The Battle of Kałuszyn, took place between 11 and 12 September 1939 around the town of Kałuszyn near

Mińsk Mazowiecki Mińsk Mazowiecki () "''Masovian Minsk''") is a town in eastern Poland with 40,999 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999) and is a part of the Warsaw Agglomeration. It is the capital of Mińsk County. Locate ...

in Poland. It was part of the

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 ...

at the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

between forces of the Polish Army and the invading German Army.

Prelude

Following the '' battle for the borders'', the forces of General Wincenty Kowalski began a steady withdrawal and undertook delaying actions in the area to the north-east of

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 ...

. Following the battles of

Pułtusk Pułtusk (pronounced ) is a town in northeast Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it had a population of about 19,000 . Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in ...

and

Różan Różan is a town in Mazovian Voivodeship, northeastern Poland, on the river Narew. National roads 60 and 61 intersect in the town. History In the late Middle Ages, Różan emerged as an important trade center of northeastern Mazovia. Enjoyi ...

, the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division reinforced by the units of the

Wyszków Wyszków (; yi, ווישקאָוו ''Vishkov'') is a town in eastern Poland with 26,500 inhabitants (2018). It is the capital of Wyszków County in Masovian Voivodeship. History The village of Wyszków was first documented in 1203. It was grant ...

Operational Group arrived in the area of Mińsk Mazowiecki. They were overrun by the German forces of the German 11th Infantry Division who managed to take the town and surround the Polish forces.

Battle

The Polish aim was to retake the town and break through the German encirclement before

panzer This article deals with the tanks (german: panzer) serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrmacht, ...

reinforcements arrived and enemy resistance stiffened. After a short preparation, the battle began overnight with a Polish assault on the villages surrounding the town. The Polish forces managed to break through the positions of the enemy 44th Infantry Regiment, which was disorganized and had underestimated the Polish forces still present in the area. At one point a Polish commander ordered the 4th squadron of the 11th Uhlans Regiment to advance towards the town itself. The order was mistakenly understood as an order of a cavalry charge and the squadron, numbering 85 men and commanded by Lieutenant Andrzej Żyliński, charged towards the enemy positions with their sabres drawn, breaking through to the town despite suffering significant casualties (33 dead). The Polish infantry followed into the breach in the German defences and by the early morning the town was liberated and the German division sent in retreat.

Aftermath

Losses on both sides were significant. The commanding officer of 44th regiment, Major Krawutschke, committed suicide. In the course of the heavy fighting, the town was almost completely destroyed. Most of the substantial Jewish population of the town was deported by Germans to the Warsaw ghetto or Treblinka extermination camp.With Kałuszyn Landslayt in the Warsaw Ghetto
/ref> After the end of the war the battle was one of 24 battles of the Polish Defensive War to be featured at the

Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Warsaw The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ( pl, Grób Nieznanego Żołnierza) is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, dedicated to the unknown soldiers who have given their lives for Poland. It is one of many such national tombs of unknowns that were erected af ...

References

* * Emil Noiński
Bitwa pod Kałuszynem 11-12 września 1939 roku : karta chwały oręża polskiego
, "Rocznik Mińsko-Mazowiecki", Vol. 16, 2008, pp. 43-56. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaluszyn Kaluszyn Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939) September 1939 events

Prelude

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References