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Battle of the Bzura: Encyclopedia BETAFree Encyclopedia |
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The Battle of the Bzura (also known as the Battle of Kutno) was a World War II battle of the Polish September Campaign and was fought September 9 鈥" 19,1 1939, between Polish and German forces. This was the largest battle of the Polish September Campaign and took place west of Warsaw, near the Bzura River. A Polish counterattack failed after initial success. Opposing ForcesPolish forces consisted of Army Pozna艅 and Army Pomorze. German forces consisted of Armies 8 and 10 from Army Group South (Heeresgruppe S眉d).The BattleThe battle can be divided into 3 phases:* Phase I - Polish offensive on Stryk贸w (9-12 September) * Phase II - Polish offensive on 艁owicz (13-16 September) * Phase III - Polish defeat and retreat towards Warsaw On September 9, the Polish Pozna艅 Army made a counterattack from the area south of the Bzura river, its target was the German divisions advancing between 艁臋czyca and 艁owicz. The Polish forces' main effort was concentrated in the area of Stryk贸w. On the right wing of the offensive there was the Podolska Cavalry Brigade, and on the left, in the area of G艂owno - Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade. Due to a Polish advantage in numbers and German surprise, the Poles managed to cause considerable losses among their enemies, killing about 1,500 German soldiers. Also, German forces were thrown back approximately 20 kilometres south and the Poles recaptured several towns, including 艁臋czyca and Pi膮tek. The German 8th Army also suffered heavy casualties. On September 10, the Polish 17th Infantry Division met the German 17th Infantry Division at Ma艂achowicze and a bloody fight ensued. A day later, Army Pozna艅, continuing its advance with the forces of the 25th Division and Podolska Cavalry Brigade, engaged the German 221st Infantry Division south of 艁臋czyca. Meanwhile, the remnants of Polish Army Pomorze arrived in the area of W艂oc艂awek, Brze艣膰 Kujawski and Ko艂o, keeping strong German forces alert. Initially underestimating the Polish advance, on September 11 the Germans decided to redirect the main forces of the German 10th Army, German 4th Army and the reserves of the Army Group South, as well as aircraft from 4th Air Fleet, towards the Bzura. The following day, the Poles reached the line Stryk贸w - Ozork贸w. Also on this day, General Tadeusz Kutrzeba was informed that the units of Army 艁贸d藕 had retreated to the stronghold of Modlin. Upon hearing this, Kutrzeba decided to stop the offensive and try to reach Sochaczew and Kampinos Forest. On the morning of September 14, General W艂adys艂aw Bortnowski's group started the action. The 26th and 16th Infantry Divisions crossed the Bzura in the area of 艁owicz and the Polish 4th Infantry Division reached the road linking 艁owicz with G艂owno. Then, General Bortnowski was informed that the German 4th Panzer Division was withdrawing from the outskirts of Warsaw. Fearing that this unit would enter action against his forces on the same day, he ordered the 26th Infantry Division to retreat. On September 15 and 16th, Army Pomorze took up defensive positions on the northern bank of the Bzura. General Stanis艂aw Grzmot-Skotnicki's group was located between Kutno and 呕ychlin, General Micha艂 Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski's units in the area of G膮bin, and divisions of Army Pozna艅 - by the Bzura near Sochaczew, were ready to commence their drive towards Warsaw. To encircle and destroy the Polish forces, the Germans used most of the 10th Army, including two armoured, three light and one motorized divisions - equipped with some 800 tanks altogether. The attack from all sides on Polish positions started on September 16, with the support of the Luftwaffe. The German 1st Panzer Division, after crossing the Bzura between Sochaczew and Broch贸w and engaging the Polish 25th Infantry Division, managed to capture Ruszki, but its advance was then halted.
In the morning, the Germans started their drive towards the south on both banks of the Bzura, supported by more than 300 aircraft and heavy artillery. German howitzers, taking advantage of its position on the higher right bank of the Vistula, shelled Polish positions for the whole day. After two days of heavy fighting, and having used up all of their munitions and food, further attempts at breakout became impossible. Only a few Polish units managed to break out of the encirclement. These groups entered Warsaw and Modlin, crossing the Kampinos Wilderness. Among them were Generals Kutrzeba, Knoll-Kowacki and Tokarzewski, two cavalry brigades, the 15th and 25th Infantry Divisions. The remainder, together with General Bortnowski, capitulated from 18 to 22 September and were captured. AftermathAfter the battle, German divisions rushed towards Warsaw and Modlin, encircling these strongholds. Even though Bzura campaign was a defeat for the Poles, its strategic importance has to be emphasized. Due to this battle, the German advance was stalled for a few days, which enabled Polish units in Warsaw and other places to organize their ultimately failed defense.Notes# Sources vary regarding the end date, some giving 18th September while others 19th September. Brockhaus Multimedial Lexikon gives the date of 19 September as the end date of the battle.
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