15th "Greater Poland" Infantry Division (Polish: ''15 Wielkopolska Dywizja Piechoty'') was a unit of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stret ...

in the

interbellum period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...

. Founded on February 17, 1920, and based on the ''2nd Greater Poland Rifles Division'', it actively participated in the Polish-Soviet War, including the

Kiev Offensive (1920) The 1920 Kiev Offensive (or Kiev Expedition, ''wyprawa kijowska'' in Polish) was a major part of the Polish–Soviet War. It was an attempt by the armed forces of the recently established Second Polish Republic led by Józef Piłsudski, in all ...

, and the Battle of Warsaw. After Polish victory, the Division pushed the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

out of northern

Mazovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...

. It then fought in the

Battle of the Niemen River The Battle of the Niemen River (sometimes referred to as the Second Battle of Grodno) was the second-greatest battle of the Polish–Soviet War. It took place near the middle Neman River between the cities of Suwałki, Grodno and Białystok. Af ...

During the Polish-Soviet War, the division consisted of three brigades: * XXIX Infantry Brigade (colonel Stanisław Wrzaliński) * XXX Infantry Brigade (colonel Tadeusz Gałecki) * XV Artillery Brigade (general Anatol Kędzierski) After the conflict, the Division was stationed in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

, with one regiment in nearby

Inowrocław Inowrocław (; german: Hohensalza; before 1904: Inowrazlaw; archaic: Jungleslau) is a city in central Poland with a total population of 70,713 in December 2021. It is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, previously in the By ...

. It was commanded by General Wladyslaw Jung (1920), General Wiktor Thommee (1924 - 1926 and 1928 - 1934), and General Zdzislaw Wincenty Przyjalkowski, during the

Polish September Campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week after ...

. In August 1939, with prospect of war growing, the division was ordered to defend southwestern sector of the

Polish Corridor The Polish Corridor (german: Polnischer Korridor; pl, Pomorze, Polski Korytarz), also known as the Danzig Corridor, Corridor to the Sea or Gdańsk Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia (Pomeranian Voivodeship, eastern ...

between Bydgoszcz and Naklo as part of the

Pomorze Army The Pomeranian Army ( pl, Armia Pomorze) was one of the Polish armies defending against the 1939 Invasion of Poland. It was officially created on March 23, 1939. Led by General dywizji Władysław Bortnowski, it consisted of 5 infantry divisions, ...

Steven Zaloga Steven J. Zaloga (born February 1, 1952) is an American author and defense consultant. He received a bachelor's degree '' cum laude'' at Union College and a master's degree at Columbia University, both in history. He has published many books ...

, ''Poland 1939: The Birth Of Blitzkrieg'', Osprey Publishing, 2002 , The division was composed of : * 59e Infantry Regiment * 61st Infantry regiment * 62nd Infantry Regiment * 15th Light Artillerie Regiment Backed by some field fortifications and located along the Brda rover, it successfully defended attacks of the 50th Infantry Division and the ''Netze Brigade'' of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

between September 1 and 2. Its rear units, remaining in Bydgoszcz, took part in the

Bloody Sunday (1939) Bloody Sunday (german: Bromberger Blutsonntag; pl, Krwawa niedziela) was a sequence of violent events that took place in Bydgoszcz (german: Bromberg), a Polish city with a sizable German minority, between 3 and 4 September 1939, during the Germ ...

, on September 3. On the same day, the division was ordered to retreat towards

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

, continually attacked by the Wehrmacht and the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

. Between September 9 and 18, the unit took part in the

Battle of the Bzura The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was the largest Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.''The Second World War: An Illustrated History '', Putnam, 1975, Google Print snippet ...

, covering rear areas of Polish troops. After Polish defeat, the division gathered around

Palmiry Palmiry () is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Czosnów, within Nowy Dwór County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is located at the edge of the Kampinos Forest, approximately south-east of Czosnów, south ...

, with 1500 soldiers still alive. Without heavy equipment, and after several skirmishes with the Germans, the remains managed to reach

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

on September 23 (see:

Siege of Warsaw (1939) The siege of Warsaw in 1939 was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army ( pl, Armia Warszawa) garrisoned and entrenched in Warsaw and the invading German Army.Zaloga, S.J., 2002, ''Poland 1939'', Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., It began with huge ...

Postwar

After the second World War, in 1945, the 15th Infantry Division was reformed as a unit of the

Polish People's Army The Polish People's Army ( pl, Ludowe Wojsko Polskie , LWP) constituted the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in 1943–1945, and in 1945–1989 the armed forces of the Polish communist state ( from 1952, the Polish Peo ...

(see :pl:15 Dywizja Piechoty (LWP)). In 1955, this division was reformed as the Polish 15th Mechanized Division.

References

{{Authority control 15th Military units and formations established in 1920 1920 establishments in Poland 15th

Postwar

See also

References