The Battle of Łomianki was a part of the opening campaign of

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 opposing ...

during the 1939

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 ...

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 ...

, fought between

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 ...

and

forces. It was a failed counter-offensive attempt by the Polish forces.

Background

After the defeat of two Polish Armies in the

Battle of Bzura The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was the largest Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.''The Second World War: An Illustrated History '', Putnam, 1975, Google Print snippet ...

, except for a few units, all Polish divisions and brigades were cut off in the Western Poland. They had no choice, but to withdraw to

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 o ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. A couple divisions and brigades did successfully reach Warsaw, but majority was halted by the Germans who were about to close the ring around the Polish capital. Around 5,000 Polish soldiers and officers led by General

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 ...

decided to fight by

Łomianki Łomianki is a town in Warsaw West County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. It had a population of 16,374 in 2008, and 24,328 in 2016. It is part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. It was the site of the Battle of Łomianki between Polish and German ...

Battle

The Poles were opposed by 3 German infantry divisions who dug in. In spite of the low odds of success, a combined assault of the Polish infantry, cavalry, and police did find a weak spot and penetrated the 1st line of the German defenses. However, afterward, the Poles made no progress.

Aftermath

800 Poles ended up dead. Moreover, 4,000 were seriously wounded. Only about 200 men survived the battle suffering only minor injuries. General

, the commanding officer was killed by sniper fire while leading the charge. The German losses are unknown.Apoloniusz Zawilski: Bitwy polskiego września. Kraków: ZNAK, 2009, s. 617. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lomianki, battle of Battles of the Invasion of Poland World War II sites in Poland World War II sites of Nazi Germany Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939)

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References