Battle of Tuchola Forest

Battle of Tuchola Forest
	Part of the Invasion of Poland
	; German armored car Sd.Kfz.221 during the battle.
Date	1–5 September 1939
Location	Near Tuchola Forest, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland
Result	German victory
Belligerents
Germany	Poland
Commanders and leaders
Günther von Kluge; Heinz Guderian; Adolf Strauss	Władysław Bortnowski; Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki; Józef Werobej; Juliusz Drapella
Casualties and losses
506 killed 743 wounded	1600 killed 750 wounded Unknown number captured

The Battle of Tuchola Forest (German: Schlacht in der Tucheler Heide, Polish: Bitwa w Borach Tucholskich) was one of the first battles of World War II, during the 1939 invasion of Poland. The battle began 1 September and ended 5 September with a major German victory. Thanks to poor Polish command and control, as well as German numerical and tactical superiority, the Germans managed to cripple Poland's Army Pomerania and, by breaking through the Polish Corridor, to connect mainland Germany with East Prussia.[1]

The battle was fought against the judgment of General Wladyslaw Bortnowski, the commander of Army Pomerania, who believed the Corridor to be a very poor defensive position and had repeatedly asked for permission to withdraw his forces from it.[2]

Prelude

Positions of Polish and German forces before the battle

Tuchola Forest (Polish: Bory Tucholskie, German: Tucheler Heide) in Westprussia,[3] since 1920 Treaty of Versailles in the Polish Corridor, is a large area of mostly forest. Its difficult terrain was thought by the Polish high command as a good defensive position. However, the Germans had held their Truppenübungsplatz Gruppe military exercises in the area until 1919, and were therefore familiar with it, and furthermore General Heinz Guderian had been born in nearby Kulm).[4]

Polish forces in the theater comprised elements of the Pomeranian Army: 9th Infantry Division under colonel Józef Werobej, the 27th Infantry Division[5]^:53 under general Juliusz Drapella, and Czersk Operational Group under gen. Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki.

German forces in the theater were composed of elements of the 4th German Army under general Günther von Kluge, specifically 19th Panzer Corps (commanded by general Heinz Guderian), and 2nd Army Corps under general Adolf Strauß. Those units were based in Western Pomerania west of the corridor.

19th Panzer Corps consisted of the 2nd Motorized Division under general Paul Bader, the 20th Motorized Division under general Mauritz von Wiktorin and the 3rd Panzer Division under general Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg. 2nd Army Corps was composed of two infantry divisions: the 3rd Infantry Division under general Walter Lichel and 32nd Infantry Division under general Franz Böhme.

Battle

Despite several tactical Polish victories, including the successful cavalry charge at Krojanty on 1 September, and the destruction of a German armored train near Chojnice, the German armies were able to advance quickly. Not all Polish forces were in position by 1 September and the rapid German advance generated confusion in the Polish ranks. In addition, communications problems prevented cohesive action on the part of the scattered Polish forces. The Poles were soon forced to abandon plans for a counterattack and retreated, pursued by more mobile German motorized and armored troops. The German forces had a significant amount of armor support, including over 300 tanks commanded by the famous panzer expert Guderian.

Most Polish units were surrounded by 3 September. Some were destroyed, while others managed to break through towards Bydgoszcz.

Aftermath

Polish prisoners of war escorted by german soldiers. Tuchola Forest. 1939.

By 5 September the Germans had in large part completed their takeover of the Polish Corridor. At that point some German forces moved to erase isolated pockets of Polish resistance further north in fortified areas on the Baltic Coast, while others continued their push south-east, deeper into Polish territory.

On 6 September, Adolf Hitler visited Guderian and congratulated him on his swift progress.[6]

Order of battle

Polish

Polish Army
	Groups	Division or Brigade	Regiment or Battalion
Army Pomorze Bortnowski	Operational Group Czersk Grzmot-Skotnicki	Pomorska Cavalry Brigade Zakrzewski	2nd Chevau-légers Regiment 8th Mounted Rifles Regiment 16th Uhlan Regiment 18th Uhlan Regiment
		Chojnice Detachment Majewski	1st Rifles Battalion 18th Uhlan Regiment Czersk Battalion Tuchola Battalion
		Kościerzyna Detachment Staniszewski	Kościerzyna Battalion Gdynia II Battalion 62nd Infantry Regiment
		9th Infantry Division Werobej	15th Infantry Regiment 22nd Infantry Regiment 34th Infantry Regiment 35th Infantry Regiment
		27th Infantry Division Drapella	23rd Infantry Division 24th Infantry Division 50th Infantry Division
		15th Infantry Division Przyjalkowski	59th Infantry Regiment 61st Infantry Regiment 62nd Infantry Regiment

German

Wehrmacht
	Corps	Division or Brigade	Regiments
4th Army Kluge	XIX Corps Guderian	3rd Panzer Division Schweppenburg	5th Panzer Regiment 6th Panzer Regiment 3rd Motorized Infantry Regiment
		2nd Motorized Division Bader	5th Motorized Infantry Regiment 25th Motorized Infantry Regiment 92nd Motorized Infantry Regiment
		20th Motorized Division Wiktorin	69th Motorized Infantry Regiment 76th Motorized Infantry Regiment 80th Motorized Infantry Regiment
	II Corps Strauss	3rd Infantry Division Lichel	8th Infantry Regiment 29th Infantry Regiment 50th Infantry Regiment
	II Corps Strauss	32nd Infantry Division Böhme	4th Infantry Regiment 94th Infantry Regiment 96th Infantry Regiment
	III Corps Haase	50th Infantry Division Sorsche	121st Infantry Regiment 122nd Infantry Regiment 123rd Infantry Regiment
	Wehrmacht Reserves	10th Panzer Division Schaal	8th Panzer Regiment 86th Motorized Infantry Regiment
		23rd Infantry Division Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt	9th Infantry Regiment 67th Infantry Regiment 68th Infantry Regiment
		218th Infantry Division Freiherr Grote	323rd Infantry Regiment 386th Infantry Regiment 397th Infantry Regiment

References

Christer Jörgensen, Chris Mann, Strategy and Tactics: Tank Warfare, Zenith Imprint, 2001, ISBN 0-7603-1016-5, p. 35. Google Print
(in Polish) R. Ziobroń, Historia żołnierza tułacza. Działalność emigracyjna gen. Władysława Bortnowskiego, Rzeszów, 2009.
1896 Map of West-East Prussia with Tucheler Heide south of Danziger Bucht Bay
Heinz Guderian: Erinnerungen eines Soldaten, "Ich hatte am 3.9 ... meinen Sohn Kurt wiedergesehen und mich dabei an den Türmen von Kulm, meiner Geburtsstadt, erfreut, die vom Ostufer der Weichsel herüberwinkten. Am 4.9 ... bei ihren Waldgefechten und endete auf dem alten deutschen Truppenübungsplatz Gruppe westlich Graudenz.", 1951,
Zaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., ISBN 9781841764085
Martin Gilbert, The Second World War: A Complete History, Owl Books, 2004, ISBN 0-8050-7623-9 Google Print, p.6

External links

(in Polish) Battle of Tuchola Forest at www.1939.pl

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[JnM-1] Christer Jörgensen, Chris Mann, Strategy and Tactics: Tank Warfare, Zenith Imprint, 2001, ISBN 0-7603-1016-5, p. 35. Google Print

[2] (in Polish) R. Ziobroń, Historia żołnierza tułacza. Działalność emigracyjna gen. Władysława Bortnowskiego, Rzeszów, 2009.

[3] 1896 Map of West-East Prussia with Tucheler Heide south of Danziger Bucht Bay

[4] Heinz Guderian: Erinnerungen eines Soldaten, "Ich hatte am 3.9 ... meinen Sohn Kurt wiedergesehen und mich dabei an den Türmen von Kulm, meiner Geburtsstadt, erfreut, die vom Ostufer der Weichsel herüberwinkten. Am 4.9 ... bei ihren Waldgefechten und endete auf dem alten deutschen Truppenübungsplatz Gruppe westlich Graudenz.", 1951,

[Zaloga-5] Zaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., ISBN 9781841764085

[Gilbert-6] Martin Gilbert, The Second World War: A Complete History, Owl Books, 2004, ISBN 0-8050-7623-9 Google Print, p.6