29th Grodno Infantry Division (Polish: ''29 Grodzienska 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 ...

during the interbellum period. It was created in early 1920s, after the army of

Republic of Central Lithuania The Republic of Central Lithuania (, ), commonly known as the Central Lithuania, and the Middle Lithuania (, , ), was an unrecognized short-lived puppet state of Poland, that existed from 1920 to 1922. It was founded on 12 October 1920, after ...

was absorbed by the Polish Army. The newly created unit took over regiments that had been part of 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division. 29 DP w 1938

The 29th I.D. was stationed in

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 ...

, with one regiment garrisoned in

Suwałki Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. A relatively young ci ...

. It consisted of these units: * 41st Suwałki Infantry Regiment of Marshall

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...

, stationed in Suwałki, * 76th Lida Infantry Regiment of

Ludwik Narbutt Ludwik Narbutt () (26 August 1832 – 5 May 1863) was a Polish-Lithuanian noble and a notable military commander during the January Uprising. Son of Teodor Narbutt, he led a large unit of Polish insurgents in the region of the town of Lida Lid ...

, stationed in Grodno, * 81st Grodno Rifles Regiment of King

Stefan Batory Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

, stationed in Grodno, * 29th Light Artillery Regiment, stationed in Grodno.

Polish September Campaign

In August 1939 the Division, under Colonel

Ignacy Oziewicz Ignacy Oziewicz, pseudonyms: "Czesław", "Czesławski", "Netta", "Jenczewski" (7 May 1887 – 10 January 1966) was a colonel of the Polish Army and a commandant of the National Armed Forces from 1942 to 1943. Biography Early life and mili ...

, was transferred to the reserve

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 ...

of 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 1, first day of the war, it unloaded from trains in the area of

Skierniewice Skierniewice () is a city in central Poland with 45,184 inhabitants (2023), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. It is the capital of Skierniewice County. Through the town runs the small river Łupia, also called Skierniewka. Located in the hist ...

. Then, it marched towards

Rawa Mazowiecka Rawa Mazowiecka is a town in central Poland, with 16,090 inhabitants (2022). It lies in the Łódź Voivodeship and is the capital of the Rawa County. From 1562 the city hosted the ''Rawa Treasury'' for the Military of the Polish–Lithuanian Com ...

and on September 3, it took up defensive positions along the Pilica. On September 5, German 1st Panzer Division, after crushing regiments of the

Polish 19th Infantry Division The 19th Infantry Division (, {{langx, lt, 19-oji Pėstininkų Divizija) of the Polish Army was established in 1923 after the incorporation of Central Lithuania into Poland. It was part of the Prusy Army during the German-led Invasion of Poland. La ...

, advanced towards

Tomaszów Mazowiecki Tomaszów Mazowiecki (, or ''Tomashuv'') is a city in central Poland with 60,529 inhabitants (2021). It is the fourth most populous city in the Łódź Voivodeship and the second with free public transport. It is the seat of Tomaszów County, Ł ...

. At that moment, commandant of the Prusy Army, unaware of the situation, was planning to counterattack the Germans, which was supposed to take place on the night of September 5–6. However, on September 5, at 9 pm, commander in chief of the Polish Army informed him to withdraw north of

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 ...

. This order did not reach all Polish units, and the 76th Lida Infantry Regiment attacked the Germans, managing to capture a village. Soon afterwards, Polish advance was stopped. Other regiments of the Division also attacked the Germans, along the road from Piotrkow to Radomsko and fighting with bayonets. In the course of the time, however, the Wehrmacht resistance stiffened and, supported by artillery and tanks, the Germans counterattacked at 6 am on September 6. After bloody skirmishes, most Polish soldiers died, those who survived retreated to the forests in the area of

Koło Koło () is a town on the Warta River in central Poland with 23,101 inhabitants (2006). It is situated in the Greater Poland Voivodship and it is the capital of Koło County. History Koło is one of the oldest towns in Poland. It was granted ...

. On September 7, the Division continued withdrawal eastwards, to 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 ...

. However, it was destroyed by the German 13th Motorized Division and ceased to exist as an organized unit. Last groups of soldiers crossed the Vistula near

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 ...

by September 13.

References

{{Reflist

29th 29 (twenty-nine) is the natural number following 28 and preceding 30. It is a prime number. 29 is the number of days February has on a leap year. Mathematics 29 is the tenth prime number. Integer properties 29 is the fifth primorial prime, ...

Polish September Campaign

See also

References