The Worek Plan (or ''Operation Worek'', pl, Plan Worek, literally ''Plan Sack'') was an operation of the Polish Navy in the first days 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 ...

, in which its five submarines formed a screen in order to prevent German naval forces from carrying out landings on the Polish coast, and to attack enemy ships bombarding Polish coastal fortifications, in particular the base on the

Hel Peninsula Hel Peninsula (; pl, Mierzeja Helska, Półwysep Helski; csb, Hélskô Sztremlëzna; german: Halbinsel Hela or ''Putziger Nehrung'') is a sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is l ...

. The operation came to naught, as the Germans did not have any plans for naval landings. It caused the submarines to operate in a confined area near the shore in shallow waters, making them vulnerable to strong enemy anti-submarine forces. As a result, despite making a number of attempts, the submarines were unable to directly sink any enemy ships during the operation, although a mine placed by the ''Żbik'' did sink a German

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

. No Polish submarines were lost to enemy action, but they suffered progressive wear and tear, and technical problems, forcing the submarine commanders to break off their actions, effectively ending the operation by the middle of September 1939.

Plan

The plan was created for the five Polish submarines ''Orzeł'' (Eagle), ''Wilk'' (Wolf), ''Sęp'' (Vulture), ''Żbik'' (Wild Cat) and ''Ryś'' (Lynx) to use, in the event superior enemy surface forces took control of the Baltic Sea (the Polish surface navy consisted only of four destroyers, some minelayers, minesweepers, and gunboats). The submarines were to operate near the Polish coast, in the area of the Danzig Bay and the

. They were to conserve their limited munitions for "significant military targets" (destroyer or larger) shelling the Polish coast or attempting to land forces on it and interdict naval traffic between the German mainland and East Prussia. ''Wilk'', ''Ryś'', and ''Żbik'' were to mine the

Gulf of Danzig A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...

. The plan explicitly stated that the submarines were to act according to

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

, and single, unarmed ships had to be warned before being attacked. In the event that all Polish naval bases were overrun, the submarines were to operate in the Baltic before evacuating to Britain. If that wasn't possible, the plan called for them to seek internment in a neutral port. ''Orzeł'' was to take the position furthest inside Danzig Bay, from

Jastarnia Jastarnia ( csb, Jastarniô, german: Heisternest) is a resort town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodship, northern Poland. It is located on the Hel Peninsula on the Baltic Sea. It is a popular Polish seaside resort and small fishing port. The ...

to the estuary of 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 ...

river. East of ''Orzeł'', in the entry to the Bay, was the place for ''Wilk''. The remaining three submarines were to operate north of the Bay: ''Sęp'' was further West near Rozewie, ''Ryś'' was further east, and ''Żbik'' in the middle. They had separate areas for recharging batteries during the night: ''Orzeł'' even deeper within Danzig Bay, and the other ships north of their positions. At the beginning of September, ''Sęp'', ''Ryś'', and ''Żbik'' were at Hel, while ''Wilk'' and ''Orzel'' were in

Oksywie Oksywie (german: Oxhöft, csb, Òksëwiô) is a neighbourhood of the city of Gdynia, Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. Formerly a separate settlement, it is older than Gdynia by several centuries. Etymology Both the Polish and then Ger ...

Execution

The Worek Plan was put into action with the

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 afte ...

, after a distress call was received from the garrison at Westerplatte on the morning 1 September 1939. Several hours after hostilities started, the submarines received communications by radio to open the envelopes containing orders to implement the Worek Plan. ''Wilk'' loaded 10 torpedoes, 22 mines, and 114 100mm shells (for the deck gun) before departure. Due to heavy air activity, the submarines had to approach their positions submerged. ''Orzel'' was ordered to attack the ''

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

'', should the

pre-dreadnought Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, protec ...

leave Danzig. By the evening of the same day the last submarine (''Sęp'') arrived in its sector. On the morning of 2 September ''Wilk'' attempted an attack on the

German destroyer Z15 Erich Steinbrinck Z15 ''Erich Steinbrinck'' was a built for Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' in the mid-1930s. The ship was named after the First World War German naval officer Erich Steinbrinck. At the beginning of World War II on 1 September 1939, the ship w ...

, but was forced to withdraw after being attacked by supporting vessels. Later that day ''Sep'' launched a single torpedo at the

German destroyer Z14 Friedrich Ihn Z14 ''Friedrich Ihn'' was a built for Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' in the mid-1930s. The ship was named after the First World War German naval officer Friedrich Ihn. At the beginning of World War II, the ship was initially deployed to block ...

from 400 yards out. The torpedo missed and the destroyer dropped depth charges, severely damaging the submarine.Haar, Geirr H
The Gathering Storm
40-55. The next day the German submarine U-14 (1935) launched a torpedo at ''Sep'', but it exploded prematurely. On 4 September ''Orzels captain, Lieutenant Commander Henryk Kłoczkowski, deemed it impossible to continue with the operation in his sector, and decided to withdraw into the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

. The submarine was attacked by the German minesweepers ''M3'' and ''M4''. One depth charge exploded just above ''Orzel'', knocking out all lights and sending it crashing into the sea bed. The submarine escaped that night under the cover of darkness. Faced with an oil leak, Kłoczkowski chose to seek refuge in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

. The next day ''Wilk'' attempted to lay mines off of Hel, but was forced to abort in the face of an attack by German vessels. After this, its captain, Lieutenant Commander Krawczyk decided to withdraw northward. On 7 September the German submarine U-22 made a failed torpedo attack on the ''Żbik''. On 11 September ''Wilk'' prepared to attack the

German cruiser Admiral Hipper ''Admiral Hipper'' was the lead ship of the of heavy cruisers which served with Nazi Germany's '' Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. The ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1935 and launched February 1937; ...

, but the ship made an unexpected course change and the submarine wasn't able to proceed. Later that day, the Polish Naval Command issued an order to all of the submarines to seek British waters. ''Wilk'' surfaced off the Swedish coast. Three days later it spotted the

German destroyer Z4 Richard Beitzen The German destroyer ''Z4 Richard Beitzen'' was one of four Type 1934 destroyers built for the German Navy (''Kriegsmarine'') during the mid-1930s. Completed in 1937, the ship spent most of her time training although she did participate in the ...

and torpedo boat ''T107'' in

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width ...

. Believing ''Wilk'' to be a Swedish submarine on a

neutrality patrol On September 3, 1939, the British and French declarations of war on Germany initiated the Battle of the Atlantic. The United States Navy Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) established a combined air and ship patrol of the United States Atlantic coa ...

, the German ships didn't take any action. ''Wilk'' proceeded to withdraw through

Kattegat The Kattegat (; sv, Kattegatt ) is a sea area bounded by the Jutlandic peninsula in the west, the Danish Straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Skåne in Sweden ...

. ''Sęp'' didn't receive the order to abort the operation until 13 September. With the submarine heavily damaged, and Hel being too dangerous to return to, the crew headed for Sweden. ''Ryś'', also damaged, interned itself in Sweden on 18 September. ''Żbik'' followed suit on 25 September. On 1 October one of the mines ''Żbik'' had laid sank the German

M-85 with a loss of all 24 hands.

Aftermath

''Orzeł'' docked in

on the night of 14 September for rest and repairs (international law allowed 24 hours before the ship was to be

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

). Under German pressure the Estonians interned the submarine and its crew. In an event known as the ''

Orzeł incident The ''Orzeł'' incident occurred at the beginning of World War II in September 1939, when the interned Polish submarine escaped from Tallinn, in neutral Estonia, to the United Kingdom. The Stalinist Soviet Union used the incident as one of ...

'', the crew reassumed control of their vessel and escaped into the Baltic. After several fruitless weeks at sea, the submarine reached the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

on 14 October. ''Orzel'' went missing in 1940. ''Sęp'' surfaced outside of Stockholm on 17 September and was from then on interned. ''Ryś'', damaged and unable to engage Germans units, eventually was interned in a Swedish port from 18 September. ''Wilk'' successfully navigated the

Danish straits The Danish straits are the straits connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea through the Kattegat and Skagerrak. Historically, the Danish straits were internal waterways of Denmark; however, following territorial losses, Øresund and Fehmarn B ...

and arrived in the

on 20 September. The submarine survived the war. ''Żbik'' was low on provisions and the crew interned the submarine in a Swedish port on 25 September.

Assessment

The Germans had no intention to carry out the landings which the Worek Plan was designed to oppose. However an operational plan failed mainly due to its pure defensive nature, as an opposite to the aggressive - pure offensive nature of submarines, by their characteristics not intended and prepared to fulfill defensive roles.Andrzej Makowski: ''Dywizjon okrętów podwodnych Polskiej Marynarki Wojennej w kampanii wrześniowej. Ocena operacyjno-taktycznego użycia. „Studia z Dziejów Polskiej Historiografii Wojskowej''. 13, 2012. WIH UAM w Poznaniu. ISSN 1234-2041 According to contemporary research, Polish submarine campaign in September 1939 failed, due to misunderstanding of nature of modern submarine warfare in high command of Polish Navy, particularly by Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Naval Command vice admiral

Józef Unrug Józef Unrug (; 7 October 1884 – 28 February 1973) was a Polish admiral who helped reestablish Poland's navy after World War I. During the opening stages of World War II, he served as the Polish Navy's commander-in-chief. As a German POW, he ...

, who refused to accept any of a few offensive operational plans prepared by the Chief of Submarine Squadron commander Aleksander Mohuczy. One of them, and the best known today, was an offensive operational plan codenamed Burza (Thunderstorm), that assumed independent search of targets, free maneuvering and attacking enemy ships and transports between

Świnoujście Świnoujście (; german: Swinemünde ; nds, Swienemünn; all three meaning "Świna ivermouth"; csb, Swina) is a city and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, located in the extreme north-west of Poland. Situated mainly on the islands o ...

(german: Swinemünde) and East Prussia. In consideration and planning was also plan of actions on the sea routes between harbors of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

port Luleå As a result, Polish submarines deployed along Polish coast, in proximity to their own naval base, were deprived of chances to find targets – while they were exposed there to operations of German air and light naval antisubmarine units. Therefore, although no Polish submarine was sunk in this stage of war, the operation had no discernible impact on the September campaign.

Notes

References