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20th Infantry Division (Polish : 20. Dywizja Piechoty) was an infantry division of the Polish Army during the interbellum period, which took part in the Polish September Campaign. It was formed in 1920 from the reorganization of the 2nd Lithuanian-Belarusian Division. Stationed in Baranavichy (Polish: Baranowicze) and commanded by Colonel Wilhelm Lawicz-Liszka.
In the summer of 1939 it was moved west and became part of the Modlin Army. Its task was to defend the partly fortified area north of Mława, near the interwar border of Poland and East Prussia.
Between September 1 and 3, 1939 (see: September Campaign), the division defended positions around Mława in the Battle of Mława, facing the more numerous and better equipped units of the German I Army Corps (composed of: 11th Infantry Division, 61st Infantry Division and the Panzer Division Kempf).
The Wehrmacht was advancing southwards, towards Warsaw, but first attacks were repulsed with the loss of around 25 German tanks. Unable to capture Mława in frontal attack, the Germans decided to go around and attack from sides. As they threatened 20th I.D.'s rear, the Poles were ordered to withdraw. However, supported by the neighbouring Polish 8th Infantry Division, the defenders kept their positions.
On September 2, German attacks failed again, even though they ordered Polish civilians to walk in front of their tanks. The Germans decided to organize an offensive from the area of Ostrołęka and Przasnysz. This succeeded, and on September 3, Polish positions were broken. To make matters worse, the counter-attack of the 8th I.D. was ill-organized and failed, resulting in chaotic, panic withdrawal of 8th I.D. units.
Facing the difficult situation, the 20th I.D. was ordered to withdraw on the night of September 3–4. Bombed by the Germans, the division around September 7 reached the area of Płock. Then, the unit's remains entered Warsaw, helping with its defence from northwest. They capitulated together with the Warsaw garrison on September 28 (see: Siege of Warsaw (1939)).
The Germans who fought against the 20. at Mława gave it a nickname "Steel Division."
Operation Tempest was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II against occupying German forces by the Polish Home Army, the dominant force in the Polish resistance.
The Battle of Kock was the final battle in the invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II in Europe. It took place between 2–5 October 1939, near the town of Kock, in Poland.
This article discusses the Polish order of battle during the invasion of Poland. In the late 1930s Polish headquarters prepared "Plan Zachód", a plan of mobilization of Polish Army in case of war with Germany. Earlier, the Poles did not regard the Germans as their main threat, priority was given to threat from the Soviets.
The siege of Warsaw in 1939 was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army garrisoned and entrenched in Warsaw and the invading German Army.
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Baranavichy is a city in Brest Region, western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Baranavichy District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2023, it has a population of 172,150. It is notable for an important railway junction and is home to Baranavichy State University.
The Battle of Mława, otherwise known as the Defence of the Mława position, took place to the north of the town of Mława in northern Poland between 1 and 3 September 1939. It was one of the opening battles of the Invasion of Poland and World War II in general. It was fought between the forces of the Polish Modlin Army under General Krukowicz-Przedrzymirski and the German 3rd Army under General Georg von Küchler.
The 8th Infantry Division was a tactical unit of the Polish Army. It was active in the Polish-Bolshevik War, as well as during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. During World War II, the division was reformed twice as part of two distinct armed forces: once as part of the Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising and again as part of the Polish Army in the East.
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. During World War II, the division existed as three wholly separate organizations, the original incarnation of the division as part of the pre-war Polish Army, the second incarnation armed and equipped by the western Allies, and another division armed and equipped and controlled by the Soviet Union. The second and third incarnations of this division existed simultaneously from 1944 until 1947.
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15th "Greater Poland" Infantry Division was a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. Founded on February 17, 1920, and based on the 2nd Greater Poland Rifles Division, it actively participated in the Polish-Soviet War, including the Kiev offensive (1920), and the Battle of Warsaw. After Polish victory, the Division pushed the Red Army out of northern Mazovia. It then fought in the Battle of the Niemen River.
Modlin Army was one of the Polish armies that were part of the Polish defense against the German Invasion of Poland. After heavy casualties in the battle of Mława, the Army was forced to abandon its positions near Warsaw around September 10; eventually it took part in the battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki and surrendered afterwards.
The 27 Infantry Division, was a unit of the Polish Army in the inter-war period. It was created on 18 October 1920, as a result of reorganization of the Army, from units of the 2nd I.D., 3rd I.D., and 13th I.D. Its headquarters were located in Kowel, with units stationed in other Volhynian towns, such as Lutsk, Sarny and Wlodzimierz Wolynski. Division's first commandant was General Gustaw Kuchinka.
Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. It was created on April 1, 1937, out of the Baranowicze Cavalry Brigade. Its headquarters were stationed in the town of Baranowicze. It consisted of several units, garrisoned in several towns located in northeast part of pre-1939 Poland:
The Masovian Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period, which took part in the Polish September Campaign. It was created on April 1, 1937, out of former 1st Cavalry Brigade. Its headquarters were in Warsaw, with other units stationed in towns around the capital:
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Battle of Łomża was a series of armed engagements during the Nazi German and Soviet Invasion of Poland. The battle took place in and around the town of Łomża, on both sides of the Narew River. Polish forces successfully held a series of pre-First World War forts from repeated German attack before being forced to withdraw due to the position becoming untenable following their losses at the Battle of Wizna and Battle of Nowogród.
The Battle of Pułtusk (1939) was a battle between the Polish Army and the German Wehrmacht in Pultusk, Poland in the first week of World War II.
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