1939 Polish Army formation
Krakow Army
(
Polish
:
Armia Krakow
) was one of the
Polish armies
which took part in the
Polish Defensive War
of 1939. It was officially created on March 23, 1939 as the main pivot of Polish defence. It was commanded by Gen.
Antoni Szylling
. Originally, Krakow Army was to be made of seven infantry divisions, two cavalry brigades and one mountain brigade. On September 1, 1939, General Szylling had the force which consisted of five infantry divisions, two cavalry brigades and one brigade of mountain infantry. Altogether, the army was made of 59 battalions, 29 squadrons, 352 cannons, 90 tanks, two armoured trains and 44 planes. These forces were not enough to halt German advance, especially in the area north of
Cz?stochowa
, where Krakow Army connected with
Łod? Army
. Main thrust of
Wehrmacht
panzer units was directed there, and this area was defended only by the Polish 7th I.D., which was destroyed in the early days of September 1939, opening the way towards central Poland.
Creation of Krakow Army
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On March 15, 1939, units of the
Wehrmacht
entered
Prague
, and two days earlier at
Berlin
,
Joachim von Ribbentrop
in a conversation with Polish ambassador
Jozef Lipski
demanded definite answer to German demands of
Free City of Danzig
and a highway through the
Polish Corridor
. On March 23, a number of officers of the Polish Army was ordered to come to the
General Inspector of the Armed Forces
in
Warsaw
. Together with General Antoni Szylling, these officers (Colonel Jan Rzepecki, Major Władysław Steblik, Major Kazimierz Szp?drowski and Major Franciszek Chmura) were ordered to create staff of the newly created Krakow Army. The army itself was created upon written order of
Edward Rydz-?migły
, which was handed to General Szylling on the same day, together with more detailed demands. On March 25, staff officers of Krakow Army arrived at
Krakow
, staying at the
Jan III Sobieski
barracks, where the 5th Military Police Unit was located. On the same day at noon, General Szylling met commanders of the divisions that came under his control, and on March 27, the officers took their oath.
Tasks
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Forces as of 31 August and German plan of attack.
Forces as of 14 September with troop movements up to this date.
Forces after 14 September with troop movements after this date
Its main task was to delay advancing German troops and withdraw eastwards along the northern line of the
Carpathians
and defend the
heavily industrialized
Upper Silesia
region, together with western counties of
Lesser Poland
and the Carpathian foothills. Altogether, Krakow Army defended southwestern border of Poland, from
Krzepice
near
Cz?stochowa
, to
Czorsztyn
. In the area of Cz?stochowa, the 7th I.D. (General
Janusz G?siorowski
) was placed, with its right wing supported by the
Krakow Cavalry Brigade
of General
Zygmunt Piasecki
. The remaining units were divided into two operational groups.
Operational Group Silesia
(under General
Jan Jagmin Sadowski
) was made of the 23rd I.D. (Colonel
Władysław Powierza
), together with the 55th (reserve) I.D. (Colonel
Stanisław Kalabi?ski
), and soldiers manning the
Fortified Area of Silesia
.
Operational Group Bielsko
(under General
Mieczysław Boruta-Spiechowicz
) was made of the 21st I.D. (General
Jozef Kustro?
), and the 1st Brigade of Mountain Infantry (Colonel
Janusz Gaładyk
). This group was located in the area of
?ywiec
,
Chabowka
, and
Bielsko-Biała
. Furthermore, in the area of
Pszczyna
was the 6th I.D. (General
Bernard Mond
), and in the area of
Krakow
, the
10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade
(Colonel
Stanisław Maczek
).
Krakow Army's tasks were as follows:
- to defend Upper Silesia,
- to protect the general direction towards the city of Krakow from southwest,
- to defend the strategic rail line from
D?browa Gornicza
Z?bkowice to
Cz?stochowa
,
- final line of defence was as follows: Fortified Area of Silesia -
Mikołow
-
Pszczyna
- Bielsko-Biała - ?ywiec.
Operational history
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Battle of the Border
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Krakow Army fought against German
Army Group South
, whose units crossed the border on September 1, 1939, at 4 a.m. In central part of the front, German
10th Army
advanced, attacking in the sector from
Tarnowskie Gory
to
Wielu?
. North of the 10th Army was the
8th Army
(advancing towards
Sieradz
and
Łod?
), and in the south was and the
14th Army
, advancing towards
Krakow
. On September 1, the
Wehrmacht
failed to cause a breach Polish positions, but it was obvious that the Germans tried to bypass
Fortified Area of Silesia
, attacking both north and south of the fortifications. As early as the night of September 1/2, Polish situation became difficult, as the 7th I.D., operating near Cz?stochowa, found it hard to halt the advance of the panzers of the XVI Panzer Corps, which fought their way into central Poland. This division was located some 40 kilometers away from other Polish units; close to it was the
Volhynian Cavalry Brigade
, which itself was attacked by the Germans in the
Battle of Mokra
.
On September 2, German
1st Panzer Division
bypassed Cz?stochowa north of the city, and supported by the
Luftwaffe
, managed to cross the
Warta
river. At the same time,
Krakow Cavalry Brigade
was attacked by the
2nd Light Division
in the area of
Wo?niki
. After heavy fighting, it withdrew towards
Zawiercie
, which caused a breach in the defensive line, enabling the Germans both to bypass Polish fortifications in Upper Silesia, and to attack the 7th I.D. from the rear. As a result, the 7th I.D. was destroyed on Sept. 2, and its remaining units retreated to the forests near
Koniecpol
. This defeat enabled German XVI Panzer Corps to move towards
Kielce
without any problems. Since Polish Army did not have any reserve units east of Cz?stochowa,
Edward ?migły-Rydz
ordered a detachment of the
PZL.23 Kara?
bombers to attack the advancing panzers. The attack, however, did not result in a success, and the advance of the Wehrmacht continued.
In the south, the Wehrmacht attacked on Sept. 2 in two spots -
Mikołow
/
Pszczyna
, and
Wysoka
/
Rabka
. Near Pszczyna, Polish 6th I.D. failed to halt the
5th Panzer Division
, and in the morning of the same day, the
2nd Panzer Division
was stopped in the
Battle of Jordanow
. At the same time, however, the Germans won the
Battle of W?gierska Gorka
. In the afternoon of September 2, the situation of Krakow Army turned critical. German panzers attacked in large formations in the area of
Koziegłowy
in the north, and in the area of
Jordanow
in the south. Furthermore, breach of the Polish lines near Pszczyna caused another problem, as it gave the Germans an opportunity to bypass the Upper Silesian fortifications. As a result, General Szylling, in a conversation with Marshall ?migły-Rydz stated that it was necessary to withdraw from Upper Silesia and
Trans-Olza
, and to retreat towards Krakow. The Marshall gave tentative permission at 16:00 on Sept. 2, urging Szylling to press his soldiers to do their best. In the evening of September 2, the situation deteriorated further, as Krakow Cavalry Brigade was pushed behind the Warta, and the distance to the retreating remnants of the 7th I.D. was some 30 kilometres. German 2nd Light Division entered this gap, advancing towards
?arki
. The Luftwaffe bombed Polish towns and rail junctions, General Szylling was unable to locate the positions of his divisions, and to get in touch with their commandants. At 18:00, Szylling once again talked with ?migły-Rydz, and 30 minutes later, the Marshall agreed to the withdrawal of Krakow Army to the line marked by the
Nida
and
Dunajec
rivers. It was a difficult decision, as it meant that the pre-war Polish defensive plan (see
Plan West
) was abandoned. ?migły-Rydz, however, hoped that the retreat would save Krakow Army from complete destruction.
The Retreat
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In the evening of Saturday, Sept. 2, the order to retreat reached Polish units. Krakow Cavalry Brigade, together with the 7th I.D. was to move towards
J?drzejow
, halting the advance of the 2nd Light Division. 22nd Mountain I.D. was to withdraw towards
Olkusz
, and to support
Operational Group Silesia
(renamed into
Operational Group Jagmin
), which itself was to retreat behind the
Przemsza
.
Operational Group Bielsko
(renamed into
Operational Group Boruta
) was to withdraw behind the
Skawa
, and to take positions between
Zator
and
Wadowice
. General retreat towards the
Dunajec
and the
Nida
was to begin in the night of September 2/3.. General Szylling specified that units located in the centre of the front were to retreat first, to avoid being surrounded by German panzers advancing fast both in the north and the south. This plan failed, as Polish 7th I.D. was completely destroyed in the morning of Sunday, September 3, by the
14th Infantry Division
, the
4th Infantry Division
, and the 2nd Light Division.
The retreat itself did not improve the situation of Krakow Army, as it lost its fortified defensive positions, together with heavy equipment, which was abandoned. Polish historians Czesław Grzelak and Henryk Sta?czyk in their book "Kampania polska 1939 roku" write that several historians question the decision of General Szylling, as in their opinion the decision to withdraw eastwards on the second day of the war was premature. Tadeusz Jurga wrote: "To remain in defensive positions would result in halting the advance of the German 10th Army, which later destroyed
Prusy Army
(...) Furthermore, defensive positions of Krakow Army were based on fortifications, which had been built before the war. These fortifications eliminated technological superiority of the Wehrmacht. To abandon them and to fight in the open lowered defensive abilities of Krakow Army".
[1]
The decision to abandon southwestern Poland had far-reaching consequences, as Krakow Army was the centre point of the defensive plan. Its new line of defence along the Dunajec and the Nida was ill-prepared, and the retreat itself turned out to be very difficult, as Polish units were under constant pressure of the Luftwaffe and German motorized divisions. In the morning of September 3, General Szylling ordered general retreat east of Krakow, dividing his army into
Operational Group Jagmin
(north of the Vistula, consisting of the 23rd, the 55th and the 22th
[
clarification needed
]
I.D.'s, together with Krakow Cavalry Brigade, and soldiers of Fortified Group Silesia), and
Operational Group Boruta
(south of the Vistula, consisting of the 6th and the 21st I.D.'s, the 10th Motorized Brigade, and the 1st Mountain Brigade). Szylling hoped to reach the defensive line by September 7, and first days of retreat were relatively calm, as the Wehrmacht concentrated its efforts in the area of
Piotrkow Trybunalski
.
The End of Krakow Army
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On September 5, German 2nd Panzer Division, together with the
3rd Mountain Division
and the
7th Infantry Division
broke through Polish lines near
Pcim
, capturing
My?lenice
,
Bochnia
and
Wi?nicz
, thus positioning themselves in the rear of the retreating units of
Operational Group Boruta
. On the same day,
Fall 5 September
instruction was issued by the
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
, ordering German divisions to continue their advance towards
Tarnow
and
Rzeszow
. On September 6, German
4th Light Division
attacked Polish 24th I.D. near Tarnow, crossing the Dunajec south of
Zakliczyn
. Polish unit managed to halt the Germans, and its commandant, Colonel
Bolesław Krzy?anowski
hoped to keep the line of the Dunajec for
Operational Group Boruta
. In the evening of September 6, General
Kazimierz Fabrycy
ordered him to retreat to the
Wisłoka
river. On the same day, Polish units abandoned Krakow.
On September 6, Marshall ?migły-Rydz reorganized the units fighting in southern
Lesser Poland
.
Operational Group Boruta
was moved to
Karpaty Army
, and soon afterwards, Karpaty Army was merged with
Operational Group Jagmin
, creating
Małopolska Army
, under General Fabrycy. ?migły-Rydz was well aware of the fact that it was impossible to hold the line of the Dunajec and the Nida, and that further retreat towards the
San
was the only option.
Organization
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The Army was commanded by general
Antoni Szylling
; his chief of staff was Colonel
Stanisław Wiloch
. It consisted of five infantry divisions, one motorized cavalry brigade, one mountain brigade and one cavalry brigade. The
22nd Mountain Infantry Division
(Colonel
Leopold Endel-Ragis
) was supposed to be the reserve of
Łod? Army
, but due to destruction of rail connections, this division never reached its destination in central Poland. It concentrated near
Krzeszowice
and
Trzebinia
, and on September 2 joined Krakow Army, replacing the 7th I.D., which had been destroyed near Cz?stochowa.
References
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- ^
Tadeusz Jurga, Obrona Polski 1939. Warsaw 1990, page 313
Further reading
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- Steblik, Władysław; Kozłowski, Eugeniusz.
Armia 'Krakow' 1939
(in Polish). Warsaw: Wojskowy Instytut Historyczny, Ministry of National Defence Press. p. 775.
ISBN
83-11-07434-8
.