Modlin Army ( pl, Armia Modlin) was one of the

Polish armies The following is a list of Polish Armies during World War II, together with their commanders and brigade and division-sized units. For a more detailed list see: Polish army order of battle in 1939. {, border=0 cellpadding=2 , - , width=10 bgc ...

that took part in the Polish world war 2 defence of 1939. After heavy casualties in the battle of Mława (September 1–3), the Army was forced to abandon its positions near Warsaw around September 10; eventually it took part in the

battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki Battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki ( pl, Bitwa pod Tomaszowem Mazowieckim) refers to the battle on 6 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Second Polish Republic, during the Invasion of Poland. The area was defended by Polish 13th I ...

(September 21–26) and surrendered afterwards.

Tasks

Named after

Fort 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 ...

(where its initial headquarters were located), it was officially created on March 23, 1939 with the task of defending the Polish capital of Warsaw and the city of Płock from the north. It took positions near the fortified lines along the border with

East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...

near Mława, and was supposed to retreat in an organized fashion towards the second line of defense towards the

Narew The Narew (; be, Нараў, translit=Naraŭ; or ; Sudovian: ''Naura''; Old German: ''Nare''; uk, Нарва, translit=Narva) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland, which is also a tributary of the river Vis ...

and Vistula rivers.

Operational history

When the Germans invaded on September 1, not all of the planned fortifications had been completed; some of the Army's units (such as the Mazowiecka Cavalry Brigade) had arrived in their designated areas only by 30 August (and its area had only 3 out of 40 planned fortifications completed). During the Battle of the Border (particularly the battle of Mława on September 1–3) the Army was pushed back by the German Third Army, towards the Narew and Bug rivers. It received reinforcements in the form of the Operational Group Wyszków under General Wincenty Kowalski, but they were not sufficient to stop it from having to fall back. Eventually, around September 10, the Army abandoned its positions near Warsaw; some of the units (primarily the 20th Infantry Division) remained in the Warsaw area, joining the

Warszawa Army The Warszawa Army ( pl, Armia Warszawa) was one of the Polish armies to take part in the Polish Defensive War of 1939. Created on 8 September, eight days after the invasion begun, it was an improvised formation charged with the defence of the Polis ...

taking part in the final defense of Warsaw; others were pushed to the south east ( Romanian Bridgehead) and took part in the Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski (September 21–26), after which most of them were forced to surrender.

Organization

The army was commanded by brig. gen. Emil Krukowicz-Przedrzymirski; his chief of staff was col.

Stanisław Grodzki Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Stanislaus County, Cali ...

. It consisted of 2 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry brigades. On a lower level of organization it had 28 infantry battalions, 37 cavalry squadrons, 180 artillery pieces, 12 anti-air artillery pieces, 1 armored train (nr 13, former "Generał Sosnkowski") and 28 planes.Stanley S.Seidner, ''Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland'', New York, 1978. * 8th Infantry Division (''8 Dywizja Piechoty'') from Modlin * 20th Infantry Division (''20 Dywizja Piechoty'') from Baranowicze * Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade ('' Nowogródzka Brygada Kawalerii'') * Mazowiecka Cavalry Brigade ('' Mazowiecka Brygada Kawalerii'') *

Warsaw National Defence Brigade Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-cen ...

(''Warszawska Brygada Obrony Narodowej'')

Aviation of the Modlin Army

* (''Pluton łącznikowy nr 11'') * (''41. Eskadra Rozpoznawcza'') * (''III/5. Dywizjon Myśliwski'') ** Polish 152nd Fighter Escadrille (''152. Eskadra Myśliwska'') *

Polish 53rd Observation Escadrille The 53rd Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the Second World War. The unit was attached to the Modlin Army. Air crew Commanding officer: kpt. pil. Józef Kierzkowski Equipment 7 RWD-14b Czapla airplanes ...

(''53. Eskadra Obserwacyjna'')

Notes

References

Armie i samodzielne grupy operacyjne Wojska Polskiego 1939
WIEM Encyklopedia
Armia "Modlin"

(with a map)

External links

{{Polish Armies 1939 Military units and formations of Poland in World War II Military units and formations established in 1939 Polish armies