Fighting in the Upper Silesia 1939.

[tigre]

Hello Peter ; you've a good point about the Pz Kw II in the picture. Second,the names of them were given by Anton Detlev v. Plato in his work on the 5 Pz. Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; the story follows..............................

The VIII AK in Upper Silesia.

04 of September of 1939.

The Grz. Absch. Kdo 3 continued with the occupation of the High Silesia. Before the advance of the Army Corps towards Krakow, the Grz Abschn. Kdo would pass under control of the Army and the 239 ID would follow the Army Corps.

The 239 ID occupied Katowice.

At 08:00 hours advanced the IR 444 (the Commander of the 239 ID, Generalmajor Ferdinad Neuling, marched there) and reached a point located to about 3 kilometers of the South edge of the city (Katowice). Shortly afterwards a dispatch raider arrived informing that the forward detachment Höcker (AA 239?), was fighting against hostile elements in the sector of the parachute tower. The IR 444 Keep moving and after half an hour, the Metz battalion had arrived at Level 334 (1 kilometer due south of Katowice). Here Generalmajor Neuling found the personnel of the Grenzschutz-Abschnitt-Kommando 3 (Generalleutnant George Brandt) composed by the Grenzschutz Reg 56 and 68.

The IR 444 was engaged in the fight against the parachute tower and according to Generalmajor Neuling it was fired upon with an anti-tank gun pak 36, falling the elevator of the tower after which the enemy no longer responded the fire (end of the myth of scouts?). From 11:00 hours onwards the resistance in the suburbs of Katowice (South Park) was broken and by 11:40 hours the 239 ID entered the city. Already was found some resistance in the city but it was overwhelmed and Generalmajor Neuling himself moved with his automobile by the streets being warmly saluted by the population. On the other hand the Grenzschutz Rgt 68 entered by the north connecting with the 239 ID in the center of the city. The end of another myth.

Sources: Das Verdammte gewissen. Leutnant Erich Mende.
VIII AK KTB - Sep 1939 (courtesy of Bill Russ).
La Campaña de Polonia - Septiembre de 1939. Robert Jars.
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... er/IR7.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... r/IR38.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... r/IR84.htm
http://derela.republika.pl/grozny.htm#his
http://www.odkrywca.pl
http://1939.armiam.com/20pp.html
http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=57879
http://januspablo.blox.pl/2007/09/1939- ... icach.html

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; the story follows..............................

The VIII AK in Upper Silesia.

05 of September of 1939.

The infantry divisions reached their objectives after an strenous march by dusty routes and much heat. The enemy fell back in disorder in the majority of the cases. The reconnaissance detachments of the infantry still determined at dusk the occupation of the lines of defense in front of Krakow. Harassment fire unleashed from positions located behind the fortifications.

According to orders received from the 14 AOK the 5 Pz had to press from Krakow in the south direction.

At 05:00 hours the Column Degener left Pollecin with the AA 8 as its vanguard by Krzesowice - Raclawice - Przegina - Skala to Slomniki.

At 05:15 hours the Column Lübbe left Alwernia by Zalas - Rudawa - Beblo to Slomniki.

At dusk still were registered combats with the enemy rearguards in Beblo (Lübbe), Skala (AA 8) and Przegina (Degener).

Sources: Das Verdammte gewissen. Leutnant Erich Mende.
VIII AK KTB - Sep 1939 (courtesy of Bill Russ).
La Campaña de Polonia - Septiembre de 1939. Robert Jars.
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... er/IR7.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... r/IR38.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... r/IR84.htm
http://derela.republika.pl/grozny.htm#his
http://www.odkrywca.pl
http://1939.armiam.com/20pp.html
http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=57879
http://januspablo.blox.pl/2007/09/1939- ... icach.html

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; the story follows..............................

The VIII AK in Upper Silesia.

06 of September of 1939.

In the night of the 05 to 06 of September of 1939, the Polish defenders left Krakow. The 28 ID with parts of the XVII AK entered and took the city.

In front of the 8 ID were not signs of enemy resistance.

The divisions reached the following objectives:

28 ID Pleszow.
8 ID Kantorowica - Zastow.
5 Pz after the fights between Pless and Auschwitz had carried out a technician halt in order to execute some repairs.

The armor division received the order issued by the 14 AOK of advancing towards the bridges of the Vístula River in Szczucin. The 5 Pz initiated the march at dusk.

Sources: Das Verdammte gewissen. Leutnant Erich Mende.
VIII AK KTB - Sep 1939 (courtesy of Bill Russ).
La Campaña de Polonia - Septiembre de 1939. Robert Jars.
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... er/IR7.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... r/IR38.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... r/IR84.htm
http://derela.republika.pl/grozny.htm#his
http://www.odkrywca.pl
http://1939.armiam.com/20pp.html
http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=57879
http://januspablo.blox.pl/2007/09/1939- ... icach.html

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; last part..............................

The VIII AK in Upper Silesia.

07 of September of 1939.

Early in the morning the right Column of the 5 Pz and the vanguard under of the Oberstleutnant Wassmuth’s orders, knocked against strong contingents of the Polish 23 DP in Proszowice. After hard fight the Germans managed to break the resistance with heavy losses for the enemy. Throughout the day both columns of the panzer division found Polish resistance between Nidzice and the Nida in Wlk. Kazimierza and Skalbmierz.

The Army Corps received the order issued by the 14 AOK stating that the 5 Pz had not to continue on Szczucin but towards the crossings of the Vístula River in Sandomierz and Annopol. This directive reached the 5 Pz while it was fighting in Nidzice carried by the CoS of the VIII AK.

By dusk the Corps Commander ordered to the 5 Pz to cover on Pincow - Chmielnik towards Staszow. Both infantry divisions (8 ID and 28 ID) received the order to advance towards the Nida.

On September 07 of 1939 the Armored Train Nº 54 moved due east towards Tarnow when apparently the bridge on the Dunajec River was blown up and when the Poles met Germans elements, Kpt Kulesza ordered to destroy and to abandon the train.

Sources: Das Verdammte gewissen. Leutnant Erich Mende.
VIII AK KTB - Sep 1939 (courtesy of Bill Russ).
La Campaña de Polonia - Septiembre de 1939. Robert Jars.
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... er/IR7.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... r/IR38.htm
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... r/IR84.htm
http://derela.republika.pl/grozny.htm#his
http://www.odkrywca.pl
http://1939.armiam.com/20pp.html
http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=57879
http://januspablo.blox.pl/2007/09/1939- ... icach.html

It's all folks. Cheers. Raúl M .

[henryk]

Tigre:
Is there a map available of the activities on 7 Sept 1939?

[tigre]

Hello henryk , about this...................

Is there a map available of the activities on 7 Sept 1939?

Source: History of the 5 Pz by Anton Detlev v. Plato.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[henryk]

Thank you very much for that map. My interest was aroused because my relatives lived in the village of Kolosy. This is located just west of the Y road intersection across the Nida from Wislica. They told me there were no battles close to the village, in 1939, nor in 1944, with the Red Army.
As an illustration of the wide distribution of German troops in war-time Poland, there was a German Army supply depot in the village during the war. Also an officer of the German Army unit in Wislica was billeted with a relative in Wislica.

[tigre]

Hello henryk ; thanks for sharing that tip. Cheers. Raúl M .

[Piotr Kapuscinski]

Hello Raul!,

The AA 8 and the Marschgruppe A both advanced without problems but the Marschgruppe B hit against strong resistance (I./75 pp - Maj Mazewski; Company ON Rybnik - Maj Kwiatkowski and 5. Batería of the II. /23 pal - kpt Stranz) in Rybnik; after hard fighting, the Polish forces were destroyed there.

Maj. Kwiatkowski was the commander of battalion ON "Rybnik" (III./202 pp).

Commander of company ON "Rybnik" (which was part of that battalion) was Kpt. Jan Kwaśniewski.

Rybnik was captured largely thanks to betrayal of Walter Wollny - agent of German Abwehr in the Polish army:

http://www.dws.org.pl/viewtopic.php?f=5 ... &sk=t&sd=a

http://www.dws.org.pl/viewtopic.php?f=5 ... a&start=25

Kurt Unger, commander of German sabotage organisation "Kampf-Organisation Rybnik-Pless" wrote:

Als Beispiel für die Unterhohlung der polnischen Wehrmacht führen wir noch an, dass Reserveoffizier Walter Wollny aus Rybnik als Führer einer ganzen Kompanie mit 3 MG, 3 Munitionwagen und seiner Kompanie sich gegen den polnischen Feind wandte und sich dann dem Deutschen Militär stellte. Zu unsere grossen Freude war es uns vergönnt mit den deutschen Truppen mit einzumarschieren.

Article about the capture of Rybnik:

http://www.nowiny.pl/artykul.php?a=show_art&ida=42522

(...) Historycy wiedzą, kto zdradził. – Walter Wollny, rodowity rybniczanin, syn młynarza, absolwent prawa na UJ. W sierpniu 1939 został powołany jako porucznik i CKM-ista do Batalionu Obrony Narodowej. W dniu wybuchu wojny przeszedł z całym batalionem na stronę niemiecką. To właśnie ci ludzie stali przy tym wiadukcie, a więc najprawdopodobniej to oni wystrzelali polskich saperów – zdradza wyniki swoich badań doktor Grzegorz Bębnik.

(...) Historians know, who betrayed. - Walter Wollny, inhabitant of Rybnik, son of a miller, graduate of law on Jagiellonian University. In August of 1939 he was called to service as Lieutenant and HMG-unner to the Battalion of National Defence. On the first day of war he went with his entire battalion [mistake - company or platoon, it is disputed] to the German side. His people were standing near the railway viaduct, so most probably it was them who shot the Polish sappers [who were ordered to destroy the bridge] - doctor Grzegorz Bębnik reveals the results of his research.

Walter Wollny with a group of other German saboteurs killed Polish sappers who were ordered to destroy the bridge before German tanks would be able to capture it (as the result German tanks did it) and abandoned its positions. Then Walter Wollny and his group (probably around one platoon, maybe larger group) joined the German forces.

Article about German sabotage in Rybnik:

http://www.rybnik.com.pl/wiadomosci,kul ... -8623.html

Abwehra miała również agentów w Wojsku Polskim. Były to tzw. Regiments-Organisationen. W 6. DP istniały takie w 20., 12. pp i 6. pal-u. Istniały również w pułkach 21. DPG, 23. DP i 55. DP. [204]

Abwehr had its agents also in the Polish Army. Those were so called Regiments-Organisationen. In 6. DP there were such in 20., 12. pp and 6. pal. [If it comes to Silesia] They also existed in regiments of 21. DPG, 23. DP and 55. DP.

============================

And now about what happened to Kpt. Kwaśniewski and those from company ON "Rybnik" who didn't betray:

http://www.dws.org.pl/viewtopic.php?f=5 ... a#p1472805

Z materiałów Abwehry wynika natomiast, że wchodząca w skład OW "Rybnik" kompania ON "Rybnik" wcale nie została rozbita, lecz opuściwszy stanowiska, przeszła na stronę niemiecką. Do Kobióra dotarł jedynie dowódca kompanii, kpt. Jan Kwaśniewski, z pocztem.

D-ca batalionu mjr Kwiatkowski posłał czym prędzej na wschodni skraj Kleszczowa przybyłe z Rybnika resztki naszej pierwszej kompanii kpt. Kwaśniewskiego.

So clearly not entire company betrayed.

It's original commander - Kpt. Kwiatkowski - together with his poczet withrew towards Kobior.

Some groups of soldiers from the company (probably those who didn't want to listen to orders of Ppor. Walter Wollny after he took command of the company) also did not betray but retreated to Kleszczow and there took parts in combats.

Question is how many German minority soldiers were serving in company ON "Rybnik"?

To how great extent was it infiltrated by Abwehr and local "V Column"?

[Piotr Kapuscinski]

When it comes to the defence of the Katowice Parachute Tower:

The end of another myth.

Not exactly the end. As usually happens with myths, some part was true and some part exaggerated.

In this case the "core" of the story is true, because Scouts really defended the tower (interesting reading):

http://www.historycy.org/index.php?showtopic=57879

What is not true is that Scouts (Harcerze) shot down a German plane or killed dozens of Germans.

Cheers,
Peter

[tigre]

Thanks for sharing that interesting info here Peter . Cheers. Raúl M .

[Piotr Kapuscinski]

Defence of the Katowice Parachute Tower - artistic vision:

[tigre]

Thanks for sharing it Peter . Cheers. Raúl M .

[Piotr Kapuscinski]

And German casualties in Katowice on 04.09.1939 were 15 KIA and 26 WIA.

Losses from 03.09.1939 can be attributed to Katowice (including the tower) too, at least partially.

As you can see on 03.09.1939 there were 5 KIA, 2 MIA (KIA) and also further at least 2 wounded.

In total G.A.K.3 lost 50+ men killed, missing without a trace or wounded on these two days.

Question is how those KIA/MIA/WIA in the night from 3rd to 4th September were counted.

GAK 3 losses.jpg (109.19 KiB) Viewed 1899 times