14 Greater Poland Infantry Division (Polish: ''14 Wielkopolska Dywizja Piechoty'') was a unit of 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 ...

in the

interbellum period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, which took part in the

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 ...

It was created in January 1919 in

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

, as part of Polish forces fighting in the

Greater Poland Uprising (1918–1919) Greater Poland Uprising (also Wielkopolska Uprising or Great Poland Uprising) may refer to a number of armed rebellions in the region of Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish histor ...

. Its organizer and first commandant was General Filip Dubiski. In the following months, several regiments created in the

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

towns joined the unit, and in the summer of 1919, the Division was sent to the east, to fight the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

south of

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

. On December 19, 1919, its name was changed from 1st Division of Greater Poland Rifles to 14 Greater Poland Infantry Division. The unit fought in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

, and in December 1920, after the truce, it returned to its homeland, to Poznań. According to the Plan Wschod, the Division was supposed to serve as a rear unit; however, in the late 1930s the German threat became real, and on March 23, 1939, the Division became part of newly created

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 operat ...

, under General

Tadeusz Kutrzeba Tadeusz Kutrzeba (15 April 1885 – 8 January 1947) was a general of the army during the Second Polish Republic. He served as a major general in the Polish Army in overall command of Army Poznań during the 1939 German Invasion of Poland. Biogr ...

(see: Plan Zachod). Mobilization took place between August 24 and 27. As 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 ...

did not carry out attacks on Greater Poland in the first days of the

, the Division did not engage in combat until September 8. Then, it took part in the

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, Goog ...

, fighting near the town of

Piątek Piątek or Piontek (Polish pronunciation: ) is a surname meaning "Friday" in Polish language, Polish. Pronounced identically, both forms occur in Poland but the standard spelling, Piątek, is about ten times as common. In other countries, Piontek m ...

and breaking German lines. During the skirmishes, the commandant of German 30th Infantry Division, General

Kurt von Briesen __NOTOC__ Kurt von Briesen (3 May 1886 – 20 November 1941) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. He was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. Briesen led the 30th Infantry Division in the invasion of Poland in 1939. ...

, was injured and the Wehrmacht ordered a retreat. However, the Poles, without air and artillery support, did not take advantage of this breakthrough. Soon afterwards, the Germans counterattacked. In mid-September the Division tried to cross the

Bzura The Bzura is a river in central Poland. A tributary of the Vistula river (in Wyszogród), the Bzura is 173 kilometres long and has a basin area of 7,764 km2.Kampinos Forest Kampinos Forest () is a large forest complex located in Masovian Voivodeship, west of Warsaw in Poland. It covers a part of the ancient valley of the Vistula basin, between the Vistula and the Bzura rivers. The forest began to form 14-11,000 yea ...

but without success. Only few soldiers managed to reach and hide in the forest. On September 19, the remaining forces broke into besieged

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. There, they fought until capitulation, on September 28.

TO&E

* HQ * 55th Infantry Regiment * 57th Infantry Regiment * 58th Infantry Regiment * 14th Light Artillery Regiment * 14th Heavy Artillery Battalion * 71st AA Artillery Battery * 14th Telephone Company * 71st Mobile HMG Company * Bicycle Infantry Company * Divisional Cavalry

References

{{Authority control 14th 14th

TO&E

See also

References