17th Infantry Division (Poland)
17 Greater Poland Infantry Division was a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. It garrisoned Gniezno and neighboring towns, such as Pleszew and Września. The unit was formed on June 9, 1919, as 3rd Division of Greater Poland Rifles. In 1921 it was renamed into 17 Greater Poland Infantry Division. During the Polish September Campaign, the Division, under Colonel Mieczyslaw Mozdyniewicz, was part of the Poznań Army. It was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in mid-September 1939, during the Battle of the Bzura. The 17th Division was briefly reformed as part of the People's Army of Poland in 1945–46.Jerzy Kajetanowicz: Polskie wojska lądowe 1945-1960 : skład bojowy, struktury organizacyjne i uzbrojenie. Toruń; Łysomice: Europejskie Centrum Edukacyjne, 2005. , and M. Szczurowski – "Słownik biograficzny wyższych dowódców LWP", s. 122-124. See also * Polish army order of battle in 1939 * Polish contribution to World War II * List of Polish divisions in World War II ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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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 history stretches back a millennium – since the 10th century (see List of Polish wars and History of the Polish Army). Poland's modern army was formed after Poland Partitions of Poland, regained independence following World War I in 1918. History 1918–1938 When Poland History of Poland (1918–1939), regained independence in 1918, it recreated its military which participated in the Polish–Soviet War of 1919–1921, and in the two smaller conflicts ( Polish–Ukrainian War (1918–1919) and the Polish–Lithuanian War (1919–1920)). Initially, right after the First World War, Poland had five military districts (1918–1921): * Poznań Military District (Poznański Okręg Wojskowy), HQ in Poznań * Kraków Military District (Krakowski ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gniezno
Gniezno (; ; ) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is the administrative seat of Gniezno County (''powiat''). One of the Piast dynasty's chief cities, it was the first historical capital of Poland in the 10th century and early 11th century, and afterwards remained one of the main cities of the historic region of Greater Poland. Gniezno is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno, the country's oldest archdiocese, founded in 1000, and its archbishop is the primate (bishop), primate of Poland, making the city the country's ecclesiastical capital. The Gniezno Cathedral is one of the most historically important churches in Poland, and as such is a designated Historic Monument (Poland), Historic Monument of Poland. Other sights include the Old Town and the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State. Geography Gniezno is one of the histor ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pleszew
Pleszew () is a town in central Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about 90 km southeast of Poznań. It is the capital of Pleszew County. The town's population is 16,811 (2022). The town is claimed to be a 15-minute city. History The oldest permanent human settlements in the present-day Pleszew and its surroundings date back to the 9th century BC. The oldest known mention of Pleszew, already as a town, comes from a 1283 document of - in the document of Duke and future King of Poland Przemysł II of the Piast dynasty. In the following centuries it was a private town owned by Polish nobility, located in the Kalisz Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Polish Crown. King John I Albert in the privilege of 1493 permitted the organization of two weekly markets and two annual fairs. In the early 16th century, there were nine craft guilds in the town. Pleszew was a local center of Reformation. In the 18th century, one of two main routes connecting Warsaw and Dresd ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Września
Września () is a town in west-central Poland near Poznań, with 28,600 inhabitants (1995). It is situated in the Września County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, on the Wrześnica River. History Września was first mentioned in 1256 in a document issued in Poznań. Early sources speak of Wressna (1317) or Wresna (1364). Września was granted town privileges before 1357. It was a private town, owned by various szlachta, Polish nobles families, administratively located in the Kalisz Voivodeship (1314–1793), Kalisz Voivodeship of the Greater Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Greater Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland. The coat of arms of Września is the Poraj coat of arms of the Poraj family, the first owners of the town. Annual fairs and weekly markets took place in the town. The town was burned down 1664 (other sources speak of 1656) in the war against Swedish Empire, Sweden. The majority of inhabitants were Polish people, Poles, but since mid-17th century ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Polish September Campaign
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 Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union, which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week after the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union, and one day after the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union had approved the pact. The Soviets invaded Poland on 17 September. The campaign ended on 6 October with Germany and the Soviet Union dividing and annexing the whole of Poland under the terms of the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty. The aim of the invasion was to disestablish Poland as a sovereign country, with its citizens destined for extermination. German and Slovak forces invaded Poland from the north, south, and west the morning after the Gleiwitz incident. As the Wehrmacht advan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Poznań Army
Army Poznań (), led by Major General Tadeusz Kutrzeba, was one of the Polish Armies during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Tasks Flanked by Armia Pomorze to the north and Łódź Army to the south, the Army was to provide flanking operations in Grand Poland region, defend it and withdraw towards lines of defence along the Warta river. Operational history During the Invasion of Poland, in the battle of the Border the German Army Group South struck between Poznań and Łódź Armies, penetrating Polish defenses and forcing Polish armies to retreat. The Poznań Army itself was not heavily engaged during those early days but was forced to retreat due to danger of being flanked. Later the Poznań Army strengthened by the remains of the Pomorze Army took part in the Polish counteroffensive Battle of Bzura; finally remaining units withdrew towards Warsaw and took part in its defense. Organization The Army was commanded by gen. Tadeusz Kutrzeba; its chief of staff was co ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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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 "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previously used term (''Reich Defence'') and was the manifestation of the Nazi regime's efforts to German rearmament, rearm Germany to a greater extent than the Treaty of Versailles permitted. After the Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Nazi rise to power in 1933, one of Adolf Hitler's most overt and bellicose moves was to establish the ''Wehrmacht'', a modern offensively-capable armed force, fulfilling the Nazi regime's long-term goals of regaining lost territory as well as gaining new territory and dominating its neighbours. This required the reinstatement of conscription and massive investment and Military budget, defence spending on the arms industry. The ''Wehrmacht'' formed the heart of Germany's politico-military po ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Battle Of The Bzura
The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was both the largest battle and Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.''The Second World War: An Illustrated History '', Putnam, 1975, Google Print snippet (p.38)/ref>Sources vary regarding the end date, with some giving 18 September and others 19 September. Brockhaus encyclopedia, Brockhaus Multimedial Lexikon gives 19 September 1939 as to the battle's end date. The battle took place west of Warsaw, near the Bzura River. It began as a Polish counter-offensive, which gained initial success, but the Germans outflanked the Polish forces with a concentrated counter-attack. That weakened Polish forces, and the Poznań and Pomorze Armies were destroyed. Western Poland was now under German occupation.Zaloga, S.J., ''Poland 1939'', Oxford, Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2002, The battle has been described as "the bloodiest and most bitter battle of the entire Polish campaign". Winston Ch ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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People's Army Of Poland
The Polish People's Army (, ; LWP) was the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East during the latter stages of the World War II, Second World War (1943–1945), and subsequently the armed forces of the History of Poland (1945–1989), Polish communist state (1945–1989), which was Constitution of the Polish People's Republic, formalized in 1952 as the Polish People's Republic. The creation of communism, communist-led Polish armed forces that were outside the command of the Polish government-in-exile was allowed and facilitated by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, following efforts made in the early 1940s by Soviet Union, Soviet-based Polish exiles Wanda Wasilewska and Zygmunt Berling. Initially called the Polish Army in the Soviet Union, USSR from 1943 to 1944, it became the Polish Troops and Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland from 1944 to 1952, and thereafter the Armed Forces of the Polish People's Republic. During these restructurings, the Polish military w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Polish Army Order Of Battle In 1939
This article discusses the Polish order of battle during the invasion of Poland. In the late 1930s Polish headquarters prepared "Plan Zachód" (''Plan "West''), a plan of mobilization of Polish Army in case of war with Germany. Earlier, the Poles did not regard the Germans as their main threat, priority was given to threat from the Soviets (see: Plan East). The overall operational plan assumed the creation of thirty infantry divisions, nine reserve divisions, eleven cavalry brigades, two motorized brigades, three mountain brigades and a number of smaller units. Most Polish forces were grouped into six armies and a number of corps-sized "Operational Groups". Later in the course of the war other operational units were created. Armies Karpaty Army Created on July 11, 1939, under Major General Kazimierz Fabrycy. ''Armia Karpaty'' was created after Germany annexed Czechoslovakia and created a puppet state of Slovakia. The main aim of the army was to secure mountain passes in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Polish Contribution To World War II
In World War II, the Polish armed forces were the fourth largest Allied forces in Europe, after those of the Soviet Union, United States and Britain. Poles made substantial contributions to the Allied effort throughout the war, fighting on land, sea, and in the air. Polish forces in the east, fighting alongside the Red army and under Soviet high command, took part in the Soviet offensives across Belarus and Ukraine into Poland and across the Vistula and Oder Rivers to the Battle of Berlin. In the west, Polish paratroopers from the 1st Independent Polish Parachute Brigade fought in the Battle of Arnhem / Operation Market Garden; while ground troops were present in the North Africa Campaign (siege of Tobruk); the Italian campaign (including the capture of the monastery hill at the Battle of Monte Cassino); and in battles following the invasion of France (the battle of the Falaise pocket; and an armored division in the Western Allied invasion of Germany). Particularly well-doc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |