28th Infantry Division (Poland)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 28 Dywizja Piechoty was a
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 ...
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
division which saw action against the invading
Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
during the
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 ...
of World War II. The division suffered heavy casualties in battles near
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
and the remnants retreated to
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 ...
, where they surrendered. The history of the division dates back to the autumn of 1921, when Polish Army changed its structure, after the victorious
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 ...
. New unit was formed in
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 ...
, out of three previously existing infantry regiments, and one light artillery regiment. The 15th Infantry Regiment, which had belonged to the 9th Infantry Division, was on August 19–21 transported by rail to
Dęblin Dęblin is a town at the Confluence (geography), confluence of Vistula and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki and Puławy, which together have over 100,000 inhabitan ...
, which became its peacetime garrison. The 36th Infantry Regiment, previously of the 8th Infantry Division, remained in Warsaw, and the 72nd Infantry Regiment (previously of the 18th Infantry Division) was on October 7–8, 1921, transported from Brzesc nad Bugiem to Warsaw. Furthermore, the 28th Light Artillery Regiment, which had been formed on September 7, 1921, in
Zambrów Zambrów is a town in northeastern Poland with 21,166 inhabitants (2020). It is the capital of Zambrów County. Situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Łomża Voivodeship (1975–1998). History The name of the town co ...
, was attached to the division and transported to
Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...
(Sept. 19–21, 1921). In 1921–1939, the 28th Division was part of the 1st
Military District Military districts (also called military regions) are formations of a state's armed forces (often of the Army) which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters ...
. In 1922, the 28th Light Artillery Regiment was moved from Radom to Zajezierze near Dęblin, and in April 1922, the 72nd Infantry Regiment was transferred from Warsaw to Radom. In the 1939
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 division, commanded by General Władysław Bończa-Uzdowski, belonged to
Łódź Army Łódź Army () was one of the Polish armies of the Polish Armed Forces of the Second Polish Republic that took part in the Invasion of Poland of 1939. It was officially created on 23 March 1939 with the task of filling the gap between Poznań ...
. In the morning of September 1, 1939, it clashed with the advancing
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 ...
near the villages of Łagiewniki and Raczyn, managing to halt the advance of the 1st Light Division. Due to repeated
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
attacks and artillery barrage, the unit suffered heavy losses and was ordered to retreat behind the
Warta The river Warta ( , ; ; ) rises in central Poland and meanders greatly through the Polish Plain in a north-westerly direction to flow into the Oder at Kostrzyn nad Odrą on Poland's border with Germany. About long, it the second-longest riv ...
river. On September 3, the division filled defensive positions behind the Warta and Widawa, near
Wieluń Wieluń () is a town in south-central Poland with 21,624 inhabitants (2021). The town is the seat of the Gmina Wieluń and Wieluń County, and is located within the Łódź Voivodeship. Wieluń is a capital of the historical Wieluń Land. W ...
. Due to contradictory orders of General Boncza-Uzdowski, its 15th Infantry Regiment was almost completely destroyed, and had to be replaced by the 36th Regiment. Nevertheless, German 1st Light Division managed to break through Polish lines. As a result, the 36th and 72nd Regiments withdrew in the night of September 3/4 to the Widawka river, which was the main Polish defensive position in the area. On September 4, the 4th Infantry Regiment (from 2nd Legions Infantry Division) was sent there, to reinforce Polish units. On September 7, German 17th Infantry Division (General
Herbert Loch __NOTOC__ Herbert Loch (5 August 1886 – 28 October 1976) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the XXVIII Corps and the 18th Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Aw ...
) began its advance towards
Pabianice Pabianice is a city in central Poland with 63,023 inhabitants (2021). Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the capital of Pabianice County. It lies about southwest of Łódź and belongs to the metropolitan area of that city. It is the thi ...
. The town was defended by the recreated 15th Infantry Regiment, while the Germans were reinforced with SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. The fighting in Pabianice was extremely bloody, with high losses on both sides. By the evening, the enemy reached the center of the town but was quickly forced to flee. Meanwhile, however, the 2nd Legions Infantry Division, which was located north of Pabianice, retreated eastwards, forming a gap which the Germans immediately used. In the southern wing, the 72nd Infantry Regiment was almost completely destroyed. Under the circumstances, the division was ordered to regroup and abandon the area of Pabianice. During the retreat, the 15th Infantry Regiment clashed with the Germans near Ksawerow. The division was ordered to concentrate near Wola Cyrusowa, where on September 8, 1939, the Battle of Wola Cyrusowa took place. On September 9, General Wiktor Thommee ordered the division to retreat behind the Rawka river. On the next day, the order was changed and the division marched towards Warsaw, via
Pruszków Pruszków is a city in east-central Poland, capital of Pruszków County in the Masovian Voivodeship. Pruszków is located along the western edge of the Warsaw metropolitan area. Pruszków is the largest city in the Warsaw metropolitan area outs ...
. Despite initial successes, it failed to break through German positions. As a result, the division made an attempt to reach the fortress of Modlin. After entering the complex, it took part in the
Battle of Modlin A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, until the capitulation on September 29.


Commanders

* gen.bryg. Władysław Bończa-Uzdowski


Order of battle

*HQ () * 15th Wolves Infantry Regiment () * 36th Academic's Legion Infantry Regiment () *72nd Płk. Dioznizy Czachowski's Infantry Regiment () *28th Light Artillery Regiment () *28th Heavy Artillery Squadron () *28th AA Artillery Battery () *28th Engineers Battalion () *28th Telephone Company () *Divisional Cavalry () *13th Bicycle Infantry Company () *117th Mobile HMG Company ()


See also

*
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 d ...
*
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, ...
*
List of Polish divisions in World War II This is a list of Polish divisions in World War II. Polish divisions in September 1939 Campaign * 1st Legions Infantry Division of Józef Piłsudski (stationed in Wilno) - Brig. Gen. Wincenty Kowalski * 2nd Legions Infantry Division (stationed ...


References

{{Reflist 27th Military units and formations established in 1921 27th Military units and formations disestablished in 1944