The 19th Infantry Division (, {{langx, lt, 19-oji Pėstininkų Divizija) 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 ...

was established in 1923 after the incorporation of Central Lithuania into Poland. It was part of the

Prusy Army The Prusy Army () was one of the Polish armies to fight during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Created in the summer of 1939 as the main reserve of the Commander in Chief, it was commanded by Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki. The word ''Prusy'' in the ...

during the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

-led

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 ...

. Later during the war, in the summer of 1944, the division was recreated as a

Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...

unit, taking part in the

Operation Ostra Brama Operation Ostra Brama (, ) was the Polish Home Army's attempted takeover of Vilnius () in wake of the German ''Wehrmacht's'' evacuation, ahead of the approaching Soviet Red Army's Vilnius offensive. A part of a Polish national uprising, Op ...

in the summer of 1944.

Background

During the

Interbellum 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 ( ...

, the division was stationed in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

(then named Wilno), which was part of 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 ...

in 1922–1939.

Operations

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 19th Infantry Division under General Józef Kwaciszewski belonged to northern group of

, under General

Stefan Dąb-Biernacki Stefan Dąb-Biernacki (7 January 1890 – 9 February 1959) was a general of the army during the Second Polish Republic. He served as a major general in the Polish Armed Forces (Second Polish Republic, Polish Army in overall command of Prusy Army ...

. On September 5, 1939, the division was sent to

Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by #Etymology, alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the capital of Piotrków County and the second-largest city in the Łódź Voi ...

, where it faced 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 ...

's 1st Panzer Division of the XVI Army Corps. On September 6, following their victory in the battle of Piotrków Trybunalski, Germans captured General Kwaciszewski and the remains of the division withdrew due to mounting German pressure. On the evening of the September 7, the division's units were scattered and tried to break through the German lines and escape eastwards, towards the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

. On September 8 Colonel

Tadeusz Pełczyński Tadeusz Walenty Pełczyński (codenames: ''Grzegorz'', ''Adam'', ''Wolf'', ''Robak''; Warsaw, 14 February 1892 – 3 January 1985, London) was a Polish Army major general (''generał brygady''), intelligence officer and chief of the General Sta ...

began reconstruction of the division, with two infantry regiments (77th, 86th), and some artillery, which managed to cross the Vistula. Following the order of General Dab-Biernacki, the division was renamed to the 19th Infantry Brigade. The unit took part in the

Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski The Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski took place from 18 September to 20 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. It was the second largest battle

, finally capitulating on September 27.

Lida Lida is a city in Grodno Region, western Belarus, located west of Minsk. It serves as the administrative center of Lida District. As of 2025, it has a population of 103,262. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuanian name ''Ly ...

was where the reserve center of the division was stationed.

Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...

On September 17, 1939, when news of the

Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...

reached the town, a 150-man strong assault company was formed in Lida with the task of reaching Wilno by breaking through the advancing

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 ...

. The plan was changed, and the company headed for

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

, where it partook in the Battle of Grodno.

Commanders

Until 1927, the division was commanded by General

Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski Michał () is a Polish and Sorbian form of Michael and may refer to: * Michał Bajor (born 1957), Polish actor and musician * Michał Chylinski (born 1986), Polish basketball player * Michał Drzymała (1857–1937), Polish rebel * Michał Hel ...

, who was replaced by General

Tadeusz Kasprzycki Tadeusz Adam Kasprzycki (16 January 1891 – 4 December 1978) was a member of the Polish Legions in First World War, major general of the Polish Armed Forces from 1929 and Minister of Military Affairs of Poland from 1935 to 1939. He commanded ...

(1927–1931). For most of the 1930s, the division was commanded by General Eugeniusz Godziejewski, who in mid-April 1936 was replaced by its last interbellum commandant, General Jozef Kwaciszewski.

Order of battle

Initially, the division consisted of the following infantry regiments that were previously the armed forces of the Republic of Central Lithuania: * 85th

Wilno Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

Regiment (formerly part of the

1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Division First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

), * 86th

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

Regiment (formerly part of the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Division), * 77th

Kowno Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

Regiment (formerly part of the 2nd Lithuanian-Belarusian Division).

Background

Operations

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 ...

Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...

Commanders

Order of battle

Sources

See also