The Pomeranian Army ( pl, Armia Pomorze) 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 ...
defending against the 1939
Invasion of Poland
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 aft ...
. It was officially created on March 23, 1939. Led by
General dywizji Władysław Bortnowski
Władysław Bortnowski (12 November 1891 – 21 November 1966) was a Polish historian, military commander and one of the highest ranking generals of the Polish Army. He is most famous for commanding the Pomorze Army in the Battle of Bzura during ...
, it consisted of 5 infantry divisions, 2
National Defence
National security, or national defence, is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as p ...
brigades and 1 cavalry brigade.
Tasks
The Army was tasked to defend
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 ...
and
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 ...
from a possible German attack and to carry out delaying actions in 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 ...
" area.
Operational history
The Pomorze Army suffered severe losses during the
Battle of Tuchola Forest
The Battle of Tuchola Forest (german: Schlacht in der Tucheler Heide, pl, Bitwa w Borach Tucholskich) was one of the first battles of World War II, during the invasion of Poland. The battle occurred from 1 September to 5 September 1939 and resul ...
; losing about a third of its strength. In retreat towards Warsaw from September 6, it subordinated itself to
Army Poznań
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
and took part in the
battle of 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 ...
(September 9–20).
Organization
The Army was commanded by General
Władysław Bortnowski
Władysław Bortnowski (12 November 1891 – 21 November 1966) was a Polish historian, military commander and one of the highest ranking generals of the Polish Army. He is most famous for commanding the Pomorze Army in the Battle of Bzura during ...
; his chief of staff was Colonel Ignacy Izdebski.
The composition of the Pomorze Army:
Maps
See also
*
Polish army order of battle in 1939
This article discusses the Polish order of battle during the invasion of Poland. In the late 1930s Polish headquarters prepared "Plan Zachód" (''Plan "West''), a plan of mobilization of Polish Army in case of war with Germany. Earlier, the Poles ...
References
Armie i samodzielne grupy operacyjne Wojska Polskiego 1939WIEM Encyklopedia
WIEM Encyklopedia (full name in pl, Wielka Interaktywna Encyklopedia Multimedialna - "Great Interactive Multimedia Encyclopedia"; in Polish, ''wiem'' also means 'I know') is a Polish Internet encyclopedia.
The first printed edition was released i ...
Military units and formations of Poland in World War II
Military units and formations established in 1939
Polish armies
{{Poland-hist-stub