Everything about Battle Of The Bzura totally explained
The
Battle of the Bzura (or
Kutno) was a battle in the opening campaign of
World War II during the 1939
German Invasion of Poland, fought between
September 9 and
19, 1939, between
Polish and
German forces.
It was the single largest battle in the
1939 September campaign and took place to the west of
Warsaw, near the
Bzura River. In it, a Polish breakout
attack gained initial success but eventually faltered after a concentrated German counterattack.
Opposing Forces
Polish forces consisted of
Army Poznań and
Army Pomorze. German forces included the 8th and 10th Armies of
Army Group South (Heeresgruppe Süd).
The Battle
The battle can be divided into 3 phases:
- Phase I — Polish offensive on Stryków (9–12 September)
- Phase II — Polish offensive towards Łowicz (13–16 September)
- Phase III — German counterattack and eventual defeat of the Poles, with the latter's withdrawal towards Warsaw and Modlin
On
September 9, the Polish
Poznań Army commenced a counterattack from the south of the
Bzura river, its target being the German divisions advancing between
Łęczyca and
Łowicz. The commander of
Poznań Army:
Tadeusz Kutrzeba noticed that German
8th Army commanded by general
von Blaskowitz is weakly secured from North by only
30th Infantry Division stretched on 30 kilometers defensive line while the rest of the army advancing towards Warsaw. The Pole's main effort was concentrated in the area of
Stryków. The right wing of the offensive included the
Podolska Cavalry Brigade, and on the left, in the area of
Głowno, the
Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade. These groups managed to inflict considerable losses on the German defenders, which included some 1,500 German soldiers killed in action during the initial push. Cavalry brigades pushed Germans by advancing towards vulnerable flanks and disorganizing the rear. They also succesfully used
TKS and
TK-3 reconnaissance tanks. German 30th Division shown fierce resistance and suffered heavy casaulties about 8000 men and was nearly annihilated. Its commander: Generalmajor von Briesen personally led his last reserve battalion into the desperate fighting, halting the Poles, but losing his left forearm in the process. Visited in Hospital by
Wilhelm Keitel and
Adolf Hitler, von Briesen was awarded the
Knights Cross for his gallantry, and for maintaing the integrity of
Blaskowitz's
8th Army lines. The German forces were thrown back approximately 20 kilometres south of their original positions and the Poles recaptured several towns, including
Łęczyca and
Piątek. The
German 8th Army also suffered heavy casualties. On
September 10, the
Polish 17th Infantry Division met the
German 17th Infantry Division at
Małachowicze and a bloody fight ensued. A day later, Army Poznań, continuing its advance with the forces of the
25th Division and Podolska Cavalry Brigade, engaged the
German 221st Infantry Division south of Łęczyca. Meanwhile, the remnants of Polish
Pomorze Army arrived in the area of
Włocławek,
Brześć Kujawski and
Koło.
German radio broadcasted report that in region of
Kutno (German name:
Battle of Kutno) heavy fights with brave enemy are taking place. The battlefield was visited by
Adolf Hitler who later said that "this battle costed him more nerves than the whole
French Campaign".
Initially underestimating the Polish advance, on
September 11 the Germans soon decided to redirect the main force of the
German 10th Army, the
German 4th Army, the reserves of the
Army Group South, and aircraft from 4th Air Fleet towards the Bzura. The following day the Poles reached the line Stryków-
Ozorków. On the same day General
Tadeusz Kutrzeba learned that units of
Army Łódź had retreated to the stronghold of
Modlin. Upon hearing this, Kutrzeba decided to stop the offensive and instead try to reach
Sochaczew and
Kampinos Forest.
On the morning of
September 14, General
Władysław Bortnowski's group began the second phase of the battle. The
26th and
16th Infantry Divisions crossed the Bzura near Łowicz and the
Polish 4th Infantry Division reached the road linking Łowicz with Głowno. At this point however, Bortnowski was informed that the
German 4th Panzer Division was withdrawing from its positions on the outskirts of Warsaw. Fearing that this Panzer division posed an immediate threat to his men, 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
Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki’s group was located between
Kutno and
Żychlin, General
Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski’s units near
Gąbin, and parts of Army Poznań by the Bzura near Sochaczew, were ready to commence their drive towards Warsaw. To encircle and destroy the Polish forces, the Germans engaged most of their own 10th Army, including two armoured, one motorized, and three light 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
Brochów and engaging the Polish 25th Infantry Division managed to capture
Ruszki, but its advance was then halted.
During the night of
September 17, the main forces of Army Poznań attacked the German forces in order to break out of the German encirclement between
Witkowice and Sochaczew. The 15th Infantry Division and Podolska Cavalry Brigade again crossed the Bzura in Witkowice. in Brochow, the 25th and 17th Infantry Divisions crossed the Bzura river. The 14th Infantry Division was concentrated in
Łaziska. At the same time, Army Pomorze marched towards the villages of
Osmolin,
Kierozia and
Osiek.
In the morning the Germans started their drive towards the south on along both banks of the Bzura, supported by more than 300 aircraft and heavy artillery. German
howitzers, taking advantage of its position on the high ground of the
Vistula's right bank, shelled Polish positions for the entire day. And after two days of heavy fighting, with no ammunition or food rations remaining, further attempts at a breakout for the Poles 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, and the 15th and 25th Infantry Divisions. The remainder, with General Bortnowski, capitulated between the 18th and 22nd of September.
Aftermath
After the battle the remaining German divisions rushed towards Warsaw and Modlin and soon encircled both. Even though the Bzura campaign ended in defeat for the Poles, its strategic importance lay in the fact that because of initial Polish local victories the German advance on Warsaw was halted for a several days, and the Wermacht was required to divert units from its Warsaw campaign. This enabled the Polish units defending Warsaw and its environs to better organize their own long-term, but ultimately failed, defense of the capital.
Notable participants
Tadeusz Kutrzeba, commander of the Poznan Army
Johannes von Blaskowitz, commander of the German Eighth Army
Kurt von Briesen, commander of the German 30th Division who personally led his last battalion against Polish advance and wounded
Władysław Bortnowski, commander of the Pomorze Army
Roman Abraham, cavalry general
Wiktor Thommée, commander of the Piotrków Operational Group
Aleksander Krzyżanowski, commander of the 26th artillery regiment
Henryk Zieliński, became a German POW
Jerzy Kirchmayer, deputy Chief of Operations of the Pomorze Army
Lukasz Cieplinski, hero of anti-German and anti-Soviet resistance.Further Information
Get more info on 'Battle Of The Bzura'.
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