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The Battle of Tuchola Forest (german: Schlacht in der Tucheler Heide, pl, Bitwa w Borach Tucholskich) was one of the first battles of
Google Print
/ref> The battle was fought against the judgment of General Władysław Bortnowski, the commander of Army Pomerania, who believed the Corridor to be a very poor defensive position and had repeatedly asked for permission to withdraw his forces from it.
/ref> Polish forces in the theater comprised elements of the Pomeranian Army: Polish 9th Infantry Division, 9th Infantry Division under colonel Józef Werobej, the 27th Infantry DivisionZaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., under general
By 5 September the Germans had in large part completed their takeover of the Polish Corridor. At that point some German forces moved to erase isolated pockets of Polish resistance further north in fortified areas on the Baltic Coast, while others continued their push south-east, deeper into Polish territory.
On 6 September,
Google Print, p.6
/ref> About two-thirds of ''Armia Pomorze'' (Army Pomerania) survived the battle, regrouped, and were reconstituted under ''Armia Poznań'' (Army Poznań) in time to fight in the Polish counteroffensive at the Battle of the Bzura .
Battle of Tuchola Forest
at www.1939.pl {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuchola Forest, Battle of Conflicts in 1939 1939 in Poland
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, during 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 af ...
. The battle occurred from 1 September to 5 September 1939 and resulted in a major German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
victory. Poor Polish command and control
Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization o ...
, as well as German numerical and tactical superiority, allowed the Germans to manage to cripple Poland's Army Pomerania and, by breaking through the Polish Corridor, to connect mainland Germany 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 ...
.Christer Jörgensen Christer or Krister are varieties of the masculine given name Kristian, derived from the Latin name ''Christianus'', which in turn comes from the Greek word ''khristianós'', which means "follower of Christ".
The name, written in its two variants ...
, Chris Mann, ''Strategy and Tactics: Tank Warfare'', Zenith Imprint, 2001, , p. 35Google Print
/ref> The battle was fought against the judgment of General Władysław Bortnowski, the commander of Army Pomerania, who believed the Corridor to be a very poor defensive position and had repeatedly asked for permission to withdraw his forces from it.
Prelude
Tuchola Forest
The Tuchola Forest, also known as Tuchola Pinewoods or Tuchola Conifer Woods, (the latter a literal translation of pl, Bory Tucholskie; csb, Tëchòlsczé Bòrë; german: Tuchler or Tucheler Heide) is a large forest complex near the town of Tuch ...
( pl, Bory Tucholskie, german: Tucheler Heide) in Westprussia, since 1920 Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...
in the Polish Corridor, is a large area of mostly forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
. Its difficult terrain was thought by the Polish high command as a good defensive position. However, the Germans had held their ''Truppenübungsplatz Gruppe'' military exercises in the area until 1919, and were therefore familiar with it, and furthermore General Heinz Guderian
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in th ...
had been born in nearby Chełmno).Heinz Guderian
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in th ...
: Erinnerungen eines Soldaten, ''"Ich hatte am 3.9 ... meinen Sohn Kurt wiedergesehen und mich dabei an den Türmen von Kulm, meiner Geburtsstadt, erfreut, die vom Ostufer der Weichsel herüberwinkten. Am 4.9 ... bei ihren Waldgefechten und endete auf dem alten deutschen Truppenübungsplatz Gruppe westlich Graudenz."'', 195/ref> Polish forces in the theater comprised elements of the Pomeranian Army: Polish 9th Infantry Division, 9th Infantry Division under colonel Józef Werobej, the 27th Infantry DivisionZaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., under general
Juliusz Drapella
Juliusz Alfred Drapella was a Polish brigadier general of the Polish Armed Forces who was most notable during his service in World War II.
Biography
Juliusz Alfred Drapella was born on November 3, 1886, in Wieprz, to the family of Ludwik Drapella ...
, and Czersk Operational Group Czersk Operational Group ( pl, Grupa Operacyjna Czersk, otherwise known as ''Shielding Group Czersk''; named after the town of Czersk, Poland) was an Operational Group (a type of tactical military unit) of the Polish Army. Formed in 1939 under the n ...
under gen. Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki
Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki (; 13 January 1894 – 19 September 1939) was a Polish military commander and a general of the Polish Army. During the invasion of Poland of 1939 he commanded the Czersk Operational Group and was among the highest r ...
.
German forces in the theater were composed of elements of the 4th German Army under general Günther von Kluge, specifically 19th Panzer Corps
The XIX Army Corps ( German: ''XIX. Armeekorps'') was an armored corps of the German Wehrmacht between 1 July 1939 and 16 November 1940, when the unit was renamed Panzer Group 2 (German: ''Panzergruppe 2'') and later 2nd Panzer Army (German: ''2. ...
(commanded by general Heinz Guderian
Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in th ...
), and 2nd Army Corps under general Adolf Strauß. Those units were based in Western Pomerania
Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, West ...
west of the corridor.
19th Panzer Corps consisted of the 2nd Motorized Division under general Paul Bader, the 20th Motorized Division under general Mauritz von Wiktorin and the 3rd Panzer Division under general Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg. 2nd Army Corps was composed of two infantry divisions: the 3rd Infantry Division under general Walter Lichel
__NOTOC__
Walter Lichel (1 May 1885 – 10 December 1969) was a German general during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Lichel surrendered to the Allied troops in 1945 and was held until 1947.
...
and 32nd Infantry Division under general Franz Böhme.
Battle
Despite several tactical Polish victories, including the successfulcavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...
charge at Krojanty on 1 September, and the destruction of a German armored train
An armoured train is a railway train protected with armour. Armoured trains usually include railway wagons armed with artillery, machine guns and autocannons. Some also had slits used to fire small arms from the inside of the train, a facili ...
near Chojnice, the German armies were able to advance quickly. Not all Polish forces were in position by 1 September and the rapid German advance generated confusion in the Polish ranks. In addition, communications problems prevented cohesive action on the part of the scattered Polish forces. The Poles were soon forced to abandon plans for a counterattack and retreated, pursued by more mobile German motorized and armored troops. The German forces had a significant amount of armor support, including over 300 tanks commanded by the famous panzer expert Guderian.
Most Polish units were surrounded by 3 September. Some were destroyed, while others managed to break through towards 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 mor ...
.
Aftermath
By 5 September the Germans had in large part completed their takeover of the Polish Corridor. At that point some German forces moved to erase isolated pockets of Polish resistance further north in fortified areas on the Baltic Coast, while others continued their push south-east, deeper into Polish territory.
On 6 September, Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...
visited Guderian and congratulated him on his swift progress. Martin Gilbert, ''The Second World War: A Complete History'', Owl Books, 2004,Google Print, p.6
/ref> About two-thirds of ''Armia Pomorze'' (Army Pomerania) survived the battle, regrouped, and were reconstituted under ''Armia Poznań'' (Army Poznań) in time to fight in the Polish counteroffensive at the Battle of the Bzura .
Order of battle
Polish
German
See also
*List of World War II military equipment of Poland Polish Armament in 1939–45 article is a list of equipment used by Polish army before and during the Invasion of Poland, foreign service in British Commonwealth forces and last campaign to Germany with the Red Army in 1945.
Aircraft
Local de ...
* List of German military equipment of World War II
The following is a list of German military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. World War II was a global war that was under way by 1939 and ended in 1945. Following political instability build-up in Europe from ...
References
Further reading
*Steven J. 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 (New York), Union College and a master's degree at Columbia University, both in history.
He ...
, ''Polish Army, 1939–1945'', Osprey Publishing, 1982, External links
*Battle of Tuchola Forest
at www.1939.pl {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuchola Forest, Battle of Conflicts in 1939 1939 in Poland
Tuchola Forest
The Tuchola Forest, also known as Tuchola Pinewoods or Tuchola Conifer Woods, (the latter a literal translation of pl, Bory Tucholskie; csb, Tëchòlsczé Bòrë; german: Tuchler or Tucheler Heide) is a large forest complex near the town of Tuch ...
Battles of World War II involving Germany
Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919–1939)
September 1939 events