Independent Operational Group
Polesie
Polesia, Polesie, or Polesye, uk, Полісся (Polissia), pl, Polesie, russian: Полесье (Polesye) is a natural and historical region that starts from the farthest edge of Central Europe and encompasses Eastern Europe, including East ...
(''Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Polesie'', SGO Polesie) was one of the
Polish Army Corps
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
(
Operational Group
{{Unreferenced, date=October 2008
Operational Group ( pl, Grupa Operacyjna, abbreviated GO) was the highest level of tactical division of the Polish Army before and during World War II and the invasion of Poland. It was corps-sized, although variou ...
s) that defended Poland 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 ...
in 1939. It was created on 11 September 1939 and was commanded by general
Franciszek Kleeberg
Franciszek Kleeberg (1 February 1888, in Tarnopol – 5 April 1941, near Dresden) was a Polish general. He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army before joining the Polish Legions in World War I and later the Polish Army. During the German Invasion ...
. The SGO is most notable for fighting in the
battle of Kock, the last battle 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 af ...
.
[Stanley S.Seidner, Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland, New York, 1978.][WIEM Encyklopedia]
Tasks
The SGO was created on the orders of the Polish Commander in Chief on 9 and 11 September due to German breakthroughs and was tasked with defending the region of
Polesie
Polesia, Polesie, or Polesye, uk, Полісся (Polissia), pl, Polesie, russian: Полесье (Polesye) is a natural and historical region that starts from the farthest edge of Central Europe and encompasses Eastern Europe, including East ...
(see also
Polesie Voivodeship), defined by the lines of
Muchawiec and
Prypeć rivers, with the towns of
Brześć
Brest ( be, Брэст / Берасьце, Bieraście, ; russian: Брест, ; uk, Берестя, Berestia; lt, Brasta; pl, Brześć; yi, בריסק, Brisk), formerly Brest-Litovsk (russian: Брест-Литовск, lit=Lithuanian Br ...
(Brest) and
Pińsk (where the SGO HQ was located). The SGO was to prevent Polish forces in central Poland from being encircled from the east.
[Stanley S.Seidner, ''Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland'', New York, 1978.]
Operational history
From 14 September the units of the SGO faced the German
XIX Panzer Corps under
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 ...
. The forces under general
Konstanty Plisowski defended the town of Brześć (Brest) from 16 to 19 September while the forces under colonel
Adam Epler defended Kobryń from 16 to 18 September.
After the
Soviet invasion of Poland on September 17, Kleeberg at first followed orders from Polish High Command and retreated towards the
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n border (see
Romanian Bridgehead
__NOTOC__
The Romanian Bridgehead ( pl, Przedmoście rumuńskie; ro, Capul de pod român) was an area in southeastern Poland that is now located in Ukraine. During the invasion of Poland in 1939 at the start of the Second World War), the Polish ...
). On 22 September, cut off from his superiors, he decided to aid
besieged Warsaw. As they were running low on supplies, Kleeberg decided to recapture the town of
Dęblin, where the Polish Army had large stores of supplies.
On 28 September Warsaw capitulated; Kleeberg - at that time having crossed the
Bug river
uk, Західний Буг be, Захо́дні Буг
, name_etymology =
, image = Wyszkow_Bug.jpg
, image_size = 250
, image_caption = Bug River in the vicinity of Wyszków, Poland
, map = Vi ...
near
Włodawa
Włodawa (; yi, וולאָדאַווע, Vlodave; ua, Володава, Volodava) is a town in eastern Poland on the Bug River, close to the borders with Belarus and Ukraine. It is the seat of Włodawa County, situated in the Lublin Voivode ...
- decided that the units would advance west and organize large scale
partisan warfare from local forest complexes near
Świętokrzyskie Mountains
The Świętokrzyskie Mountains ( pl, Góry Świętokrzyskie, ), often anglicized to Holy Cross Mountains, are a mountain range in central Poland, near the city of Kielce.
The Świętokrzyskie Mountains are some of the oldest mountains in Europ ...
. In the days of 29–30 September the units were engaged by the Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
but were able to defeat them. From 2 October the SGO, at that point the last organized regular unit of the Polish Army, fought against the German forces of
XIV Mechanized Corps in the
battle of Kock. Despite immense German numerical superiority, the Polish forces were able to score several tactical victories; however they were increasingly running low on supplies, including ammunition. Hence on 5 October Kleeberg decided to
capitulate; the fighting ended in the early hours of October 6.
He was the last Polish general to capitulate in the Polish Defensive War; he is also considered one of the few Polish generals of the September 1939 campaign to have not been defeated in battle (along with Gen. Maczek).
Not all of the Polesie Group soldiers capitulated; many dispersed and continued guerrilla warfare, most notably major
Henryk Dobrzański and his
Detached Unit of the Polish Army, which is credited with being the first Polish partisan unit and was active until the spring of 1940.
Organization
The SGO was commanded by general
Franciszek Kleeberg
Franciszek Kleeberg (1 February 1888, in Tarnopol – 5 April 1941, near Dresden) was a Polish general. He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army before joining the Polish Legions in World War I and later the Polish Army. During the German Invasion ...
, his chief of staff was colonel M. Łapicki. Kleeberg was tasked with organizing his group from various small units in the Polesie region; most of them were either reserve and mobilizing or second line such as the
National Defense units; the notable exception were the elite
Border Protection Corps
The Border Protection Corps ( pl, Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza, KOP) was a military formation of the Second Polish Republic that was created in 1924 to defend the country's eastern borders against armed Soviet incursions and local bandits. Other b ...
(KOP) units and the
Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy
The Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy ( pl, Flotylla Rzeczna Marynarki Wojennej), better known as the ''Pinsk Flotilla'', was the inland branch of the Polish Navy operating on the Vistula river and in the area of the Pinsk Marshes (Dnieper� ...
.
On 14 September, when the group was engaged by German forces, it was composed of:
* "Kobryń Group" (seven infantry battalions) - under col.
Adam Epler
* "Brześć Group" (five infantry battalions, two light tank companies, two armored trains under gen.
Konstanty Plisowski
* "Drohiczyn Poleski Group" (three infantry battalions) - under col.
Kazimierz Gorzkowski
* "Jasiołda Group" (one infantry battalion) - under mjr
Ludwik Rau
*
Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy
The Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy ( pl, Flotylla Rzeczna Marynarki Wojennej), better known as the ''Pinsk Flotilla'', was the inland branch of the Polish Navy operating on the Vistula river and in the area of the Pinsk Marshes (Dnieper� ...
Over the next two weeks the group sustained casualties but it was also reinforced by various units from the disintegrating Polish army, including defenders of the
Sarny Fortified Area. The total strength of the SGO was 18,000 soldiers.
On 29 September, after reorganization, the group was composed of:
*
Polish 50th Infantry Division (reserve, later nicknamed "Brzoza" after its commander) under col.
Ottokar Brzoza-Brzezina
*
Polish 60th Infantry Division (reserve, later nicknamed "Kobryń") under col.
Adam Epler
*
Improvised Cavalry Division "Zaza" (pl) (improvised, nicknamed "Zaza") under gen.
Zygmunt Podhorski Zygmunt Podhorski ( nom de guerre Zaza; May 25, 1891 – September 12, 1960) was Brigadier General of the Polish Army. Born May 25, 1891, Podhorski fought in World War I (in the Russian Imperial Army), Polish–Soviet War and the Invasion of Poland ...
(mostly based on
Podlaska Cavalry Brigade The Podlaska Cavalry Brigade (Polish: ''Podlaska Brygada Kawalerii'') was a military unit of the Polish Army, created on April 1, 1937. Its headquarters were in Białystok, and it was based on the ''Cavalry Brigade Białystok'', existing between Feb ...
and
Suwalska Cavalry Brigade from
Independent Operational Group Narew
Independent Operational Group Narew (''Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Narew'', SGO Narew) was one of the Polish Army Corps (Operational Groups) that defended Poland during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. It was created on 23 March 1939 and was com ...
)
Notes
a
Stanisław Maczek
Lieutenant General Stanisław Maczek (; 31 March 1892 – 11 December 1994) was a Polish tank commander of World War II, whose division was instrumental in the Allied liberation of France, closing the Falaise pocket, resulting in the destructio ...
, another Polish commander with the reputation of being undefeated, was promoted from colonel to general in November 1939 after his
10. Cavalry Brigade AKA "Die Schwarze Brigade" – "The Black Brigade", a fully motorized and mechanized unit, outperformed any other such unit (including tank brigades) in the Polish military. The unit was recreated in France in 1940 and fought in 1944 and 1945 alongside the British (
Polish Armed Forces in the West
The Polish Armed Forces in the West () refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II. Polish forces were also raised within Soviet territories; th ...
).
References
:Inline:
:General:
Armie i samodzielne grupy operacyjne Wojska Polskiego 1939 WIEM 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 ...
Inne związki operacyjne Wojska Polskiego powstałe po 1 września 1939
Further reading
*Seidner, Stanley S. ''Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland'', New York, 1978.
*Jan Wróblewski, ''Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Polesie 1939'', MON, 1989,
External links
Final Order of General Keeberg to his soldiers
{{Authority control
Polesie
Polesia, Polesie, or Polesye, uk, Полісся (Polissia), pl, Polesie, russian: Полесье (Polesye) is a natural and historical region that starts from the farthest edge of Central Europe and encompasses Eastern Europe, including East ...
Military units and formations of Poland in World War II
Military units and formations established in 1939
Soviet invasion of Poland