"In Gods name, for your and our freedom"
(A work by Artur Szulc, translated by me to english)
The September campain 1939
The 1 September 1939 04.45 o'clock the panzership "Schleswig - Holstein" opened fire against the polish fortifications on Westerplatte by the harbor in Gdansk. Westerplatte was defended by a small garrison consisting of about 220 soldiers under major Henryk Sucharski's command. The garrison was attacked by 1500 german soldiers, supported by airunits and shipartillery. After seven days of intensive fighting major Sucharski decided to surrender, mostly because they had a lack of ammunition and medicine.
At the same time as the attack against Westerplatte german infantry- and tankunits crossed the polish border from three directions. The germans called their attack as a "defensive war against polish aggression". German authoritys claimed that the german minority in Poland was in danger and that it was the Reich's duty to defend them. The deciding event for the german attack was the events in the bordertown Gliwice. The germans claimed that polish soldiers had done a raid against the radiostation there and murdered civilians. Actually, the murdering had been done by sabotageunits in the SS, but the german people never got to know this.
It is calculated that Germany attacked Poland with 1½ million men, who had over 2500 tanks, 1800 airplanes and 11 000 artilleryunits. The polish mobilization had been delayed because of pressure from England and France who didn't want to provoke Hitler unnecessarily, wich meant that only 1 million men (1/3 of Polands total manpower) was ready for battle at September 1. The remaining polish army consisted of about 1000 armoured vehicles (the light tank 7TP showed to be superior the german tanks PzKpfw I and II, but the fact that the army only had 135 7TP:s showed that that the tanks movement and firepower couldn't be used concentrated against german forces, but it won sporadic victories), about 350 airplanes and 4300 artilleryunits. As a result of the strengthcircumstances was that the polish army didn't suceed in their effort to slow down the massive german invasion, the german attack was only halted on one part of the front. But this doesn't mean that the polish army was unaffective in their fighting against german units. All saying about polish cavalryattacks with drawn sables and lowered lances against german tanks, and that the Luftwaffe destroyed the polish airforce on the ground is nonsense.
Myths
The myth about polish cavalryattacks against german armour was launched by italian journalists who visited a battlefield and found dead horses lying there, so they concluded that the polish had attacked german panzer from the horseback. The real course of events was something completely else. The polish infantry- and cavalryunits that was defending the border to german Eastpreussia was involved in unusual violent fightings against 2nd. and 20th. Motorised Division on the morning September 1. First on the afternoon could the germans, despite their numerical and material superority, force the polish units to retreat to their backer defence lines. Under these circumstances a bright cavalrycolonel, Kazimierz Mastalerz, decided that his "ulanes" in the 18. squadron would use the element of suprise and attack the german flank. The polish cavalry sighted and attacked a german infantrybattalion with drawn sables, an action that seems to be right under those circumstances. The first cavalryattack against unprotected german infantry was successful, but when the squadron re-grouped for a new attack some german armoured vehicles armed with 20 mm cannons and machineguns showed up. The polish cavalry was exposed for a devastating fire and the 18. squadron lost its whole staff, including colonel Mastalerz, and several soldiers. Italian journalists had then visited the area after the polish attack and had done their conclusions, wich then had been used by the germans as propaganda. The polish army had 11 cavalry squadrons at its disposal and thus they were used in the fighting against the germans, it would be strange if I didn't, but I want again to stress: polish cavalry never had an objective to attack and fight german armour.
The polish airforce was pretty old at the outbrake of the war and a beginned modernisation progress was calculated to be finished 1942, but that the Luftwaffe should have destroyed the polish aircraft on the ground is a myth. Luftwaffe's machines, special Messerschmitt Bf 109 was superior the polish airforce's PZL P. and PZL P. 7. in speed and acceleration. But the polish pilots used their plane's manouver abilities and then managed to many airfights and managed to destroy 147 german fighters to their 53 in own losses during the wars first airfights. Despite the polish pilot's heroic struggle and initial success was the Luftwaffe superior in number of aircraft and remaining material.
The biggest battle of the September Campain: Bzura
The biggest battle of the September Campain was at the lower part of the river Bzura, not far from the city Lodz, one of Polands textile- and industrycentres. The battle began on September 9 and lasted for about four days. The talanted polish general Tadeusz Kutrzeba early saw a possibillity to attack the 8. german army outstretched positions in the march to Warzaw, its infantry- and artilleryunits coulfn't keep up with the armored vehicles advance. Early September 9 began three polish infantrydivisions, 14., 17., and 25 ID (InfantryDivision), and a cavalrybrigade, "Wielkopolska", its attack. Shortly after joined 4., 16. and 26 ID the battle, and also two divisions, 15. and 27., from armycorps "Pomorze" participated. The polish units suprised the germans and had the advantage during the first three days of the battle. But polish infantry and cavalry couldn't keep the initiative in the fighting because of a lack of material and bad organisation. Not even general Kutrzeba got any attention when he demanded reinforcements to the area; the commander in chief, marshal Edward Rydz-Smigly thought that an additional withdrawal to the south-east would take place in stead. This meant the end for the fighting polish divisions who now was forced to fight their way to Warzaw and possibly reinforce the capitols existing garrisons. Then what had the fightings in Bzura done for good? First the germans had to halt their advance to Warzaw, secondly the german OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) had to re-direct armourunits to Bzura, it took about 800 tanks to turn the advantage to the ferman; and finaly, the third, during the finishing bloody fightings managed two infantrydivisions and two cavalrybrigades to reach Warsaw and fight to the surrender on September 28. The polish losses at Bzura was 20.000 dead and 25.000 wounded. The total loss of the September Campain was claimed to be 70.000 dead, 130.000 wounded and not less than 650.000 soldiers was captured by the Wehrmacht and the Red Army. The german losses in dead, wounded and missing during the invasion of Poland was claimed to be 50.000.
Surrender
Warsaw surrendered at September 28, but some isolated polish units gave up on Oktober 5. Then what can you say about the polish defeat? Was it a failure? There's no doubt that the polish faced a stronger enemy, both numerically and materially. Then add the polish landscapes character, there's no natural defencelines and the country's geography is well suited for fast panzerattacks. And we must not forget the russian attack on September 17 that forced the polish armylead to send troops, who was needed in the fight against the germans, east to fight the russians. There's one more aspect that must be seen and that is that german officers were very familiar with the polish battletactics, both in strategical and operative level, after Germany's engagement in Polands military re-building during the 1920's and 1930's. Sure you can make excuses for the polish defeat and blaim on incompetence from the leaders, lack of material and so on, but it is a fact that soldiers can't fight effective without an operative lead or ammunition, and they can't fight armour with light handguns. Although the polish was usually better than the germans in regular infantryfights and the polish soldiers armourfighting gave the german units pretty hard losses, about 950 armoured vehicles was lost durig the Septembercampain. Polands fight can and should be compared with what happened on the western front 1940 when Wehrmacht completely crushed the belgian, french and dutch armies on six weeks.
The Septembercampains defeat made many polish soldiers to lose their faith for the government, who had left their country in an early phase, but it is a fact that over 80.000 soldiers managed to go, mainly through Hungary, to France and England, but also the Middle East (Syria), and continue the fight.
Continued fight: from Narvik to Wilhelmshaven
After the defeat the poles had great faith in that their allies France and England would act against the nazi aggression, but the months after Polands defeat waas followed by a period without any regular waractions. "The peace" was broken by Nazi Germanys attack on Denmark and Norway in april 1940. The polish commands ambitions to make free polish armyunits in France was first rejected by the allies because continued polish efforts would give Poland the right to make demands after the war. French authorities opposed the polish commands recruitingcampains among poles living in France, and the reasons to this was partly that the french armed forces didn't want to lose ten thousands of recruits and partly that the french industrylabour would be reduced. But the attitude to polish units was changed after the german attacks on Denmark, Norway and France. Germanys offensives contributed the making of many polish armyunits in France, so the polish soldiers wish to fight again came true. On May 8 1940 landed an independent polish shootingbrigade (about 4.700 men), "Samodzielna Brygada Strzelcow Podhalanskich", in the norweigan harbour Harstad not far from Narvik. The idea was that poles and and french foreignlegionares would defend Narvik. But the poles was evacuated already in June because of the situation in France and this resulted in that the brigades losses was pretty small, about 300 soldiers.
