in multiplayer)
 * "We got 30 seconds to finish this thing!"
 * "He aint movin' now!" (After Polonsky kills a Japanese soldier)

Trivia

 * He doesn't seem to be very close to Sgt. Sullivan until at the end of "Little Resistance" before Sullivan is stabbed by a Japanese soldier.
 * Polonsky's dialog is garbled during "Breaking Point", as the player can hear him saying "Shit!" and "Reloading!" at the same time.
 * He bears a similarity to PFC. Reiben from the movie Saving Private Ryan.
 * Polonsky hails from New York City as one of his quotes mentions his mother being in Queens. Also, if the player listens closely, he has a slight New York accent.
 * Although not verified, his name implies that he is of Jewish descent from Ukraine or Belarus.
 * His attitude towards the Japanese throughout different parts of the game resemble PFC. Webster from Band of Brothers.
 * The character model used for Tank Dempsey is the same of Polonsky.
 * If the player makes a squad in multiplayer while on the Marine side and he makes a command, he will hear Polonsky.
 * Some quotes listed are not heard on the Wii version.
 * Polonsky usually starts every level wearing a helmet, however it is usually shot from his head by the end of each one.
 * Polonsky has many differences with himself between less powerful consoles such as the Wii and PS2 when compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
 * In the PS2 version, Polonsky has dark brown hair, and a cleaner looking face, but his personality, voice, and other characteristics are all the same.
 * Polonsky has blond hair in the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC versions but his hair is dark brown on the Wii version.
 * In Call of Duty: World at War Final Fronts, Polonsky is a Corporal and appears in be in his early twenties rather than his teen years in the other versions.
 * Polonsky does not die in the PS2 version. However, he is attacked by a Japanese artilleryman.
 * If Polonsky dies in "Breaking Point" without his helmet, in the cutscene, he has his helmet back on.
 * Polonsky carries much less equipment compared to other Marines in the game, as he does not wear a combat vest and webbing or any ammo pouches. He is seen carrying only his M1 Garand.
 * In "Breaking Point", if the player saves both Roebuck and Polonsky, Roebuck will act as though Polonsky died and Polonsky will be standing still for the entire assault on Shuri Castle.
 * In "Breaking Point", Polonsky says he is low on ammo. Roebuck replies to take the enemies' weapons but Polonsky goes the entire level without trading his M1 Garand for another weapon. However, he does have some ammo in it. If he dies and the player gets his M1 Garand, it can have around fifty rounds of ammunition left. However, at the mortar crew part, the player will see him pick up an Arisaka. Very rarely, later in the level, he will use an M1911.
 * In the Wii version of Call of Duty: World at War", there's a noticeable glitch at the end of "Breaking Point": Even if the player saves Polonsky, it's his body that he removes the dog-tags from, not Roebuck's. (This only happens some of the time, and happens the other way around as well (i.e. Roebuck taking the dog-tags from himself.)
 * In some cases Polonsky will use an M1911 when his M1 Garand is out of ammunition.
 * Some of the Marines in multiplayer have the same voice as Polonsky.
 * Sometimes Polonsky will say "They ain't getting up!", similar to Pfc. Guzzo in Call of Duty 3.