Battle of Schoenfeld
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Schoenfeld took place on March 1, 1945 during World War II
and was the scene of the last mounted charge in the history of the Polish cavalry.The website www.historycy.org notes the assertion by Polish author Cezar Leżeński (in Ostatnia szarża) that further cavalry charges were made on April 21, 1945, at Heckelberg
and Grunthal (six kilometers east of Heckelberg); as well as mentioning a mounted charge by Polish frontier security forces (Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza) against UPA insurgents in 1947. The Polish charge overran German defensive positions and forced a German retreat from the village of Schoenfeld
(today known as Żeńsko, formerly known in Polish as Borujsko).
In March 1945, the First Army
of the Polish People's Army was advancing into Pomerania
as part of an overall push by Soviet forces to reach the Baltic Sea and the area of Stettin (some 50 miles (80.5 km) northwest of Schoenfeld). Schoenfeld was part of the third line of fortifications
built by the Germans to shelter Pomerania from attack.
An initial Polish attack on Schoenfeld with tanks and infantry of the 2nd Infantry Division
foundered in the low, open wetlands that were dominated by the fire of infantry and antitank guns from Schoenfeld, which sat at a slightly higher elevation on a small hill (Hill 157). German troops defending the village were part of the 163rd Infantry Division.
The 1st "Warsaw" Independent Cavalry Brigade was then employed against the German position. Two squadrons of cavalry, having used a ravine to cover their approach to their infantry and tanker brothers-in-arms, charged through the smoke of burning tanks, and achieved tactical surprise with a swift mounted assault that overran the German antitank gun positions on the forward slope of Hill 157. This success was followed by an attack into the village itself by the cavalry, who by this time had been joined by the infantry and tanks. In the face of this development, the surviving German defenders withdrew, allowing the Poles to consolidate their gains in and around the village at 1700.
Today, a plaque mounted on a stone near the edge of Żeńsko commemorates the cavalry charge.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was the scene of the last mounted charge in the history of the Polish cavalry.The website www.historycy.org notes the assertion by Polish author Cezar Leżeński (in Ostatnia szarża) that further cavalry charges were made on April 21, 1945, at Heckelberg
Heckelberg-Brunow
Heckelberg-Brunow is a municipality in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany....
and Grunthal (six kilometers east of Heckelberg); as well as mentioning a mounted charge by Polish frontier security forces (Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza) against UPA insurgents in 1947. The Polish charge overran German defensive positions and forced a German retreat from the village of Schoenfeld
Zensko, Drawsko County
Żeńsko is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wierzchowo, within Drawsko County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately south of Wierzchowo, south-east of Drawsko Pomorskie, and east of the regional capital Szczecin.Before 1945 the area was...
(today known as Żeńsko, formerly known in Polish as Borujsko).
In March 1945, the First Army
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
of the Polish People's Army was advancing into Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
as part of an overall push by Soviet forces to reach the Baltic Sea and the area of Stettin (some 50 miles (80.5 km) northwest of Schoenfeld). Schoenfeld was part of the third line of fortifications
Pomeranian Wall
Pomeranian Wall, Pomeranian Line or Pomeranian Position was a line of fortifications constructed by Nazi Germany in the Pomeranian lakeland region. It was constructed in two phases. In the years 1930-1935 it was constructed as a light defensive position in case of an attack from the Second Polish...
built by the Germans to shelter Pomerania from attack.
An initial Polish attack on Schoenfeld with tanks and infantry of the 2nd Infantry Division
Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division
Polish 2nd Warsaw Infantry Division of Henryk Dąbrowski was formed in 1943 as part of the Polish First Army alongside the Red Army of the Soviet Union. It fought near Vistula and Warsaw, at Pomerania and in the battle of Berlin...
foundered in the low, open wetlands that were dominated by the fire of infantry and antitank guns from Schoenfeld, which sat at a slightly higher elevation on a small hill (Hill 157). German troops defending the village were part of the 163rd Infantry Division.
The 1st "Warsaw" Independent Cavalry Brigade was then employed against the German position. Two squadrons of cavalry, having used a ravine to cover their approach to their infantry and tanker brothers-in-arms, charged through the smoke of burning tanks, and achieved tactical surprise with a swift mounted assault that overran the German antitank gun positions on the forward slope of Hill 157. This success was followed by an attack into the village itself by the cavalry, who by this time had been joined by the infantry and tanks. In the face of this development, the surviving German defenders withdrew, allowing the Poles to consolidate their gains in and around the village at 1700.
Today, a plaque mounted on a stone near the edge of Żeńsko commemorates the cavalry charge.
Sources
- Krzysztofa Komorowskiego, Boje Polskie 1939-1945, Warszawa: Bellona, 2009.
- Janusz Piekalkiewicz, The Cavalry of World War II, London: Orbis Publishing, 1979.
- Steven J. Zaloga, The Polish Army 1939-45, Oxford: Osprey, 1998.
- www.polskaniezwykla.pl