Independent Operational Group Polesie
Independent Operational Group
Tasks
The SGO was created on the orders of the Polish Commander in Chief on 9 and 11 September due to German breakthroughs and was tasked with defending the region of
Operational history
From 14 September the units of the SGO faced the German
After the
Not all of the Polesie Group soldiers capitulated; many dispersed and continued guerrilla warfare, most notably major Henryk Dobrzański and his Detached Unit of the Polish Army, which is credited with being the first Polish partisan unit and was active until the spring of 1940.[4]
Organization
The SGO was commanded by general Franciszek Kleeberg, his chief of staff was colonel M. Łapicki. Kleeberg was tasked with organizing his group from various small units in the Polesie region; most of them were either reserve and mobilizing or second line such as the National Defense units; the notable exception were the elite Border Protection Corps (KOP) units and the Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy.
On 14 September, when the group was engaged by German forces, it was composed of:
- "Kobryń Group" (seven infantry battalions) - under col. Adam Epler
- "Brześć Group" (five infantry battalions, two light tank companies, two armored trains under gen. Konstanty Plisowski
- "Drohiczyn Poleski Group" (three infantry battalions) - under col. Kazimierz Gorzkowski
- "Jasiołda Group" (one infantry battalion) - under mjr Ludwik Rau
- Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy
Over the next two weeks the group sustained casualties but it was also reinforced by various units from the disintegrating Polish army, including defenders of the Sarny Fortified Area. The total strength of the SGO was 18,000 soldiers.
On 29 September, after reorganization, the group was composed of:
- Polish 50th Infantry Division (reserve, later nicknamed "Brzoza" after its commander) under col. Ottokar Brzoza-Brzezina
- Polish 60th Infantry Division (reserve, later nicknamed "Kobryń") under col. Adam Epler
- Suwalska Cavalry Brigade from Independent Operational Group Narew)
Notes
a
References
- Inline:
- General:
- (in Polish) Armie i samodzielne grupy operacyjne Wojska Polskiego 1939 Archived 2013-02-06 at the Wayback Machine WIEM Encyklopedia
- (in Polish) Inne związki operacyjne Wojska Polskiego powstałe po 1 września 1939
Further reading
- Seidner, Stanley S. Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland, New York, 1978.
- Jan Wróblewski, Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Polesie 1939, MON, 1989, ISBN 83-11-07659-6
External links
- (in Polish) Final Order of General Keeberg to his soldiers