Poland Betrayed: The Nazi-Soviet Invasions of 1939

257 Pages·2009·3.77 MB·English

by  David Williamson

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Poland Betrayed
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OTHER TITLES IN THE CAMPAIGN CHRONICLES SERIES
Armada 1588 John Barratt
Passchendaele: The Hollow Victory Martin Marix Evans
The Viking Wars of Alfred the Great Paul Hill
Caesar’s Gallic Triumph Peter Inker
The Battle of North Cape Angus Konstam
Salerno 1943: The Invasion of Italy Angus Konstam
The Gas Attack: Ypres 1915 John Lee
The Battle of the Berezina Alexander Mikaberidze
The Battle of Borodino Alexander Mikaberidze
The German Offensives of 1918 Ian Passingham
Attack on the Somme: Haig’s Offensive 1916 Martin Pegler
Dunkirk and the Fall of France Geoffrey Stewart
Napoleon’s Polish Gamble: Eylau and Friedland 1807
Christopher Summerville
The Siege of Malta 1940–1942 David Williamson
The Battle of the River Plate Richard Woodman
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Campaign Chronicles
Poland Betrayed
The Nazi-Soviet Invasions 1939
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David G. Williamson
Campaign Chronicles
Series Editor
Christopher Summerville
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To Alex and Sarah
First published in Great Britain in 2009 by
Pen &Sword Military
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS
Copyright © text David G. Williamson 2009
Copyright © maps Christopher Summerville 2009
ISBN 978 1 84415 926 0
The right of David G. Williamson to be identified as Author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in
writing.
Typeset in Sabon
by Phoenix Typesetting,Auldgirth,Dumfriesshire
Printed and bound in England
by Biddles Ltd, King’s Lynn
Pen & Sword Books Ltd incorporates the imprints of Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen &
Sword Family History, Pen & Sword Maritime,
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Military Classics, Leo Cooper, Remember When,
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For a complete list of Pen & Sword titles please contact
PEN & SWORD BOOKS LIMITED
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Contents
Maps and Illustrations viii
Acknowledgements x
Background 1
Poland: The Crucified Nation 1
Emergence of the New Poland 1918–20 2
Enemies of the New Polish State 6
Development of Poland 1919–38 8
The Re-Emergence of Germany and Russia as
Major Military Powers 10
Germany Rearms 10
Development of Soviet Armed Forces 14
Rebirth of Poland’s Armed Forces 1919–39 17
Air Defence 23
The Navy 25
Industrial Mobilization 26
Poland’s Triumph: Breaking the Nazi Codes 30
From the Anschluss to the Seizure of Teschen 32
Poland, Danzig and the British Guarantee 36
The German Response 40
Too Little and Too Late 41
Polish Civil Defence Preparations 1938–39 47
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Poland Betrayed
Plans ‘W’ and ‘Z’ 48
Polish Air and Naval Plans 52
Fall Weiss 54
Countdown to War 56
The Nazi-Soviet Pact 58
War Postponed for a Week 60
Campaign Chronicle 63
Preliminary Incidents 63
31 August 1939: The Wehrmacht’s Orders 64
1–17 September: Fighting in Danzig, Westerplatte
and the Coastal Regions 65
1–6 September: Rout of the Polish Air Force 69
1–7 September: The Land War 80
Elimination of the Corridor 80
Massacres and Reprisals in Bydgoszcz 83
The German Advance from East Prussia 85
All Quiet in the Pozna÷ Salient 86
The German Breakthrough in the South-west 87
Britain and France Declare War 97
8–17 September: Battle of the Bzura 100
10–20 September: The Situation Elsewhere 107
7–27 September: The Siege of Warsaw 110
17 September: The Soviets Intervene 116
17–30 September: The Russo-Polish War 120
The Soviet Occupation of Lwów 125
21–28 September: Germany and Russia Decide
Poland’s Fate 128
22 September–6 October: Mopping Up 129
19 September–2 October: Modlin and the Hel Peninsula 130
17–30 September: Exodus of the Fortunate Few 132
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Contents
31 August–14 October: The Polish Navy Escapes
to Britain 136
September–December 1939: Escape from Internment 140
October 1939–May 1940: The Poles Fight On 144
Aftermath 151
The German Zones 151
The Russian Zone 155
Prisoners of War 157
Katy÷ 159
Resistance 160
Assessment 163
Appendices
Appendix I: Chronology of Major Events 171
Appendix II: Biographies of Key Figures 177
Appendix III: Glossary and Abbreviations 185
Appendix IV: Orders of Battle 187
Appendix V: Survivors’ Reminiscences 197
Sources 219
Index 223
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Maps and
Illustrations
Maps
Poland 1939 xi
Conclusion of the Campaign xii
Illustrations
Danzig 1939
Ribbentrop and Molotov Sign the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Marshal Edward Rydz-×migªy
Marshal Edward Rydz-×migªy
General Kazimierz Sosnkowski
General Wªadysªaw Sikorski
German Soldiers Remove the Frontier Barrier with Poland
Germans Troops Trot into Poland
Motorized Infantry Facilitated the Rapid German Advance
German Troops Take Cover
German Troops in Tarnów
Polish Cavalrymen Amid the Ruins of Sochaczew
German Motorized Column
German Mounted Reconnaissance Unit
Adolf Hitler is Presented with the Captured Banner of a Polish
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Maps and Illustrations
Cavalry Regiment
Polish PoWs Following the Battle for Westerplatte
Polish Officer of the Vanquished Westerplatte Garrison
Polish PoWs at Kutno
Discarded Polish Helmets and Weapons
German and Soviet Top Brass Meet at Biaªystok
German and Russian Troops Fraternize at Brze±„ on 19 September
1939
Heinz Guderian Discusses the Nazi-Soviet Demarcation Line
Germans in Action at Pªta Oksywska
Hitler Picks his Way Through the Rubble of Westerplatte
German Trenches Before Warsaw
SS Colonel Sepp Dietrich Welcomes Hitler to Poland
German Troops in Action Before Warsaw
German Troops Enjoy a Smoke During a Break in the Fighting
Warsaw Resists
Warsaw Falters
Warsaw Falls
Surrender of the Hel Peninsula
The Führer’s Motorcade Passes the Saski Palace in Warsaw
German Victory Parade in Warsaw
German Troops Goose-step Across Warsaw
Inside a German PoW Camp
Massacre at Bochnia
Beaten but not Broken
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