The 27 Infantry Division (Polish: ''27 Dywizja Piechoty''), was a unit of the Polish Army in the inter-war period. It was created on 18 October 1920, as a result of reorganization of the Army, from units of the 2nd I.D., 3rd I.D., and 13th I.D. Its headquarters were located in Kowel, with units stationed in other Volhynian towns, such as Lutsk, Sarny and Wlodzimierz Wolynski. Division's first commandant was General Gustaw Kuchinka.

Participation in Polish September Campaign

The Division, under General Juliusz Drapella, was mobilized between 14 and 16 August 1939. In the following days it was transported by rail to the area of

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 ...

and Inowrocław, and finally, by 27 August, it was placed southwest of Starogard Gdański, as part of the Pomorze Army.

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 , On 1 September 1939 (see: Polish September Campaign) the Division was ordered to march towards Toruń. The next day it engaged in heavy fights with the advancing Wehrmacht. On the third day of the war, it was cut off from the Pomorze Army after bloody fights around

Terespol Pomorski Terespol (; be, Тэрэ́спаль, Teréspaĺ) is a town in eastern Poland on the border with Belarus. It lies on the border river Bug, directly opposite the city of Brest, Belarus, making it a border town. It has 5,794 inhabitants as o ...

and Świecie. The Germans managed to destroy the bulk of the unit in a battle waged in forests around

Wierzchucin Wierzchucin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Cekcyn, within Tuchola County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Cekcyn, east of Tuchola, and north of Bydgoszcz ...

. Remaining parts of the Division managed to reach Bydgoszcz and later Toruń. There, the Division was moved to the rear to reorganize and recuperate. On 6 September, the Division, renamed into Operational Group of General Drapella and strengthened by reserve units including the 208th Infantry Regiment from Inowrocław and National Defence Battalion Starogard, was ordered to defend Toruń from west. The next day, it began a retreat towards Warsaw, covering the main forces of the Pomorze Army. During the following days, it helped Polish units fighting in the Battle of the Bzura, engaging the Wehrmacht around Solec Kujawski (7–8 September), Włocławek and Brześć Kujawski (9–12 September). Withdrawing towards southeast, it attacked a German outpost near Płock, but without success. On 16 September, the Group was ordered to march towards Gąbin, but was attacked by the Luftwaffe and German ground forces. The Group was destroyed. Separate smaller groups of soldiers managed to break to the besieged

fortress of Modlin Modlin Fortress ( pl, Twierdza Modlin) is one of the largest 19th-century fortresses in Poland. It is located in the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in district Modlin on the Narew river, approximately 50 kilometers north of Warsaw. It was ori ...

. Other survivors made it to Warsaw. Around 19 September, a member of the Division wrapped and buried the Division's flag to prevent its capture by German forces. The flag was discovered in September 1959 and was put on display in the Polish Army Museum.

Recreation in 1944

In early 1944, the Division was recreated as

Polish 27th Home Army Infantry Division 27th Volhynian Infantry Division ( pl, 27 Wołyńska Dywizja Piechoty) was a World War II Polish Armia Krajowa unit fighting in the Volhynia region in 1944. It was created on January 15, 1944, from smaller partisan self-defence units during the ...

and it was the biggest partisan unit in Central Europe with 7,300 soldiers.

References

{{Reflist 27th 27th Military units and formations established in 1920 1920 establishments in Poland Military units and formations disestablished in 1939

Participation in Polish September Campaign

Recreation in 1944

See also

References