The Hel Fortified Area ( pl, Rejon Umocniony Hel) was a set of
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
fortification
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...
s, constructed on the
Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula (; pl, Mierzeja Helska, Półwysep Helski; csb, Hélskô Sztremlëzna; german: Halbinsel Hela or ''Putziger Nehrung'') is a sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is l ...
in northern Poland, in close proximity to the
interwar
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...
border of Poland and the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. It was created in 1936, upon a decree of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Ignacy Mościcki. It covered most part of the peninsula, and during
Polish September Campaign
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 ...
, it was the last place of Poland to surrender to the invading
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
(for more information, see
Battle of Hel). During World War II, the naval base in Hel was used as a major training facility for
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
crews.
History
![Cañón militar, Hel, Polonia, 2013-05-23, DD 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Ca%C3%B1%C3%B3n_militar%2C_Hel%2C_Polonia%2C_2013-05-23%2C_DD_01.jpg)
After Poland regained independence in autumn 1918, and the
symbolic wedding ceremony with the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
by units of the
Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...
under General
Józef Haller de Hallenburg (
Puck, 10 February 1920), Polish military authorities began preparations of a fortified army garrison along the coast. As early as 22 July 1920 General
Kazimierz Sosnkowski
General Kazimierz Sosnkowski (; Warsaw, 19 November 1885 – 11 October 1969, Arundel, Quebec) was a Polish independence fighter, general, diplomat, and architect.
He was a major political figure and an accomplished commander, notable in p ...
ordered construction of a strategic rail line which ran from Puck, through
Wladyslawowo, to
Hel. The line was completed in 1921, together with telegraph connection, by the
logistics
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
units of the Polish Army. A road was constructed along the line.
In 1931, Polish Army began the construction of the naval base in Hel. At the same time, the tip of the peninsula, from
Jurata
Jurata is a settlement and seaside resort in northern Poland, located on the Hel Peninsula in a forested area between the towns of Jastarnia and Hel in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
History
Jurata was esta ...
to Hel, was placed under military administration. Construction of new houses and tourist facilities was forbidden, movement of civilians was strictly limited. These regulations were strengthened by the decree of President
Ignacy Mościcki, signed on 21 August 1936, which officially created the Hel Fortified Area.
Soon afterwards large-scale works began. A network of rail connections, mostly narrow-gauge, was built, together with concrete-strengthened artillery positions. Armaments and military equipment were brought. The Army started modernization of the naval base at Hel. The base, designed by Wlodzimierz Szawernowski, had been built in 1931, by a Polish-French Enterprise in a location known as Stary Hel (Old Hel). An underground power plant was placed some 1.5 kilometers north of the port, also in adjacent forests, shelters for ammunition, mines and torpedoes were built. An underground petroleum storage reservoir was constructed, with a pipeline to the port. Even though the Hel Fortified Area was not officially created until 1936, Polish Army had been purchasing equipment for it earlier. In July 1935, four
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
-made
Bofors gun
AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms concern BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years.
History
Located i ...
s (152 mm) were bought and brought to
Gdynia
Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...
aboard transport ship ORP ''Wilia''. Transported to Hel by train, the guns were mounted in October 1935.
World War II and postwar
Units of the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
approached the peninsula on 9 September 1939. Hel, manned by some 2000 Polish soldiers, was the longest-defended pocket of the Polish Army during the whole campaign.
[ Cut off from the mainland on 14 September and shelled with 280 millimeter guns, it surrendered on 1 October 1939 after a fierce defense, during which many German planes were shot down. Some sources, such as ''Dictionary of Battles and Sieges'', put the date of surrender on 2 October 1939.][Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O By Tony Jaques, page 441]
/ref>
During the German occupation of Poland, Hel, reverting to its German name of Hela, was a major training facility of U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
crews. Almost immediately after cessation of hostilities, the Germans began further construction work on the base. Among others, the Schleswig-Holstein battery was built for three 40.6 cm SK C/34 guns ("Adolf guns"). These guns fired shells of up to 1030 kilograms, and their range was up to 56 kilometers. Toward the end of the war, the Germans began construction of an airfield, but it was never completed. The Wehrmacht also installed Würzburg-Riese radar stations, as Hela was supposed to defend the main naval port of Gdynia, renamed ''Gotenhafen''. On the night of 3–4 April 1945, the Germans carried out Operation Walpurgisnacht, during which thousands of soldiers and refugees were transported from Gdynia to Hela. The German soldiers on the peninsula repelled several Soviet attacks and surrendered on 14 May 1945, six days after Germany had capitulated.
In the Polish People's Republic
The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million ne ...
, Hel did not lose its strategic importance. The peninsula was among the most protected military bases of the country. The base was rebuilt and strengthened, with Soviet-made guns of 130 mm. As time went on, new military doctrine reduced the value of coastal artillery. Because of that, all coastal batteries in Poland were decommissioned. Everything that remained was in 1999 designated as military monuments.
Currently
Entry to some areas of the Hel Fortified Area is restricted by the military, but most places are open to tourists. Among the most notable monuments are:
* Laskowski battery number 1 (1935), where in late 1930s, four Bofors
AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms concern BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years.
History
Located ...
152 mm guns were placed. In 1948, the battery was redone, its name was changed to 13 BAS, and Soviet-made B-13 130 mm naval guns were mounted. One of these guns can still be seen,
* battery number 21 (1935), where 2 Schneider 75 mm guns were placed,
* post of four Soviet-made B-34U 100 mm guns (1955), with one of them still located there,
* six posts of the Schleswig-Holstein battery. They were built by the Germans in 1940. Made of reinforced concrete, they displayed three 40,6 centimeter guns SK C/34 "Adolf". Together with posts, bunkers, observation tower, and magazines for ammunition were built,
* battery number 31 – located at the headland,
* battery number 33 ("Greek") (originally two field guns Schneider 105 mm), in mid-distance from Hel to Jurata
Jurata is a settlement and seaside resort in northern Poland, located on the Hel Peninsula in a forested area between the towns of Jastarnia and Hel in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
History
Jurata was esta ...
,
* battery number 32 ("Danish") (originally two field guns Schneider 105 mm), at northern tip of the town of Hel,
* battery number 41, west of Jastarnia, aimed at the Gdańsk Bay
Gdańsk Bay or the Gulf of Gdańsk ( pl, Zatoka Gdańska; csb, Gduńskô Hôwinga; russian: Гданьская бухта, Gdan'skaja bukhta, and german: Danziger Bucht) is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent por ...
,
* battery number 42, east of Jastarnia, aimed at the Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
,
* battery number 43, near the port of Władysławowo
Władysławowo ( Kashubian/ Pomeranian: ''Wiôlgô Wies'', german: Großendorf) is a city on the south coast of the Baltic Sea in Kashubia in the Pomerelia region, northern Poland, with 15,015 (2009) inhabitants.
History
In 1634 engineer Fryd ...
, on 8 September 1939, moved to Chałupy,
* in Jastarnia
Jastarnia ( csb, Jastarniô, german: Heisternest) is a resort town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodship, northern Poland. It is located on the Hel Peninsula on the Baltic Sea. It is a popular Polish seaside resort and small fishing port.
The ...
, there are four bunkers of the main Polish line of land defence. These bunkers are named ''Sokół'', ''Sabała
Sabała or Sablik (born Jan Krzeptowski né Gąsienica; 1809-1894) was a Goral amateur musician, storyteller and folk singer active in or around the Tatra Mountains. A friend to many renowned Polish artists of the late 19th century, he is featur ...
'', ''Saragossa'', and ''Sęp''.
In 1999, the fortifications of Hel were added to the Polish military monuments register.
All information about Hel and it's Fortified Area you can find in Hel Tourist Guide (in English), 2019 year, ISBN 978-83-65092-30-4.
See also
*Sarny Fortified Area
Sarny Fortified Area (known in Polish in several names: ''Sarneński Rejon Umocniony'', ''Sarneński Odcinek Umocniony'', ''Bastion Polesie'') was a line of bunkers and trenches along both sides of the Sluch River, in the area of the town of Sarn ...
* Fortified Area of Silesia
The Fortified Area of Silesia ( pl, Obszar Warowny Śląsk) was a set of Second Polish Republic, Polish fortifications, constructed along the interbellum border of Poland and Weimar Republic, Germany in the area of then-divided Upper Silesia. It ...
References
External links
Remnants of the German Schleswig—Holstein battery
{{coord, 54, 37, N, 18, 47, E, region:PL_type:city, display=title
1936 establishments in Poland
Borders of Poland
Invasion of Poland
1939 in Poland
Military history of Poland during World War II
Military operations involving Poland
World War II defensive lines
World War II sites in Poland
Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919–1939)