Polish 6th Infantry Division () 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 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 ( ...

period, which fought in the

Polish–Ukrainian War The Polish–Ukrainian War, from November 1918 to July 1919, was a conflict between the Second Polish Republic and Ukrainian forces (both the West Ukrainian People's Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic). The conflict had its roots in ...

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

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 formed on May 9, 1919, in the area around

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, its first commandant was Colonel Ignacy Pick. Between 1919 and 1920, the unit fought Ukrainian troops in eastern part of former Galicia. Then, it participated in the

, halting the advance of the Soviet

1st Cavalry Army __NOTOC__ The 1st Cavalry Army (), or ''Konarmia'' (Кона́рмия, "Horsearmy"), was a prominent Red Army military formation that served in the Russian Civil War and Polish–Soviet War, Polish-Soviet War. History Formation On 17 Novem ...

led by General

Semyon Budyonny Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny ( rus, Семён Миха́йлович Будённый, Semyon Mikháylovich Budyonnyy, p=sʲɪˈmʲɵn mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ bʊˈdʲɵnːɨj, a=ru-Simeon Budyonniy.ogg; – 26 October 1973) was a Russian and ...

. Several soldiers were after the conflict awarded with various orders, including the

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...

. In 1921, when hostilities ended, the division returned to its bases – headquarters and most regiments were stationed in Kraków, some other regiments were garrisoned in

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...

and

Wadowice Wadowice () is a town in southern Poland, southwest of Kraków with 17,455 inhabitants (2022), situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Foothills (Pogórze Śląskie). Wadowice is known for being the bir ...

1919–1921

The Sixth Infantry Division was formed in early May 1919 in western part of former

Austrian Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, also known as Austrian Galicia or colloquially Austrian Poland, was a constituent possession of the Habsburg monarchy in the historical region of Galicia in Eastern Europe. The crown land was established ...

. It consisted of elements of the dissolved

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

, in which soldiers were ethnic Poles. At first, the division was divided into XI Infantry Brigade ( 12th Infantry Regiment, 16th Infantry Regiment), XII Infantry Brigade (17th Infantry Regiment, 20th Infantry Regiment), and VI Artillery Brigade (6th Field Artillery Regiment and 6th Heavy Artillery Regiment). Furthermore, there was the 5th Sapper Battalion. In 1919–1920, the division fought with distinction in the

and

in Eastern Galicia. It engaged the enemies of newly restored Poland in several battles: Dubno, Jelnica, Zamosz, Szpanow, Klewan and Jaroslawicze. 54 of its soldiers were awarded War Cross of the

, and 633 were granted the

Cross of Valour (Poland) The Cross of Valour () is a Polish military decoration. It was introduced by the Council of National Defense on 11 August 1920. It is awarded to an individual who "has demonstrated deeds of valour and courage on the field of battle." It may be aw ...

Second Polish Republic

After the wars, in 1921 the division returned to its garrisons and most of the soldiers were sent home. Its 17th Infantry Regiment, stationed in

Rzeszów Rzeszów ( , ) is the largest city in southeastern Poland. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River in the heartland of the Sandomierz Basin. Rzeszów is the capital of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship and the county seat, seat of Rzeszów C ...

, was transferred to the 24th Infantry Division. After some additional changes in the structure of the unit, the divisional headquarters were located in

, together with the 20th Infantry Regiment and elements of other subunits. The 16th Infantry Regiment was located in

, and the 12th Infantry Regiment in

1939 Invasion of Poland

For more information, see Battle of Pszczyna. According to

Plan West Plan West () was a military plan of the Polish Army of the Second Polish Republic, for defence against invasion from Nazi Germany. It was designed in the late 1930s. Background While Józef Piłsudski was the dictator of Poland, planning concent ...

, the 6th Division, commanded by General

Bernard Mond Bernard Stanisław Mond (Spanier) (November 14, 1887 in Stanisławów – July 5, 1957 in Kraków) was a Polish general of Jewish descent in the interwar period. He fought in the First World War, Polish–Ukrainian War, Polish–Soviet War and S ...

was part of

Bielsko Operational Group Operational Group Bielsko (''Grupa Operacyjna Bielsko'', ''GO Bielsko''), named after southern Polish city of Bielsko-Biała, was an Operational Group of the Polish Army which fought in the 1939 Invasion of Poland. Officially created on 23 March 193 ...

, which belonged to

Kraków Army Kraków Army () was one of the List of Polish armies, Polish armies which took part in the Invasion of Poland (1939), Polish Defensive War of 1939. It was officially created on March 23, 1939 as the main pivot of Polish defence. It was commanded by ...

. The division took positions along an 18-kilometer line near

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

n town of

Pszczyna Pszczyna (, ) is a town in Silesia Province in Poland, with a population of 25,823 (2019), and is the seat of a local gmina (commune) and district. It was previously part of Katowice Province from 1975 until 1998 administrative reforms. Etymo ...

. One of its subunits, commanded by Colonel

Ignacy Misiag Ignacy is a Polish given name, equivalent of the name ''Ignatius''. Notable people with the name include: * Ignacy Tadeusz Baranowski (1879–1917), Polish historian * Piotr Ignacy Bieńkowski (1865–1925), Polish classical scholar and archaeologi ...

, was engaged by 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 ...

on the first day of the war, September 1, 1939. It defended the positions in the villages of Brzezce and Wisla Wielka, attacked by German 5th Panzer Division. In the morning of September 2, main forces of the division were attacked by the 5th Panzer. Several German tanks managed to break through the 20th Infantry Regiment and destroy the Third Battalion, together with divisional artillery, located in the rear. Only 17 light and 2 heavy cannons were saved, and under the conditions, two battalions of the 16th Regiment assaulted German tanks in a suicide mission near the village of Cwiklice. Despite heavy losses, the division managed to hold its positions until September 4, when, together with elements of

Operational Group Operational Group (, GO) was the highest level type of tactical division of the Polish Army at various points in the 20th century, mainly during the Second World War. Polish-Bolshevik War (1919-1921) Operational groups first appeared in the Polis ...

Boruta, it withdrew towards the

Dunajec river The Dunajec (; Goral dialects: ''Dónajec''; ) is a river running through northeastern Slovakia and southern Poland. It is also regarded as the main river of the Goral Lands. It is a right tributary of the Vistula River. It begins in Nowy Targ at ...

. On September 7–8, the division fought near

Biskupice Radłowskie Biskupice Radłowskie is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Radłów, within Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north of Radłów, north-west of Tarnów, and east of the regional ...

. In a chaotic situation that ensued after the destruction of the neighboring

21st Mountain Infantry Division The 21st Mountain Infantry Division (, 21 DPG) Apoloniusz Zawilski: Bitwy polskiego września. Kraków: Znak Horyzont, 2019. ISBN 978-83-240-5692-7. P794 was a pre-war unit of the Polish Army. It was one of two mountain infantry divisions of Polan ...

, only 16th Infantry Regiment managed to cross the Dunajec. Due to premature destruction of the bridge at Biskupice, remnants of both 6th and 21st divisions rushed northwards, in search of another bridge. Finally, after crossing the Dunajec, both divisions reached the line of the

San river The San (; ''Sian''; ) is a river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. With a length of , the San is the 6th-longest Polish river. It has a basin area of 16,877 km2, of which 14,426 k ...

. The Sixth Division then fought 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

. Surrounded by the Wehrmacht, it capitulated on September 20 at 3 p.m., near Nowe Siolo. By then, the division had only 3000 soldiers, without artillery and heavy machine guns. The Reserve Center of the Sixth Division, located in Kraków, was in mid-September 1939 evacuated to the so-called

Romanian Bridgehead __NOTOC__ The Romanian Bridgehead (; ) was an area in southeastern Poland that is now located in Ukraine. During the invasion of Poland in 1939 at the start of the Second World War, the Polish commander-in-chief, Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz- ...

, where it was incorporated into the Operational Group Dniestr of

Karpaty Army Karpaty Army () was formed on 11 July 1939 under Major General Kazimierz Fabrycy after Nazi Germany created a puppet state of Slovakia and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was proclaimed after the events that lead to the breakup of Czechos ...

. Tasked with the defense of the area of Zaleszczyki, it crossed the Romanian border after

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 ...

Order of Battle in September 1939

* Headquarters: Commandant General

, Infantry Commandant Colonel

, Artillery Commandant Franciszek Szechinski, Chief of Staff Colonel

Ludwik Zych Ludwik () is a Polish given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ludwik Czyżewski, Polish WWII general * Ludwik Fleck (1896–1961), Polish medical doctor and biologist * Ludwik Gintel (1899–1973), Polish-Israeli Olympic soccer player ...

. * 12th Infantry Regiment (

), * 16th Land of Tarnow Infantry Regiment (

), * 20th Land of Krakow Infantry Regiment (

), * 6th Light Artillery Regiment (Kraków), * 6th Heavy Artillery Squadron (Kraków), * 6th Sapper Battalion (Kraków), * other units: antiaircraft artillery battery, company of cyclists, divisional cavalry, military police, telephone company, field post, field hospital nr. 501,

Commanders 1919–1939

* Colonel

Franciszek Latinik Franciszek Ksawery Latinik (17 July 1864 – 29 August 1949) was a Polish military officer, Colonel of Austro-Hungarian Army and Major General of the Polish Armed Forces (Second Polish Republic), Polish Army. Graduate of the General Staff Academy ...

(VI – X 1919), * General Bronislaw Teofil Babianski (X – XI 1919), * General

Kazimierz Raszewski Kazimierz Raszewski (29 February 1864 – 14 January 1941) was a lieutenant general of the Polish Army. Early life Raszewski was born 29 February 1864 in a small village called Jasień, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Jasień near Poznań (Czempiń ...

(XII 1919 – VII 1920), * Colonel

Ottokar Brzoza-Brzezina Ottokar Wincenty Brzoza-Brzezina (3 March 1883 – 30 August 1968) was a Polish brigadier general of Czech origin who was notable for his service in the Battle of Krzywopłoty during the First World War. Biography Brzoza-Brzezina completed fou ...

(VII 1920), * Colonel

Józef Olszyna-Wilczyński Józef Konstanty Olszyna-Wilczyński (; 27 November 1890 – 22 September 1939) was a Polish general and one of the high-ranking commanders of the Polish Army. A veteran of World War I, the Polish-Ukrainian War and the Polish-Soviet War, he w ...

(1920), * General Mieczyslaw Linde (19 VII 1920 – 25 IX 1921), * General Eugeniusz Aleksander Tinz (IX 1921 – 17 III 1927), * Colonel Oswald Frank (1922 and 1926), * Colonel Karol Szemiot (until VII 1923), * General

Mieczysław Smorawiński Brigadier General Mieczysław Makary Smorawiński (1893–1940), was a Polish military commander and officer of the Polish Army. He was one of the Polish generals identified by forensic scientists of the Katyn Commission as the victim of the Sovi ...

(17 III 1927 – 4 X 1932), * General

(X 1932 – IX 1939).

Later 6th Infantry Divisions of Poland

* :pl:6 Lwowska Dywizja Piechoty (1941-1943,

Polish Armed Forces in the East The Polish Armed Forces in the East (), also called Polish Army in the USSR, were the Polish military forces established in the Soviet Union during World War II. Two armies were formed separately and at different times. '' Anders' Army'', crea ...

)

6th Infantry Division of the People's Army of Poland

The 6 Pomeranian Infantry Division (6 DP) was an

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 of the

Polish People's Army The Polish People's Army (, ; LWP) was the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East during the latter stages of the Second World War (1943–1945), and subsequently the armed forces of the Polish communist state (1945–1989 ...

. The formation of the division began on July 5, 1944, in the Ukrainian region of

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

. In summer 1944 it was moved to Poland, eventually becoming a part of

First Polish Army 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 ...

. On January 17, 1945, the division forced 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 ...

river and went to Warsaw. In February, it struggled to break the

Pomeranian Wall The Pomeranian Wall, Pomeranian Line or Pomeranian Position (, ) was a line of fortifications constructed by Nazi Germany in the Pomeranian Lakeland region in modern north-western Poland. It was constructed in two phases. In the years 1932-1937 ...

, then fighting in the

Battle of Kolberg (1945) The Battle of Kolberg or Battle of Kołobrzeg (also, battle for Festung Kolberg) was the taking of the city of ''Kolberg'', now the city of Kołobrzeg, in Pomerania Province (1815-1945), Pomerania by the First Polish Army (1944–1945), Poli ...

. On 16 April the division crossed the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

in the region of

Siekierki Siekierki (, literally ''little axes'') is a low-rise housing residential neighborhood in Warsaw, the northeastern part of the Mokotów district belonging to Lower Mokotów, adjacent to the Vistula river. The area is home to an astronomical rese ...

. As the first major unit of the Polish Army it reached the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

(May 3, 1945), and its soldiers met with troops of the

U.S. Ninth Army The Ninth Army was a field army of the United States Army, most recently garrisoned at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. It was the United States Army Service Component Command of United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM). Activated jus ...

. After the war the division was part of the occupying troops. From June 19, 1945, to November 3, it served on the border. In accordance with an order of the Supreme Commander of the CM No. 0305/Org. of November 10, 1945, the division assumed a peacetime status, with the staff stationed since January 1946 in Kraków. In accordance with 0048/Org No. MON command. of June 15, 1957, the division was reorganized into the 6th Pomeranian Airborne Division.{{Cite web, url=http://6bpd.wp.mil.pl/pl/10.html, title=TRADYCJE 6 BPD, last=, first=, date=, work=Ministry of National Defence, access-date=8 December 2019, language=Polish, trans-title=Traditions of 6 BPD

References

06th Military units and formations established in 1919 6th Military units and formations disestablished in 1957