Battle of Studzianki
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Studzianki, was a tactical engagement between the elements of the Red Army's 2nd Tank Army
employed as the Cavalry mechanized group
of the 1st Belorussian Front
and elements of the German 9th Army of Army Group North Ukraine
defending south of Warsaw. The battle was part of the Soviet Lublin-Brest Offensive Operation
.
The 2nd Tank Army
was launched through the breach in the German 4th Panzer Army's front between Parczew
and Chełm, and bypassing Lublin
attempted to find a crossing over the Visla. In this it was supported by the Polish First Army
, including the Polish 1st Armoured Brigade
. In a hasty encounter battle during which the Polish 1st Armoured Brigade
was located in the first echelon of the 2nd Tank Army
. At the point where the Army was able to occupy the Magnuszew
brideghead, the Polish brigade engaged advance elements of the counter-attacking German Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
with the express orders to deny Vistula crossings to the Red Army. The German counter-attack tried to dislodge the Soviet engineers, and the Polish troops providing support for them, behind Vistula
off the bridgehead
. The Soviet and Polish forces held the bridgehead, and German forces suffered heavy casualties before withdrawing.
To commemorate the battle, in 1969 the name of the village Studzianki
was changed to include the word Pancerne, meaning Armoured in Polish language
.
The episodes 3-5 of Polish
TV series Czterej pancerni i pies
(Four Tankmen and the Dog) depict the crew of Polish tank during the battle of Studzianki.
2nd Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The Second Tank Army of the Red Army was formed in January - February, 1943 on the basis of the 3rd Reserve Army of the Bryansk Front.Originally the Army comprised 11th and 16th Tank Corps, 60th, 112th and 194th Rifle Divisions, the 11th Guards Separate tank brigade, 115th Rifle Brigade, the 28th...
employed as the Cavalry mechanized group
Cavalry Mechanized Group
A cavalry-mechanized group was a type of military formation used in the Red Army during World War II against Germany and Japan.- Organization :...
of the 1st Belorussian Front
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...
and elements of the German 9th Army of Army Group North Ukraine
Army Group North Ukraine
The Army Group North Ukraine was a major ground force formation of the German armed forces.It was created on the 1 April 1944 by renaming Army Group South on trial basis, in the course of the separation of troops under command of General Field Marshal Erich von Manstein and General Field Marshal...
defending south of Warsaw. The battle was part of the Soviet Lublin-Brest Offensive Operation
Lublin-Brest Offensive Operation
The Lublin–Brest Offensive was a part of the Operation Bagration strategic offensive by the Soviet Red Army to clear the Nazi German forces from the central‐eastern Poland...
.
The 2nd Tank Army
2nd Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The Second Tank Army of the Red Army was formed in January - February, 1943 on the basis of the 3rd Reserve Army of the Bryansk Front.Originally the Army comprised 11th and 16th Tank Corps, 60th, 112th and 194th Rifle Divisions, the 11th Guards Separate tank brigade, 115th Rifle Brigade, the 28th...
was launched through the breach in the German 4th Panzer Army's front between Parczew
Parczew
Parczew is a town in eastern Poland, with a population of 10,281 . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Biała Podlaska Voivodeship . It is the capital of Parczew County.-History:...
and Chełm, and bypassing Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
attempted to find a crossing over the Visla. In this it was supported by the Polish 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...
, including the Polish 1st Armoured Brigade
1st Armoured Brigade (Poland)
Polish 1st Armoured Brigade of the defenders of Westerplatte or Polish 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade was a military unit in the Ludowe Wojsko Polskie...
. In a hasty encounter battle during which the Polish 1st Armoured Brigade
1st Armoured Brigade (Poland)
Polish 1st Armoured Brigade of the defenders of Westerplatte or Polish 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade was a military unit in the Ludowe Wojsko Polskie...
was located in the first echelon of the 2nd Tank Army
2nd Guards Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The Second Tank Army of the Red Army was formed in January - February, 1943 on the basis of the 3rd Reserve Army of the Bryansk Front.Originally the Army comprised 11th and 16th Tank Corps, 60th, 112th and 194th Rifle Divisions, the 11th Guards Separate tank brigade, 115th Rifle Brigade, the 28th...
. At the point where the Army was able to occupy the Magnuszew
Magnuszew
Magnuszew is a village in Kozienice County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Magnuszew. It lies approximately north-west of Kozienice and south-east of Warsaw....
brideghead, the Polish brigade engaged advance elements of the counter-attacking German Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring
The Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1. Hermann Göring was an élite German Luftwaffe armoured division. The HG saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and on the Eastern front...
with the express orders to deny Vistula crossings to the Red Army. The German counter-attack tried to dislodge the Soviet engineers, and the Polish troops providing support for them, behind Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
off the bridgehead
Bridgehead
A bridgehead is a High Middle Ages military term, which antedating the invention of cannons was in the original meaning expressly a referent term to the military fortification that protects the end of a bridge...
. The Soviet and Polish forces held the bridgehead, and German forces suffered heavy casualties before withdrawing.
To commemorate the battle, in 1969 the name of the village Studzianki
Studzianki
Studzianki may refer to the following places:*Studzianki, Piotrków County in Łódź Voivodeship *Studzianki, Rawa County in Łódź Voivodeship *Studzianki, Tomaszów Mazowiecki County in Łódź Voivodeship...
was changed to include the word Pancerne, meaning Armoured in Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
.
The episodes 3-5 of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
TV series Czterej pancerni i pies
Czterej pancerni i pies
Czterej pancerni i pies was a Polish black and white TV series based on the book by Janusz Przymanowski. Made between 1966 and 1970, the series is composed of 21 episodes of 55 minutes each, divided into three seasons. It is set in 1944 and 1945, during World War Two, and follows the adventures of...
(Four Tankmen and the Dog) depict the crew of Polish tank during the battle of Studzianki.