Polish Karpaty Army !

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Military operations in southern Poland.

The National Defense Battalion "Rzeszów".

On September 7, the Battalion ON "Rzeszów" was ordered to march to the city of Krępno to relieve the Battalion ON "Jasło". The latter withdrew to defend Żmigród. The exchange of positions was carried out in a hurry because at that moment the enemy was advancing along the road from the border towards Krępno. Battalion ON "Rzeszów" took up their designated defensive positions around the town of Krępno at 4:00 p.m. The 1st Company was the battalion's left wing, covering the section from the Wisłoka river to the Krępna – Żmigród road, 3 km long. It had the only heavy machine gun, the 2nd Company Łańcut, minus one platoon, was installed on the southern slopes of Height 562, and near the village of Kotań, in the middle of the battalion, with a defense section of 2.5 km. There was also the position of the Battalion Commander, Maj. Ocheduszki. The 3rd Lezajsk Company occupied the right wing (southern slopes of Height 511). This was to ensure communication with the Battalion ON "Gorlice". The defense section had more than 3 km.

However, there was no such communication, because the battalion did not occupy its sector and in the afternoon it withdrew towards Jasło. Ahead of the defensive position of the Battalion ON "Rzeszów", only the 2nd Company of the Battalion ON "Jasło", commanded by 2nd Lt. Piotr Nowak, who was subordinate to Major Ochęduszka, remained in Żydowskie. The neighbor to the east was the Battalion ON "Krosno", centered at Polany (or "Suchania") about 2 km from the left wing of the Battalion ON "Rzeszow".

Meanwhile, on September 7 at approximately 3:00 p.m. in the sector of the 2nd Company of the 2nd Lt. Nowak, there was a heavy attack by two enemy companies of the German 1. Mountain Division, supported by artillery and heavy machine gun fire. Faced with pressure and lack of help from the Battalion ON "Rzeszów", which failed to counterattack, the partially disorganized Jasło company withdrew through the Krępna cemetery. Ahead of the 1st and 2nd Companies of the Battalion ON "Rzeszów", on the road leading from the border to Krępna, Kąty to Żmigród, all wooden and stone bridges were burned or blown up.

Meanwhile, at 4:30 p.m., the enemy, using about 30 armored vehicles, stopped by the burned bridge, unloaded the infantry, and about an hour later attacked the battalion's positions in Krępno with the use of heavy machine guns and mortars. It broke into the 2nd Company sector, but as a result of a counterattack under Cpt. Kwaka was rejected. However, due to the further intensification of fire and the breakdown of communication between the companies and the battalion commander, as well as attacking the battalion again at dusk and breaking through the rear of 1st and 2nd Companies, all units, not without obstacles, they were forced to retreat through the woods to the city of Kąty.

Sources: Batalion Obrony Narodowej „Rzeszów”. Krzysztof A. Tochman. Dodatek historyczny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Oddział w Rzeszowie.

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Hello to all ; more...............................

Military operations in southern Poland.

The National Defense Battalion "Rzeszów".

Before dawn on September 8, Major Ochęduszko made the decision to resist with the forces of his unit on the southern slopes of Point 566 "Grzywaczka" above the town of Kąty and to close the direction to Żmigród, ensuring the defense of it. At about 6:00 a.m., two enemy companies left the "Dolina Hałbowska" forest and reached the northern slopes above the village of Kąty and tried to bypass the left wing with a reinforced enemy platoon. At approximately 9:15 a.m., while receiving heavy enemy artillery and heavy machine gun fire, faced with an outflanking attempt, the battalion withdrew behind the "Grzywaczka" ridge.

In the new line of defense, it was possible to resist only one hour and due to another flanking action and the desperate situation, the Battalion ON "Rzeszów" reduced to about 100 people under the command of Lieutenant Zdzisław Gutteter withdrew to the city of Iwla. At that time, the Battalion Commander with Captain Kwak, Lieutenant Pobożniak, Second Lieutenant Marcinkowski and 4 soldiers along the northern edge of the forest, continued there as cover and guarded the Żmigród-Dukla road.

Halfway to the positions of Battalion ON "Jasło", which withdrew from Żmigród and occupied Point 526 "Górki", Major Ochęduszko's group came under fire near Łysa Góra by a German armored vehicle and hid in a nearby ravine. Later they reached the village. As a result of the confusion, Lieutenant Pobożniak with a group of soldiers decided to break through to Rzeszów and did not participate in the battalion's fighting any more.

After meeting with the Commander of the Battalion ON "Jasło" and giving him the order to concentrate the troops in Rogi, Major Ochęduszko was ordered by the Commander of the 3rd Mountain Brigade to go to Zagórze near Sanok (about 50 km) by the night to rest. On the night of September 8, the Battalion ON "Rzeszów" consisted of two incomplete companies without proper commanders. So, reserve officers were appointed.

On September 9, at 8:00 a.m., the battalion arrived in Zagórze and rested. In the late afternoon, a telephone order was received to move to the defensive section on the east bank of the Osława River, about 3 km long. Around 5:00 p.m., the Battalion ON "Rzeszów" was bombed by 3 German planes (4 soldiers were wounded).

Sources: Batalion Obrony Narodowej „Rzeszów”. Krzysztof A. Tochman. Dodatek historyczny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Oddział w Rzeszowie.

Cheers. Raúl M .

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Hello to all ; more...............................

Military operations in southern Poland.

The National Defense Battalion "Rzeszów".

On September 10, on an order issued by Major Wacław Majchrowski, commander of the 1st battalion of the KOP "Dukla", the Battalion ON "Rzeszów" was to retreat to Ustrzyki Dolne and organize a defense there on the hills. So it took Point 642 until 5:30 a.m., but after 30 min. another written order was received from the commander of the 3rd Mountain Brigade - to withdraw to Starzawa at dusk. The battalion's rolling stock was to be directed to Chyrów-Grodowice, in the direction of Sambor. During the march near Krościenko, Major Ochęduszko stayed with the rear guard with a motorcycle by Capt. Władysław Bochenek, commander of the Battalion ON "Jarosław" and was cut off by a German motorized element from his troops. He got to Rosoch and the Chyrów-Sambor road. Meanwhile, the remains of the battalion under the command of Lt. Gutteter marched on Sambor.

On September 11, in the morning the commander of the Battalion ON "Rzeszów", after the morning conference with the commander of the 3rd Mountain Brigade, was ordered to move with his subordinate units to the forest of Lenin Wielka (south-west of Stary Sambor), and after midnight on September 12, take the shortest route along the road to the town of Topolnica, where they stopped to rest. The next stage was Turze. In view of the unclear situation and the lack of contact with the command, Major Ochęduszko decided to march to Kropiwniki. After walking a few kilometers from this direction, Captain Kurdel came on a motorcycle and informed that further march was in danger.

On September 13, around 1:00 a.m., Major Ochęduszko decided to retreat to Turkę through Isaje. In the morning, the units moved to the "Petryków" forest, and then to the town of "Wołcze" - 8 km to the north-west. from the Turkę, and there they fell to rest. After 10 p.m., by order of the brigade commander, the units were reorganized and one battalion was created, headed by Capt. Władysław Bochenek. The remaining soldiers were incorporated into the so-called surpluses over which Major Ochęduszko took command. Soldiers were constantly coming to this sub-unit.

Sources: Batalion Obrony Narodowej „Rzeszów”. Krzysztof A. Tochman. Dodatek historyczny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Oddział w Rzeszowie.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more...............................

Military operations in southern Poland.

The National Defense Battalion "Rzeszów".

The next three days (September 14-16), due to the influx of more volunteers, were mainly devoted to other organizational activities. Among other things, the 1st Company was reorganized under the command of Lieutenant Tadeusz Riedrich, who was securing this area. The Rzeszów units and other sub-units were resting and slowly recovering their fighting ability, unmolested by the enemy. These works were carried out as part of the reorganization of the Polish forces in connection with the new task of defending the so-called Romanian redoubt and the creation of two operational groups: - "Stryj" and "Dniester".

GO "Stryj" under the command of Gen. Bryg Stefan Jacek Dembiński was organizing since September 11 and after 5 days was ready enough to fight. It occupied the Stryj river line up to its confluence with the Dniester and initially consisted of three infantry regiments of 3 battalions each. Later, it gradually assimilated other units, including the 3rd Mountain Brigade, which arrived in the Turka region, under the command of Colonel Kotowicz, composed of three weak infantry regiments, depleted in combat, including the Battalion ON "Rzeszów".

On September 17, during a briefing in Turka, the order was received to cross the border with Hungary during the night of September 18-19. This order, tragic for many, was a consequence of the aggression of the Soviets against the lands of the Polish State. On September 19, 1939, between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m., the remnants of the 3rd Mountain Brigade with the Battalion ON "Rzeszów" crossed the Polish-Hungarian border.

Sources: Batalion Obrony Narodowej „Rzeszów”. Krzysztof A. Tochman. Dodatek historyczny Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Oddział w Rzeszowie.

It's all. Cheers. Raúl M .