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The Battle of Modlin was a battle that took place during the 1939 German
Modlin fortress as seen from a satellite
- green cross marks the southern bridgehead pictured above {{DEFAULTSORT:Modlin Battles of the Invasion of Poland Sieges involving Germany Sieges involving Poland Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939) September 1939 events
]
The Battle of Modlin was a battle that took place during the 1939 German 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 beginning of the Second World War. Modlin Fortress
Modlin Fortress ( pl, Twierdza Modlin) is one of the largest 19th-century fortresses in Poland. It is located in the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in district Modlin on the Narew river, approximately 50 kilometers north of Warsaw. It was origi ...
was initially the headquarters of the Modlin Army
Modlin Army ( pl, Armia Modlin) was one of the Polish armies that took part in the Polish world war 2 defence of 1939. After heavy casualties in the battle of Mława (September 1–3), the Army was forced to abandon its positions near Warsaw aro ...
until its retreat eastwards. From 13 to 29 September 1939, it served as a defensive citadel for Polish forces under the command of General 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 ...
against assaulting 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 ...
units. The fighting was closely linked with the strategic situation of the Battle of Warsaw.
The Polish forces defending the fortress
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'' ...
included the armoured 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 ...
''Śmierć'' ("death") and the Modlin anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
battery, which was credited with shooting down more '' Luftwaffe'' planes than any other in the entire September campaign.
Fortress Modlin capitulated on 29 September, one of the last to lay down its arms in the campaign, and surrendered 24,000 troops.Zaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., Several days earlier, Rochus Misch
Rochus Misch (29 July 1917 – 5 September 2013) was a German '' Oberscharführer'' (sergeant) in the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). He was badly wounded during the Polish campaign during the first month of World ...
had attempted to negotiate the surrender of the fortress despite being wounded, an act for which he was awarded the Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia e ...
.
Soldiers of the Panzer Division Kempf
The Panzer Division "Kempf" (german: Panzer-Division "Kempf"), also ''East Prussia Panzer Formation'' (de: ''Panzerverband Ostpreußen'') was an ''ad hoc'' combined arms formation consisting of regular German Army personnel and SS. It was creat ...
committed the Massacre in Zakroczym
The Massacre in Zakroczym, Poland, took place on 28 September 1939 when, in spite of a cease-fire, soldiers of Panzerdivision Kempf stormed Polish positions at Zakroczym, where soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division were getting ready to surre ...
on 28 September 1939.
See also
* List of World War II military equipment of Poland *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
External links
Modlin fortress as seen from a satellite
- green cross marks the southern bridgehead pictured above {{DEFAULTSORT:Modlin Battles of the Invasion of Poland Sieges involving Germany Sieges involving Poland Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939) September 1939 events