Battle of Wytyczno
Encyclopedia
The battle of Wytyczno took place on October 1, 1939 near the village of Wytyczno
near Włodawa in Poland
. It was a struggle between the Polish forces of the Border Defence Corps of Gen. Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann and the Soviet
Red Army
during the invasion of Poland
.
After the battle of Szack
on September 28, the Polish commander decided to cross the Bug River
and continue the fight there. After a short rest, on September 30 the Poles had crossed the river. Although largely victorious in most of the fights against the Soviets, the Polish unit was reduced to merely 3,000 men and was lacking heavy equipment and ammunition. In addition, most of the soldiers of the Border Defence Corps had been forced to cross large parts of Poland, with the average unit crossing almost 500 kilometres in two weeks.
After crossing the Włodawa-Trawniki
road, shortly after 1 AM on October 1, the Polish unit was attacked by a tank unit of the Soviet 45th Rifle Division. Polish Bofors 37 mm
guns opened fire at close range and the Soviet unit withdrew losing four T-26
tanks. Soon after daybreak the Soviets returned, this time with the majority of 45th division's units. The Soviets, expecting the Polish unit to be completely routed and composed entirely of officers, started a frontal assault on the village of Wytyczno. However, the Polish tabors crossed the road into the forest behind the village and placed artillery posts there, which enabled the defending Poles to hold their positions.
The struggle for the village continued, with both sides suffering heavy losses. At 9AM the Polish 75 mm artillery had no more than 60 shells left and the howitzer
s had not more than 10 per barrel. To lessen the enemy pressure on the centre of the Polish units, Gen. Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann ordered the Polesie Battalion to attack the left flank of the enemy. However, the soldiers were too tired to start the assault and most of them simply declined to follow the order. Commander of the Sarny Regiment, Col. Nikodem Sulik
, reported that the Polish defences were getting weaker with every hour and with all probability the battle would end by dawn with a complete Polish defeat. At 10.30 a war council was held and it was decided that the only option for his men to survive is to withdraw, divide the unit onto smaller detachments and try to break through to the units of Independent Operational Group Polesie
fighting nearby. At noon the Polish units successfully withdrew to the forests. Most of them joined the other Polish unit, while Gen. Orlik-Rückemann found his way to Great Britain through Lithuania and Sweden.
After Poland regained independence in 1989, a monument was built in Wytyczno to honor the Polish soldiers who defended freedom there. In 1998, then U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Daniel Fried, visited this monument and paid respects to the Polish defenders of Wytyczno.
Wytyczno
Wytyczno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Urszulin, within Włodawa County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Włodawa and north-east of the regional capital Lublin....
near Włodawa in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It was a struggle between the Polish forces of the Border Defence Corps of Gen. Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann and the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
during the invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
.
After the battle of Szack
Battle of Szack
Battle of Szack was one of the major battles between the Polish Army and the Red Army fought in 1939 in the beginning the Second World War.- Eve of the Battle :...
on September 28, the Polish commander decided to cross the Bug River
Bug River
The Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
and continue the fight there. After a short rest, on September 30 the Poles had crossed the river. Although largely victorious in most of the fights against the Soviets, the Polish unit was reduced to merely 3,000 men and was lacking heavy equipment and ammunition. In addition, most of the soldiers of the Border Defence Corps had been forced to cross large parts of Poland, with the average unit crossing almost 500 kilometres in two weeks.
After crossing the Włodawa-Trawniki
Trawniki
Trawniki is a village in Świdnik County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Trawniki. It lies approximately south-east of Świdnik and south-east of the regional capital Lublin....
road, shortly after 1 AM on October 1, the Polish unit was attacked by a tank unit of the Soviet 45th Rifle Division. Polish Bofors 37 mm
Bofors 37 mm
The Bofors 37 mm gun was an anti-tank gun designed by Swedish manufacturer Bofors in the early 1930s. Licensed copies were produced in a number of countries. The gun was used by some European armies during World War II, mainly at the early stage of the war.-Development history:The gun was...
guns opened fire at close range and the Soviet unit withdrew losing four T-26
T-26
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s as well as during World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and is widely considered one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s....
tanks. Soon after daybreak the Soviets returned, this time with the majority of 45th division's units. The Soviets, expecting the Polish unit to be completely routed and composed entirely of officers, started a frontal assault on the village of Wytyczno. However, the Polish tabors crossed the road into the forest behind the village and placed artillery posts there, which enabled the defending Poles to hold their positions.
The struggle for the village continued, with both sides suffering heavy losses. At 9AM the Polish 75 mm artillery had no more than 60 shells left and the howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
s had not more than 10 per barrel. To lessen the enemy pressure on the centre of the Polish units, Gen. Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann ordered the Polesie Battalion to attack the left flank of the enemy. However, the soldiers were too tired to start the assault and most of them simply declined to follow the order. Commander of the Sarny Regiment, Col. Nikodem Sulik
Nikodem Sulik
Nikodem Sulik-Sarnowski, who used the noms de guerre "Jodko", "Jod", "Karol", and "Sarnowski" , was an officer of the Russian Imperial Army, and Generał brygady of the Polish Army.-Biography:...
, reported that the Polish defences were getting weaker with every hour and with all probability the battle would end by dawn with a complete Polish defeat. At 10.30 a war council was held and it was decided that the only option for his men to survive is to withdraw, divide the unit onto smaller detachments and try to break through to the units of Independent Operational Group Polesie
Independent Operational Group Polesie
Independent Operational Group Polesie was one of the Polish Army Corps that defended Poland during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. It was created on 11 September 1939 and was commanded by general Franciszek Kleeberg...
fighting nearby. At noon the Polish units successfully withdrew to the forests. Most of them joined the other Polish unit, while Gen. Orlik-Rückemann found his way to Great Britain through Lithuania and Sweden.
After Poland regained independence in 1989, a monument was built in Wytyczno to honor the Polish soldiers who defended freedom there. In 1998, then U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Daniel Fried, visited this monument and paid respects to the Polish defenders of Wytyczno.