Polish Army (1939)

Polish Army (1939)
Unit name	Polish Army (1939)
Native name	Wojsko Polskie (1939)
Dates	1939
Country	Second Polish Republic
Branch	Polish Land Forces
Type	Army
Size	~1,000,000 personnel
Garrison	Warsaw
Battles	Invasion of Poland, Battle of Westerplatte, Battle of Bzura, Battle of Mokra, Defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig, Siege of Warsaw (1939)
Notable commanders	Edward Rydz-Śmigły, Władysław Sikorski, Tadeusz Kutrzeba, Władysław Anders, Marek Śmigły-Rydz

Polish Army (1939) The Polish Army in 1939 was the principal armed force of the Second Polish Republic that confronted the German invasion initiated by Nazi Germany on 1 September 1939 and the subsequent Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939. Composed of conscript formations, reserve units, and border guards, it operated across the borders of East Prussia, Silesia, Pomerania, Volhynia, and Galicia while attempting to execute prewar plans such as Plan Zachód. Despite tactical successes at Battle of Mokra and delaying actions at Westerplatte, the army was outnumbered and outmaneuvered by coordinated Blitzkrieg tactics combining Wehrmacht panzer, Luftwaffe air support, and mechanized infantry.

Background and Organization

On the eve of September 1939 the Polish armed forces had been shaped by the legacies of the Polish–Soviet War, the Treaty of Versailles, and interwar politics centered on leaders like Józef Piłsudski and institutions such as the Sanation regime. The force structure included armies, corps, infantry divisions, cavalry brigades, and independent detachments organized under the Ministry of Military Affairs. Notable formations included the Poznań Army, Pomorze Army, Łódź Army, Warsaw Army, Kraków Army, and Karpaty Army. Supporting arms encompassed Polish Air Force squadrons, Polish Navy elements in the Baltic Sea, and paramilitary organizations such as Strzelec veterans integrated into mobilization plans. Command doctrine reflected lessons from generals like Józef Piłsudski and strategists whose ideas competed with modernizers sympathetic to French influence.

Mobilization and Disposition

Mobilization followed standing plans, notably Plan Wschód and Plan Zachód, but political decisions, concerns about provoking Berlin and pressure from allies such as France and United Kingdom, affected timing. Partial mobilization orders were given in August 1939, with full mobilization delayed; reserves called up included soldiers trained in infantry divisions and cavalry brigades. Deployment placed units along fortified lines such as the Polish Corridor defenses, the Modlin Fortress, and improvised field fortifications near Bzura River. Units such as the Pomorze Army and Poznań Army faced Wehrmacht forces crossing from East Prussia and Pomerania. The Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza and independent brigades attempted to secure frontier sectors while strategic reserves under commanders like Tadeusz Kutrzeba attempted counterattacks.

Combat Operations during the September Campaign

Initial engagements included the defense of Westerplatte by garrison forces and the contested Defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig. Mobile clashes at Mokra and delaying actions on the Bzura and Narew rivers inflicted local defeats on Wehrmacht units but failed to halt operational encirclement. The Battle of Bzura represented Poland's largest counteroffensive, executed by elements of the Poznań Army and Pomorze Army under commanders including Tadeusz Kutrzeba; it temporarily disrupted German tempo before Luftwaffe airpower and flanking maneuvers by formations from Wehrmacht Army Groups overwhelmed Polish lines. In the southeast, units confronted incursions by the Soviet Union pursuant to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, collapsing organized resistance in Kresy provinces. The Siege of Warsaw (1939) and fall of fortresses like Modlin Fortress marked the culmination of the campaign, after which remaining forces sought evacuation via Romania and Hungary to reach allied theaters or form new units abroad such as those later associated with Polish Armed Forces in the West.

Equipment and Armament

Equipment inventory combined interwar weapons, modernized systems, and obsolescent materiel. Infantry used rifles such as the Mauser 98-based wz. 98 and wz. 29 variants, machine guns including the Browning wz. 1928 and Ckm wz.30, and anti-tank rifles like the kb ppanc wz.35 "Ur" in limited numbers. Artillery assets ranged from field guns (e.g., 75 mm M1897) to heavier pieces deployed in fortresses. Armored forces included light tanks such as the 7TP and unreliable imports like the Vickers 6-ton; armored trains and tankette units utilizing TK tankette and TKS supplemented reconnaissance. The Polish Air Force (1939) flew fighters like the PZL P.11 and bombers such as the PZL.37 Łoś in small numbers. Naval assets comprised destroyers like ORP Błyskawica, submarines including ORP Orzeł, and coastal fortifications at Hel (peninsula).

Command and Leadership

Strategic leadership rested with Commander-in-Chief Edward Rydz-Śmigły and Chief of the General Staff arrangements involving officers such as Tadeusz Kutrzeba, Władysław Anders, Józef Haller (symbolic elder statesmen), and rising commanders integrated from interwar institutions. Political-military interaction featured President Ignacy Mościcki and Prime Minister Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski in wartime decisions. Liaison and coordination with allies involved contacts with the French High Command and British military missions, though operational autonomy and disputed prewar planning limited synchronous coalition responses. Command challenges included disruptions to communications from Luftwaffe interdiction, rapid armored thrusts by Heinz Guderian-led panzer formations of the Wehrmacht, and broken lines following the Soviet invasion of Poland.

Casualties and Aftermath

Casualties included tens of thousands killed, wounded, and captured; military prisoners were processed by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union under differing dispositions that led to events such as the Katyn massacre (1940) and prisoner-of-war camps across Nazi Germany. Equipment losses were severe, with many vehicles and aircraft destroyed or captured and fortifications neutralized. Surviving personnel formed the nucleus of Polish Armed Forces in the West and later Polish Armed Forces in the East under shifting alliances. The defeat precipitated occupation regimes in Central Poland and annexation of eastern territories by the Soviet Union, reshaping the Second Polish Republic into an occupied land and influencing postwar borders established at conferences such as Tehran Conference and Yalta Conference.

Category:Military history of Poland Category:Invasion of Poland