The Battle of Przemyśl took place between 11 and 14 September 1939, during the German

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

. The

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

garrison of the former Austrian fortress of

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

(see Przemyśl Fortress) managed to halt the advance of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

for three days. The city surrendered on 14 September.

Background

In the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

, Przemyśl was an important military garrison, with the headquarters of 9th Military District of the Polish Army stationed here (commandant: General Wacław Scaevola-Wieczorkiewicz). Furthermore, Przemyśl was home to the 38th

Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

Rifles Infantry Regiment, which was part of the 24th Infantry Division. In the first days of the German

, the 24th Infantry Division remained in reserve of Polish Commander-in-Chief. On 3 September it was attached to

Operational Group Operational Group (, 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 Polis ...

Jasło Jasło is a county town in south-eastern Poland with 36,641 inhabitants, as of 31 December 2012. It is situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), and it was previously part of Krosno Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is located in Lesser ...

, part of Karpaty Army. The division was loaded on trains, and transported to

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...

and Dębica. In the second week of September 1939, the frontline approached the San river, which was defended by troops of General Scaevola-Wieczorkiewicz. His forces, however, were inadequate to defend an extended line, in addition the water level in the river was very low due to hot and dry summer of 1939, and the advancing

units were able to cross the San without difficulty. On 8 September General Kazimierz Fabrycy ordered preparation for the defence of Przemyśl. Polish forces in the city were commanded by General Jan Chmurowicz, his chief of staff was Major Michal Gulcz. Military commandant of Przemyśl was Colonel Mieczyslaw Sokol-Szahin. On the night of 8–9 September, Polish soldiers manned two defensive lines. Two infantry battalions with 7 cannons defended the district of Zasanie, and their task was to keep their positions on nearby hills until forces of 11th Infantry Division, fighting the Wehrmacht near Dubiecko, reached the safety of the fortress. Second line of defence was temporarily manned by one infantry battalion. Road bridge over the San was ready to be blown up, while rail bridge was barricaded with freight cars and barbed wire. Since the beginning of the campaign, Przemyśl was bombed by the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

. On 7 and 8 September two raids brought widespread destruction and losses. On 8 September two platoons of anti-aircraft guns were brought to Przemyśl from

Krosno Krosno (in full ''The Royal Free City of Krosno'', ) is a historical town and Krosno County, county in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in southeastern Poland. The estimated population of the town is 47,140 inhabitants as of 2014. The functional ...

and Sanok, but on 10 September both platoons were transported to

Battle

On 9 September, the evacuation of civil servants began. In the evening of that day, members of paramilitary organization Strzelec marched towards Lwów, and on 10 September the offices of 9th Military District were evacuated. Due to the chaotic situation in the city, the army was obliged to use military police to reintroduce order in Przemyśl. The situation was worsened by masses of refugees from western Poland and thousands of soldiers whose units had been wiped out by the Germans. On the morning of 10 September, the German 4th Light Division reached the San near Radymno, and after a short skirmish with weak Polish forces, crossed the river. Next the Germans captured

Jarosław Jarosław (; , ; ; ) is a town in southeastern Poland, situated on the San (river), San River. The town had 35,475 inhabitants in 2023. It is the capital of Jarosław County in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. History Jarosław is located in the ...

, after a battle which lasted several hours. On 11 September, the German 2nd Panzer Division reached the area of Przemyśl, pursuing the Polish 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade. A motorized column of the 4th Light Division attacked Przemyśl, trying to capture the city by surprise. The attackers were repelled by Polish artillery, but the overall situation of Polish forces in the area of the city worsened, as in the south, motorized units of the 1st Mountain Division captured Dobromil, and its patrols approached Przemyśl on 11 September but failed to seize the city. On the night of 11–12 September, General Jan Chmurowicz ordered an attack on German artillery batteries located in Kosienice. The raid was a failure, as the Polish soldiers, facing German machine guns, had to retreat. On 12 September near Bircza, the Polish 24th Infantry Division, commanded by Colonel Boleslaw Schwarzenberg-Czerny, engaged in heavy fighting with the 2nd Mountain Division. In the evening of that day, the Germans broke through Polish positions, forcing the 24th Infantry Division to retreat. On 13 September, Polish heavy artillery was moved from Przemyśl to Mostyska, but along the way, it was bombed by the

. In the night, units of the Polish 11th Infantry Division managed to enter Przemyśl, after heavy fighting with the German 45th Infantry Division. The Polish soldiers rested in Przemyśl for a few hours, and in the morning of 14 September marched towards Lwów, leaving behind one infantry battalion with a battery of cannons. On 14 September, the defenders of Przemyśl consisted of seven infantry battalions, a company of engineers, and six platoons of artillery. Altogether, these forces numbered several thousand soldiers. They came from different units, and in many cases did not even know what city they were defending. The German forces consisted of the 7th Infantry Division and elements of the 44th and 45th Infantry Divisions. On 14 September in the morning, the Germans tried to capture the city in a frontal attack, but were halted by machine-gun and artillery fire. The main fighting took place in the south, where the Germans, after an artillery bombardment, crossed the San and attacked the village of Kruhel Maly, which now is a district of Przemyśl. After a Polish counterattack, in which bayonets were used, the situation there stabilized in the evening. In the north, German attacks also failed. In the evening of 14 September, Colonel J. Matuszek, who commanded the defence of the city after General Jan Chmurowicz, was ordered by his superior, General Kazimierz Sosnkowski, to abandon Przemyśl and march eastward to Lwów. Polish units retreated towards Mosciska, blowing up bridges behind them. The next morning, the Germans entered Przemyśl.

Przemyśl massacres

The four-day battle was followed by three days of massacres carried out by the German soldiers and police against Jews living in the city. In total over 500 Jews were murdered in and around the city, and the vast majority of the city's Jewish population was deported across the San River into the portion of Poland that was occupied by the Soviet Union.Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team, Przemyśl
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References

https://web.archive.org/web/20130121100558/http://www.kki.pl/pioinf/przemysl/dzieje/dzieje3_e.html http://desertwar.net/battle-of-przemysl.html http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/przemysl/prz371.html Polish War Letters {{DEFAULTSORT:Przemyśl 1939 Battles of the Invasion of Poland Lwów Voivodeship September 1939 in Europe History of Subcarpathian Voivodeship Attacks on military installations in 1939 Attacks on military installations in Poland Sieges involving Germany Sieges involving Poland Sieges of World War II Massacres committed by Nazi Germany Holocaust massacres and pogroms in Poland Przemyśl

Background

Battle

Przemyśl massacres

See also

References