Soviet Invasion of Poland 1939 - Soviet loot

[Peter K]

POWs disarmed:

Ukrainian Front - 394,498 - including 16,723 officers
Belorussian Front - 60,202 - including 2,066 officers (including 57,892 soldiers of the Polish Army)

According to calculations of Polish Ministry of National Defense from October of 1944, Polish casualties in combats against the Red Army in September and October of 1939 were around 20,000 killed or wounded soldiers. Number of Polish soldiers killed by the Red Army was most probably around 7,500 - 7,000, but this number could be even higher, as there were many cases of murdering Polish POWs by Soviet forces in September and October of 1939.

After 17.09.1939 over 50,000 Polish soldiers withdrew to Hungary and at least 32,000 to Romania - up to 120,000 Polish soldiers withdrew to both Romania and Hungary.

At least 15,000 soldiers withdrew to Lithuania and at least 1,600 to Latvia.

Ukrainian Front reported capturing:

218,071 rifles
73,112 carbines

Additionally Belorussian Front reported capturing 29,254 rifles alone (without carbines - there was also a number of carbines captured, but I don't know any exact numbers)

Ukrainian Front:

different pistols - 28,510
different sabres and lances - 23,881

AT guns calibre 37mm - 152
40mm AA guns - 37
75mm AA guns - 49
Hotchkiss 12,3mm automatic guns - 14

Field guns - Ukrainian Front:

wz. 02/26 field guns calibre 75mm - 30
wz. 1897 field guns calibre 75mm - 346
wz. 1906 mountain guns calibre 65mm - 2
wz. 14/16 field guns calibre 100mm - 108
wz. 1914 field guns calibre 120mm - 2
wz. 1917 field howitzers calibre 155mm - 111
field mortars calibre 220mm "Skoda" - 7

Additionally Belorussian Front reported capturing 134 field guns

46mm grenade launchers - 135
81mm mortars - 63

Both fronts - 8,566 heavy machine guns

Ukrainian front - 8,666 hand machine guns and AT rifles

28 tanks

Additionally Belorussian front reported capturing 8 tanks

37 tankettes

Both fronts - 64 armoured cars

Ukrainian Front:

Rifle ammo - 135,903,977
Pistol ammo - 399,456
Hand grenades - 475,395
Field artillery ammo - 803,040

Cars - 3,866
Other special cars - 106
Sanitary cars - 95
Trucks - 1,402
Buses - 291
Motorcycles - 830
Bikes - 1,372
Tractors - 25
Trailers - 25

moving artillery workshops on 28 railway cars - 1

armoured trains (Ukrainian Front):

- locomotives - 3
- armoured artillery platforms - 5
- guns / machine guns on these armoured artillery platforms - 12 / 32
- armoured control platforms - 1
- machine guns platforms - 1
- railway tanks - 1

Aviation possessions - Ukrainian Front:

Recon planes - 32
Fighter planes - 28
Bomb planes - 56
Front-line planes - 49
Training planes - 72
Passenger planes - 2
Different planes - 15

Different air engines - 368

Ukrainian Front:

Barb wire (in tonnes) - 640
Smooth wire (in tonnes) - 25

Armoured domes (observation posts) - 14
Armoured domes (machine gun nests) - 4
Armoured half-domes - 16
Concrete combat bunkers of fortificated areas - 194

Different radio stations - 154
Receivers and transmitters - 163
Broadcasting centres - 1
Listening stations and devices - 35
Telegraph devices - 196
Different liaison stations - 703
Phone devices - 3520
Phone and telegraph cable (kilogrammometers) - 14,780
Telegraph and lighting cables (kg) - 78,000
Phone and radio wagons - 32
Leaded cable (meters) - 2,700

Gasoline in tonnes - 2,661
Kerosene in tonnes - 1,539
Spirit in tonnes - 12
Petroleum in tonnes - 266
Diesel fuel oil in tonnes - 264
Lubricants in tonnes - 300

Motorized field kitchens on cars - 277
A horse and carts - 750
"Biedka" wagons - 177
Typewriters - 259

Barracks - 193 (for 61,162 men)
Houses of command cadre - 169 (3347 rooms)
Headquarters buildings - 37 (789 rooms)
Cantins - kitchens - 67 (for 21,338 men)
Hangars - 11 (for 308 planes)
Garages - 102 (for 1,468 cars)
Stables - 218 (for 17,116 stands)
Magazines - 397 (167,711 square metres)
Workshops - 40 (14,855 square metres)
Horse riding schools - 10 (15,454 square metres)
Magazines for vegetables - 10 (430 square metres)
Baths - 11 (throughput: 554 men)
Laundries - 22 (2167 kilogrammes per hour)

Individual dressing bundles - 1,571,000
Different bandages - 223,000
Dressing gauze - 311,000 metres
Hygroscopic wool - 1884 kilogrammes

[Stephan]

Ukrainian Front reported capturing:

218,071 rifles
73,112 carbines

Additionally Belorussian Front reported capturing 29,254 rifles alone (without carbines)

I wonder why this difference, carbines present in Ukraine, but not on Bielorussian front.

Besides, in polish there is no difference between these words. So I wonder what is what??

My guess is rifles are standard mauser type, and carbines semiautomatic of some sort...

If so, it indicates perhaps the better troops with some front-ability were concentrated in Ukrainian front, and on Bielorussian front only second-line formations.

I dont know really.

[Peter K]

I wonder why this difference, carbines present in Ukraine, but not on Bielorussian front.

Carbines were present there, but I don't have any data concerning the number of carbines captured by this front.

Besides, in polish there is no difference between these words. So I wonder what is what?

There is a difference:

rifle = karabin (kb)
carbine = karabinek (kbk) = shorter kind of rifle

For example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kbk_wz.29

and carbines semiautomatic of some sort

There were no any semiautomatic carbines in the Polish army in 1939 - there was only a small number of self-repeating rifles (but nobody knows exactly how many of them were produced by the beginning of the war):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kbsp_wz.38M

If so, it indicates perhaps the better troops with some front-ability were concentrated in Ukrainian front

Yes, before the Soviet invasion Poles were concentrating as many forces as possible in the Romanian Bridgehead - which was the operational area of the Ukrainian Front since 17.09.1939:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_Bridgehead

That's why Ukrainian Front captured much more of everything than Belorussian Front.

[Stephan]

There is a big difference:

rifle = karabin
carbine = karabinek = short rifle

Oh, I see. No semiautomatic but the short rifle karabinek...

Thus this short rifle would probably suggest a cavallerist. And together with these sabres and lances - definitely cavallery, but perhaps cavallery of different types, so you cant count them the classical way as the number of sabres = number of soldiers (Im not sure if all cavallery had sabres and or small cavallery rifles (carbines). There were both Ulans and Swolezers and others... I believe they had partly different equipment. Some had normal rifles and mainly an infantery equipment).

The polish cavallery of this time was no obsolete parade weapon, it was an elite well trained and equipped for quick marches also in bad terrain, and fight on foot or even entrenched but also on horseback if occasion arised.
Not their fault modern motorized infantry, tanks and planes were better still...

So another sign they had the best troops on the ukraininan front.

[Peter K]

Oh, I see. No semiautomatic but the short rifle karabinek...

Thus this short rifle would probably suggest a cavallerist. And together with these sabres and lances - definitely cavallery, but perhaps cavallery of different types, so you cant count them the classical way as the number of sabres = number of soldiers (Im not sure if all cavallery had sabres and or small cavallery rifles (carbines). There were both Ulans and Swolezers and others... I believe they had partly different equipment. Some had normal rifles and mainly an infantery equipment).

The polish cavallery of this time was no obsolete parade weapon, it was an elite well trained and equipped for quick marches also in bad terrain, and fight on foot or even entrenched but also on horseback if occasion arised.
Not their fault modern motorized infantry, tanks and planes were better still...

So another sign they had the best troops on the ukraininan front.

Yes, there were many units of cavalry there.

But also in the operational area of Belorussian Front there were some cavalry units - for example Reserve Cavalry Brigade "Wolkowysk".

[Peter K]

Soviet casualties recorded in period 17.09.1939 - 30.09.1939 according to Krivosheev:

1. KIA + MIA (reported dead) + DoW = 150 officers / 209 NCOs / 1138 privates = 1475
2. Hospitalized WIA = 212 officers / 309 NCOs / 1862 privates = 2383

1 + 2 = 362 officers / 518 NCOs / 3000 privates = 3880

Very high percent of officer casualties and so "round" number of privates are strange and suspicious.

I've found some inaccuracies in his data (e.g. sums of losses of each type are higher than "total losses" given below).

Above I provided the sum of losses of each type (3880), and "total losses" given by Krivosheev are lower than the sum of losses of each type - 3858, not 3880.

Is there any breakdown of these casualties for each division and brigade?

It seems that the highest losses were suffered by 87. Rifle Division (at least 230 dead and 221 wounded).

I am interested in data on casualties of all Soviet units but especcialy in what were casualties of 34. Cavalry Division according to Soviet estimations, as well as Soviet losses during the battles of Dzwola and Krukienice.

[thom]

Some figures on the German booty (as reported by OKH GenStdH GenQu on 5/10/1939):

588,354 POWs (incl. 6 generals and 11,446 officers), among them 118,456 (incl. 5,031 officers) in Warschau, 42,000 (incl. 2,000 officers) Modlin, 4,500 (incl. 250 officers) Hela

1,596 field guns
7,681 machine guns
208,273 rifles (Gewehre)
506 grenade launchers
116 anti-tank guns
111 combat vehicles
351 airplanes

[Peter K]

Hi thom!,

Thanks for these figures.

I have already met with them (but I haven't known the exact primary source for them).

But you know what? - I always have problems with making a reliable balance of this figure. Something seems to be wrong - either these figures or fragmentary figures from separated battles.

So:

Manstein in his "Lost Victories" writes that his Army Group captured a total of 523,236 POWs.

588,354 - 523,236 = 65,118 - so this number is for Army Group "North".

In period 01.09.1939 - 17.09.1939 (until the Soviet invasion) individual armies captured:

10. Army - 60,000 (mainly from Army "Prusy" - including capitulation of the Radom pocket) - incl. 52,000 until 12.09
14. Army - around 17,600 - 20,000
8. Army - 3,500 (although some of them might have been recaptured by Poles during the Bzura battle)
4. Army + Guderian in Corridor - around 15,000
3. Army + Guderian later - around 23,000 - 26,000 (if they really captured 10,000 during the first 6 days, as OKH claimed *)

Total: around 119,100 - 124,500

And after 17.09.1939:

Bzura (most probably together with Kampinoska Forest) - 170,000 or: 8. Army - 92,300 + 10. Army - 87,000 = 179,300 (unless these are numbers since the beginning of the campaign - then 10. Army captured much fewer at the Bzura)
Capitulation of Warsaw - 118,456
Capitulation of Modlin - 42,000
Capitulation of Kepa Oksywska - 12,300 - 13,000 (including around 2,000 yet on 18.09.1939)
Capitulation of Hela - 5,110 (also lower numbers - 4,000 - 4,500 - are given, but this one seems to be more reliable)
The 1st battle of Tomaszow 17.09.1939 - 21.09.1939 - 49,000 (and together from 1st Tomaszow - for example 55. Infantry Division surrendered on 23.09.1939 - 60,000)
Near Lwow (Sosnkowski + Group "Zolkiew") - 18 - 21 IX - 34,000 + 1500 on 23 IX = 35,500
Janów Lubelski 24.09.1939 - 1500
Dęblin - 1200
Radom kettle / nearby regions 17.09.1939 - 18.09.1939 - further 2400
Luboml 18.09.1939 - 3000
Mińsk Mazowiecki - Otwock 20.09.1939 - 21.09.1939 - 4600
Rawa Ruska 25.09.1939 - 2000
26.09.1939 - only 27. ID and 8. ID (or the whole of this Armee Korps - I don't remember exactly) - 6500
27.09.1939 - 10. Army captures 1000
30.09.1939 - 10. Army captures almost 1300

23.09.1939 - Germans transfer 11,000 POWs to the Soviets

8. Army total in period 01.09.1939 - 01.10.1939 - 102,000

Yet now the limit is probably almost exceeded (or even exceeded - I don't know - I haven't counted it exactly yet).

And what about Kock, and what about the 2nd battle of Tomaszow ?

I gues that Kock is not included in this overall number (as this document is dated 05.10.1939 and Kock surrendered between 06.10.1939 and 07.10.1939).

But still Tomaszow Lubelski II left.

I know that during and after the 2nd battle of Tomaszow many Poles were captured by the Soviets (for example my grandfather who was serving in 39. ID was captured by the Soviets - and only after he escaped from the Soviet captivity yet during the same day, he was later captured by Germans) - certainly great numbers were also disbanded by their commanders and went to their houses. But there was also an agreement with the Germans, that if they let the Poles to cross their lines towards the West - to escape from the Soviet pressure - they will surrender - but maybe Germans only disarmed them and then let them go?

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

* Condition of 20 ID several days after the battle of Mlawa was more than 13,000 soldiers and condition of 8 ID in the same time - more than 10,000 soldiers. Bloody casualties during the battle of Mlawa were 1,200 KIA and 1,500 WIA - it is very probable that many of WIA were captured by the Germans. So from these two divisions Germans theoretically maybe even could capture during the first six days of war even few thousand men (and the rest of these alleged 10,000 could have been captured along the whole rest of the frontline of this army).

Bzura (most probably together with Kampinoska Forest) - 170,000 or: 8. Army - 92,300 + 10. Army - 87,000 = 179,300 (unless these are numbers since the beginning of the campaign - then 10. Army captured much fewer at the Bzura)

If these are numbers since the beginning of the campaign, then captured at the Bzura would be only:

8. Army - 88,800
10. Army - 27,000

[Peter K]

Some figures on the German booty (as reported by OKH GenStdH GenQu on 5/10/1939):

588,354 POWs (incl. 6 generals and 11,446 officers), among them 118,456 (incl. 5,031 officers) in Warschau, 42,000 (incl. 2,000 officers) Modlin, 4,500 (incl. 250 officers) Hela

1,596 field guns
7,681 machine guns
208,273 rifles (Gewehre)
506 grenade launchers
116 anti-tank guns
111 combat vehicles
351 airplanes

And for his own Army Group Manstein gives:

523,236 POWs (as I already wrote)
1,401 field guns
7,600 machine guns (??? - probably together with grenade launchers)
96 fighting vehicles
274 aircraft

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

Some photos of Polish equipment captured by Soviet forces:

Captured equipment:



"Łoś" bomber:



"Łoś" bomber:



7TP in Kubinka, near Moscow:



Bofors 37mm:



Polish bayonets:

armoured trains (Ukrainian Front):

- locomotives - 3
- armoured artillery platforms - 5
- guns / machine guns on these armoured artillery platforms - 12 / 32
- armoured control platforms - 1
- machine guns platforms - 1
- railway tanks - 1

These were armoured trains: "Pierwszy Marszałek", "Śmiały" (the one from the battle of Mokra), "Bartosz Głowacki".

Maybe also some other armoured trains were captured by the Soviets.

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

This tank (prototype) was also captured by the Red Army:

http://www.geocities.com/pibwl/pzinz130p.htm

[thom]

But you know what? - I always have problems with making a reliable balance of this figure. Something seems to be wrong - either these figures or fragmentary figures from separated battles.

There were primarily 2 reporting channels for captured POWs and booty - the Ic and the quartermaster. Both provided different sets of figures. It is important to consider the source of data before comparing these figures or making a balance. Ic figures were rather hastily compiled estimates to provide a quick overview of battlefield results and calculate enemy strength. They often contained significant overestimations and were rarely corrected. The quartermaster figures seem to be more reliable, given their importance to calculate supply needs.

[Njorl]

Capitulation of Modlin - 42,000

What's the source for this number? It's twice the number I came across...

Regards,
MJU

[Peter K]

Capitulation of Modlin - 42,000

What's the source for this number? It's twice the number I came across...

Regards,
MJU

Report of OKH GenStdH GenQu from 05.10.1939. German after-combat reports from 28.09.1939 and 29.09.1939 (some forts did not surrender on 28.09.1939 but were still fighting until 29.09.1939) give very similar numbers.

What is the source of the number you came across and what number is it?

[bolchevik]

According to calculations of Polish Ministry of National Defense from October of 1944, Polish casualties in combats against the Red Army in September and October of 1939 were around 20,000 killed or wounded soldiers. Number of Polish soldiers killed by the Red Army was most probably around 7,500 - 7,000, but this number could be even higher, as there were many cases of murdering Polish POWs by Soviet forces in September and October of 1939.

20.000 ? 7.3500 ? 7.000 ? 20.000 is not the same as 7.000... your numbers are rellay approximatives....

[Peter K]

I guess that you confuse "casualties" with "killed".

Casualties are not only those dead but also those wounded...

But I agree that 20,000 is probably more or less overestimnated.

And this is not "my" number - it comes from Polish Ministry of National Defence in 1944.

[bolchevik]

This government in 1944 was in London ?