Operational Group ( pl, Grupa Operacyjna, GO) was the highest level type of tactical division of the Polish Army at various points in the 20th century, mainly during the Second World War.

Polish-Bolshevik War (1919-1921)

Operational groups first appeared in the Polish tactical scheme during the Polish-Bolshevik War, most probably under the influence of

French Military Mission to Poland The French Military Mission to Poland was an effort by France to aid the nascent Second Polish Republic after it achieved its independence in November 1918, at the end of the First World War. The aim was to provide aid during the Polish-Soviet War ...

. After the war they were dissolved.

Annexation of Trans-Olza (1938)

In the autumn of 1938, the

Independent Operational Group Silesia Independent Operational Group Silesia (Polish: Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Śląsk, SGO Śląsk) was an Operational Group of the Polish Army, created in September 1938 to annex Trans-Olza (Zaolzie) from Czechoslovakia. History The Group was co ...

was created with the purpose of capturing

Trans-Olza Trans-Olza ( pl, Zaolzie, ; cs, Záolží, ''Záolší''; german: Olsa-Gebiet; Cieszyn Silesian dialect, Cieszyn Silesian: ''Zaolzi''), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia (Polish language, Polish: ''Śląsk Zaolziański''), is a territory in the ...

from

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

World War II (1939-1945)

Prior to

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 ...

, operational groups were recreated on a larger scale. Initially, in March 1939, Operational Groups consisted only of staffs formed around existing

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 ...

commands. Some groups were formed during the final mobilization of late August 1939, while others were formed during the war as strategic considerations necessitated. Most were attached to armies, several however were independent. According to the Polish mobilization scheme, they were to become mobile reserves 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 ...

and other major strategic-scale units. One such group, the Kutno Operational Group, was planned but never created Independent Operational Groups: * Independent Operational Group "Polesie" (''Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Polesie'') under gen.

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 ...

. Created around September 9th-11th. * Independent Operational Group "Narew" (''Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Narew'') under gen.

Czesław Młot-Fijałkowski Czesław Młot-Fijałkowski (1892–1944) was a Polish military officer and a brigadier general of the Polish Army. Czesław Fijałkowski was born on 14 April 1892 in Okalewo (now in Rypin County), in the Płock Governorate of Congress Poland, ...

. Created on March 23 * Operational Group "

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 ...

" (''Grupa Operacyjna Wyszków'') under gen. Wincenty Kowalski. Created on September 1. * Operational Group "

Grodno Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...

" (''Grupa Operacyjna Grodno'') under gen.

Józef Olszyna-Wilczyński Józef Konstanty Olszyna-Wilczyński (; 27 November 1890 – 22 September 1939) was a Polish people, Polish general and one of the high-ranking commanders of the Polish Army. A veteran of World War I, the Polish-Ukrainian War and the Polish-Sovi ...

. Created in early September; disbanded on September 10 before the battle of Grodno begun; most units moved towards Lwów. Cavalry Operational Groups: * Cavalry Operational Group Abraham (''Grupa Operacyjna Kawalerii Abraham'') under

Roman Abraham Roman Józef Abraham (28 February 1891, Lwów – 26 August 1976, Warsaw) was a Polish cavalry general, commander of the Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade during the German and Soviet Invasion of Poland in September 1939, and Battle of Bzura comman ...

* Cavalry Operational Group Anders (''Grupa Operacyjna Kawalerii Anders'') under gen.

Władysław Anders ) , birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders , birth_date = , birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = London, England, United Kingdom , serviceyears ...

* Cavalry Operational Group No.1 (''Grupa Operacyjna Kawalerii Nr 1'') * Cavalry Operational Group No.2 (''Grupa Operacyjna Kawalerii Nr 2'') Operational Groups formed as parts of armies: * Operational Group "Bielsko"" (''Grupa Operacyjna Bielsko'') under gen.

Mieczysław Boruta-Spiechowicz Mieczysław Ludwik Boruta-Spiechowicz (20 February 1894, in Rzeszów – 13 October 1985, in Zakopane) was a Polish military officer, a general of the Polish Army and a notable member of the post-war anti-communist opposition in Poland. He joine ...

(on September 3 renamed to Operational Group "Boruta") (''Grupa Operacyjna Boruta'') * Operational Group "Czersk" (''Grupa Operacyjna Czersk'') 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 ran ...

* Operational Group " Koło" (''Grupa Operacyjna Koło'') under gen.

Edmund Knoll-Kownacki Gen.bryg. Edmund Stanisław Knoll-Kownacki (1891–1953) was a Polish military officer and a high-ranking commander of the Polish Army. Youth Son of Kazimierz and Maria von Eynatten. After his matura exam in 1908 in Kaluga, he continued his ed ...

(on September 6 renamed to Operational Group "Knoll-Kownacki") (''Grupa Operacyjna Knoll-Kownacki'') * Operational Group " Piotrków" (''Grupa Operacyjna Piotrków'') under gen.

Wiktor Thommée Wiktor Thommée (1881–1962) was a Polish military commander and a brigadier general of the Polish Army. A veteran of the Great War and the Russian Civil War, he is best known for his command over Piotrków Operational Group and the battle of t ...

(on September 6 renamed to Operational Group "Thommée") (''Grupa Operacyjna Thommée'') * Southern Operational Group (''Południowa Grupa Operacyjna'') under gen.

Stanisław Skwarczyński Stanisław Skwarczyński (1888–1981) was a soldier of the Austro-Hungarian Army, officer of Polish Legions in World War I, and General brygady of the Polish Army. He fought in several conflicts, including World War I, Polish-Czechoslovak War, Po ...

* Northern Operational Group (''Pólnocna Grupa Operacyjna'') under gen.

Jan Kruszewski Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

* Operational Group " Sieradz" (''Grupa Operacyjna Sieradz'') under gen.

Franciszek Dindorf-Ankowicz Franciszek () is a masculine given name of Polish origin (female form Franciszka). It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, François, and Franz. People with the name include: *Edward Pfeiffer (Franciszek Edward Pfeiffer) (1895–1964), Polish gener ...

* Operational Group " Śląsk" (''Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Śląsk'') under gen.

Jan Jagmin-Sadowski Jan Jagmin-Sadowski (24 April 1895 in Grójec – 5 October 1977 in Warsaw), was a general of the Polish Army, having served in World War I as a member of Józef Piłsudski's legions, as well as commanding Polish forces during the invasion of Po ...

(on September 3 renamed to Operational Group "Jagmin" (''Grupa Operacyjna Jagmin'')) * Eastern Operational Group (''Wschodnia Grupa Operacyjna'') under gen.

Mikołaj Bołtuć Mikołaj Bołtuć (21 December 1893 in Saint Petersburg – 22 September 1939 near Łomianki) was a brigadier-general of the Polish Army, commander of the IV Polish infantry Division during World War II. He was the son of Ignacy Bołtuć, Rus ...

(on September 9 renamed to Operational Group "Bołtuć") (''Grupa Operacyjna Bołtuć'') In addition, 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 aft ...

in 1939, several other corps-sized units were formed or improvised. All of them were named after their commanding officers: # Operational Group Dreszer (''Grupa Operacyjna Dreszer'') under Rudolf Dreszer # Operational Group Orlik-Łukoski (''Grupa Operacyjn Orlik-Łukoski'') under

Kazimierz Orlik-Łukoski Kazimierz Orlik-Łukoski (13 September 1890 – 1940) was a Polish military commander and one of the Generals of the Polish Army murdered by the Soviet Union in the Katyń massacre of 1940. Life He was born Kazimierz Łukoski in 1890, in the vill ...

# Operational Group Grzmot-Skotnicki (''Grupa Operacyjna Grzmot-Skotnicki'') under

# Operational Group Kareszewicz-Tokarzewski (''Grupa Operacyjna Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski'') under

Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski Michał () is a Polish and Sorbian form of Michael and may refer to: * Michał Bajor (born 1957), Polish actor and musician * Michał Chylinski (born 1986), Polish basketball player * Michał Drzymała (1857–1937), Polish rebel * Michał Helle ...

# Operational Group Zaulauf under (''Grupa Operacyjna Zulauf'') Juliusz Zulauf

Post-World War II (1946-1947)

There were also several operational groups created by the Polish People's Army (''Ludowe Wojsko Polskie'') after the war in the years 1946-1947.

References

{{reflist

Polish-Bolshevik War (1919-1921)

Annexation of Trans-Olza (1938)

World War II (1939-1945)

Post-World War II (1946-1947)

See also

References