Modlin Fortress
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2013) |
Modlin Fortress | |
---|---|
Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Poland | |
Type | Bastion citadel |
Site information | |
Controlled by | France, Imperial Russia, Poland |
Site history | |
Built | 1806–1812 |
In use | 1812–present |
Battles/wars | November Uprising, Battle of Modlin |
Modlin Fortress (
History
The strategic importance of the area limited by the
The first modern fortifications in the area of today's citadel were built by the forces of the Polish Masovian troops, which established a camp here in September 1655 to defend against the Swedish invasion. These were fortified artillery positions defending the crossings over the Vistula and Bugonarew, and a moat protecting the camp from the east.[2] During the Battle of Nowy Dwór, Polish forces blocked the crossing of Swedish troops for ten days, then, forced to retreat by Swedish artillery fire, they broke away from the enemy, using the fortifications and terrain obstacles, avoiding destruction.
Next modern fortified position was built there in 1656 by the Swedish armies during
After the
From the very beginning of French presence in Poland, Bonaparte's engineers started to fortify the border with Russia, expecting either a Russian offensive towards western Europe – or a future offensive of the French armies towards Petersburg and Moscow. In December 1806, while in
In 1810 the very concept of the fort was changed and Napoleon decided to turn Modlin into a pivotal fortress in his line of fortifications and expand it significantly by adding an outer rim of defenses. General de Chasseloup-Laubat was replaced with a famous French engineer
The French plans included a fortified area composed of three, semi-independent fortifications. The main line of defences was located on the right bank of Vistula and Narew, and was composed of a
Fortress in Congress Poland
After 1815 the fortress found itself in Congress Poland, a state which was a part of the Russian Empire, but had considerable autonomy and an army of its own. It was weakly manned by Polish and Russian units, and little new construction work was carried out. During the November Uprising of 1830 the fortress was prepared for defense by Polish units, but the Russian army did not storm it. It surrendered on 9 October 1831 as one of the last points controlled by Polish units during the uprising.
Russian Fortress Novogeorgievsk
After the November Uprising of 1830 the Russian rule over Congress Poland became more severe. The Modlin fortress was renamed Novogeorgievsk in 1834
When relations between Germany and Russia deteriorated in the 1880s, with Germany entering the Triple Alliance potentially aimed against Russia, the decision was made to expand the fortress and upgrade it to modern standards. In the years 1883–1888 eight modern forts were added, roughly forming a ring with 2 to 4 km distance from the central fortress. In the following years these forts were modernized. At the same time, additional defensive works were built to integrate the fortress into the larger fortified region around Warsaw.
The defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War caused a rethinking of Russian strategy. In particular the idea of concentrating forces in the interior away from the borders before hostilities began to gain popularity. This approach would eliminate the need for a chain of border fortresses to screen the mobilizing units.
In 1909 when General Vladimir Sukhomlinov became the War Minister for the Russian Empire, one proposal he made was to scrap the bulk of the Russian fortress system, and Novogeorgievsk was a prime example of why they should be scrapped: The outer forts were initially built at a distance of about eight kilometers from the citadel to protect it from attacking artillery; by 1900, even field guns could fire past that distance.[5] Sukhomlinov was overruled. Instead of being razed, the fort system was slated for an 800 million ruble upgrade[6] with a new belt of forts to be added.[6] The fortress was also to receive a large number of heavy artillery pieces. The intensive new construction work started in 1912 and continued almost until the German army approached the fortress in 1915 during World War I. The fortress was now designed to serve as a center of resistance deep behind enemy lines if the Russian army were forced to retreat from Poland. The works were carried out in great haste, not all equipment was fitted, and some construction materials were improvised and hence of lower quality. Even with these defects, the fortress with its nineteen forts was one of the strongest fortifications in Europe at the outbreak of World War I. The Russian high command expected that if surrounded by the German armies it would hold out for many months, serving as a major thorn in the German rear.
Capture by the Germans
In summer of 1915, the Russians were reeling from the German attacks in Poland. They were faced with the reality of giving up Poland to the Germans or have their forces cut off from retreat.
The problem of the
Mikhail Alekseyev, the commander of the Polish sector, knew that to garrison the forts was a trap and the impregnability was an illusion.[8] However, he was swayed by men of a higher social standing and left a garrison to defend Novogeorgievsk. The troops that he was able to spare were the remnants of the II. Siberian division, the 63rd division, and 58th division.[7]
To capture Novogeorgievsk, the Germans transferred General Hans Beseler who had successfully laid siege to the Belgian city of Antwerp early in the war. In a stroke of luck, his forces captured the chief engineer of Novogeorgievsk on the first day. The Siege of Novogeorgievsk lasted only a matter of days.[9] When it fell, the Germans captured 1,600 guns and close to a million shells.[10]
Post World War I
After the First World War Modlin became part of the
Modlin fortress was the place of the Battle of Modlin during the German invasion of Poland in 1939. General Wiktor Thommée ensconced the Army of Łódź in the fortress after failing to fight his way back to Warsaw, and his was one of the last Polish military units to capitulate.
Present day
Some parts of the fortress are open to tourists. At the same time, the Polish military still has many facilities in the area and thus some redoubts are inaccessible. Some abandoned redoubts are not maintained and have deteriorated badly, with many metal elements having been pillaged for scrap.
Notes
- ^ A misnomer as the Wyspa Szwedzka is in fact a peninsula.
See also
- Battle of Modlin
- Modlin (Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki)
- Warsaw Citadel
Footnotes
- ^ Grodziska Mazowsza i Podlasia (W Granicach Dawnego Województwa Warszawskiego). Warsaw: Gajewski L. 1976. p. 169.
- ^ Dahlberg E., Vera Delineatio Castrorum Suecicorum prope Nowodwor, Puffendorf S., De rebus a Carolo Gustavo…, Norymberga 1696, p. 20
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 841; see line 4.
A first-class fortress of Russian Poland (called Modlin till 1831)
- ^ "Najciekawsze budowle militarne w Twierdzy Modlin". Twierdza Modlin (in Polish). Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ Stone 1998, p. 30
- ^ a b Stone 1998, p. 31
- ^ a b Stone 1998, p. 181
- ^ a b Stone 1998, p. 174
- ^ Stokesbury 2002, p. 133
- ^ Stone 1998, p. 182
- ^ a b Wołoszański, Bogusław (13 August 2013). "Krótka historia Twierdzy Modlin" [A Brief History of the Modlin Fortress]. Newsweek (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 September 2013.
- ^ "Twierdza Modlin została sprzedana" [Modlin Fortress was sold]. Newsweek (in Polish). 12 August 2013. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013.
References
- Paaskoski, J. (1998). "A Dutch Fortification Officer, Count Jan Pieter van Suchtelen in the Russian Service in the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries". Baltic Studies, Groningen. 5: 136–154.
- Lankhorst, Otto S. (1998). "Jan Pieter van Suchtelen (1751–1836) verzamelaar van boeken en handschriften" (http). Jaarboek van de Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde, 1998. Retrieved 6 February 2006.
- Wojciechowski, Mariusz (2000). "Twierdza Modlin" (http). Fortyfikacje poligonalne XIX wieku. Retrieved 6 February 2006.
- Zalesskiy, Konstantin Aleksandrovič (2003). Napoleonovskie vojny 1799–1815; Biograficheskiy enciklopedicheskiy slovar. Moscow: AST. p. 828. ISBN 5-17-016115-8.
- Stone, Norman (1998). The Eastern Front 1914–1917. London: Penguin Books.
- Stokesbury, James L. (2002). A Short History of World War I. New York: Perennial.
- Deyo, Daniel C. (2016). Legions of the East: A Compendium of the Russian Army in the First World War. Great Falls, VA: Counterintelligence Consulting LLC.