Silesian Military District
Encyclopedia
Silesian Military District with its headquarters
in Wrocław is one of two current military district
s in Poland
(the other being the Pomeranian Military District
).
Its history dates back to the aftermath of World War II
, when Military District Silesia (Okręg Wojskowy Śląsk) was formed in 1945.
, the Military District Command of Silesia was created at Katowice
. The district's area, included the then provinces Silesian-Dąbrowski and Wroclaw province. The organizational structure of the district headquarters was:
At the time of the creation of the district in his area were deployed: Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division
, Polish 6th Pomeranian Infantry Division, 8th Dresden Infantry Division and the 10th Sudeck Infantry Division. In the period August-September 1945 has been changed many dislocation of military units. Outside the county were: the Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division
, 6 and Infantry Divisions 8, transferred to the Military Districts Kraków
and Lodz, with others came districts: 7, 11 and 13 Infantry Division (LWP).
On October 22, 1945 permanent state of Silesia Military District was 42,291 soldiers. During this period, Ward took command of subordinate units and the supply and organization of the military administration. At the same time assumed the function of the district headquarters operational defense of its territorial area.
In March 1946 the headquarters of the Silesia Military District was moved from Katowice
to Wroclow. On November 15, 1946 Silesia Military District Command was called Command Military District No. IV (DOW IV), which was in force until 1953. In 1947, the district headquarters directly subordinated to the Land Forces Command. To the concept that people returned again December 22, 1997.
District to 1948 soldiers were involved in removing land mine clearance: 3.5 million mine
s, 7 million pieces of unexploded shells, bombs and missiles. On 4 March 1949 the Poznan Military District was dissolved, and the troops on its territory were incorporated into the Silesian Military District. In 1950, as a result of changes in administrative division within the district there were five provinces: Wroclaw
, Poznan
, Katowice
, Opole
, and Zielona.
Troops of the district were involved in suppressing the Poznań 1956 protests
.
In the early 1960s there was a division of the armed forces of the Army Operational and territorial defense. On the basis of the operational units of the Silesian Military District in case of war was to be formed Second Army, which was included in the Polish Front part of the United Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact
. In July 1968, the 2nd Army was actually formed from the district's troops for the purpose of participation in Operation Danube. The army, commanded by general Florian Siwicki
, was disbanded in November 1968. The army consisted of 30,000 soldiers, 7,000 transport vehicles, 750 tanks, and 592 APCs
.
In November 1973 the District began serving soldiers in the composition of UN interim Force, supervising the truce in the Middle East
. Since then, the subsequent changes in the tasks they met in Egypt
, Syria
, Namibia
Western Sahara
, Cambodia
Iran
, Iraq
and countries of the former Yugoslavia
. District officers were and are United Nations military observers in all spots of the world points and the activities that lead from 1953. In the years 1953 -1957 and from 1973 SCO officers were involved in International Control Commission
(Vietnam
, Laos
, Cambodia
).
As a result of subsequent administrative division in 1975, Silesian Military District took its reach 13 provinces. Reached the region rovince Czestochowa] Jelenia Gora province Walbrzych, Legnica
province Leszno, Kalisz Voivodeship
Sieradz and Gorzow.
The 1990s was a period of restructuring of the Polish Army. The subordination of the District, there were 5 divisions and developed a number of support units and the number of troops reached 100 thousand. In 1993, in connection with the establishment of the Cracow Military District, the area was reduced words about the region: Katowice and Czestochowa. Silesian Military District in scope 11 provinces: Gorzow, Jelenia Gora, Kalisz, Legnica, Leszno, Opole, Poznan, Sieradz, Walbrzych, Wroclaw, Zielona Gora.
Since 1998, the Silesian Military District covers nine provinces: lubuskie Silesian
Opole
Silesian
, Lesser
Subcarpathian
Lublin Świętokrzyskie and Łódź
. SCO is one of the two existing military districts. It covers area of 143 thousand. sq km area of the country. Within its borders lived 21 million citizens of the Republic.
The reorganization of the Polish Armed Forces carried out in the second half of the 1990s and at the beginning of this decade twenty-first century made it solved a lot of military units, including such well-deserved for the Polish Army as the district's formations:
The only division that has endured a period of restructuring in the Silesian Military District was the 11th Armoured Cavalry Division
, which passed under command of the 2nd Mechanised Corps in Kraków
.
A new chapter in the history of the Silesian Military District was the Polish accession to NATO. Since joining NATO soldiers District participated in the allied exercises and operations:Dynamic Response '99, Allied Effort '01, Strong Resolve and 02Enduring Freedom. Since 2000 soldiers of the district, part of NATO's KFOR
in Kosovo
have began to fulfill their first mission as members of the military alliance.
In 2001 the District passed the operational unit focused on territorial defense. Ward took over the tasks of logistic support, territorial defense, the military administration and fulfillment of all important functions of the host country, which was a novelty in the Polish Armed Forces. During this period, new military units. It was decided to set up 5 engineering rescue battalions. A very important place in the business district logistics tasks involved. The structure has four District Material Bases: Wroclaw, Bobrzański Novgorod, Lodz, and Ponds, which deal with peace and wartime supply of its own and allied units operating in District. In March 2004, adopted in the subordination of the District 1 Dębliński Regiment Road and Bridge abutment and 10 Logistic Brigade with Opole
.
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
in Wrocław is one of two current military district
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
s 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...
(the other being the Pomeranian Military District
Pomeranian Military District
The Pomeranian Military District was a military district of the Polish Armed Forces from 1945 to 2011. Formally it was subordinate to the Minister of National Defence in the operational matters of defense and detached government administration...
).
Its history dates back to the aftermath of World War II
Aftermath of World War II
After World War II a new era of tensions emerged based on opposing ideologies, mutual distrust between nations, and a nuclear arms race. This emerged into an environment dominated by a international balance of power that had changed significantly from the status quo before the war...
, when Military District Silesia (Okręg Wojskowy Śląsk) was formed in 1945.
District history
THe Silesian Military District Commander in Chief was established in accordance with command of the Polish Army order No 0208/Org. August 22, 1945. On the basis of Headquarters First ArmyFirst Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
, the Military District Command of Silesia was created at Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
. The district's area, included the then provinces Silesian-Dąbrowski and Wroclaw province. The organizational structure of the district headquarters was:
- Command and Staff
- Management of political and educational
- Command of artillery and armor
- Faculties: engineering, chemical, aerospace, personnel (human resources), health care and financial
- Logistics
- The prosecution and the court-martial
At the time of the creation of the district in his area were deployed: Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division
Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division
Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division of Henryk Dąbrowski was formed in 1943 as part of the Polish First Army alongside the Red Army of the Soviet Union. It fought near Vistula and Warsaw, at Pomerania and in the battle of Berlin...
, Polish 6th Pomeranian Infantry Division, 8th Dresden Infantry Division and the 10th Sudeck Infantry Division. In the period August-September 1945 has been changed many dislocation of military units. Outside the county were: the Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division
Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division
Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division of Henryk Dąbrowski was formed in 1943 as part of the Polish First Army alongside the Red Army of the Soviet Union. It fought near Vistula and Warsaw, at Pomerania and in the battle of Berlin...
, 6 and Infantry Divisions 8, transferred to the Military Districts Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
and Lodz, with others came districts: 7, 11 and 13 Infantry Division (LWP).
On October 22, 1945 permanent state of Silesia Military District was 42,291 soldiers. During this period, Ward took command of subordinate units and the supply and organization of the military administration. At the same time assumed the function of the district headquarters operational defense of its territorial area.
In March 1946 the headquarters of the Silesia Military District was moved from Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
to Wroclow. On November 15, 1946 Silesia Military District Command was called Command Military District No. IV (DOW IV), which was in force until 1953. In 1947, the district headquarters directly subordinated to the Land Forces Command. To the concept that people returned again December 22, 1997.
District to 1948 soldiers were involved in removing land mine clearance: 3.5 million mine
Mine
Mine or mines can refer to:* Land mine, an anti-tank and anti-personnel weapon* Naval mine, an explosive device placed in water to destroy ships or submarines* Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the groundMine can also refer to:...
s, 7 million pieces of unexploded shells, bombs and missiles. On 4 March 1949 the Poznan Military District was dissolved, and the troops on its territory were incorporated into the Silesian Military District. In 1950, as a result of changes in administrative division within the district there were five provinces: Wroclaw
Wroclaw
Wrocław , situated on the River Oder , is the main city of southwestern Poland.Wrocław was the historical capital of Silesia and is today the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been part of either Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia, or Germany, but since 1945...
, Poznan
Poznan Voivodeship
-1975 to 1998:From 1975 to 1998, Poznań Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland, superseded by Greater Poland Voivodeship.Capital city: Poznań.Major cities and towns :...
, Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Opole
Opole Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Opole Voivodeship is divided into 12 counties : 1 city county and 11 land counties. These are further divided into 71 gminas.The counties are listed in the following table .- Economy :...
, and Zielona.
Troops of the district were involved in suppressing the Poznań 1956 protests
Poznan 1956 protests
The Poznań 1956 protests, also known as Poznań 1956 uprising or Poznań June , were the first of several massive protests of the Polish people against the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland...
.
In the early 1960s there was a division of the armed forces of the Army Operational and territorial defense. On the basis of the operational units of the Silesian Military District in case of war was to be formed Second Army, which was included in the Polish Front part of the United Armed Forces of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
. In July 1968, the 2nd Army was actually formed from the district's troops for the purpose of participation in Operation Danube. The army, commanded by general Florian Siwicki
Florian Siwicki
Florian Siwicki is a Polish military officer, diplomat and a communist politician, as well as a General of the Polish Army . Throughout his career he held a number of posts, including military attaché in China, commanding officer of the 2nd Polish Army during the invasion of Czechoslovakia in...
, was disbanded in November 1968. The army consisted of 30,000 soldiers, 7,000 transport vehicles, 750 tanks, and 592 APCs
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
.
In November 1973 the District began serving soldiers in the composition of UN interim Force, supervising the truce in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Since then, the subsequent changes in the tasks they met in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and countries of the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. District officers were and are United Nations military observers in all spots of the world points and the activities that lead from 1953. In the years 1953 -1957 and from 1973 SCO officers were involved in International Control Commission
International Control Commission
The International Control Commission , formally called the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Vietnam , was an international force established in 1954 that oversaw the implementation of the Geneva Accords that ended the First Indochina War with the Partition of Vietnam. It...
(Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
).
As a result of subsequent administrative division in 1975, Silesian Military District took its reach 13 provinces. Reached the region rovince Czestochowa] Jelenia Gora province Walbrzych, Legnica
Legnica
Legnica is a town in south-western Poland, in Silesia, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the plain of Legnica, riverside: Kaczawa and Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 and 31 December 1998 Legnica was the capital of the Legnica Voivodeship. It is currently the seat of the county...
province Leszno, Kalisz Voivodeship
Kalisz Voivodeship
-Kalisz Voivodeship 1975–1998:Kalisz Voivodeship 1975–1998 was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Greater Poland Voivodeship.Capital city: Kalisz...
Sieradz and Gorzow.
The 1990s was a period of restructuring of the Polish Army. The subordination of the District, there were 5 divisions and developed a number of support units and the number of troops reached 100 thousand. In 1993, in connection with the establishment of the Cracow Military District, the area was reduced words about the region: Katowice and Czestochowa. Silesian Military District in scope 11 provinces: Gorzow, Jelenia Gora, Kalisz, Legnica, Leszno, Opole, Poznan, Sieradz, Walbrzych, Wroclaw, Zielona Gora.
Since 1998, the Silesian Military District covers nine provinces: lubuskie Silesian
Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia ; is the northwestern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Upper Silesia is to the southeast.Throughout its history Lower Silesia has been under the control of the medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy from 1526...
Opole
Opole Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Opole Voivodeship is divided into 12 counties : 1 city county and 11 land counties. These are further divided into 71 gminas.The counties are listed in the following table .- Economy :...
Silesian
Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...
, Lesser
Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Małopolska Voivodeship , or Lesser Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland...
Subcarpathian
Subcarpathian Voivodeship
Podkarpackie Voivodeship , or Subcarpathian Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in extreme-southeastern Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów...
Lublin Świętokrzyskie and Łódź
Lódz Voivodeship
Łódź Voivodeship is a province in central Poland...
. SCO is one of the two existing military districts. It covers area of 143 thousand. sq km area of the country. Within its borders lived 21 million citizens of the Republic.
The reorganization of the Polish Armed Forces carried out in the second half of the 1990s and at the beginning of this decade twenty-first century made it solved a lot of military units, including such well-deserved for the Polish Army as the district's formations:
- 5th Kresowa Mechanised Division (resolved 31 December 1998)
- 10th Sudeck Mechanised Division in OpoleOpoleOpole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
(resolved 11 November 1999) - 4th Lubuska Mechanised Division4th Infantry Division (Poland)The Polish 4th Infantry Division was created following Polish independence after the end of World War I. The division participated in the Polish-Ukrainian War in 1919...
in Krosno OdrzańskieKrosno OdrzanskieKrosno Odrzańskie is a city on the east bank of Oder River, at the confluence with the Bóbr. The town in Western Poland with 12,500 inhabitants is the capital of Krosno County...
(disbanded ("resolved") 31 March 2001). (see :pl:4 Lubuska Dywizja Zmechanizowana)
The only division that has endured a period of restructuring in the Silesian Military District was the 11th Armoured Cavalry Division
11th Armoured Cavalry Division
- Bibliography :* Wiesław Chłopek, 11 Lubuska Dywizja Kawalerii Pancernej im. Króla Jana III Sobieskiego. Zarys dziejów, Wydawnictwo "Chroma", Żary 2005, wyd. I, ISBN 83-922412-3-1...
, which passed under command of the 2nd Mechanised Corps in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
.
A new chapter in the history of the Silesian Military District was the Polish accession to NATO. Since joining NATO soldiers District participated in the allied exercises and operations:Dynamic Response '99, Allied Effort '01, Strong Resolve and 02Enduring Freedom. Since 2000 soldiers of the district, part of NATO's KFOR
KFOR
The Kosovo Force is a NATO-led international peacekeeping force responsible for establishing a secure environment in Kosovo.KFOR entered Kosovo on 12 June 1999 under a United Nations mandate, two days after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244...
in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
have began to fulfill their first mission as members of the military alliance.
In 2001 the District passed the operational unit focused on territorial defense. Ward took over the tasks of logistic support, territorial defense, the military administration and fulfillment of all important functions of the host country, which was a novelty in the Polish Armed Forces. During this period, new military units. It was decided to set up 5 engineering rescue battalions. A very important place in the business district logistics tasks involved. The structure has four District Material Bases: Wroclaw, Bobrzański Novgorod, Lodz, and Ponds, which deal with peace and wartime supply of its own and allied units operating in District. In March 2004, adopted in the subordination of the District 1 Dębliński Regiment Road and Bridge abutment and 10 Logistic Brigade with Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
.