Polish 17th Infantry Division
Encyclopedia
17 Greater Poland Infantry Division was a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. It was garrisoned in Gniezno
and neighboring towns, such as Pleszew
and Września
. The unit was formed on June 9, 1919, as 3rd Division of Greater Poland Rifles. In 1921 it was renamed into 17 Greater Poland Infantry Division.
During the Polish September Campaign, the Division, under Colonel Mieczyslaw Mozdyniewicz, was part of the Poznań Army
. It was destroyed by the Wehrmacht
in mid-September 1939, during the Battle of the Bzura
.
The 17th Division was briefly reformed as part of the People's Army of Poland in 1945-46.
Gniezno
Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
and neighboring towns, such as Pleszew
Pleszew
Pleszew is a town in Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about 90 km southeast of Poznań. It is the capital of Pleszew County...
and Września
Wrzesnia
Września is a town in central Poland with 28,600 inhabitants . It is situated in the Września County, Greater Poland Voivodeship , previously in Poznań Voivodeship , on the Wrzesnica River.- History :...
. The unit was formed on June 9, 1919, as 3rd Division of Greater Poland Rifles. In 1921 it was renamed into 17 Greater Poland Infantry Division.
During the Polish September Campaign, the Division, under Colonel Mieczyslaw Mozdyniewicz, was part of the Poznań Army
Poznan Army
Army Poznań led by mj. gen. Tadeusz Kutrzeba was one of the Polish Armies during the Polish Defensive War in 1939.-Tasks:Flanked by Armia Pomorze to the north and Armia Łódź to the south, the Army was to provide flanking operations in Grand Poland region, defend it and withdraw towards lines of...
. It was destroyed by the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
in mid-September 1939, during the Battle of the Bzura
Battle of the Bzura
The Battle of the Bzura was a battle in the opening campaign of World War II during the 1939 German invasion of Poland, fought between 9 and 19 September, 1939, between Polish and German forces...
.
The 17th Division was briefly reformed as part of the People's Army of Poland in 1945-46.
See also
- Polish army order of battle in 1939Polish army order of battle in 1939Polish OOB during the Invasion of Poland. In the late thirties Polish headquarters prepared "Plan Zachód" , a plan of mobilization of Polish Army in case of war with Germany...
- Polish contribution to World War IIPolish contribution to World War IIThe European theater of World War II opened with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. The Polish Army was defeated after over a month of fighting. After Poland had been overrun, a government-in-exile , armed forces, and an intelligence service were established outside of Poland....