Prusy Army
Encyclopedia
The Prusy Army was one of the Polish
armies to fight during the Invasion of Poland
in 1939. Created in the summer of 1939 as the main reserve of the Commander in Chief, it was commanded by Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki
. One of the meanings of Prusy in Polish is Prussia
, but this name only served as a codename and the region of operations of this army was far from East Prussia
. This is in contrast to other Polish armies in 1939 which were named after the geographical regions where they formed.
According to the "Plan West" (Plan Zachód, code name for the Polish mobilization plan) it was to be composed of units mobilized as the second and third waves and its main purpose was to cooperate with the nearby armies "Łódź" and "Kraków
". It was being mobilized in two groups after the outbreak of hostilities. It consisted of 6 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry brigade and a battalion of tanks. Once ready, it was supposed to stop the main German thrust.
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The Polish military strategists correctly predicted that German forces would try to push in between the armies "Lodz" and "Krakow," but they failed to predict the fast pace of the German advance. Therefore, "Armia Prusy" was to be fully mobilized only by the 14th of September, 1939, and it needed to be ready as soon as the late night of September 3, 1939.
The Poles were ready to fall back, but they were surprised by how fast they would have to fall back to prevent destruction of their units. This miscalculation lead to the capture of the city of Lodz
-- a major setback to the Polish plan of defending Poland west from the Vistula
river at least untll October, 1939. More surprising should be that the "Polish schedule" was followed by the French one year later; they did refuse to read the report pointing out mistakes of the Polish military, and drawing conclusions on how to avoid them in the future. The report was prepared by the Polish generals and handed to the French, and the British in their respective languages, in late 1939, (British read the report).
, while the southern group was to support Kraków Army by preparing the defence of central Vistula
river area. Because of fast German advance both groups entered combat separately and most units did not reach full mobilization. Due to the deteriorating situation in the battle of the border
, it was decided to push partially mobilized units of Prusy Army to the front as soon as possible.
The northern group, seriously damaged in the battles of Piotrków and Tomaszów Mazowiecki
(September 5 - September 6) was forced to cross the Vistula. The southern group, much less organized and poorly commanded, fought in the battle of Iłża, after which it was cut off from Vistula, encircled near Radom
and destroyed (September 8–9). Units of the Army which retained cohesion or broke through the German lines later fought in the defense of Warsaw
or joined the other Armies in the northern-central Poland.
; his chief of staff was Tomasz Obertyński. Biernacki was in direct command of the Northern Group; the Southern Group was commanded by General Stanisław Skwarczyński.
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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...
armies to fight during the Invasion of Poland
Invasion 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...
in 1939. Created in the summer of 1939 as the main reserve of the Commander in Chief, it was commanded by Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki
Stefan Dab-Biernacki
Stefan Dąb-Biernacki was a Polish general.Members of the Polish Legions in World War I, fought in the Polish-Soviet War commanding regiments and later 1DPLeg...
. One of the meanings of Prusy in Polish is Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, but this name only served as a codename and the region of operations of this army was far from East Prussia
East 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...
. This is in contrast to other Polish armies in 1939 which were named after the geographical regions where they formed.
Tasks
Kraków Army
Kraków Army was one of the Polish armies to take part in the Polish Defensive War of 1939. It was officially created on March 23, 1939 as the main pivot of Polish defence. It was commanded by Gen...
". It was being mobilized in two groups after the outbreak of hostilities. It consisted of 6 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry brigade and a battalion of tanks. Once ready, it was supposed to stop the main German thrust.
----
The Polish military strategists correctly predicted that German forces would try to push in between the armies "Lodz" and "Krakow," but they failed to predict the fast pace of the German advance. Therefore, "Armia Prusy" was to be fully mobilized only by the 14th of September, 1939, and it needed to be ready as soon as the late night of September 3, 1939.
The Poles were ready to fall back, but they were surprised by how fast they would have to fall back to prevent destruction of their units. This miscalculation lead to the capture of the city of Lodz
Lódz
Łódź is the third-largest city in Poland. Located in the central part of the country, it had a population of 742,387 in December 2009. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is approximately south-west of Warsaw...
-- a major setback to the Polish plan of defending Poland west from the 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 ....
river at least untll October, 1939. More surprising should be that the "Polish schedule" was followed by the French one year later; they did refuse to read the report pointing out mistakes of the Polish military, and drawing conclusions on how to avoid them in the future. The report was prepared by the Polish generals and handed to the French, and the British in their respective languages, in late 1939, (British read the report).
Operational history
The northern group was to back up the Łódź Army near Łódź and SieradzSieradz
Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,326 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodship , but was previously the eponymous capital of the Sieradz Voivodship , and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland.It is one of the oldest towns in Poland,...
, while the southern group was to support Kraków Army by preparing the defence of central 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 ....
river area. Because of fast German advance both groups entered combat separately and most units did not reach full mobilization. Due to the deteriorating situation in the battle of the border
Battle of the Border
The Battle of the Border refers to the battles that occurred in the first days of the Nazi Germany invasion of Poland in September, 1939...
, it was decided to push partially mobilized units of Prusy Army to the front as soon as possible.
The northern group, seriously damaged in the battles of Piotrków and Tomaszów Mazowiecki
Battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki
Battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki refers to the battle on 6 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Second Polish Republic, during the Invasion of Poland....
(September 5 - September 6) was forced to cross the Vistula. The southern group, much less organized and poorly commanded, fought in the battle of Iłża, after which it was cut off from Vistula, encircled near Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
and destroyed (September 8–9). Units of the Army which retained cohesion or broke through the German lines later fought in the defense of Warsaw
Siege of Warsaw (1939)
The 1939 Battle of Warsaw was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army garrisoned and entrenched in the capital of Poland and the German Army...
or joined the other Armies in the northern-central Poland.
Organization
The army was commanded by General Stefan Dąb-BiernackiStefan Dab-Biernacki
Stefan Dąb-Biernacki was a Polish general.Members of the Polish Legions in World War I, fought in the Polish-Soviet War commanding regiments and later 1DPLeg...
; his chief of staff was Tomasz Obertyński. Biernacki was in direct command of the Northern Group; the Southern Group was commanded by General Stanisław Skwarczyński.
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| Unit | Polish name | Commander | Remarks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Army units - gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki Stefan Dab-Biernacki Stefan Dąb-Biernacki was a Polish general.Members of the Polish Legions in World War I, fought in the Polish-Soviet War commanding regiments and later 1DPLeg... |
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| 39th Infantry Division Polish 39th Infantry Division The Polish 39th Infantry Division was a reserve unit of the Polish Army, which took part in the Polish September Campaign. Commanded by General Brunon Olbrycht, it was part of the Prusy Army and was concentrated in the area of the Holy Cross Mountains.... |
39 Dywizja Piechoty | col. Brunon Olbrycht | reserve | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 44th Infantry Division Polish 44th Infantry Division The Polish 44th Infantry Division was a reserve unit of the Polish Army, which took part in the Polish September Campaign. Commanded by Colonel Eugeniusz Zongollowicz, it was concentrated in Łowicz and Piotrków Trybunalski, at the rear of the Łódź Army. However, due to speed of the Wehrmacht... |
44 Dywizja Piechoty | col. Eugeniusz Żongołłowicz | reserve | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern group - gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki Stefan Dab-Biernacki Stefan Dąb-Biernacki was a Polish general.Members of the Polish Legions in World War I, fought in the Polish-Soviet War commanding regiments and later 1DPLeg... |
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| 13th Infantry Division Polish 13th Infantry Division 13th Kresy Infantry Division was a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. Its origins go back to the World War I, when in June 1918 the 1st Division Division of Polish Rifles was formed in the French town of Villeres-Marmery... |
13 Dywizja Piechoty | col. Władysław Zubosz-Kaliński | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19th Infantry Division Polish 19th Infantry Division Polish 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.... |
19 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. Józef Kwaciszewski | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29th Infantry Division Polish 29th Infantry Division 29th Grodno Infantry Division was a unit of the Polish Army during the interbellum period. It was created in early 1920s, after the army of Republic of Central Lithuania was absorbed by the Polish Army. The newly created unit took over regiments that had been part of 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian... |
29 Dywizja Piechoty | col. Ignacy Oziewicz Ignacy Oziewicz Ignacy Oziewicz was a Polish military general. During the First World War, he served in the Russian Tsarist army in various NCO and officers' posts. In 1919, he joined the Polish Army.... |
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| Wileńska Cavalry Brigade Wilenska Cavalry Brigade Wilenska Cavalry Brigade was a unit of the Polish Army, created on 1 April 1937 out of the 3rd Independent Cavalry Brigade. Its headquarters were stationed in Wilno, with some regiments garrisoned in the neighboring towns.... |
Wileńska Brygada Kawalerii | col. Konstanty Drucki-Lubecki | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st tank battalion | 1 battalion czołgów | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern group - gen. Stanisław Skwarczyński | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd Legions Infantry Division Polish 3rd Legions Infantry Division Polish 3rd Legions Infantry Division was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed in 1919, as a third unit composed significantly of veterans of the Polish Legions in World War I , the unit saw extensive action during the Polish-Bolshevik War and... |
3 Dywizja Piechoty Legionów | col. Marian Turowski | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12th Infantry Division Polish 12th Infantry Division Polish 12th Kresy Infantry Division , was a tactical unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period, which was stationed in Tarnopol... |
12 Dywizja Piechoty | gen. Gustaw Paszkiewicz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 36th Infantry Division Polish 36th Infantry Division The 36th Reserve Infantry Division was a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period, which took part in the Polish September Campaign.... |
36 Dywizja Piechoty | col. Michał Ostrowski | reserve | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||