  We construct several classes of exact supersymmetric supergravity solutions
describing D4 branes polarized into NS5 branes and F-strings polarized into D2
branes. These setups belong to the same universality class as the perturbative
solutions used by Polchinski and Strassler to describe the string dual of N=1*
theories. The D4-NS5 setup can be interpreted as a string dual to a confining
4+1 dimensional theory with 8 supercharges, whose properties we discuss. By
T-duality, our solutions give Type IIB supersymmetric backgrounds with
polarized branes.
