Polish army order of battle in 1939
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Polish OOB during the Invasion of Poland. In the late thirties Polish headquarters prepared "Plan Zachód" (Plan "West), a plan of mobilization of Polish Army in case of war with Germany. The plan assumed creation of 30 infantry divisions, 9 reserve divisions, 11 cavalry brigades, two motorized brigades, 3 mountain brigades and a number of smaller units. Most Polish forces were grouped into 6 armies and a number of corps-sized "Operational Groups". Later in the course of the war other operational units were created.
Contents |
[edit] Armies
[edit] Karpaty Army
Created on July 11, 1939 under Major General Kazimierz Fabrycy. Armia Karpaty was created after Germany annexed Czechoslovakia and created a puppet state of Slovakia. The main aim of the army was to secure mountain passes in the Carpathians. Initially the army consisted of 2 improvised mountain brigades and a number of smaller units, but later in the course of war was joined by forces of the withdrawing Armia Kraków.
- 2nd Mountain Brigade (2 Brygada Górska)
- 3rd Mountain Brigade (3 Brygada Górska)
- Carpathian Half-Brigade of National Defence (Karpacka Półbrygada ON)
- 2nd Regiment of the Border Defence Corps
- 1st Motorized Artillery Regiment
- 9th Heavy Artillery Regiment
Attached to the Armia Karpaty was the Kaw Group which consisted of:
- Warsaw Mechanized Brigade
- 46th Light Artillery
- 47th Light Artillery
Additionally, mobilisation plans called for creation of the Tarnow Group consisting of:
- 22nd Infantry Division
- 38th Infantry Division
[edit] Kraków Army
Created on March 23, 1939 as the main pivot of Polish defence. Its' main task was to delay advancing German troops and withdraw eastwards along the northern line of the Carpathians. It consisted of 5 infantry divisions, 1 mountain brigade, 1 motorized cavalry brigade, 1 mountain brigade and 1 cavalry brigade under gen. Antoni Szylling.
| Kraków Army | Unit | Polish name | Commander | Remarks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army units - gen. Antoni Szylling | |||||||||||||
| 6th Infantry Division | 6 Dywizja Piechoty | Bernard Mond | |||||||||||
| 7th Infantry Division | 7 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. bryg. Janusz Gąsiorowski | |||||||||||
| Krakowska Cavalry Brigade | Krakowska Brygada Kawalerii | gen.bryg. Zygmunt Piasecki | |||||||||||
| 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade | 10 Brygada Kawalerii Zmotoryzowanej | płk. Stanisław Maczek | |||||||||||
| Śląsk Operational Group - gen. Jan Jagmin-Sadowski | |||||||||||||
| 23rd Infantry Division | 23 Dywizja Piechoty | płk. Władysław Powierza | Upper Silesian | ||||||||||
| 55th Infantry Division | 55 Dywizja Piechoty | płk. Stanisław Kalabiński | reserve | ||||||||||
| Bielsko Operational Group - gen. Mieczysław Boruta-Spiechowicz | |||||||||||||
| 21st Mountain Infantry Division | 21 Dywizja Piechoty Górskiej | gen. Józef Kustroń | |||||||||||
| 1st Mountain Brigade | 1 Brygada Górska | płk Janusz Gaładyk | mostly elite KOP troops | ||||||||||
[edit] Lublin Army
An improvised army created on September 4 from 1 motorized brigade and various smaller units concentrated around Lublin, Sandomierz and upper Vistula. Commanded by mj. gen. Tadeusz Piskor.
- Warsaw Armoured Motorized Brigade (Warszawska Brygada Pancerno-Motorowa)
- Smaller units
[edit] Łódź Army
Created on March 23, 1939 under gen. Juliusz Rómmel. Armia Łódź was to become a bolt between Armies "Kraków" and "Poznań". However, because of mistakes committed by Gen. Rómmel, the army was located too close to the German border and joined fighting from the very beginning of the campaign, which deprived it of any possibilities of cooperation with the surrounding units. It consisted of 4 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry brigades.
- 2nd Legions Infantry Division (2 Dywizja Piechoty Legionów)
- 10th Infantry Division (10 Dywizja Piechoty)
- 18th Infantry Division (18 Dywizja Piechoty)
- 30th Infantry Division (30 Dywizja Piechoty, reserve division)
- Kresowa Cavalry Brigade (Kresowa Brygada Kawalerii)
- Wołyńska Cavalry Brigade (Wołyńska Brygada Kawalerii)
- Sieradz National Defence Brigade (Sieradzka Brygada Obrony Narodowej)
[edit] Modlin Army
Created on March 23, 1939 for defence of Warsaw from the north. The army was to defend fortified lines along the border with East Prussia near Mława, and then retreat towards Narew river. Led by brig. gen. Emil Krukowicz-Przedrzymirski. Consisted of 2 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry brigades.
- 8th Infantry Division (8 Dywizja Piechoty)
- 20th Infantry Division (20 Dywizja Piechoty)
- Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade (Nowogródzka Brygada Kawalerii)
- Mazowiecka Cavalry Brigade (Mazowiecka Brygada Kawalerii)
- Warsaw National Defence Brigade (Warszawska Brygada Obrony Narodowej)
[edit] Pomorze Army
The Army was created on March 23, 1939 to defend Toruń and Bydgoszcz and to carry out delaying actions in the so-called "Polish Corridor". It was led by Lt.-Gen. Władysław Bortnowski and consisted of five infantry divisions, two National Defence brigades and one cavalry brigade.
| Pomorze Army | Unit | Polish name | Commander | Remarks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army units - gen. Władysław Bortnowski | |||||||||||||
| 9th Infantry Division | 9 Dywizja Piechoty | płk. Józef Werobej | |||||||||||
| 15th Infantry Division | 15 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. Wacław Przyjałkowski | Greater Polish | ||||||||||
| 27th Infantry Division | 27 Dywizja Piechoty | gen.bryg. Juliusz Drapella | |||||||||||
| Pomeranian National Defence Brigade | Pomorska Brygada Obrony Narodowej | ||||||||||||
| Chełm National Defence Brigade | Chełmska Brygada Obrony Narodowej | ||||||||||||
| Operational Group "East" - gen. Mikołaj Bołtuć | |||||||||||||
| 4th Infantry Division | 4 Dywizja Piechoty | płk. Rawicz-Mysłowski, płk. Józef Werobej | |||||||||||
| 16th Infantry Division | 16 Dywizja Piechoty | płk. Zygmunt Szyszko-Bohusz | Pomeranian | ||||||||||
| Operational Group Czersk - gen.bryg. Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki | |||||||||||||
| Pomeranian Cavalry Brigade | Pomorska Brygada Kawalerii | gen.bryg. Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki | |||||||||||
| Independent Units Chojnice and Kościerzyna | Oddziały Wydzielone "Chojnice" i "Kościerzyna" | ||||||||||||
[edit] Poznań Army
The Armia Poznań led by mj. gen. Tadeusz Kutrzeba was to provide flanking operations in the Grand Poland and withdraw towards lines of defence along the Warta river. It consisted of 4 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry brigades.
- 14th Infantry Division (14 Dywizja Piechoty)
- 17th Infantry Division (17 Dywizja Piechoty)
- 25th Infantry Division (25 Dywizja Piechoty)
- 26th Infantry Division (26 Dywizja Piechoty)
- Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade (Wielkopolska Brygada Kawalerii)
- Podolska Cavalry Brigade (Podolska Brygada Kawalerii)
[edit] Prusy Army
Under gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki. Created in the summer of 1939 as the main reserve of the Commander in Chief. According to the "Plan West" (Plan Zachód, code name for the Polish mobilization plan) it was to be composed of units mobilized as the second and third waves and its main purpose was to cooperate with the nearby armies "Poznań" and "Kraków".
Mobilized in two groups. Because of fast German advance both groups entered combat separately and most units did not reach full mobilization. It consisted of 6 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry brigade and a battalion of tanks.
| Prusy Army | Unit | Polish name | Commander | Remarks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army units - gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki | |||||||||||||
| 39th Infantry Division | 39 Dywizja Piechoty | płk. Brunon Olbrycht | reserve | ||||||||||
| 44th Infantry Division | 44 Dywizja Piechoty | płk. Eugeniusz Żongołłowicz | reserve | ||||||||||
| Northern group - gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki | |||||||||||||
| 13th Infantry Division | 13 Dywizja Piechoty | płk. Władysław Zubosz-Kaliński | |||||||||||
| 19th Infantry Division | 19 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. Józef Kwaciszewski | |||||||||||
| 29th Infantry Division | 29 Dywizja Piechoty | płk. Ignacy Oziewicz | |||||||||||
| Wileńska Cavalry Brigade | Wileńska Brygada Kawalerii | płk. Konstanty Drucki-Lubecki | |||||||||||
| 1st tank battalion | 1 batalion czołgów | ||||||||||||
| Southern group - gen. Stanisław Skwarczyński | |||||||||||||
| 3rd Legions Infantry Division | 3 Dywizja Piechoty Legionów | płk. Marian Turowski | |||||||||||
| 12th Infantry Division | 12 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. Gustaw Paszkiewicz | |||||||||||
| 36th Infantry Division | 36 Dywizja Piechoty | płk Michał Ostrowski | reserve | ||||||||||
[edit] Warszawa Army
-
- For a detailed description of the Warszawa Army see: Siege of Warsaw (1939)
Created on September 10, 1939 from various units in Warsaw and Modlin Fortress area. Initially it consisted of approximately 25 infantry battalions and 40 tanks. Later it was reinforced by forces of Łódź Army and elements of Modlin Army. It was commanded by col. Walerian Czuma, although the nominal commander was gen. Juliusz Rómmel.
| Warszawa Army | Unit | Polish name | Commander | Remarks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modlin Fortress - gen. Wiktor Thommée | |||||||||||||
| 2nd Legions Infantry Division | 2 Dywizja Piechoty Legionów | płk Antoni Staich | elements | ||||||||||
| 8th Infantry Division | 8 Dywizja Piechoty | płk Tadeusz Wyrwa-Furgalski | elements | ||||||||||
| 28th Infantry Division | 28 Dywizja Piechoty | płk Broniewski | elements | ||||||||||
| 30th Infantry Division | 30 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. Leopold Cehak | elements | ||||||||||
| Western Approach - płk Marian Porwit | |||||||||||||
| 13th Infantry Division | 13 Dywizja Piechoty | płk Władysław Zubosz-Kalinski | reinforced | ||||||||||
| 15th Infantry Division | 15 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. Zdzisław Przyjałkowski | reinforced | ||||||||||
| 25th Infantry Division | 25 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. Franciszek Alter | elements | ||||||||||
| Combined Cavalry Brigade | Zbiorcza Brygada Kawalerii | gen. Roman Abraham | combined | ||||||||||
| Eastern Approach - gen. Juliusz Zulauff | |||||||||||||
| 5th Infantry Division | 5 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. Juliusz Zulauff | elements, 1 regiment | ||||||||||
| 8th Infantry Division | 8 Dywizja Piechoty | płk Tadeusz Wyrwa-Furgalski | routed, 1 regiment under Sosabowski | ||||||||||
| 20th Infantry Division | 20 Dywizja Piechoty | płk Wilhelm Liszka-Lawicz | |||||||||||
| 44th Infantry Division | 44 Dywizja Piechoty | płk Eugeniusz Żongołłowicz | reserve, routed | ||||||||||
| 1st "Defenders of Praga" Infantry Regiment | 1 pułk piechoty Obrońców Pragi | płk Stanisław Milian | improvised | ||||||||||
| 2nd "Defenders of Praga" Infantry Regiment | 2 pułk piechoty Obrońców Pragi | płk Stefan Kotowski | improvised | ||||||||||
[edit] Operational Groups
[edit] Wyszków Operational Group
Was one of the reserves of the northern front of Polish defences. It consisted of 3 infantry divisions:
- 1st Legions Infantry Division (1 Dywizja Piechoty Legionów)
- 35th Infantry Division (35 Dywizja Piechoty - reserve)
- 41st Infantry Division (41 Dywizja Piechoty - reserve)
[edit] Narew Independent Operational Group
Consisted of 2 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry brigades:
- 18th Infantry Division (18 Dywizja Piechoty)
- 33rd Infantry Division (33 Dywizja Piechoty - reserve)
- Podlaska Cavalry Brigade (Podlaska Brygada Kawalerii)
- Suwalska Cavalry Brigade (Suwalska Brygada Kawalerii)
[edit] Supporting Forces
- Air support
- Lotnictwo Wojskowe (Polish Air Force)
- Naval and river support
- Polska Marynarka Wojenna (Polish Navy)
