Re: Military operations in southern Poland 1939.
Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2016 4:29 pm
Hello neonors ; something dealing with it.......................
The VIII AK in Upper Silesia.
On Aug 31 1939 at 19:00 hours, the 2. Company of I./ IR 84 (Major d.R. Henrici) under Oberleutnant Fiedler left its garrisons at Keithkasernen heading towards the Schönwald through the Paul-Keller’s street; several families from Gleiwitz were lined up on either side of the road. The night from Aug 31 to Sep 01 1939 was clear and cool, the temperature was some ºC over zero. We wore dark camouflages over ours uniforms. The Company was deployed on the ground as follows: 1. Platoon right, 2. Platoon left and 3. Platoon as reserve. To the Left was Oberleutnant Schlabitz’s 1. Company of I./ IR 84.
At the end of August 1939, the regiment (IR 7 - Oberst Wolf Boysen) left its barracks and marched eastward. In Ratibor it was used to dig trenches.
On Sep 01, 1939 at 04:45 hours all the divisions of the VIII. Army Corps under General d Inf Ernst Busch crossed the border of the Reich. The 28 ID (Generalleutnant v. Obstfelder) advanced in the direction of Orzesze without enemy resistance; the IR 7 crossed the Polish frontier near Nieder-Wilcza. In the forest between the road Orzesze - Bujakow, Gostyn and Laziska it found the first weaker resistance, which could be broken quickly.
The 8 ID (Generalleutnant Koch) met some resistance after entering in Polish territory, the I./IR 84 of Major d.R. Henrici found resistance in the border town of Knurow but after several fire blows of the machine guns, the Poles left the spot and the Platoon of Leutnant Erich Mende reached coverless ground between Ornontowitz and Orzesze where it received artillery fire and underwent the first casualty Schütze Mendla (KIA); IR 38 (Oberst Sczelinski) crossed the border with Gleiwitz at 05:00 hours. In the next two days, the unit fought several skirmishes with the field positions at Nikolai and Wyry-Tychy.
Both divisions had reached the highway Orzesze - Bujakow almost at the same time. In the wooded area between that route, Gostyn and laziska were located Polish advance posts which withdrew that very afternoon. Around 17:00 hours, the 28 ID was in front of the Polish Main defensive positions composed of wire obstacles and half finished forts, especially the III. /IR 49 found serious resistance in the neighborhoods of Gostyn offered by the 2. Fortress Company (Maj Amon) . Still in the late afternoon the division took the wooded land lying there, but it could not carry out yet the order of the Commander of the Division to break through that defensive zone.
The 8 ID could take Laziska against heavy infantry resistance with artillery support and brought forward the mass of its artillery, which took firing positions in the neighborhood of Laziska - Orzesze. The Commander of the Army Corps had the impression that the breakthrough of the enemy defensive position would take place in the sector of the 28 ID and directed the reserve of the Army Corps, the IR 28, behind that division. At dusk came the order from the Army Corps stating that the attack should be continued in its respective zones of action.
Leutnant Erich Mende (2. /IR 84) stated that: finally at dusk the German shells whistled over our heads towards the Polish positions in Orzesche. That night we freezed miserably. The Army Corps' HQ was set in a Community house in Orzesze; with the advent of the night, also came the shots because supposedly some "insurgents" had attacked the German troops .....................
March of IR 83 (28. ID) - First days of the campaign................................
Sources: Das Verdammte gewissen. Leutnant Erich Mende.
VIII AK Ia KTB - Sep 1939.
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... 28ID-R.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... /8ID-R.htm
http://odkrywca.pl/49-i-83-infanterie-r ... 48231.html
Cheers. Raúl M .
The VIII AK in Upper Silesia.
On Aug 31 1939 at 19:00 hours, the 2. Company of I./ IR 84 (Major d.R. Henrici) under Oberleutnant Fiedler left its garrisons at Keithkasernen heading towards the Schönwald through the Paul-Keller’s street; several families from Gleiwitz were lined up on either side of the road. The night from Aug 31 to Sep 01 1939 was clear and cool, the temperature was some ºC over zero. We wore dark camouflages over ours uniforms. The Company was deployed on the ground as follows: 1. Platoon right, 2. Platoon left and 3. Platoon as reserve. To the Left was Oberleutnant Schlabitz’s 1. Company of I./ IR 84.
At the end of August 1939, the regiment (IR 7 - Oberst Wolf Boysen) left its barracks and marched eastward. In Ratibor it was used to dig trenches.
On Sep 01, 1939 at 04:45 hours all the divisions of the VIII. Army Corps under General d Inf Ernst Busch crossed the border of the Reich. The 28 ID (Generalleutnant v. Obstfelder) advanced in the direction of Orzesze without enemy resistance; the IR 7 crossed the Polish frontier near Nieder-Wilcza. In the forest between the road Orzesze - Bujakow, Gostyn and Laziska it found the first weaker resistance, which could be broken quickly.
The 8 ID (Generalleutnant Koch) met some resistance after entering in Polish territory, the I./IR 84 of Major d.R. Henrici found resistance in the border town of Knurow but after several fire blows of the machine guns, the Poles left the spot and the Platoon of Leutnant Erich Mende reached coverless ground between Ornontowitz and Orzesze where it received artillery fire and underwent the first casualty Schütze Mendla (KIA); IR 38 (Oberst Sczelinski) crossed the border with Gleiwitz at 05:00 hours. In the next two days, the unit fought several skirmishes with the field positions at Nikolai and Wyry-Tychy.
Both divisions had reached the highway Orzesze - Bujakow almost at the same time. In the wooded area between that route, Gostyn and laziska were located Polish advance posts which withdrew that very afternoon. Around 17:00 hours, the 28 ID was in front of the Polish Main defensive positions composed of wire obstacles and half finished forts, especially the III. /IR 49 found serious resistance in the neighborhoods of Gostyn offered by the 2. Fortress Company (Maj Amon) . Still in the late afternoon the division took the wooded land lying there, but it could not carry out yet the order of the Commander of the Division to break through that defensive zone.
The 8 ID could take Laziska against heavy infantry resistance with artillery support and brought forward the mass of its artillery, which took firing positions in the neighborhood of Laziska - Orzesze. The Commander of the Army Corps had the impression that the breakthrough of the enemy defensive position would take place in the sector of the 28 ID and directed the reserve of the Army Corps, the IR 28, behind that division. At dusk came the order from the Army Corps stating that the attack should be continued in its respective zones of action.
Leutnant Erich Mende (2. /IR 84) stated that: finally at dusk the German shells whistled over our heads towards the Polish positions in Orzesche. That night we freezed miserably. The Army Corps' HQ was set in a Community house in Orzesze; with the advent of the night, also came the shots because supposedly some "insurgents" had attacked the German troops .....................
March of IR 83 (28. ID) - First days of the campaign................................
Sources: Das Verdammte gewissen. Leutnant Erich Mende.
VIII AK Ia KTB - Sep 1939.
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... 28ID-R.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... /8ID-R.htm
http://odkrywca.pl/49-i-83-infanterie-r ... 48231.html
Cheers. Raúl M .