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{{short description|WWII Polish invasion battle}}
{{Infobox Military Conflict
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Battle of Krojanty
| conflict = Battle of Krojanty
|partof=the [[Polish Defence War of 1939]]
| partof = the [[Invasion of Poland]]
|image=<small>[[Image:18 pulk ulanow pomorskich 1939.jpg|18th Pomeranian Uhlans Regiment]]</small>
| image = Charge at Krojanty.svg
|caption=<small>18th Pomeranian Uhlans Regiment</small>
| image_size = 300px
|date=[[September 1]], [[1939]]
| date = 1 September 1939
|place=near the village of Krojanty, [[Pomerania]]
| place = Near [[Krojanty]], [[Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919–39)|Pomeranian Voivodeship]], [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]]
|result=Polish victory
| coordinates = {{Coord |53.7119|17.6536|region:PL_type:event_scale:50000| display=inline,title}}
|combatant1=[[Poland]]
| result = German victory
|combatant2=[[Germany]]
| combatant1 = {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]
|commander1=[[Kazimierz Mastalerz]]†
| combatant2 = {{flagicon|Second Polish Republic|1928}} [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]]
|commander2=[[Mauritz von Wiktorin]]
| commander1 = {{ubl|{{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Hans Gollnick]]|{{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Mauritz von Wiktorin]]}}
|strength1=~250
| commander2 = {{flagicon|Second Polish Republic|1928}} [[Kazimierz Mastalerz]]{{KIA}}
|strength2=~800
| units1 = 76th Infantry Regiment
|casualties1=29 [[KIA]], ~50 [[WIA]]
| units2 = {{ubl|18th Pomeranian Uhlans|1st & 2nd squadrons|1 platoon of 3rd and 4th sq.}}
|casualties2=?
| strength1 = {{ubl|800 men | Armoured reconnaissance vehicle|20 guns}}
| strength2 = 250
| casualties1 = {{ubl|11 killed|9 wounded}}
| casualties2 = {{ubl|19–25 killed|40–50 wounded}}
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Polish September Campaign}}
}}
}}
The '''charge at Krojanty''', '''battle of Krojanty''',<ref>Translation of Polish term ''bitwa pod Krojantami'' as used in {{Citation | first1 = Marek | last1 = Getter | first2 = Adam | last2 = Tokarz | language = pl | title = Wrzesień 1939 w książce, prasie i filmie : poradnik bibliograficzny |trans-title=September 1939 in book, press and film: a bibliographic guide | publisher = Stowarzyszenie Bibliotekarzy Polskich | year = 1970 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mtgZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22bitwa+pod+Krojantami%22 | pages = 101ff}}</ref> '''the riding of Krojanty''' or '''skirmish of Krojanty'''{{Sfn | Zaloga | 1982 | p = [https://books.google.com/books?id=AAdYFeW2fnoC&pg=PA8 8] | ps =: 'small skirmish near the hamlet of Krojanty'}} was a Polish [[cavalry charge]] on the evening of 1 September 1939, the first day of the [[World War II|Second World War]], near the [[Pomerania]]n village of [[Krojanty]]. It occurred at the start of the [[invasion of Poland]] and was part of the larger [[Battle of Tuchola Forest]]. Polish soldiers advanced east along the railway to a railroad crossroads {{convert|7|km}} from the town of [[Chojnice]], where elements of the [[Polish cavalry]] charged and dispersed a German [[infantry]] [[battalion]]. [[Machine gun]] fire from German [[armored car (military)|armoured cars]] that appeared from a nearby forest forced the Poles to retreat. However, the attack delayed the German advance, allowing the Polish 1st Rifle Battalion and [[Czersk Operational Group]] to withdraw safely.
{{Campaignbox Polish September Campaign}}


The incident prompted false reports of Polish cavalry attacking [[Tanks in the German Army|German tanks]], after journalists saw the bodies of horses and [[cavalry]]men. [[Propaganda in Nazi Germany|Nazi propaganda]]<ref>{{Citation | at = Cover | publisher = [[Hitler Youth]] | type = magazine | newspaper = [[Der Pimpf]] | title = Nationalsozialistische Jungenblätter |trans-title=National Socialist Young leaves | date = October 1939 | archivedate = May 16, 2006 | url = http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/images/pimpf/dp10-39.jpg | format = JPEG | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060516145315/http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/images/pimpf/dp10-39.jpg | url-status = dead }}</ref> took advantage to suggest that the Poles attacked intentionally since they had believed the Germans still had the [[dummy tanks]] permitted by the [[Versailles Treaty]]'s restrictions. The scene of the Polish cavalry charging [[panzer]]s with [[lance]]s remains a common myth.<ref>{{Citation | first = Steven J | last = Zaloga | author-link = Steven J. Zaloga | quote = If a single image dominates the popular perception of the Polish campaign of 1939, it is the scene of Polish cavalry bravely charging the Panzers with their lances. Like many other details of the campaign, it is a myth that was created by German wartime propaganda and perpetuated by sloppy scholarship. Yet such myths have also been embraced by the Poles themselves as symbols of their wartime gallantry, achieving a cultural resonance in spite of their variance with the historical record. | title = Poland 1939 — The birth of Blitzkrieg | place = Oxford | publisher = [[Osprey Publishing]] | year = 2002 | url = http://www.panzerworld.net/fallweiss.html#polishcavalry}}</ref>
The '''Battle of Krojanty''' was part of the [[Polish September Campaign]] of the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The [[battle]] took place near the village of Krojanty in [[Pomerania]] (7 kilometres from the town of [[Chojnice]]) on [[September 1]], [[1939]]. It was one of the first battles of the war. Elements of [[Polish cavalry|Polish]] 18th [[Uhlan]]s Regiment successfully attacked a [[Germany|German]] infantry [[battalion]] and delayed the German attack thus completing their mission. After the attack the cavalry received [[machine gun]] fire from German [[Armoured personnel carrier]]s stationed nearby and were forced to retreat.


== Before the battle ==
== Before the battle ==
Polish units were engaged in battle from 05:00 against elements of [[German 76th Infantry Regiment]] (Colonel [[Hans Gollnick]]) of [[20th Motorized Division (Germany)|20th Motorised Division]] under Lt. Gen. [[Mauritz von Wiktorin]], which operated on the left (northern) flank of XIX [[Panzer]] Corps under Gen. [[Heinz Guderian]]. Early in the day, Polish cavalry had intercepted German infantry moving towards the [[Free City of Danzig]] (Gdańsk) and slowed their progress.


At 08:00, the Germans broke through [[Polish Border Guard]] units south of the Polish cavalry, which forced the Polish units in the area to start a retreat towards a secondary defence line at the [[Brda (river)|Brda river]]. The [[18th Pomeranian Uhlan Regiment]] was ordered to cover the retreat.
Polish units were engaged in battle from 0500 against elements of German 76th Infantry Regiment of 20th Motorised Division under Lt.Gen. [[Mauritz von Wiktorin]], which operated on the left (northern) flank of XIX [[Panzer]] Corps under Gen. [[Heinz Guderian]]. Early in the battle Polish cavalry had intercepted German infantry moving towards [[Gdansk]] and successfully stopped their progress.


== The battle ==
At 0800 the Germans broke through [[Polish Border Guard]] units south of the Polish cavalry, which forced the Polish units in the area to start a retreat towards a secondary defence line at the [[Brda]] river. 18th Pomeranian Uhlans Regiment (''18. Pułk Ułanów Pomorskich'') was ordered to cover the retreat.
[[File:Battlefield Krojanty 1.jpg|thumb|175px|Monument at the battlefield]]
The [[18th Pomeranian Uhlan Regiment|18th Pomeranian]] [[Uhlan]]s spotted a group of German infantry resting in a clearing in the [[Tuchola Forest]] [[Heath (habitat)|heath]] near the railroad crossroads of [[Chojnice–Runowo Pomorskie railway|Chojnice–Runowo Pomorskie line]].


Colonel [[Kazimierz Mastalerz]] decided to take the enemy by surprise and ordered [[Eugeniusz Świeściak,]] commander of the 1st squadron, to execute a [[Charge (warfare)|cavalry charge]] at 1900 hours, leading two squadrons, about 250 strong. Most of the two other squadrons, and their [[TKS]]/[[TK3]] [[tankette]]s, were held back in reserve.
== The battle of Krojanty ==


The charge was successful: the German infantry unit was dispersed, and the Poles occupied the clearing. However, German armored reconnaissance vehicles appeared from the forest road, probably part of [[Aufklärungs-Abteilung 20,|''Aufklärungs-Abteilung 20'']], and soon the Polish units came under heavy [[machine gun]] fire, probably from [[Leichter Panzerspähwagen]] equipped with [[MG 34]], or [[Schwerer Panzerspähwagen]] equipped also with a [[20 mm gun|20&nbsp;mm gun]]. The Poles were completely exposed and began to [[Canter and gallop|gallop]] for cover behind a nearby [[hillock]].{{Sfn | Zaloga | 1982 | p = [https://books.google.com/books?id=AAdYFeW2fnoC&pg=PA8&dq=krojanty&sig=t-2oC9WAXXw6xFZlAE1YYSLl3Fg#PPA9,M1 9]}}
During the action the [[Polish cavalry]] units met a large group of German infantry resting in a woods near the village of Krojanty. Colonel [[Kazimierz Mastalerz|Mastalerz]] decided to take the enemy by surprise and immediately ordered a [[cavalry charge]], a tactic the [[Polish cavalry]] did not use as their main weapon.


The charge was successful: the German infantry unit was dispersed, and the Poles occupied the woods. Moreover, the German advance was stopped for enough time to allow the withdrawal of Polish 1st Rifle battalion and [[National Defence]] battalion ''Czersk'' from the area of [[Chojnice]]. However, the sounds of the battle notified the crews of the [[Armoured personnel carrier|APC]]s stationed nearby, and soon the Polish unit came under heavy [[machine gun]] fire.
Commander Świeściak was killed, as was Mastalerz, who tried to save him. About a third of the Polish force was dead or wounded. On the other hand, the German advance was halted long enough to allow the withdrawal of [[Polish 1st Rifle battalion]] and [[Czersk Operational Group|National Defence battalion ''Czersk'']] from the nearby [[Battle of Chojnice (1939)|battle of Chojnice]].


The Polish cavalry charge impressed the Germans and caused a delay in the offensive of the [[German 20th Motorized Infantry Division|German 20th Motorised Infantry Division]] which considered a [[Withdrawal (military)|tactical retreat.]] This was however prevented by personal intervention of [[Heinz Guderian|Gen. Guderian]], who in his [[Memoir|memoirs]] stated that he encountered his staff "wearing helmets, preparing an [[anti-tank gun]] for a possible Polish cavalry attack,"{{Sfn | Guderian | 1951 | p = 63a | ps =: 'Die lange Straße war leer. Weit und breit fiel kein Schuß. Umso erstaunter war ich, als ich unmittelbar vor Zahn angerufen wurde und die Männer meines Stabes im Helm damit beschäftigt fand, eine Panzerabwehrkanone in Stellung zu bringen. Auf meine Frage, was sie dazu veranlaßt hätte, erhielt ich die Antwort, polnische Kavallerie sei im Anmarsch und müsse jeden Augenblick eintreffen.}} and that "the panic of the first day of war was overcome quickly".{{Sfn | Guderian | 1951 | p = 63b | ps =: 'Ich setzte mich nun an den Anfang des in der Nacht herausgezogenen Regiments und führte es selbst bis an den Kamionka-Ubergang nördlich Groß-Klonia, um es von dort auf Tuchel anzusetzen. Der Angriff der 2. (mot.) Division kam nunmehr schnell in Fluß. Die Panik des ersten Kriegstages war überwunden. Die Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3 war in der Nacht bis an die Weichsel gelangt. Auf dem Gutshof Poledno in der Nähe von Schwetz hatte sie leider durch Unvorsichtigkeit empfindliche ...'}}
According to [[Heinz Guderian]]'s memoirs, the Polish cavalry charge impressed the Germans and caused a widespread panic among the soldiers and the staff of German 20th Motorised Infantry Division, which delayed their offensive and forced them to consider a tactical retreat. This was however prevented by personal intervention of Gen. Guderian.
<gallery>
Image:Kazimierz Mastalerz.jpg|Kazimierz Mastalerz
Image:Rotmistrz Eugeniusz Świeściak (ca.1938-39).jpg|Eugeniusz Świeściak
</gallery>


== Aftermath and the myth ==
== Aftermath and myth ==
{{main|Polish cavalry#Cavalry charges and propaganda}}
[[File:Polski ułan z karabinem przeciwpancernym UR.jpg|thumb|200px|Polish [[uhlan]] with wz. 35 anti-tank rifle. Military instruction published in [[Warsaw]] in 1938.]]
The [[Polish cavalry]] charge stopped the German pursuit for the day, and the units of [[Czersk Operational Group]] were able to withdraw southwards unopposed. Also, it took the Germans several hours to reorganise and continue the advance. On 2 September 1939 the [[18th Pomeranian Uhlan Regiment|18th Pomeranian Uhlans Regiment]] was decorated by Gen. [[Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki]], the commander of the Operational Group, with his own [[Virtuti Militari]] medal for valour shown in combat.


The same day, [[War correspondent|German war correspondents]] were brought to the battlefield, together with two journalists from [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]]. They were shown the corpses of Polish cavalrymen and their horses as well as German tanks that had arrived at the place after the battle. One of the Italian correspondents, [[Indro Montanelli]], sent home an article, in which he described the bravery and heroism of Polish soldiers, who charged German tanks with [[Sabre|sabres]] and [[Lance|lances.]] Although such a charge did not happen, and there were no tanks used during combat, the myth was used by [[Propaganda in Nazi Germany|German propaganda]] during the war. German propaganda magazine ''[[Die Wehrmacht]]'' reported on 13 September that the Poles had gravely underestimated German weapons, as Polish propaganda had suggested that [[Armoured vehicles|German armoured vehicles]] were covered only with a sheet metal, which led to a grotesque attack.
The Polish cavalry charge stopped the German pursuit and the units of ''Czersk'' [[Operational Group]] were able to withdraw southwards unopposed. Also, it took the enemy several hours to reorganise and continue the advance. On [[September 2]], [[1939]], the 18th Pomeranian Uhlans Regiment was decorated by Gen. [[Stanislaw Grzmot-Skotnicki|Grzmot-Skotnicki]], the commander of the Operational Group, with his own [[Virtuti Militari]] medal for valour shown in this combat.


One writer said:<ref>{{Citation | first = George | last = Parada | title = Invasion of Poland (Fall Weiss) | url = http://www.achtungpanzer.com/articles/polcamp.htm | publisher = Achtungpanzer | access-date = 2007-11-02 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100110110248/http://www.achtungpanzer.com/articles/polcamp.htm | archive-date = 2010-01-10 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
The same day the German war correspondents were brought to the battlefield together with two journalists from [[Italy]]. They were shown the battlefield, the corpses of Polish cavalrymen and their horses, as well as German tanks that arrived to the place after the battle. One of the Italian correspondents sent home an article, in which he described the bravery and heroism of Polish soldiers, who charged German tanks with sabres and lances. Although such a charge did not happen and there were no tanks used during the combat, the myth was used by German [[propaganda]] during the war. After the end of [[World War II]] it was still used by Soviet propaganda as an example of stupidity of Polish commanders, who allegedly did not prepare their country for the war and instead wasted the blood of their soldiers.
{{Quote | Contrary to German propaganda, Polish cavalry [[brigade]]s never charged [[tank]]s with their [[sabre]]s or [[lance]]s... The cavalry brigades were in the process of being reorganized into motorized brigades.}}


The Poles had [[anti-tank weapons]] including the [[anti-tank rifle]] model 1935 7.92&nbsp;mm ([[Wz. 35 anti-tank rifle]]). It could penetrate 15&nbsp;mm of armour at 300 m at 30 degrees. In 1939, the Germans were equipped mainly with the small [[Panzer I]] and [[Panzer II]] models, which were vulnerable to such weapons.
''"Contrary to German propaganda, Polish cavalry [[brigade]]s never charged [[tank]]s with their [[sabre]]s or [[lance]]s as they were equipped with [[anti-tank weapon]]s such as [[37mm Bofors wz.36]] (exported to UK as ''[[Ordnance Q.F. 37mm Mk I]]'') antitank guns, that could penetrate 26mm of [[armour]] at 600m at 30 degrees. The [[cavalry brigade]]s were in the process of being reorganized into [[motorized brigade]]s"''. Another weapon was [[anti-tank rifle]] model 1935 ([[karabin przeciwpancerny wz. 35]]). Its [[calibre]] was 7.92 mm and it could penetrate 15mm of armour at 300m at 30 degrees. <!--Where is this quote from?-->


== Opposing forces ==
== See also ==


* [[List of World War II military equipment of Poland]]
[[Image:Kazimierz Mastalerz.jpg|thumb|right|Kazimierz Mastalerz]]
* [[List of German military equipment of World War II]]


== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}


== Bibliography ==
{| border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="text-align:center;border:1px solid #ccc;"
* {{Citation | first = Heinz | last = Guderian | language = de | author-link = Heinz Guderian | title = Erinnerungen eines Soldaten | year = 1951 |trans-title=Memoirs of a soldier | publisher = Welsermühl | edition = 2nd | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=vn4ZAAAAIAAJ}}.
|+ style="font-weight:bold;" | '''[[Polish Army]]'''
* {{Citation | quote = small skirmish near the hamlet of Krojanty | first = Steven J | last = Zaloga | year = 1982 | author-link = Steven J. Zaloga | title = The Polish Army 1939–45 | series = Men-at-Arms | number = 117 | publisher = Osprey | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AAdYFeW2fnoC | isbn = 978-0-85045417-8}}.
|- valign="top" style="background:#ccc;"
! width="300px" style="font-weight:normal" | [[Armia Pomorze]] <br><small>[[Wladyslaw Bortnowski|Bortnowski]]</small>
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| ''Chojnice'' Operational Group<br><small>[[Tadeusz Majewski|Majewski]]</small>
|-
| Pomeranian Cavalry Brigade<br><small>[[Stanislaw Grzmot-Skotnicki|Grzmot-Skotnicki]]</small>
|- style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"
| <small>18th Pomeranian Uhlans Regiment: 1st, 2nd squadrons, 1 platoon from 3rd and 4th squadrons</small><br><small>[[Kazimierz Mastalerz|Mastalerz]]
|}


== Further reading ==
{| border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="text-align:center;border:1px solid #ccc;"
* {{Citation | language = de | first = Janusz | last = Piekalkiewicz | title = Polenfeldzug – Hitler und Stalin zerschlagen die Polnische Republik |trans-title=Polish campaign – Hitler and Stalin destroy the Polish Republic | place = Augsburg | year = 1997}}.
|+ style="font-weight:bold;" | '''[[Wehrmacht]]'''
|- valign="top" style="background:#ccc;"
! width="300px" style="font-weight:normal" | 4rd Army <br><small>[[Günther von Kluge |von Kluge]]</small>
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| XIX Corps<br><small>[[Heinz Guderian|Guderian]]</small>
|-
| 20th Motorised Division<br><small>[[Mauritz von Wiktorin|von Wiktorin]]</small>
|- style="border-bottom:1px solid gray;"
| <small>76th Infantry Regiment</small>
|}


== See also ==
[[Image:Eugeniusz Swiesciak.jpg|thumb|right|Eugeniusz Świeściak, commander of the 1st squadron]]
* [[Polish Defence War]]
* [[Stanislaw Grzmot-Skotnicki|Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki]]


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Citation | url = https://www.polamjournal.com/Library/APHistory/Cavalry_Myth/cavalry_myth.html | title = The Mythical Polish Cavalry Charge | publisher = Polam journal | access-date = 2023-11-11 | archive-date = 2011-07-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110715101940/https://www.polamjournal.com/Library/APHistory/Cavalry_Myth/cavalry_myth.html | url-status = bot: unknown }}.
* {{Citation | language = pl | url = http://www.kawaleria2rp.horsesport.pl/18plk4.htm | title = Kawaleria | publisher = Horse sport | place = PL | access-date = 2004-12-03 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235321/http://www.kawaleria2rp.horsesport.pl/18plk4.htm | archive-date = 2016-03-03 | url-status = dead }}. Detailed account of the battle.
* {{Citation | language = pl | url = http://www.grudziadz.pl/_main_kaw.php?link=4 | title = History of 18th Uhlans Regiment | publisher = Grudziadz | place = PL | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20050525155708/http://www.grudziadz.pl/_main_kaw.php?link=4 | archivedate = 2005-05-25 }}.


* [http://www.achtungpanzer.com/polcamp.htm Invasion of Poland (Fall Weiss)] by George Parada
[[Category:Battles of the Invasion of Poland|Krojanty]]
[[Category:Polish cavalry]]
* [http://www.kawaleria2rp.horsesport.pl/18plk4.htm Detailed account of the battle in Polish]
[[Category:Cavalry charges|Krojanty]]
* [http://www.grudziadz.pl/_main_kaw.php?link=4 History of 18th Uhlans Regiment] (Polish)
[[Category:Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919–1939)]]

[[Category:1939]]
[[Category:September 1939 events in Europe]]
[[Category:Battles of the Polish September Campaign|Krojanty]]
[[Category:World War II-related historical negationism]]
[[Category:Battles of Germany|Krojanty]]
[[Category:Nazi propaganda]]

Latest revision as of 22:57, 22 October 2024

Battle of Krojanty
Part of the Invasion of Poland
Date1 September 1939
Location
Near Krojanty, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland
53°42′43″N 17°39′13″E / 53.7119°N 17.6536°E / 53.7119; 17.6536
Result German victory
Belligerents
Nazi Germany Germany Second Polish Republic Poland
Commanders and leaders
 Second Polish Republic Kazimierz Mastalerz †
Units involved
76th Infantry Regiment
  • 18th Pomeranian Uhlans
  • 1st & 2nd squadrons
  • 1 platoon of 3rd and 4th sq.
Strength
  • 800 men
  • Armoured reconnaissance vehicle
  • 20 guns
 250
Casualties and losses
  • 11 killed
  • 9 wounded
  • 19–25 killed
  • 40–50 wounded

The charge at Krojanty, battle of Krojanty,[1] the riding of Krojanty or skirmish of Krojanty[2] was a Polish cavalry charge on the evening of 1 September 1939, the first day of the Second World War, near the Pomeranian village of Krojanty. It occurred at the start of the invasion of Poland and was part of the larger Battle of Tuchola Forest. Polish soldiers advanced east along the railway to a railroad crossroads 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the town of Chojnice, where elements of the Polish cavalry charged and dispersed a German infantry battalion. Machine gun fire from German armoured cars that appeared from a nearby forest forced the Poles to retreat. However, the attack delayed the German advance, allowing the Polish 1st Rifle Battalion and Czersk Operational Group to withdraw safely.

The incident prompted false reports of Polish cavalry attacking German tanks, after journalists saw the bodies of horses and cavalrymen. Nazi propaganda[3] took advantage to suggest that the Poles attacked intentionally since they had believed the Germans still had the dummy tanks permitted by the Versailles Treaty's restrictions. The scene of the Polish cavalry charging panzers with lances remains a common myth.[4]

Before the battle

[edit]

Polish units were engaged in battle from 05:00 against elements of German 76th Infantry Regiment (Colonel Hans Gollnick) of 20th Motorised Division under Lt. Gen. Mauritz von Wiktorin, which operated on the left (northern) flank of XIX Panzer Corps under Gen. Heinz Guderian. Early in the day, Polish cavalry had intercepted German infantry moving towards the Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk) and slowed their progress.

At 08:00, the Germans broke through Polish Border Guard units south of the Polish cavalry, which forced the Polish units in the area to start a retreat towards a secondary defence line at the Brda river. The 18th Pomeranian Uhlan Regiment was ordered to cover the retreat.

The battle

[edit]
Monument at the battlefield

The 18th Pomeranian Uhlans spotted a group of German infantry resting in a clearing in the Tuchola Forest heath near the railroad crossroads of Chojnice–Runowo Pomorskie line.

Colonel Kazimierz Mastalerz decided to take the enemy by surprise and ordered Eugeniusz Świeściak, commander of the 1st squadron, to execute a cavalry charge at 1900 hours, leading two squadrons, about 250 strong. Most of the two other squadrons, and their TKS/TK3 tankettes, were held back in reserve.

The charge was successful: the German infantry unit was dispersed, and the Poles occupied the clearing. However, German armored reconnaissance vehicles appeared from the forest road, probably part of Aufklärungs-Abteilung 20, and soon the Polish units came under heavy machine gun fire, probably from Leichter Panzerspähwagen equipped with MG 34, or Schwerer Panzerspähwagen equipped also with a 20 mm gun. The Poles were completely exposed and began to gallop for cover behind a nearby hillock.[5]

Commander Świeściak was killed, as was Mastalerz, who tried to save him. About a third of the Polish force was dead or wounded. On the other hand, the German advance was halted long enough to allow the withdrawal of Polish 1st Rifle battalion and National Defence battalion Czersk from the nearby battle of Chojnice.

The Polish cavalry charge impressed the Germans and caused a delay in the offensive of the German 20th Motorised Infantry Division which considered a tactical retreat. This was however prevented by personal intervention of Gen. Guderian, who in his memoirs stated that he encountered his staff "wearing helmets, preparing an anti-tank gun for a possible Polish cavalry attack,"[6] and that "the panic of the first day of war was overcome quickly".[7]

  • Kazimierz Mastalerz
    Kazimierz Mastalerz
  • Eugeniusz Świeściak
    Eugeniusz Świeściak

Aftermath and myth

[edit]
Main article: Polish cavalry § Cavalry charges and propaganda
Polish uhlan with wz. 35 anti-tank rifle. Military instruction published in Warsaw in 1938.

The Polish cavalry charge stopped the German pursuit for the day, and the units of Czersk Operational Group were able to withdraw southwards unopposed. Also, it took the Germans several hours to reorganise and continue the advance. On 2 September 1939 the 18th Pomeranian Uhlans Regiment was decorated by Gen. Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki, the commander of the Operational Group, with his own Virtuti Militari medal for valour shown in combat.

The same day, German war correspondents were brought to the battlefield, together with two journalists from Italy. They were shown the corpses of Polish cavalrymen and their horses as well as German tanks that had arrived at the place after the battle. One of the Italian correspondents, Indro Montanelli, sent home an article, in which he described the bravery and heroism of Polish soldiers, who charged German tanks with sabres and lances. Although such a charge did not happen, and there were no tanks used during combat, the myth was used by German propaganda during the war. German propaganda magazine Die Wehrmacht reported on 13 September that the Poles had gravely underestimated German weapons, as Polish propaganda had suggested that German armoured vehicles were covered only with a sheet metal, which led to a grotesque attack.

One writer said:[8]

Contrary to German propaganda, Polish cavalry brigades never charged tanks with their sabres or lances... The cavalry brigades were in the process of being reorganized into motorized brigades.

The Poles had anti-tank weapons including the anti-tank rifle model 1935 7.92 mm (Wz. 35 anti-tank rifle). It could penetrate 15 mm of armour at 300 m at 30 degrees. In 1939, the Germans were equipped mainly with the small Panzer I and Panzer II models, which were vulnerable to such weapons.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Translation of Polish term bitwa pod Krojantami as used in Getter, Marek; Tokarz, Adam (1970), Wrzesień 1939 w książce, prasie i filmie : poradnik bibliograficzny [September 1939 in book, press and film: a bibliographic guide] (in Polish), Stowarzyszenie Bibliotekarzy Polskich, pp. 101ff
  2. ^ Zaloga 1982, p. 8: 'small skirmish near the hamlet of Krojanty'
  3. ^ "Nationalsozialistische Jungenblätter" [National Socialist Young leaves], Der Pimpf (magazine), Hitler Youth, Cover, October 1939, archived from the original (JPEG) on May 16, 2006
  4. ^ Zaloga, Steven J (2002), Poland 1939 — The birth of Blitzkrieg, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, If a single image dominates the popular perception of the Polish campaign of 1939, it is the scene of Polish cavalry bravely charging the Panzers with their lances. Like many other details of the campaign, it is a myth that was created by German wartime propaganda and perpetuated by sloppy scholarship. Yet such myths have also been embraced by the Poles themselves as symbols of their wartime gallantry, achieving a cultural resonance in spite of their variance with the historical record.
  5. ^ Zaloga 1982, p. 9.
  6. ^ Guderian 1951, p. 63a: 'Die lange Straße war leer. Weit und breit fiel kein Schuß. Umso erstaunter war ich, als ich unmittelbar vor Zahn angerufen wurde und die Männer meines Stabes im Helm damit beschäftigt fand, eine Panzerabwehrkanone in Stellung zu bringen. Auf meine Frage, was sie dazu veranlaßt hätte, erhielt ich die Antwort, polnische Kavallerie sei im Anmarsch und müsse jeden Augenblick eintreffen.
  7. ^ Guderian 1951, p. 63b: 'Ich setzte mich nun an den Anfang des in der Nacht herausgezogenen Regiments und führte es selbst bis an den Kamionka-Ubergang nördlich Groß-Klonia, um es von dort auf Tuchel anzusetzen. Der Angriff der 2. (mot.) Division kam nunmehr schnell in Fluß. Die Panik des ersten Kriegstages war überwunden. Die Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 3 war in der Nacht bis an die Weichsel gelangt. Auf dem Gutshof Poledno in der Nähe von Schwetz hatte sie leider durch Unvorsichtigkeit empfindliche ...'
  8. ^ Parada, George, Invasion of Poland (Fall Weiss), Achtungpanzer, archived from the original on 2010-01-10, retrieved 2007-11-02

Bibliography

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Further reading

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  • Piekalkiewicz, Janusz (1997), Polenfeldzug – Hitler und Stalin zerschlagen die Polnische Republik [Polish campaign – Hitler and Stalin destroy the Polish Republic] (in German), Augsburg{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
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