29th Grodno Infantry Division (Polish: ''29 Grodzienska Dywizja Piechoty'') was a unit of the Polish Army during the interbellum period. It was created in early 1920s, after the army of

Republic of Central Lithuania The Republic of Central Lithuania ( pl, Republika Litwy Środkowej, ), commonly known as the Central Lithuania, and the Middle Lithuania ( pl, Litwa Środkowa, , be, Сярэдняя Літва, translit=Siaredniaja Litva), was an unrecognize ...

was absorbed by the Polish Army. The newly created unit took over regiments that had been part of

1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

The 29th I.D. was stationed in

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 ...

, with one regiment garrisoned in Suwałki. It consisted of these units: * 41st Suwałki Infantry Regiment of Marshall Józef Piłsudski, stationed in Suwałki, * 76th Lida Infantry Regiment of

Ludwik Narbutt Ludwik Narbutt ( lt, Liudvikas Narbutas) (26 August 1832 - 5 May 1863) was a Lithuanians, Lithuanian szlachta, noble and a notable military commander during the January Uprising. Son of Teodor Narbutt, he led a large unit of Polish insurgents in t ...

, stationed in Grodno, * 81st Grodno Rifles Regiment of King Stefan Batory, stationed in Grodno, * 29th Light Artillery Regiment, stationed in Grodno.

Polish September Campaign

In August 1939 the Division, under Colonel

Ignacy Oziewicz Ignacy Oziewicz, pseudonyms: "Czesław", "Czesławski", "Netta", "Jenczewski" (7 May 1887 – 10 January 1966) was a colonel of the Polish Army and a commandant of the National Armed Forces from 1942 to 1943. Biography Early life and mil ...

, was transferred to the reserve Prusy Army of General

Stefan Dąb-Biernacki Stefan Dąb-Biernacki (7 January 1890 – 9 February 1959) was a Polish commander who served as the commander of the Prusy Army during the invasion of Poland in 1939. Early career He was a member of the Polish Legions in World War I, and he late ...

. On September 1, first day of the war, it unloaded from trains in the area of

Skierniewice Skierniewice is a city in central Poland with 47,031 inhabitants (2021), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), previously capital of Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Skierniewice County. The town is situate ...

. Then, it marched towards

Rawa Mazowiecka Rawa Mazowiecka is a town in central Poland, with 17,193 inhabitants (2020). It lies in the Łódź Voivodeship and is the capital of the Rawa County. From 1562 the city hosted the ''Rawa Treasury'' for the Polish army. During an excavation in 1 ...

and on September 3, it took up defensive positions along the Pilica. On September 5, German 1st Panzer Division, after crushing regiments of the

Polish 19th Infantry Division The 19th Infantry Division ( pl, 19 Dywizja Piechoty, lt, 19-oji Pėstininkų Divizija) of the Polish Army was established in 1923 after the incorporation of Central Lithuania into Poland. It was part of the Prusy Army during the German-led Invasi ...

, advanced towards Tomaszów Mazowiecki. At that moment, commandant of the Prusy Army, unaware of the situation, was planning to counterattack the Germans, which was supposed to take place on the night of September 5–6. However, on September 5, at 9 pm, commander in chief of the Polish Army informed him to withdraw north of Piotrków Trybunalski. This order did not reach all Polish units, and the 76th Lida Infantry Regiment attacked the Germans, managing to capture a village. Soon afterwards, Polish advance was stopped. Other regiments of the Division also attacked the Germans, along the road from Piotrkow to Radomsko and fighting with bayonets. In the course of the time, however, the Wehrmacht resistance stiffened and, supported by artillery and tanks, the Germans counterattacked at 6 am on September 6. After bloody skirmishes, most Polish soldiers died, those who survived retreated to the forests in the area of Koło. On September 7, the Division continued withdrawal eastwards, to the

Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...

. However, it was destroyed by the German 13th Motorized Division and ceased to exist as an organized unit. Last groups of soldiers crossed the Vistula near

Dęblin Dęblin is a town at the confluence of Vistula and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki and Puławy, which altogether has over 100 000 inhabitants. The population of ...

by September 13.

References

{{Reflist 29th 29th

Polish September Campaign

See also

References