Soviet participation in the battle of Fortress Brest - IX 39

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Piotr Kapuscinski
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Soviet participation in the battle of Fortress Brest - IX 39

#1

Post by Piotr Kapuscinski » 08 Feb 2009, 22:27

Hi all !

For the first time I've read that the Soviets also took part in this battle in "Беру Свои Слова Обратно" (Polish title: "Cofam Wypowiedziane Słowa") by Victor Suworow, but he didn't provide any further details so I thought that he just made a mistake (it would not be the only one in his books - by the way :roll: ).

I was really not shure about that - because sources were contradictory - some of them did not mention the Soviets at all. But according to what I have found the Soviets were attacking only one fort of the fortress Brest - fort "Graf Berg" (Polish name: "Fort Sikorskiego").

But I couldn't find it in any of Polish publications I have read.

The problem was that I have read Polish publications about the battle of Brest which were published before 1989 - Polish publications from that period are often not accurate enough if it comes to the Soviet participation in different events, and sometimes even write lies :? .

But what Soviet participation could have took place there, if the battle ended practically on 17th of September - I was asking myself.

The Poles withdrew from the Citadel (not from the whole fortress / fortification complex - which apart from the Citadel had got also several additional, smaller forts) Brest during the night from 16th to 17th of September.

Polish forces withdrew during the night because it ensures good cover. German forces entered the Citadel immediately after they noticed that the Polish crew withdrew (it was on calendar 17th - in the morning - Infanterie-Regiment 76. entered the fortrest as first German unit). But as far as I know when they entered the Citadel there were still some isolated Polish resistance nests inside, because Polish IV battalion of 82 IR (commander - captain Wacław Radziszewski) did not receive the order of withdrawal due to problems with communication or just did not want to obey the order of withdrawal and wanted to stay inside the fortress and resist.

According to some sources first Soviet troops appeared in Brest on the Bug yet on 18th of September - as I have found out - so maybe they took part.
Domen123 wrote:
Fish wrote:
Domen123 wrote: Image
Guys, just thought I'd chime in here, In the last large group of photos, the photo with 2 russians and a german panzer officer holding a small piece of paper. That panzer officer is Hptm Ottens of Panzer Regiment 8 (10th Pzr Div). Its from a pretty popular set of photos taken on the Bug at Brest-Litovsk in 1939 when the Russians and Germans linked up.

Just thought some of you might like to know.

Cheers
Fish
Hi!

Thanks for this info!

By the way - here is another photo from the same place:

Image

Description at the bottom of the photo says:

"Meeting of Soviet and German troops in Brest on the Bug 18th of September 1939"

It seems that Russians were very fast if on 18th of September some of their soldiers were already present in Brest.

Maybe the Soviets took part in last assaults against the fortress?
Fort "Graf Berg" ("Fort Sikorskiego") was of course not the part of the Citadel itself, but it was the part of that whole fortification complex (fortress Brest) - it was located north from the Citadel.

I had to get some additional info about it.

There was one information which could be the clue in this case.

Namely - captain Wacław Radziszewski (commander of IV battalion 82 IR - which did not leave the fortress together with other units, as you remember) - was murdered by NKVD in Kozielsk in 1940.

So he must have been captured by the Soviets !

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And I have just found more detailed info about it - they wrote about it in this Polish forum:

http://www.dws.org.pl/viewtopic.php?f=7 ... &sk=t&sd=a

IV battalion of 82 IR was ordered to protect the Polish withdrawal together with 2 sapper company from 56 sapper battalion under command of podporucznik Kazimierz Giaro (2 company was under his command), but dispatch rider sent to Radziszewski did not come back (anyway - he received orders - but did not want to complete them - dispatch rider was probably missing during the way back).

During the night on 17th of September (but few hours after the Polish withdrawal), part of Polish battalion - with one 75mm gun - left the Citadel (part of the Citadel which was called "kobrynskie fortifications") and occupied fort "Graf Berg" (then it was called "Fort Sikorskiego", nowadays it is "Miasokombinat").

According to other sources it was not Fort "Graf Berg" but Fort V (located south from the Citadel).

Allegedly as long as not until 19.09.1939 the Germans noticed that there were still Poles inside the fortress.

Since that moment, after rejecting capitulation offert, several days long battle for the fort "Graf Berg" (or "Fort V" :?) started.

Between 19th and 20th of September Polish battalion was repulsing German attacks.
Between 21st and 26th of September Polish battalion was repulsing Soviet assaults.

Only on 22nd of September Polish defenders destroyed 1 Soviet AFV and repulsed 3 infantry assaults.
On 24th of September and on 25th of September a lot of Soviet infantry assaults from all sides were repulsed.
On 26th of September Soviet forces introduced heavy artillery into action - under this condition further Polish defence became hopeless.

During the night from 26th to 27th of September rests of the battalion left the fort and marched towards the village called Murawiec.

In Murawiec Polish battalion was dissolved.

Captain Radziszewski changed his clothes for civilian and came back to the city of Brest - to his family.

But the Soviets soon discovered who is in Brest and NKVD arrested him.

He was murdered in 1940 in Kozielsk as one of victims of the Katyn murder - his surname and name can be found in the list of Katyn murder identified victims, as well as names and surnames of several other officers who took part in the defence of Brest in 1939:

Two officers from the same battalion:

porucznik Aleksander Gradziuk - commander of 1. company of IV battalion / 82 IR.
podporucznik Witold Skwierczyński - commander of 2. company of IV battalion / 82 IR.

And - surprisingly - also 2 officers from 56 sapper battalion, 2 officers from marching (spare) battalion of 34 IR and one officer from marching battalion of 35 IR - and also general Kazimierz Plisowski.
And - surprisingly - also 2 officers from 56 sapper battalion
So maybe also 2. sapper company of this battalion remained in the fortress after 17th of September ?

Regards,
Domen

Piotr Kapuscinski
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Re: Soviet participation in the battle of Fortress Brest - IX 39

#2

Post by Piotr Kapuscinski » 08 Feb 2009, 23:19

By the way - Order of Battle of Polish forces in Brest on the Bug on 14th of September 1939 - "Grouping Brześć":

Commander of "Grouping Brześć" - gen. Konstanty Plisowski

Infantry - 3 marching (spare) battalions with 7 companies (6 infantry, 1 MG) + 1 infantry company + 3 sentry battalions (each of them in strength of one infantry company) = 11 companies - without any AT guns or AT rifles:

bat.marsz. (IV bat.) 82 pp - kpt.Wacław Radziszewski
1.komp. - por.Aleksander Gradziuk
2.komp. - ppor.Witold Skwierczyński
bat.marsz.34 pp-kpt.Tadeusz Radziszewski
1.komp.- ppor. Józef Maciąg
2.komp.-ppor.Tadeusz Florczyk
3.komp.-ppor.Czesław Głąbski
bat.marsz 35 pp-kpt. Zdzisław Baczyński
1.komp.-por. Antoni Flisiuk
komp.ckm-ppor.rez.Bogdan Jasiński
bat.marsz.33 pp - 1.komp.
81 batalion wartowniczy
82 batalion wartowniczy
3 batalion wartowniczy

Tanks - 2 companies + 1 platoon (36 AFVs):

112 komp. lekkich czołgów wolnobieżnych - 15 x Renault FT-17 tanks - por. Wacław Stoklas
113 komp. lekkich czołgów wolnobieżnych - 15 x Renault FT-17 tanks - por. Jerzy Ostrowski
improwizowany pluton czołgów rozpoznawczych - 6 tankettes

Sappers - 1 battalion:

56 bat.sap.- mjr.Tadeusz Górecki
1.komp.-por.Mieczysław Stankiewicz
2.komp.-por.Jan Polaczek
kol.sap.-por.Kazimierz Kuźba

Artillery - 3 light batteries with 12 guns calibre 75mm (3 guns from 3. battery were being used as AT guns) + 6 single guns (found in magazines of the fortress):

49. dyw.art.lek. (mobilized by OZAL nr 9) - mjr.Stanisław Komornicki
1.bat.-kpt.Arseni Mielniczuk - 4 guns
2.bat.-kpt.rez.Marian Westfalewicz - 4 guns
3.bat.-kpt.Tadeusz Janiszewski - 4 guns
6 guns

Armoured trains - 2:

Pociąg pancerny nr.53 "Śmiały" - since 12.09.1939 until 14.09.1939 - kpt.Mieczysław Malinowski
Pociąg pancerny nr.55 "Bartosz Głowacki" - since 12.09.1939 until 14.09.1939 - kpt.Andrzej Podgórski

AA artillery - 1 battery + 3 single platoons (5 platoons - 10 AA guns):

3 Bateria Motorowa Artylerii Przeciwlotniczej typu "A" od 11.9. - kpt.Stanisław Małecki:
1 pluton - 2 działa 40mm Bofors wz.36
2 pluton - 2 działa 40mm Bofors wz.36
pluton półstały artylerii przeciwlotniczej nr.905 - 2 działa 40mm Bofors wz.36 - ppor.Mirosław Jasiński
fabryczny pluton półstały artylerii przeciwlotniczej "Ursus" - 2 działa 40mm Bofors wz.36
pluton uzbrojony w dwa znalezione w pobliżu Brześcia działa 40mm Bofors wz.36


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Re: Soviet participation in the battle of Fortress Brest - IX 39

#3

Post by Paul_Atreides » 09 Feb 2009, 17:22

First soviet unit in Brest - 29th Tank Brigade. It has occurred on 22 September, 15.00.
There is no waste, there are reserves (Slogan of German Army in World Wars)

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Re: Soviet participation in the battle of Fortress Brest - IX 39

#4

Post by Piotr Kapuscinski » 15 Feb 2009, 20:38

First soviet unit in Brest - 29th Tank Brigade. It has occurred on 22 September, 15.00.
Yes - in the city of Brest.

Fort "Graf Berg" and Fort V are not in Brest, but some kilometres north-east (Fort "Graf Berg") and south-east (Fort V) of Brest (or rather - north-east and south-east of the Citadel of Fortress Brest).

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Re: Soviet participation in the battle of Fortress Brest - IX 39

#5

Post by Paul_Atreides » 17 Feb 2009, 03:15

Anyway, there were no any soviet units around Brest 18-21 September.
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Re: Soviet participation in the battle of Fortress Brest - IX 39

#6

Post by Piotr Kapuscinski » 06 Jul 2009, 14:17

Vladimir Beshanov in his "Krasnyj Blickrig" presents the Soviet participation in the battle of Brest in 1939 basing on Soviet sources. He confirms that Poles were defending inside the Fort "Graf Berg", not Fort V. In fact there are more Soviet accounts on these combats than Polish (from the Polish side there is probably only one first-hand account - account of corporal Samosiuk).

Paul
- the map you presented comes from the book of the same title ("Czerwony Blitzkrieg") by Kolomijec and Magnuski, page 67. It shows movements of armoured brigades only, not movements of all Soviet units.

I would like to notice that Fort "Graf Berg" is located closer to the city of Kobryn than to the city of Brzesc - it is located north from the Muchawiec river (which can be seen on the map posted by you), ca. 200 metres from the railway. As you can see Soviet units were already there on 21.09.1939. While Fort V is located south from the Muchawiec (Mukhavets) river.

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Re: Soviet participation in the battle of Fortress Brest - IX 39

#7

Post by Paul_Atreides » 08 Jul 2009, 08:01

Domen121 wrote:Paul - the map you presented comes from the book of the same title ("Czerwony Blitzkrieg") by Kolomijec and Magnuski, page 67. It shows movements of armoured brigades only, not movements of all Soviet units.
Tank brigades were spearhead, they did not move behind rifle divisions. For example when 20 September on 21:15 32th tank brigade has entered into Cobryn, 8th rifle division were in Rozana, 143rd rifle division were in Iwacevicze.

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