| Conflict: | Battle of Pszczyna |
| Partof: | Invasion of Poland |
| Date: | September 1–2, 1939 |
| Place: | Near Pszczyna, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland |
| Result: | German victory |
| Commander1: | Heinrich von Vietinghoff Obst. Haarde Obst. Streich Obst. Lubbe (commander of column "A" after Haarde) |
| Commander2: | Bernard Mond Ignacy Misiąg |
| Strength1: | 5th Panzer Division 335 tanks Waffen SS motorized regiment "Germania" |
| Strength2: | 6th Infantry Division |
| Casualties1: | Unknown human losses 98+ tanks and AFVs 1 recon plane |
| Casualties2: | 441+ killed 7+ cars 2 tankettes 33 – 34 cannons 11 anti-tank guns |
Battle of Pszczyna (Polish: Bitwa Pszczyńska) refers to a series of battles between 1 and 2 September 1939 near the town of Pszczyna during the Invasion of Poland. The battle of Pszczyna formed part of the defensive Battle of the Border. The initial, decisive victory of the Polish forces on September 1, 1939 was followed by the crushing defeat on the next day near Ćwiklice, due to a major tactical error on the part of the Polish military command,[1] resulting in premature withdrawal of the entire Armia Kraków from Upper Silesia.[2]
The battle was fought along the defense belt wide and long,[3] from the west extending to the Polish-German border, and from the east to the rivers Przemsza and Soła. The Rybnicki and Kobiorski forests constituted the north-side perimeter of the battlefield, and to the south, the Vistula river along with the right tributary of Odra, the Piotrówka river provided natural protection. The defensive line some 22 kilometers in length was built by Poland already in 192933, as part of the strategic plan for securing the national border around the Central Industrial Region.[4] The fortifications erected at the cost of zl 300,000, included concrete shelters manned by the Silesian 23rd Infantry Division. In 193637 two new bridges were built over the Vistula and the Chochułka rivers near Goczałkowice and Pszczyna for military transport, and the supply roads were paved with asphalt in late 1930s. Overall, the defense line seemed sufficient at the time to stop a successful panzer attack.[5] The tactical mistake of the Polish command was the assumption that the attack of the German 5th Panzer Division would require the support of infantry to secure its rear.[6]
The battle can be divided into four phases:[7]
During the second day of the battle Polish forces suffered a defeat and were forced to retreat. The main reason of their defeat (apart from huge German material and numerical superiority) was that the Polish commanders incorrectly predicted the direction of the main German attack on 2 September. As the result, the whole Polish plan of defense failed, because then it became impossible to activate a huge trap, which was prepared for German tanks, called the "big bag" trap, which was weak in front, but strong on its sides - with strong artillery assisting in attacking targets which entered the 'bag'. Also, overmuch certainty after great successes of the previous day (especially fierce, few hours-long combat - with use of the "big bag" trap - near Brzeźce village) contributed to Polish defeat.
Because of their certainty, Polish commanders decided to make "the big bag trap" more shallow - which meant that it was less flexible, and Polish positions would be easier to crush if the defense was not successful (as it happened) - but on the other hand - if the defense was successful (which didn't happen since the unexpected direction and strength of the German main attack were deadly), the shallow "bag" would be more effective because the German attack would be stopped faster and with greater casualties for the enemy due to a greater concentration of firepower.
The defeat suffered at Pszczyna (which also caused a loss of a significant percent of divisional artillery) forced the Polish High Command to pull back the entire frontline, and cede the territory of Upper Silesia to the Germans.
| Place | German casualties | Polish casualties | Polish dead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rybnik | 7 tanks | 7+ cars | 16+ dead |
| Rydułtowy | none | none | 2 dead |
| Mszana | 7 armoured cars | none | none |
| Branica | 2 tanks | none | unknown |
| Łąka | few tanks | unknown | unknown |
| Brzeźce | 13 - 14 tanks and 1 tank surrendered to the Poles (with 2 soldiers) and was destroyed | 1 AT gun | 1 - 2 dead |
| Równie | 4 tanks (including 1 Pz-IV) | 1 75mm cannon | unknown |
| Żory | 4 tanks | none | 11 dead |
| Głożyny | none | none | 7 dead |
| Wilchwy | none | none | 2 dead |
| Wodzisław | none | none | 1 dead |
| Boża Góra/Jastrzębie | 2 tanks and 4 - 6 armoured cars | none | 3 dead |
| Warszowice | none | none | 2 dead |
| Kryry | 3 tanks and 2 more tanks stuck in the swamps (1 later pulled out) | none | none |
| Wisła Wielka | 4 tanks | 1 75mm cannon | 15 dead |
| Strumień | 1 light tank (by Polish tankettes TK), 1 Luftwaffe recon plane shot down over Strumień | none | 2 dead |
| Unknown place | unknown | unknown | 3 dead |
| Total 1 September: | 45 - 47+ tanks & 11 - 13+ armoured cars, 1 recon plane | 2 cannons, 1 AT gun, 7 cars+ | 65 - 66+ dead |
| Place | German casualties | Polish casualties | Polish dead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Łąka | none | unknown (all are included in summary for the day) | 27 dead | |
| Pszczyna | 5 tanks | unknown | 10 dead | |
| Ćwiklice | 17 - 18+ tanks (including at least 1 Pz-IV) and 3 more got stuck in the mud (1 later pulled out, 2 captured by Poles) | unknown, but very high - including 6 batteries of light artillery & at least 3 AT guns (all included in summary for the day) | 226 or 251 dead and estimated 300 - 350 wounded | |
| Stara Wieś | 3 - 8 tanks (3 for sure by mines, up to 5 by AT gun but this is doubtful) | unknown | 9 - 13 dead | |
| Jankowice | none | unknown | 6 dead | |
| Miedźna | 1 tank | unknown | none | |
| Góra | 1 tank | unknown | 3 dead | |
| Goczałkowice | none | unknown | 1 dead | |
| Unknown place | unknown | unknown | unknown | |
| Total 2 September: | 30 - 36+ tanks | 23 - 24 75mm cannons, 4 105mm cannons, 4 AT guns | 282 - 311+ dead | |
| Międzyrzecze | several tanks | none | unknown | |
| Bojszowy | 5 tanks | none | none | |
| Jankowice | none | 1 AT gun | 2 dead | |
| Piasek | none | none | 1 dead | |
| Unknown place | unknown | unknown | unknown | |
| Total 3 September: | 7 - 8+ tanks | 1 AT gun | 3+ dead | |
| Rajsko - 4 IX | 5+ tanks | 5 AT guns, 4 75mm cannons | 80 - 83 dead + 11 drown in the river Soła | |
| Unknown place 4 IX | unknown | 2 tankettes - non-combat losses (one was left without seeing combat because of a technical failure during withdrawal, the second was lost in the canal along with its crew) | unknown | |
| Grand Total Battle of Pszczyna: | 87 - 96+ tanks & 11 - 13+ armoured cars, 1 Luftwaffe recon plane | 2 tankettes, 29 - 30 75mm cannons, 4 105mm cannons, 11 AT guns | 441 - 474+ dead | |
After the long and bloody combat at Ćwiklice on 2 September 1939, German war correspondent K. Frowein wrote after seeing one of the Polish infantrymen heavily wounded: