Plan Wschód
Encyclopedia
Plan East was a Polish
defensive military plan
, created in the 1920s and 1930s in case of war with the Soviet Union. Unlike Plan Zachód (Plan West), it was being prepared during the whole Interwar period
, as the government of the Second Polish Republic
treated the Soviet Union as the greatest potential military threat, capable of initiating a full-scale war. However, a handful of loose historical documents are all that remains of the original Plan East today.
, Polish-Ukrainian War
, Polish-Lithuanian War
, Greater Poland Uprising
, Silesian Uprisings
, Border conflicts between Poland and Czechoslovakia
). However, of these countries, only two were considered major threats — Germany and the Soviet Union.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the leaders of the Republic focused their efforts on countering the potential threat from the East. Fresh were memories of the Polish-Soviet War and the Battle of Warsaw
, which saved both Poland and Europe from the spread of Bolshevik
revolution
by force. Both the Polish Army and the government in Warsaw
were certain that war with the Soviets was inevitable, thus preparations for it were far more advanced than preparation for armed conflict with Germany. Only after 1935, when Nazi
anti-Polish propaganda increased, did the threat posed by Poland's western neighbor become visible enough for Army planners to begin drawing up Plan West. Still, even by 1939, completed fortifications on the Eastern border of Poland vastly outnumbered those in the West.
was more than 20 percent longer, at 1,912 km. Neither border contained any major geographical obstacles, making defense very difficult.
In the north there was a flat, plain land with huge forests (e.g. Puszcza Nalibocka — the Wilderness of Naliboki). In addition, a major rail route connecting Moscow to Western Europe extended across the northern portion of the country. The areas major conurbation at the time was Wilno, located in the northeast corner of interbellum Poland.
The centre region of the country was primarily composed of a huge, sparsely populated swamp known as Polesie. This land had no roads and few rail lines. However, it held supreme strategic importance, as its landscape made possible a prolonged, organized defense. Neither Polesie nor the adjacent Volhynia
contained any major urban centers.
The south, formerly a portion of the Galicia province of the Austrian Empire
, was the most highly developed, with a high density of rail lines, growing industry (e.g., oil fields in Boryslaw
), and the well-developed agriculture of Podolia
. Lwów, one of the major urban centers of interbellum Poland, was located in this area. In addition, the Soviet border was marked by a natural obstacle — the Zbrucz river.
Virtually all Polish industrial and urban centers were located in the West. This made long-lasting defense possible, as a Soviet force would have taken up to several weeks to reach Upper Silesia
, Warsaw
, Kraków
or Poznań
. While devising Plan Wschód, Polish planners assumed cooperation and support would be forthcoming from Romania
, which was Poland's main ally in the East
.
). Such attacks continued throughout the 1920s, but reduced in scale during the 1930s, particularly after the signing of the 1932 Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact
.
and field fortifications were held in the east, while Poland's western border was, to a large extent, neglected. To this day, some of these fortifications can be seen in the area around Sarny
. Bunkers built by Polish Corps of Engineers in the 1930s were used in late 1940s by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in their guerilla skirmishes with Red Army
.
Polish planners were well aware that the Red Army was in many elements superior to their own. Therefore, the main idea was to organize a so-called "resistance in motion", and to try to split Soviet forces south and north of the Polesie swamps. Frontline armies, located in the vicinity of the border, were to try to delay the advance of the aggressors and to bleed them, while reserves, located mostly in the area of Brześć nad Bugiem, were intended to enter the conflict in later stages.
According to some sources, the Poles were expecting the Red Army to advance in three directions. Firstly, along the Minsk
- Baranowicze - Białystok - Warsaw rail line. Secondly, along the Sarny - Kowel - Lublin
line, and finally, through the south along the Tarnopol - Lwów line.
Apart from these units, in all armies there were Border-Area Defence Corps units and garrisons of the main cities.
).
. Consequently, Plan East became void. On September 17, following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
, the Soviets broke the Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact
by invading Poland
. The Red Army met little resistance, as the Polish Army was concentrated in the West, fighting the Germans. Thus, the Soviets managed to occupy Polish Kresy
in short order.
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...
defensive military plan
Military plan
A military operation plan is a formal plan for military armed forces, their military organizations and units to conduct operations, as drawn up by commanders within the combat operations process in achieving objectives before or during a conflict...
, created in the 1920s and 1930s in case of war with the Soviet Union. Unlike Plan Zachód (Plan West), it was being prepared during the whole Interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
, as the government of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
treated the Soviet Union as the greatest potential military threat, capable of initiating a full-scale war. However, a handful of loose historical documents are all that remains of the original Plan East today.
Introduction
Since its establishment following World War I, the Second Polish Republic had been involved in wars and conflicts with almost all of its neighbors (see: Polish-Soviet WarPolish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
, Polish-Ukrainian War
Polish-Ukrainian War
The Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918 and 1919 was a conflict between the forces of the Second Polish Republic and West Ukrainian People's Republic for the control over Eastern Galicia after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.-Background:...
, Polish-Lithuanian War
Polish-Lithuanian War
The Polish–Lithuanian War was an armed conflict between newly independent Lithuania and Poland in the aftermath of World War I. The conflict primarily concerned territorial control of the Vilnius Region, including Vilnius , and the Suwałki Region, including the towns of Suwałki, Augustów, and Sejny...
, Greater Poland Uprising
Greater Poland Uprising (1918–1919)
The Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–1919, or Wielkopolska Uprising of 1918–1919 or Posnanian War was a military insurrection of Poles in the Greater Poland region against Germany...
, Silesian Uprisings
Silesian Uprisings
The Silesian Uprisings were a series of three armed uprisings of the Poles and Polish Silesians of Upper Silesia, from 1919–1921, against German rule; the resistance hoped to break away from Germany in order to join the Second Polish Republic, which had been established in the wake of World War I...
, Border conflicts between Poland and Czechoslovakia
Border conflicts between Poland and Czechoslovakia
Border conflicts between Poland and Czechoslovakia began in 1918 between the Second Polish Republic and First Czechoslovak Republic, both freshly created states. The conflicts centered on the disputed areas of Cieszyn Silesia, Orava Territory and Spiš...
). However, of these countries, only two were considered major threats — Germany and the Soviet Union.
During the 1920s and 1930s, the leaders of the Republic focused their efforts on countering the potential threat from the East. Fresh were memories of the Polish-Soviet War and the Battle of Warsaw
Battle of Warsaw (1920)
The Battle of Warsaw sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, was the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War. That war began soon after the end of World War I in 1918 and lasted until the Treaty of Riga resulted in the end of the hostilities between Poland and Russia in 1921.The...
, which saved both Poland and Europe from the spread of Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
by force. Both the Polish Army and the government in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
were certain that war with the Soviets was inevitable, thus preparations for it were far more advanced than preparation for armed conflict with Germany. Only after 1935, when Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
anti-Polish propaganda increased, did the threat posed by Poland's western neighbor become visible enough for Army planners to begin drawing up Plan West. Still, even by 1939, completed fortifications on the Eastern border of Poland vastly outnumbered those in the West.
The interbellum Polish-Soviet border
Poland's shared border with the Soviet Union was 1,412 kilometers long. By comparison, the border with Germany and its province of East PrussiaEast Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
was more than 20 percent longer, at 1,912 km. Neither border contained any major geographical obstacles, making defense very difficult.
In the north there was a flat, plain land with huge forests (e.g. Puszcza Nalibocka — the Wilderness of Naliboki). In addition, a major rail route connecting Moscow to Western Europe extended across the northern portion of the country. The areas major conurbation at the time was Wilno, located in the northeast corner of interbellum Poland.
The centre region of the country was primarily composed of a huge, sparsely populated swamp known as Polesie. This land had no roads and few rail lines. However, it held supreme strategic importance, as its landscape made possible a prolonged, organized defense. Neither Polesie nor the adjacent Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
contained any major urban centers.
The south, formerly a portion of the Galicia province of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
, was the most highly developed, with a high density of rail lines, growing industry (e.g., oil fields in Boryslaw
Boryslaw
Borysław may refer to:* Boryslav, Ukraine, called Borysław in Polish*Borysław, Łódź Voivodeship...
), and the well-developed agriculture of Podolia
Podolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
. Lwów, one of the major urban centers of interbellum Poland, was located in this area. In addition, the Soviet border was marked by a natural obstacle — the Zbrucz river.
Virtually all Polish industrial and urban centers were located in the West. This made long-lasting defense possible, as a Soviet force would have taken up to several weeks to reach Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
, Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
or Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
. While devising Plan Wschód, Polish planners assumed cooperation and support would be forthcoming from Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, which was Poland's main ally in the East
Polish-Romanian Alliance
The Polish–Romanian Alliance was a series of treaties signed in the interwar period by the Second Polish Republic and the Kingdom of Romania. The first of them was signed in 1921 and, together, the treaties formed a basis for good foreign relations between the two countries that lasted until World...
.
Eastern border conflicts
The Soviet government undermined the validity of the Riga Peace Treaty, the treaty that had been signed by Moscow in 1921, from the outset. In the early 1920s the Soviets on several occasions organized guerrilla attacks on Polish settlements close to the border. The most famous of these was the attack on Stolpce, which took place on the night of August 3-4, 1924. This event prompted the creation of the Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza (Border Protection CorpsBorder Protection Corps
The Border Protection Corps was a Polish military formation that was created in 1924 to defend the country's eastern borders against armed Soviet incursions and local bandits....
). Such attacks continued throughout the 1920s, but reduced in scale during the 1930s, particularly after the signing of the 1932 Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact
Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact
The Soviet–Polish Non-Aggression Pact ) was an international treaty of non-aggression signed in 1932 by representatives of Poland and the USSR. The pact was unilaterally broken by the Soviet Union on September 17, 1939, during the Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland.-Background:After the...
.
Inception of Plan East
Unfortunately, no copy of the Plan has been preserved. All that is known are the basic precepts; restoring the whole Plan is impossible. Work on the document was completed on February 4, 1939. The Plan was based on the notions of Jozef Piłsudski, who, until his death in 1935, was sure that war would arrive from the East. Thus most army maneuversMilitary exercise
A military exercise is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat...
and field fortifications were held in the east, while Poland's western border was, to a large extent, neglected. To this day, some of these fortifications can be seen in the area around Sarny
Sarny
Sarny translated as Deer, is a small city in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Sarny Raion , and is a major railway node on the Sluch River.The current estimated population is 27,700....
. Bunkers built by Polish Corps of Engineers in the 1930s were used in late 1940s by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in their guerilla skirmishes with Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
.
Polish planners were well aware that the Red Army was in many elements superior to their own. Therefore, the main idea was to organize a so-called "resistance in motion", and to try to split Soviet forces south and north of the Polesie swamps. Frontline armies, located in the vicinity of the border, were to try to delay the advance of the aggressors and to bleed them, while reserves, located mostly in the area of Brześć nad Bugiem, were intended to enter the conflict in later stages.
According to some sources, the Poles were expecting the Red Army to advance in three directions. Firstly, along the Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
- Baranowicze - Białystok - Warsaw rail line. Secondly, along the Sarny - Kowel - 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...
line, and finally, through the south along the Tarnopol - Lwów line.
Structure of the Polish Army in the East
According to Polish historian Rajmund Szubański, in case of war in the East, the bulk of the Polish Army was supposed to have been concentrated both in the north and south, with central section of the border left mostly unguarded. Some military historians claim today that Polish planners placed too many units close to the border, which would have resulted in their total destruction in the opening days of the conflict. In contrast, rear positions were inadequately protected..Front-line units
Seidner outlines the deployment:- In the extreme north-east, around the rail nexus of Mołodeczno, was Armia Wilno, which possibly consisted of three Infantry Divisions (1st Legions Infantry Division from Wilno, 19th Infantry DivisionPolish 19th Infantry DivisionPolish 19th Infantry Division was formed from parts of the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division in 1923. At that time it was commanded for several years by gen. Walerian Czuma and stationed in Wilno....
, also from Wilno, 29th I.D. from Grodno), two Cavalry Brigades (3rd Wilenska BK from Wilno, 4th Suwalska BK from Suwałki), and the 5th Lida Air Corps. - South of Armia Wilno was Armia Baranowicze, probably comprising four Infantry Divisions (9th Infantry Division from SiedlceSiedlceSiedlce ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,392 inhabitants . Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship ....
, 20th Infantry Division from Baranowicze, 18th Infantry Division from Łomża, 28th Infantry DivisionPolish 28th Infantry DivisionThe 28 Dywizja Piechoty was a Polish Army infantry division which saw action against the invading Germans during the Invasion of Poland of World War II. The division suffered heavy casualties in battles near Łódź and the remnants retreated to Warsaw, where they surrendered.-Order of battle:*HQ...
from Warszawa), two Cavalry Brigades (9th Nowogródzka Cavalry BrigadeNowogródzka Cavalry BrigadeNowogródzka Cavalry Brigade was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. It was created on April 1, 1937, out of the Baranowicze Cavalry Brigade. Its headquarters were stationed in the town of Baranowicze...
from Baranowicze, 11th Podlaska BK from Białystok) and the 4th Toruń Air Corps. - In the center was Armia Polesie (also called Independent Operational Group Polesie). It was possibly composed of three Infantry Divisions (8th Infantry DivisionPolish 8th Infantry DivisionThe 8th Infantry Division was a tactical unit of the Polish Army. It was active in the Polish-Bolshevik War, as well as during the Invasion of Poland in 1939...
from ModlinModlin FortressModlin Fortress is one of the biggest 19th century fortresses in Poland. It is located the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in district Modlin on the Narew river, some 50 kilometres north of Warsaw...
, 27th Infantry Division from Kowel, 30th I.D. from KobryńKobrynKobryn or Kobrin is a city in the Brest voblast of Belarus and the center of the Kobryn Raion. The city is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus where the Mukhavets River and Dnepr-Bug Canal meet. The city lies about 52 km east of the city of Brest. Kobryn is located at Latitude...
), one Cavalry Brigade (1st Mazowiecka BK from Warszawa), Riverine Flotilla of the Polish NavyRiverine Flotilla of the Polish NavyThe Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy , better known as the Pinsk Flotilla, was the inland branch of the Polish Navy operating on the Vistula river and in the area of the Pinsk Marshes between the Polish-Bolshevik War and World War II...
and the 3rd Poznań Air Corps. - Further south was Armia Wołyń - three Infantry Divisions (2nd "Legionnaire" I.D. from KielceKielceKielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
, 3rd "Legionnaire" I.D. from ZamośćZamoscZamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
, 13th I.D. from RówneRówneRówne may refer to:*Polish name for Rivne in Ukraine*Równe, Masovian Voivodeship *Równe, Opole Voivodeship *Równe, Pomeranian Voivodeship *Równe, Subcarpathian Voivodeship...
), one Cavalry Brigade (10th Wolynska BK from Rowne) and the 2nd Kraków Air Corps. - In the extreme south was Armia Podole - five Infantry Divisions (5th I.D. from Lwów, 11th I.D. from StanisławówIvano-FrankivskIvano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
, 12th I.D. from Tarnopol, 22nd I.D. from PrzemyślPrzemyslPrzemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
, 24th I.D. from Jarosław), two Cavalry Brigades (6th Podolska BK from Stanisławów, 2nd Kresowa BK from BrodyBrodyBrody is a city in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Brody Raion , and is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately 90 kilometres northeast of the oblast capital, Lviv...
) and the 6th Lwów Air Corps.
Apart from these units, in all armies there were Border-Area Defence Corps units and garrisons of the main cities.
Reserve forces
- Behind Armia Wilno and Armia Baranowicze was Armia LidaLidaLida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...
, consisting of three Infantry Divisions. - Behind Armia Podole and Armia Wołyń was Armia Lwów, made up of two Infantry Divisions and a Cavalry Brigade (5th Krakowska BK from Kraków).
- Far behind the frontlines, around the city of Brzesc, was the main reserve, which probably comprised six IDs, two Cavalry Brigades (7th Wielkopolska BK from Poznań, 8th Pomorska BK from Bydgoszcz), an Armored Brigade and the 1st Warsaw Air Corps.
The Red Army and its units along the Polish border
In the mid-1930s, the Soviet government started an immense armament program, which resulted in a rapid increase in the number of units. The number of tanks and airplanes along the Polish border grew significantly, and the Soviets enjoyed superiority in all elements. Polish planners anticipated that the Soviets had three times as many soldiers as their own army. The Soviets' superiority in tanks and airplanes was not estimated, but the disproportion was immense. In August 1939 along the Polish border there were likely as many as 173 Red Army infantry divisions (see: Soviet order of battle for invasion of Poland in 1939Soviet order of battle for invasion of Poland in 1939
The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September, 1939. The Invasion of Poland is best remembered for the German-Polish fighting, but the Soviets contributed a large force to occupation of Belarusian...
).
September 1939
On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany attacked PolandInvasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
. Consequently, Plan East became void. On September 17, following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
, the Soviets broke the Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact
Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact
The Soviet–Polish Non-Aggression Pact ) was an international treaty of non-aggression signed in 1932 by representatives of Poland and the USSR. The pact was unilaterally broken by the Soviet Union on September 17, 1939, during the Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland.-Background:After the...
by invading Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland (1939)
The 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was a Soviet military operation that started without a formal declaration of war on 17 September 1939, during the early stages of World War II. Sixteen days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union did so from the east...
. The Red Army met little resistance, as the Polish Army was concentrated in the West, fighting the Germans. Thus, the Soviets managed to occupy Polish Kresy
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
in short order.
Further reading
- Stanisław Feret, Polska sztuka wojenna 1918-39, Warszawa 1972.
- Stanley S.Seidner, Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland, New York, 1978.