10. BKZmot 1939.

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10. BKZmot 1939.

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Hello to all :D; something about it................................

Maczek Brigade (10. BKZmot).

In September 1939, the only major motorized unit in the Polish Army (apart from the Warsaw Motorized Armored Brigade, which had not yet completed the formation and training process) was the 10th Cavalry Brigade commanded by Colonel diplomat Stanislaw Maczek. From 08 to 10 September, he had to delay the activities of the German 4. Light Division along the main road from Rzeszów to Jarosław.

The 10th Cavalry Brigade and the 4. Light Division.

In 1936, the (Polish) General Staff decided to create the first armored motorized units in the Polish Army. It was supposed to be a response to the development of motorized groups in the countries bordering Poland - the Red Army and the Wehrmacht. The concept of armored motorized brigades developed by officers of the Ministry of Military Affairs has been implemented. In the spring of 1937, the Rzeszów 10th BK was the first to be covered by the motorization process. He was referring to two cavalry regiments: the 10th Mounted Rifle Regiment (Psk) from Łańcut and the 24th Uhlans (puł) Regiment from Kraśnik. The latter entered instead of the 20th Rzeszów Regiment, where there was a strong resistance against the automobile industry.

The 10th BK (*) was primarily a motorized unit, with a small component of armor elements. Great emphasis was placed on anti-tank weaponry, which were Bofors wz. 36 caliber 37 mm, mainly grouped in the anti-tank squadron. The brigade, in addition to two motorized regiments, had reconnaissance and anti-tank squadrons, a communications squadron and a traffic control platoon. After the mobilization began, the following elements were added: a light tank squadron, an independent reconnaissance tank company, a mot. sapper battalion, a mot. AA group and a group of light artillery mot. It was not possible to obtain the planned accompanying air liaison platoon, which would allow communication between brigade units and fulfill close reconnaissance tasks. In total were planned, 175 officers, about 4000 soldiers, 42 combat vehicles, about 550 cars and tractors of various types, about 300 motorcycles, 4 100-mm howitzers, 4 75-mm guns, 4 81-mm mortars, 4 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, 27 37 mm anti-tank guns, 43 heavy machine guns to complete the brigade's equipment.

The main opponent of the 10th BK in September 1939 was the 4. DL (**). This was organized with the Austrian units that joined to the Wehrmacht in March 1938. Its commander from 1936 was Generalmajor Alfred Ritter von Hubicki. After taking the oath of allegiance to Hitler, the division underwent a partial reorganization and most weapons were changed to those standard for the Wehrmacht. In August 1939, the division numbered about 10,000 soldiers, and its main force was two cavalry rifle regiments (4 motorized infantry battalions), supplemented by an artillery regiment with two groups and an armored detachment. The latter had 34 PzKpf I light tanks, 23 PzKpfw II and 5 command tanks. The division's reconnaissance regiment had armored cars, cars and motorcycles. There were three squadrons in his second abteilung (25 armored cars each: 10 SdKfz 222 and 15 SdKfz 221). The anti-tank defense in the form of a reinforced battalion made up of three anti-tank companies (12 37mm guns each and 6 light machine guns) and the assigned heavy machine gun company (in fact 12 Flak 38 20mm anti-aircraft guns) was highly developed.

(*) The units of the 10th Cavalry Brigade (motorized) were: 10th Mounted Rifle Regiment (10. Pulk Strzelcow Konnych - 10. PSK), 24th Uhlan Regiment (24. Pulk Ułanów), 121st light Tank Company, 101st Reconnaissance Company (4 TKS 20mm and 9 TK light tanks), brigade reconnaissance battalion had 4 TKS 20mm tanks and 9 TKF tanks (TK with TKS engine), 16th Motorized Artillery Group ( 16. Dywizjon Artylerii Motorowej) (4 x 75mm guns, 4 x 100mm howitzers).

(**) The units that made up the 4. Light Division were: Kavallerie-Schützen-Regiment 10, Kavallerie-Schützen-Regiment 11, Aufklärungs-Regiment 9, Panzer-Abteilung 33, Artillerie-Regiment 102, Panzer-Abwehr-Abteilung 50 , Pionier-Bataillon 86, 3./Nachrichten-Abteilung 38, Infanterie-Divisions-Nachschubführer 60

Sources: Brigada Maczka. Piotr Chmielowiec. Dodatek historyczny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Oddział w Rzeszowie.
http://derela.pl/brigades.htm
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gl ... eDiv-R.htm

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
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Re: 10. BKZmot 1939.

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D; more................................

Maczek Brigade (10. BKZmot).

The first fights.

The 10th BK was sent in mid-August 1939 as a motorized reserve of the commander of the "Krakow" Army. The 4. DL was included in the grouping of the German 14. Army of Army Group "South", which was deployed, among other places, in the satellite state Slovakia. After the war started,it was supposed to bypass the Polish forces protecting Upper Silesia, Beskid Żywiecki and Kraków from the south.

The ultimate goal of this maneuver was to encircle and destroy the "Krakow" Army in the course of the border battle. The first clashes between the 10th BK and the 4. DL occurred on September 03, 1939. At that time, Colonel Maczek's unit had been engaged in the fight against the 2. Armored Division for 24 hours. German attacks launched from western Slovakia towards Krakow led to several days of fighting in the mountain passes, during which the Polish brigade, reinforced by soldiers from the 1st KOP (Border Defense Corps) Regiment, halted the advance of the German forces. The 4. DL failed to destroy the 10th BK, but the withdrawal of the Polish positions from the east forced the Polish unit to withdraw to the following defensive positions.

On September 3, the withdrawal of the entire Army "Krakow" began. The motorized units, headed by the 4. DL, played the main role in the pursuit activities. On 06 September it crossed the Dunajec, then there was fighting with the Polish 24th Infantry Division defending Tarnów from the south. Soon the Polish command ordered the division to withdraw from the Dunajec River. The actions of the 4. DL led to a double flanking of the 24th Infantry Division, and then its dispersion with heavy losses during the retreat.

Sources: Brigada Maczka. Piotr Chmielowiec. Dodatek historyczny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Oddział w Rzeszowie.
http://derela.pl/brigades.htm
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gl ... eDiv-R.htm

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
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Re: 10. BKZmot 1939.

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D; more................................

Maczek Brigade (10. BKZmot).

Defense of Rzeszów - September 8.

After the capture of Tarnów, the tasks set for General von Hubicki's division called for the capture of Dębica, Ropczyce, Sędziszów and Rzeszów, and then a raid towards Jarosław. There were no large Polish forces in this direction, so the commander of the "Małopolska" Army, General Kazimierz Fabrycy, ordered Colonel Maczek to carry out delaying actions: withdrawal maneuver along the axis of the Rzeszów - Przeworsk - Jarosław section. The adopted plan assumed that the delay would take place in three places: Rzeszów (September 8 ), Łańcut (September 9) and Przeworsk (September 10).

Describing his meeting with General Fabrycy, Colonel Maczek wrote that we would gain at least three days of time, allowing army units to establish themselves on the San. The main threat to the implementation of the plan was the operation of the 10th BK cut off from its neighbors, which could and did lead to German forces bypassing their position.

On September 8, Colonel Maczek's unit arrived in Rzeszów from the Radomyśl region, where it was resting after several days of fighting. Due to lack of fuel, the "Vickers" tanks of the 121st Light Tank Company were left behind, which significantly weakened the brigade's forces. Later in the campaign, they operated separately. The TKF tank squadron with the heavy rolling stock of the reconnaissance squadron, which joined the brigade only on September 15, broke up.

After most of the 10th BK forces reached the area south of Głogów, it turned out that Trzciana, west of Rzeszów, was already occupied by German forces, who arrived there at 1:15 p.m. The task of direct defense of the city was given to the 24th Regiment (24. puł) of the Colonel Dipl. lKazimierz Dworak. The second motorized regiment, the 10th Regiment (10. psk), was to support the defense from the Rudna Wielka-Miłocin area, and at night it was to move to the next delay position. The north wing was secured by a reconnaissance squadron at Bratkowice.

The defenders of Rzeszów were supported by the 16th Motorized Artillery Group (Medium), as well as two additional artillery batteries, including one heavy. Colonel Dworak covered the main directions leading into the city, leaving one squadron in reserve. The battle for Rzeszów began in the early afternoon and lasted into the night. The city was bombed at that time by Dornier Do-17E aircraft from the 2nd Group of KG 77.

Both the frontal attack and the attempt to encircle from the south were repulsed by the 24th Regiment. The mounted riflemen repulsed the auxiliary attack. In view of a general assault with the use of all the artillery, the Polish forces withdrew at night, occupying the position at Krasne. On the morning of September 9, the 4. DL entered Rzeszów. The bridge over the Wisłok River was also captured, as Polish engineers failed to blow it up due to the small amount of explosives used.

Sources: Brigada Maczka. Piotr Chmielowiec. Dodatek historyczny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Oddział w Rzeszowie.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
Vickers Mark E tank of the 121st Light Tank Company captured by the Germans..................................
Vickers Mark E tank of the 121st Light Tank Company captured by the Germans..................................
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Re: 10. BKZmot 1939.

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Hello to all :D; more................................

Maczek Brigade (10. BKZmot).

Defense of Łańcut - September 09.

The task of defending Łańcut was given to the 10th psk (Pułk Strzelców Konnych - Mounted Shooters) of Lieutenant Colonel Dipl (ppłk dypl.) Janusz Bokszczanin. A favorable circumstance was that the regiment had to defend the city in which it was stationed during the period of peace. The mounted shooters were supported by an anti-tank squadron and a battery of 75mm guns. The southern wing of the brigade in the Albigowa area was defended by a reconnaissance squadron. Lieutenant Colonel Bokszczanin organized the defense of Łańcut in a similar way to the case of Rzeszów, protecting the main roads leading to the city from the west and securing it from the south.

On the German side, General von Hubicki ordered the formation of two pursuit units, which were to reach the strategic line of the San River as soon as possible and gain bridgeheads on its eastern bank. The rest of the division would follow, providing support when needed. Both pursuit units began their march after 11:00 hours. The first of them ("Vichytil") in the Krasny region was held for two hours in a delayed position prepared by the 24th Uhlans Regiment (puł.). The actions of the 2nd pursuit unit ("Iwand") were delayed by mines south of Rzeszów. At 3:00 p.m., German forces advancing along the Rzeszów-Łańcut road attacked Polish positions in the Łańcut region.

At the head were motorcyclists and armored cars of the 9th Reconnaissance Regiment. The 4th Squadron of the 10th Mounted Rifle Regiment commanded by Lieutenant Herman Cieśliński was the first to engage the enemy. For the duration of the fighting, it was reinforced with a platoon of heavy machine guns and 37mm anti-tank guns. After the loss of several motorcycles, the German attack was stopped. In this situation, the German unit tried to avoid the defenders through Kraczkowa and Albigowa, and the reconnaissance squadron was forced to abandon the last of these places. The attack by TKS tankettes of the 101st Reserve Armored Reconnaissance Company (101 kompanii czołgów rozpoznawczych) brought the Germans to Albigowa.

Describing this event, Colonel Maczek recalled: As in the war of the past, I can personally lead a company of tankettes to attack the wing of German tanks attacking our reconnaissance squadron at Albigowa. This blow boldly delivered by Lieutenant Ziemski on the wing of the German armored unit, already fighting at Albigowa, has a greater effect than we expected. The company's strong point is the fact that it has several of the heavier 20mm machine guns on the tankettes, which can easily penetrate the armor of German tanks. The German tanks hurriedly withdrew, leaving a few in the foreground, burning with great flames. The rest is done by counterattacking Albigowa with the reconnaissance detachment and focusing our artillery fire.

In the evening the 10th BK began the retreat to Jarosław, which was influenced by a distant diversion by the "Iwand" pursuit unit, which at 20:30 hours had already reached Rokietnica in Jarosław's county. In this situation, the defense of Przeworsk scheduled for the next day lost its meaning. It is worth noting that in the fighting in the Łańcut region, the units of the 4. Le Div lost 14 killed, 36 wounded and 1 missing. These were the highest losses for this unit since the start of the campaign.

Sources: Brigada Maczka. Piotr Chmielowiec. Dodatek historyczny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Oddział w Rzeszowie.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
Officers of the 10th Psk in Zaolzie in 1938. In black berets Major Franciszek Skibiński and Colonel Stanisław Maczek, in helmet the then commander of the regiment Colonel Dipl. Witold Ciesliński...............
Officers of the 10th Psk in Zaolzie in 1938. In black berets Major Franciszek Skibiński and Colonel Stanisław Maczek, in helmet the then commander of the regiment Colonel Dipl. Witold Ciesliński...............
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Re: 10. BKZmot 1939.

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Hello to all :D; more................................

Maczek Brigade (10. BKZmot).

Defense of Jarosław - September 10.

On the morning of September 10, Łańcut was captured by the 4. DL, while shortly after, one of his pursuit units reached the Jarosław-Przemyśl railway line in the Radymno region. Soon the remaining German troops reached the San before a defense line was established on this river. Of the Polish troops, the 10th BK was the most valuable unit, from which part of the 10th psk was detached during the retreat from Łańcut (joined on September 13 at Żółkiew). Colonel Maczek, despite his surprise with the state of the defense of the San line, or lack of it, subordinated to the brigade the defenders of Jarosław, which were 3 infantry battalions commanded by Lieutenant Colonel (ppłk .) Jan Wójcik, supported by several artillery batteries. The direct defense of the city was carried out by the commander of the anti-tank squadron, Lieutenant Colonel (ppłk.) Zygmunt Moszczeński.

It had an infantry battalion, two squadrons of the 24th puł and an anti-tank artillery squadron, supported by the 16th artillery Group. Units of the 2. Pz and 4. DL, which attacked twice, were repelled and lost several tanks at Jarosław. The second place where the fighting with the brigade took place was the Radymno area, where, next to the destroyed bridge, the Germans managed to create a bridgehead on the east bank of the river. An attempt to push back the German pursuit unit in the Ostrow region ended with the defeat of the attacking squadron of the 24th Uhlans Regiment, and its commander, Lieutenant (por.) Romuald Radziwiłłowicz, was captured.

On the right bank of the San River in Duńkowice, the brigade commander himself, Colonel Maczek, who was leading the platoon of the 24th Regiment, tried to annihilate the German bridgehead. The enemy was pushed into the river, but the brigade commander's Fiat 508/IIIW was burned by German fire (from that day on he used the captured Adler). During his return to Jarosław, Colonel Maczek was ordered to report to the Army Headquarters in Lwow/Lviv, where he was ordered to leave the San. He was supposed to contain the German motorized units in the Krakowiec-Jaworów-Janów-Lwow / Lviv direction.

On the afternoon of September 10, the brigade units left the Lubaczówka River behind towards the Wólka Zapałowska area. Summing up the brigade's involvement in this phase of the campaign, the brigade's chief of staff, Gen. Dipl. Franciszek Skibiński wrote bitterly: We were on our way to Lipiny when two large flashes lit up the darkness and two powerful explosions sounded. These were the bridges over the San, blown up by our engineers - a farewell volley for the Battle of the San, which was not there!

Sources: Brigada Maczka. Piotr Chmielowiec. Dodatek historyczny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Oddział w Rzeszowie.

It's all. Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada. General José de San Martín.
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