Battle of Szack

Battle of Szack (Shatsk)
	Part of the Soviet Invasion of Poland in the European theatre of World War II
Date	28 September 1939
Location	Shatsk, Wołyń Voivodeship Poland (now Ukraine)
Result	Polish victory
Belligerents
Soviet Union	Poland
Commanders and leaders
Ivan Russiyanov	W. Orlik-Rückemann
Strength
52nd Rifle Division	4,000 strong KOP group including artillery
Casualties and losses
Soviet archives:; 81 dead ; 184 wounded ; 7 tanks (5 T-26, 2 T-38) ; 2 tractors ; 3 anti-tank guns ; (Polish accounts:) ; ~500 dead ; 1,600 wounded ; 300 captured ; Several guns ; A few AFVs ; Up to 40 tanks [citation needed]	~350 dead ; 900+ wounded ; A few trucks[citation needed]

Battle of Szack (Shatsk) was one of the battles between the

Polish Army and the Red Army fought in 1939 in the beginning of the Second World War

.

Eve of the battle

During the

Border Defence Corps (KOP) was severely stripped of all the reserves and heavy armament. All the available Polish forces were sent to the west to reinforce the units resisting the German invasion. When the Red Army

invaded Poland on 17 September, there were barely any Polish forces to oppose them. The garrisons of the KOP were overstretched and after initial clashes and skirmishes for the border forts, the Polish units had to fall back.

The deputy commander of the KOP, general

Brześć and Kobryń forced Rueckemann's group to change its plans. The Polish units changed the direction and started to march through the forests towards Włodawa

and Kamień Koszyrski.

The group found itself in a no-man's-land between the Soviet forces and the Wehrmacht and could operate freely but the morale of the troops was low. On 27 September General Orlik-Rueckemann decided to engage the Soviet forces to achieve a victory and raise morale.

Battle

The Polish forces were marching in two columns. In the early morning of 28 September the northern column reached the forests near the village of Mielniki while the southern column reached the forests east of Szack (now

Shatsk). Polish reconnaissance reported that the town of Shatsk was occupied by Soviet infantry and tanks. Orlik-Rueckemann ordered both columns to form a defensive line along the border of the forest and provoked the Red Army

to attack.

At 8 o'clock in the morning, the Soviet tank unit (composed mostly of the

wz. 36 anti-tank guns opened fire. Soon they were joined by the infantry and the 75 mm artillery. All Soviet tanks were destroyed and the battalion of major Balcerzak was ordered to attack the town of Shatsk. The Soviet units were taken by surprise and after a short hand-to-hand fight, the Soviet forces were routed. Only a small part of the motorised infantry managed to retreat but had to leave behind all their lorries, artillery and 9 T-26

tanks. The Poles also captured the staff headquarters.

According to the orders of the Soviet 52nd Rifle Division found in the headquarters, the Soviet units operating from the

Bug River

from the bands of Polish officers." At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Soviet reserve units appeared in the area and Orlik-Rueckemann decided to withdraw his troops to the forests.

Aftermath

The Polish forces withdrew unopposed and started their march towards the

Vassili Chuikov. After a brief fight, the Polish unit surrendered. Upon the surrender all the Polish officers^[3] and NCOs were shot (about 500).^[4]

The remaining Polish forces evaded capture and crossed the Bug River, where they took part in the Battle of Wytyczno.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Мельтюхов М. И. Советско-польские войны. Военно-политическое противостояние 1918—1939 гг. Часть третья. Сентябрь 1939 года. Война с запада — М., 2001
^ Z bolszewikami nie walczyć Archived 2007-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Obiektyw.net (1939-09-17). Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
^ Encyklopedie w INTERIA.PL – największa w Polsce encyklopedia internetowa. Encyklopedia.interia.pl. Retrieved on 2011-06-02.
^ [1]^{[dead link]} ^{[dead link]}

Battle of Szack

Eve of the battle

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References

Further reading