HISTORYCZNA GRA BITEWNA , TOM 5

The name of the September campaign of 1939 (other names include, for example, the Polish campaign of 1939 or the Polish war of 1939) are the names of all military operations carried out by the Polish Army, first of all, against the German armies, but also against the Soviet armies in the period from September 1 to October 5/6, 1939. This campaign was the first land operation in the history of World War II and it is considered the beginning of this conflict in Europe. On the Polish side, about 950,000 -1 million participated in it. soldiers divided into, among others: 39 infantry divisions and 11 cavalry brigades. On the German side - about 1.5-1.8 million soldiers, and on the Soviet side - about 0.6 million. people. The September campaign can be divided into three main periods. The first is the period from 1 to 3 or 4 September, when it was the so-called Border battle (battle at the borders), in which the Polish side tried to stop and delay the onslaught of German troops and break its lines. It was during this period of the campaign that such battles as the Battle of Mokra or the Battle of Mława took place. It was also on September 3 that Great Britain and France declared war on the Third Reich, but they did not take any military actions to relieve the Polish side. The second period (from September 4 to September 17) is the phase of developing the success of the German side and the emergence of the rear of the Polish troops in the general direction of Warsaw. It was then that the battles of Tomasz Mazowiecki and Piotrków Trybunalski took place. It was then that the biggest battle of this campaign began - the Battle of Bzura. The third phase (from September 17 to October 5/6) is the time of the simultaneous struggle of the Polish side with the German and Soviet invaders - a struggle which at this stage was already hopeless and doomed to failure. If we were to look for reasons for the success of the German side, we can point out first of all to the numerical superiority of the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe, very often - also the qualitative advantage of weapons, but also a much better war doctrine (German: Blitzkrieg) or a much more efficient communication or a better plan of the operation itself. The September campaign ended with the defeat of the Polish side and began the period of the occupation of Polish lands by the Third Reich and the Soviet Union.