Chapter Five
On 18 September General Guderian officially surrendered the city of Brzesc to the Red Army, since the agreed boundary-line drawn-up between Germany and Russia was the Vistula-San line. A farewell parade and salutes to the two flags in the presence of the Russian Brigadier-General Krivochin and Guderian marked the end of the German stay in the city, whose capture had cost so much blood.
Three days later in the south the Russians appeared outside Lwow and List’s Fourteenth Army was ordered to withdraw its forces from the besieged city and surrounding areas. The planned attack by Baier’s XVIII Corps against the city was cancelled and the corps prepared to pull out. Abruptly and unexpectedly, after days of heavy fighting the Polish commander, General Langner, surrendered his Lwow garrison of 120,000 troops to Kubler’s 1st Mountain Division, rather than give up his command to the Russians. The occupation of the city was left to the Red Army, whilst the 1st Mountain Division and XVIII Corps moved out of Lwow and headed west.
On 25 September while a number of heavy attacks were made north of Warsaw against Polish forces defending the Modlin fortifications, the Polish capital came under the heaviest aerial bombardment of the campaign. As 400 bombers, dive bombers and group attack aircraft, supported by 30 tri-motor transport planes pounded the city, Hitler from the roof-top of a sports stadium watched with binoculars the unfolding air raid.
Early next morning following another refusal by the Poles to surrender Warsaw, troops and armour of Eighth Army stormed the city and began taking the capital street by street. Slowly the Warsaw garrison began to disintegrate under the massive ground and artillery attack. By next day German assaults had reached such a level of intensity that the Polish commander General Rommel decided to capitulate than to endure a further day of blood-shed. In total 140,000 Polish soldiers, more than 37,000 of them wounded were taken into captivity.
After the fall of Warsaw numerous other engagements, some of them still quite heavy, continued to rage. On 29 September, the Polish garrison defending the Modlin forts finally surrendered to SS Division ‘Kempf ’. A staggering 24,000 Polish soldiers, including some 4,000 casualties were taken prisoner. Throughout the rest of Poland the last remaining pockets of resistance were being rounded up.
On 1 October, while the German Army were still withdrawing its troops to the agreed Vistula boundary, the German High Command suddenly announced that the demarcation line had changed and that henceforth the line would be along the Bug down to the San to the Slovakian border. Weary troops that had trudged east and then withdrew west had to once more advance east again, meeting further Polish resistance. The most significant of these was east of the Vistula near the town of Kock. This was the last major battle of the campaign and it was not until 6 October that Kleeburg’s force of 16,000 soldiers surrendered to Wietersheim’s XIV Corps, signifying the end of the German campaign in the east and the final crushing of Poland.
Two photographs showing German vehicles halted on the main road to Warsaw. Due to heavy fighting in the capital and along the Bzura west of the city, many vehicles were unable to move along the congested road. Courtesy of Jim Payne
In the light of tactical and geographical dominance, the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, von Brauchitsch, ordered the partial demobilisation of the Northern and Southern Army Groups. Exhausted and tired, thousands of troops began its long arduous journey back to their home stations. For the Poles, defeat however came as a terrible blow. Altogether some 694,000 Polish soldiers had been captured by the Germans, whilst 217,000 of them were rounded up by the Russians. At least 50,000 Polish troops had been killed in action and as many as 140,000 were wounded. More than 90,000 Polish soldiers and a vast number of civilian refugees, including Poland’s government and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, fled across the borders of Rumania and Hungary. What surviving remnants remained were now captives of a nation that hated them. Poland was in ruins and through the rubble strewn cities and towns the inhabitants stood numb and terrified, clinging to the few possessions they had left.
With the fate of Poland inevitably sealed, on 5 October 1939, amidst the destruction and stench of rotting bodies, Hitler flew to Warsaw where a victory parade was held in honour for parts of the six divisions that had taken the city. At its conclusion von Brauchitsch, von Rundstedt, Blaskowitz and other commanders took Hitler to an airfield to meet the commanders of the troops that had taken part in the parade. After swallowing a little soup at the field kitchen and exchanging a few remarks with the soldiers he made his way to his private aircraft, the Grenzmark. Just before boarding he was introduced to a group of correspondents. He then made a brief statement and said menacingly; ‘Gentlemen, you have seen for yourselves what criminal stupidity it was to try and defend this city. I only wish that certain statesmen in other countries, who seem to want to turn all Europe into a second Warsaw, could have the opportunity to see as you have, the real meaning of war’.
Hitler was determined that this new conquered country would be part of his ideological and racial dream. He was going to make sure that Poland would be dismembered, subdivided, and repopulated in such a way, that it would never be able to rise against Germany again. For the inhabitants of Poland however, they were compelled to live out their lives in the hands of Hitler’s plans for the next five years. The German Army, which had won Hitler his ‘Eighteen day victory march’, were now to observe helplessly as the country was racially destroyed by its SS counterparts.
Another two photographs showing German forces on the main Warsaw highway. In the top photograph an Sd.Kfz.263 armoured radio vehicle can be seen passing a group of soldiers on horseback. Note the non appearance of the white crosses. Courtesy of Jim Payne
Horse drawn infantry halted on a road somewhere in Poland. Note the national flag draped over the horse-cart acting as a recognition flag against possible aerial attack. The drive across Poland had been so rapid that both Luftwaffe fighter and bomber crews were occasionally misidentifying their own columns on the ground.
A photograph taken during what seems to be a staged infantry attack inside a burning village. During the advance through Poland there were a number photographic units that took various staged photos for propaganda, and these were widely used in publications and newsreels through Germany
An infantryman on horseback following what appears to be a 10.5cm howitzer on tow. It was primarily the artillery regiments that were given the task of destroying enemy positions and fortified defences, and conducting counter-battery fire prior to an armoured or infantry assault.
Another photograph showing the same infantry column halted on a road next to a 10.5cm howitzer being towed by animal draught.
Two infantrymen on horseback riding along a road. Contrary to popular belief, much of the German Army in September 1939 was animal draught. Whilst Hitler preferred mechanized divisions as the most effective method of winning a war the horse played, and continued to play, a significant part in German warfare.
Three photographs showing bridges blown. In the photograph above engineers are repairing a damaged bridge across the Vistula. Courtesy of Jim Payne
In some places the Poles tried frantically to impede the mighty German armoured advance by blowing up as many river crossings as possible. The Poles tried to use the waterways as a defence line in the face of an attack. Courtesy of Jim Payne
German troops can just be seen to the left of the photograph resting. By 18 September, besieged by an ever-increasing flow of infantry, tanks and the aerial might of the Luftwaffe, the Polish Army disintegrated.
A nurse carefully removes a bandage from a soldier. German troops suffered from higher casualties than expected, especially whilst trying to take Warsaw. However, with relatively good access to field hospitals and air transport the wounded could quickly be removed from the battlefield for rest and recuperation.
Two motorcyclists, one with a sidecar combination, follow a convoy of vehicles along a road. Both riders are wearing the familiar double-breasted rubberised motorcycle coat and leather gloves. They are also armed with the Mauser rifle.
Two photographs showing armoured vehicles attempting to wade across a river. In the photograph below an Sd.Kfz.231(6-rad) has become stuck in mud on the river’s edge. Attempts by a Sd.Kfz.221 four wheeled car has been unsuccessful, prompting the arrival of an early production Sd.Kfz.263 radio vehicle. Courtesy of Jim Payne
Halftracks towing 15cm howitzers toward the city of Brzesc have halted on a road. By 14 September leading elements of the 10th Panzer Division had reached Brzesc and heavy attacks had forced the defenders to withdraw into the city’s fortress.
Here German forces of the 20th Motorized Division are pulling out west from the Bug River after receiving orders that the agreed boundary-line drawn-up between Germany and Russia was to be the Vistula-San line.
A long column of horses move along a road. Note the national flag for aerial recognition. After two weeks of the campaign much of the Polish air force had been annihilated, and those aircraft that had not been destroyed were removed to secret locations.
The extent of the damage to the town can be seen, which is a result from systematic bombing from the Luftwaffe. By the outbreak of the war with Poland the Luftwaffe had turned into a highly efficient force with up-to-date equipment.
Five photographs showing Polish prisoners being led away into captivity. The very speed of the German onslaught undermined the will of many of the Polish units to fight on. By 18 September the Polish Army had totally disintegrated. With no clear orders, cut off from support and without supplies, many chose to surrender without a fight. By the end of the campaign some 694,000 troops ended the war against Germany in prison camps. Courtesy of Jim Payne
Vehicles move along a dusty road bound for Warsaw. It had been decided that any offensive against the Polish capital should be undertaken by infantry divisions of the Eighth Army attacking into the southern and western suburbs of the city.
Another halftrack belonging to the Eighth Army pushes eastwards towards Warsaw in preparation for an assault into the suburbs. Many hundreds of artillery pieces and well armed infantry were dug-in on the outskirts of the city. Over the ensuing days continuous artillery bombardments were undertaken with probing attacks into the suburbs.
With the rapid advance of the armoured spearheads isolated pockets of Polish resistance were often bypassed, leaving them roaming in forests. Here a German unit undertaking a ‘mopping up’ operation has halted inside a forest and captured a number of Polish stragglers.
An MG34 machine gun crew out in a field during intensive fighting against undefeated enemy units. Although the Polish Army were dying a lingering death out on the battlefield, German infantry in a number of areas faced further battles with unsubdued enemy formations, determined to fight to the grim death.
A mortar crew in action against unsubdued enemy formations. In some areas the fighting was so bitter that German infantry made very little headway in their drastic attempt to force the Poles to surrender.
West of Warsaw showing a variety of vehicles halted in a field. Note the PaK35/36 anti-tank guns being towed by light Horch Crosscountry vehicles. Due to the serious lack of vehicles available to the German Army in Poland a mixture of cars and lorries were utilised to tow supplies and light weapons, such as the PaK35/36.
Three motorcycle combinations advance along a dusty road. The leading motorcycle has an MG34 mounted to the sidecar. During the Polish campaign motorcyclists generally rode into battle and dismounted to fight.
An interesting photograph showing a group of dismounted motorcyclists on a road somewhere in Poland during the later stages of the campaign. One of the motorcyclists can be seen scouring the sky through a pair of binoculars.
A 15cm howitzer hidden at the edge of some woodland. With the use of foliage and logs, the guns distinctive wheels have been more or less concealed. For additional camouflage canvas sheeting has been draped over the gun barrel.
A typical scene during the invasion of Poland. Here the gun carriage of a 15cm howitzer is being hauled by animal draught through some woodland. The weight of these artillery pieces and the way in which they were towed and positioned in the field proved that more tracked vehicles were needed.
A halftrack hurtles through some woodland. It was soon found in Poland that the performance of the infantry attributed greatly to the use of halftracks transporting them onto the battlefield. By 1940 motorised infantry were used in France, where soldiers travelled by motor vehicle rather than on foot.
A well concealed PaK35/36 anti-tank gun inside a forest. The gun had proved its worth against Polish armour and was an essential ingredient in combating what little enemy resistance there was.
Well supplied Horse drawn infantry have halted on a road. During the second week of the campaign enemy resistance was cracking, and as a result there were many wholesale surrenders.
Infantry confer standing next to a building on what appears to be a farmstead. All the soldiers wear the standard army uniform of the period, an M35 steel helmet and M36 field blouse with its distinctive dark-green facing collar.
Inside the ravaged city of Warsaw the Poles used a variety of barricades in order to try and defend the streets of the capital from the attacking enemy. Here in this photograph trams have been used to block a route into the heart of the city. Courtesy of Jim Payne
Inside the suburbs of Warsaw an infantryman poses for the camera with artillery shells packed in wicker cases. On 25 September 1939 German artillery crews were ordered to step up their bombardments, and if need be reduce every road to rubble. Courtesy of Jim Payne
For weeks the inhabitants of Warsaw had to endure both heavy ground and aerial bombardments, often resulting in the deaths of many hundreds of civilians. Despite the fact that there was no running water, electricity, and food stocks critically low, the Poles tried their best to maintain a relatively normal existence in the rubble strewn streets.
German infantry belonging to Blaskowitz Eighth Army can be seen next to a statue on the Vistula River following the final surrender of Warsaw on 27 September. A total of 140,000 Polish troops defending the capital laid down their arms, including some 16,000 wounded.
Inside the captured city of Warsaw two antiquated Polish armoured vehicles move along a road near the Vistula. These armoured vehicles were no match even against the light under gunned Pz.Kpfw.I.
In the warm weather baptized, Führer weather, the troops march mainly on foot with their horses led by three officers. In spite a victorious march through Poland, there were area where the Germans faced a number of fierce isolated pockets of resistance.
A German soldier intent on capturing the aftermath of the battle for Warsaw stands in a car and photographs the devastation that surrounds him. Courtesy of Jim Payne
The long distances in which the German infantry marched were very exhausting for both man and horse. In this photograph soldiers rest in a field after enduring more than eighteen days of almost continuous foot marches and fighting. It would not be until the heartlands of Russia when fatigue would grip the infantry once again in the East.
German forces in an occupied town near Warsaw. Following almost three weeks of battle the Wehrmacht had occupied much of Poland. The very speed of the advance had undermined the will of many of the Polish units to fight on.
A German column of infantry advance through the decimated suburbs of Warsaw following its capitulation on 27 September 1939. A total of 140,000 Polish troops laid down their arms, including some 16,000 wounded.
On 5 October Hitler visited the captured capital and reviewed a triumphant march-pass by German infantry. The victory parade symbolised the might of the German Army and its conquest over Poland in little more than a month. They had won their battle against Poland by implementing a series of overwhelming, rapid penetrations. These penetrations were followed by the encirclement of an enemy that, in contrast to its German counterparts, was bound by static and inflexible defensive tactics.