Battle of the Border
Encyclopedia
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
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...
in September, 1939. The series of battles ended in a German victory, as Polish forces were either destroyed or forced to retreat.
Before the battle
The Polish defense plan (Plan Zachód) called for a defense of Poland's bordersBorders of Poland
The Borders of Poland are 3511 or 3582 kilometers long. The neighboring countries are Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and Lithuania and the Russian province of Kaliningrad Oblast to the northeast...
in case of invasion from Germany. Much of Poland's new industry and major population centers were located in the border area (particularly in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
); however, the lengthy border was very difficult to defend properly. The plan was criticized by some of the Polish military and Western advisors, but supported by politicians who feared the effect of abandoning a significant part of the population to the enemy without a fight, and who were further discouraged from abandoning those territories as the Polish allies (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) did not guarantee the Borders of Poland and might well decide to allow the Germans to take the Polish Corridor
Polish Corridor
The Polish Corridor , also known as Danzig Corridor, Corridor to the Sea or Gdańsk Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia , which provided the Second Republic of Poland with access to the Baltic Sea, thus dividing the bulk of Germany from the province of East...
they demanded in exchange for peace (pursuing a policy of appeasement
Appeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
).
The German invasion plan (Fall Weiss) called for the start of hostilities before the declaration of war
Declaration of war
A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies...
and for the Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
doctrine of lightning war to be pursued. German units were to invade Poland from three directions:
- from the German mainland through the western Polish border
- from the north, from the exclave of East PrussiaEast PrussiaEast Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
- from the territory of SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, accompanied by allied Slovak units
All three assaults were to converge on Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, while the main Polish army was to be encircled and destroyed west of the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
.
Poland, which already had a smaller population and thus a smaller military budget
Military budget
A military budget of an entity, most often a nation or a state, is the budget and financial resources dedicated to raising and maintaining armed forces for that entity. Military budgets reflect how much an entity perceives the likelihood of threats against it, or the amount of aggression it wishes...
and army than Germany, was further disadvantaged because as the defender, unsure whether or not the war would start, its forces were not mobilized by 1 September.
The battle
At 08:00 hours, 1 September, German troops, still without a formal declaration of war issued, attacked near the Polish town of MokraBattle of Mokra
The Battle of Mokra took place on September 1, 1939 near the village of Mokra, 5 km north from Kłobuck, 23 km north-west from Częstochowa, Poland...
; the battle of the border had begun. Later that day, the Germans opened fronts along Poland's western, southern and northern borders, while German aircraft began raids on Polish cities. The main routes of attack led eastwards from Germany proper through the western Polish border. A second route carried supporting attacks from East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
in the north, and a co-operative German-Slovak tertiary attack by units (Army "Bernolak") from the territory of the German-allied Slovakia in the south. All three assaults converged on the Polish capital of Warsaw.
In the northwest, the German Army Group North
Army Group North
Army Group North was a German strategic echelon formation commanding a grouping of Field Armies subordinated to the OKH during World War II. The army group coordinated the operations of attached separate army corps, reserve formations, rear services and logistics.- Formation :The Army Group North...
under Fedor von Bock
Fedor von Bock
Fedor von Bock was a German Generalfeldmarshall who served in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. As a leader who lectured his soldiers about the honor of dying for the German Fatherland, he was nicknamed "Der Sterber"...
attacked Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
and Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
, moving from the Western Germany proper (German Fourth Army
German Fourth Army
The 4th Army was a field army of Imperial Germany during World War I and of the Wehrmacht during World War II-World War I:At the outset of war, the Fourth Army, with the Fifth Army, formed the center of the German armies on the Western Front, moving through Luxembourg and Belgium in support of the...
) and from East Prussia (German Third Army
German Third Army
The 3rd Army was a German field army that fought during :World War I and :World War II.-World War I:Upon the mobilization Max von Hausen was given command of the 3rd Army which mainly consisted of Saxons. The army participated in the battle of the Frontiers, mainly in the battles of Dinant and...
). In the Battle of Tuchola Forest that lasted from 1 to 5 September they split the Polish Army Pomorze under Władysław Bortnowski which was tasked with the defence of the Polish Corridor
Polish Corridor
The Polish Corridor , also known as Danzig Corridor, Corridor to the Sea or Gdańsk Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia , which provided the Second Republic of Poland with access to the Baltic Sea, thus dividing the bulk of Germany from the province of East...
; parts of it under admiral Józef Unrug
Józef Unrug
Józef Michał Hubert Unrug was a German-born Polish vice admiral who helped reestablish Poland's navy after World War I. During the opening stages of World War II, he served as the Polish Navy's commander.-Biography:...
would continue to defend pockets of the coast over the next few days or weeks (at the Battles of Westerplatte
Battle of Westerplatte
The Battle of Westerplatte was the very first battle that took place after Germany invaded Poland and World War II began in Europe. During the first week of September 1939, a Military Transit Depot on the peninsula of Westerplatte, manned by fewer than 200 Polish soldiers, held out for seven days...
, Gdynia
Battle of Gdynia
Battle of Gdynia was one of the major battles in northern Poland during the Invasion of Poland of 1939. The Germans' main push towards Gdynia began on 8 September and they captured Gdynia less than a week later on 14 September.- Before the battle :...
, Hel
Battle of Hel
The Battle of Hel was one of the longest battles of the Invasion of Poland during World War II.The Hel Peninsula, together with the town of Hel, was the pocket of Polish Army resistance that held out the longest against the German invasion...
and others) while the rest was forced, together the Army Poznań under Tadeusz Kutrzeba
Tadeusz Kutrzeba
Tadeusz Kutrzeba was an army general of the Second Polish Republic.Kutrzeba was born in Kraków, then part of Austria-Hungary...
, to retreat east from their defensive lines in Greater Poland towards Kłodawa in Kujawy.
In northern Poland (Masovia), by 3 September part of German Third Army had defeated the Polish Army Modlin under Emil Krukowicz-Przedrzymirski
Emil Krukowicz-Przedrzymirski
Emil Krukowicz-Przedrzymirski also known as Emil Karol Przedrzymirski de Krukowicz was a Polish general.Krukowicz-Przedrzymirski was born in 1886. He began military service as an artillery officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I. He joined the Polish Army in 1918 and fought in the...
at the battle of Mława; Polish forces retreated towards their secondary lines of defence at the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
and Narew
Narew
The Narew River , in western Belarus and north-eastern Poland, is a left tributary of the Vistula river...
rivers, allowing the Germans to move towards their main objective, the Polish capital of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
In the south and southwest, the German Army Group South
Army Group South
Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...
under Gerd von Rundstedt
Gerd von Rundstedt
Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Army during World War II. He held some of the highest field commands in all phases of the war....
struck along the lines dividing the Polish Army Łódź (under Juliusz Rómmel
Juliusz Rómmel
Juliusz Karol Wilhelm Józef Rómmel was a Polish military commander and a general of the Polish Army. During the Polish-Bolshevik War, he gained great fame for achieving a decisive victory in the Battle of Komarów, the largest cavalry engagement of the 20th century...
) from Army Poznań (north) and Army Kraków (south, under Antoni Szylling
Antoni Szylling
Antoni Szylling was a Polish general, considered, along with Generals Wiktor Thommée and Stanisław Maczek, to have been one of the most successful Polish Army commanders during the Polish Defensive War of 1939.-Biography:...
). Despite several Polish tactical victories (like in the battle of Mokra
Battle of Mokra
The Battle of Mokra took place on September 1, 1939 near the village of Mokra, 5 km north from Kłobuck, 23 km north-west from Częstochowa, Poland...
on 1 September), Polish forces were soon forced to retreat, as Army Łódź was being outflanked by the German Eighth Army
German Eighth Army
The 8th Army was a World War I and World War II field army.-World War I:At the outbreak of World War I, the 8. Armee was stationed in East Prussia to defend against the expected Russian attack, Plan XIX. After the scrappy Battle of Gumbinnen, 8. Armee commander Generaloberst Maximilian von...
and the German Tenth Army
German Tenth Army
The 10th Army was a World War I and World War II field army. During World War I the 10th army was stationed at the Eastern Front against Russia, and occupied Poland and Belorussia at the end of 1918 when the war ended....
. Army Kraków was retreating from Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
and in the south Army Karpaty under Kazimierz Fabrycy
Kazimierz Fabrycy
Kazimierz Fabrycy was a Polish general. Fabrycy was a member of the Polish Legions in World War I, and fought in the Polish Soviet War. He was the Viceminister of military affairs from 1926 to 1934, and commander of several infantry divisions during the interwar period in the Second Polish Republic...
was being slowly pushed north towards the Dunajec and Nida River
Nida River
Nida is a river in central Poland, a tributary of the Vistula river , with a length of 151 kilometres and a basin area of 3,865 km2. This includes the protected area called Nida Landscape Park.Towns and townships;...
s by the German Fourteenth Army
German Fourteenth Army
The 14th Army was a World War II field army.The 14th Army was activated on August 1, 1939 with General Wilhelm List in command and saw service in Poland until the end of the campaign in Poland October 13, 1939...
.
By 6 September Polish forces were in retreat and Marshal of Poland
Marshal of Poland
Marshal of Poland is the highest rank in the Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, this rank is equivalent to a Field Marshal or General of the Army in other NATO armies.-History:...
Edward Rydz-Śmigły ordered all the troops to fall back to the secondary lines of defences at the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
and San River
San River
The San is a river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, a tributary of the Vistula River, with a length of 433 km and a basin area of 16,861 km2...
s.http://www.ordynariat.opoka.org.pl/artykul_wiecej.php?idartykul=83
Aftermath
Virtually all battles that are considered part of 'Battle of the Border' resulted in rapid defeat of Polish forces, which were forced to abandon the regions of PomeraniaPomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, Greater Poland
Greater Poland
Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...
and Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. Those defeats in turn made it more difficult for the Polish forces to fall back in an organized way to the secondary lines of defence (behind Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
and near the Romanian bridgehead
Romanian Bridgehead
The Romanian Bridgehead was an area in southeastern Poland, now located in Ukraine. During the Polish Defensive War of 1939 , on September 14 the Polish Commander in Chief Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Śmigły ordered all Polish troops fighting east of the Vistula to withdraw towards Lwów, and...
).
Battles of the border
The Battle of the Border included the following battles:- That ended before or on September 3:
- Defense of the Polish Post Office in DanzigDefense of the Polish Post Office in DanzigThe Defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig was one of the first acts of World War II in Europe, as part of the Invasion of Poland....
- 1 September - Battle of ChojniceBattle of Chojnice (1939)Battle of Chojnice during the 1939 German invasion of Poland occurred on the first day of the hostilities, September 1. A detached unit of the Polish army, Chojnice Detached Group under col...
- 1 September - Skirmish of Krojanty - 1 September
- Battle of Lasy KrólewskieBattle of Lasy KrólewskieBattle of Lasy Królewskie refers to the battle on September 1, 1939 near Janowo and Krzynowołga Mała during the battle of the border of the Invasion of Poland....
- 1 September - Battle of MokraBattle of MokraThe Battle of Mokra took place on September 1, 1939 near the village of Mokra, 5 km north from Kłobuck, 23 km north-west from Częstochowa, Poland...
- 1 September - Battle of PszczynaBattle of PszczynaBattle of Pszczyna refers to the series of battles between 1 and 4 September 1939 near the town of Pszczyna during the Invasion of Poland...
- 1 to 4 September - Battle of GrudziądzBattle of GrudziadzBattle of Grudziądz was a military engagement between German and Polish forces during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. It started on September 1 and ended with a German victory on September 4. German historiography has dealt with the fighting in the larger context of the Battle of Tuchola Forest.The...
- 1 to 3 September - Battle of Mława and Ciechanow - 1 to 4 September
- Battle of JordanówBattle of JordanówThe Battle of Jordanów took place on 2 September 1939, during the Invasion of Poland and the opening stages of World War II. It was fought between the German XXII Panzer Corps of Gen. Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist and the Polish 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade under Col...
- 2 September - Battle of Węgierska GórkaBattle of Wegierska GórkaThe Battle of Węgierska Górka was a two-day-long defence of a Polish fortified area in south of Silesia during the opening stages of the Polish Defensive War of 1939....
- 1 to 3 September
- Defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig
- That began before September 3 and ended before or on September 7:
- Battle of Tuchola Forest - 1 to 5 September
- Battle of Borowa GóraBattle of Borowa GóraBattle of Borowa Góra refers to the series of battles from 2nd to 5 September of 1939 that took place near the hills of Góry Borowskie, south west from Piotrków Trybunalski and east of Bełchatów....
- 2 to 5 September - Battle of WesterplatteBattle of WesterplatteThe Battle of Westerplatte was the very first battle that took place after Germany invaded Poland and World War II began in Europe. During the first week of September 1939, a Military Transit Depot on the peninsula of Westerplatte, manned by fewer than 200 Polish soldiers, held out for seven days...
- 1 to 7 September
- That began after September 3 and ended before or on September 7:
- Battle of RóżanBattle of RózanThe Battle of Różan, otherwise known as defence of Różan bridgehead, took place between September 4 and September 6, 1939, in the fields before the town of Różan on the Narew River. A small Polish garrison of three World War I forts successfully defended the bridgehead against the entire German...
- 4 to 6 September - Battle of Piotrków TrybunalskiBattle of Piotrków TrybunalskiThe Battle of Piotrków Trybunalski was a battle in the Invasion of Poland which started with the German breakthrough during the Battle of Borowa Gora. [1]...
- 5 to 6 September - Battle of Tomaszów MazowieckiBattle of Tomaszów MazowieckiBattle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki refers to the battle on 6 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Second Polish Republic, during the Invasion of Poland....
- 6 September
- Battle of Różan
- That began before September 7 and lasted afterwards:
- Battle of WiznaBattle of WiznaThe Battle of Wizna was fought between September 7 and September 10, 1939, between the forces of Poland and Germany during the initial stages of Invasion of Poland. It was arguably the most heroic battle in the campaign, in which 720 Poles defended a fortified line for three days against more than...
- 6 to 10 September - Battle of HelBattle of HelThe Battle of Hel was one of the longest battles of the Invasion of Poland during World War II.The Hel Peninsula, together with the town of Hel, was the pocket of Polish Army resistance that held out the longest against the German invasion...
- 1 September to 2 October
- Battle of Wizna
See also
- German order of battle for Operation Fall WeissGerman order of battle for Operation Fall WeissThis article details the order of battle of German army units invading Poland in 1939.The German forces for the invasion of Poland with the codename Fall Weiss were divided into Army Group North and Army Group South .-Army...
- Opposing forces in the Polish September CampaignOpposing forces in the Polish September CampaignGermany and Poland were the main opposing forces in the Polish September Campaign. Tactics and military hardware used in the Invasion of Poland varied between the two sides; The German economy was geared toward military production which supplied their armed forces with equipment that was often...
- Polish army order of battle in 1939Polish army order of battle in 1939Polish OOB during the Invasion of Poland. In the late thirties Polish headquarters prepared "Plan Zachód" , a plan of mobilization of Polish Army in case of war with Germany...