Posted on 09/17/2009 5:16:22 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
This is from The German Campaign In Poland (1939) by Robert M. Kennedy - United States Army
Army Group North was informed of the Red Army's movement into eastern Poland by OKH early on 17 September, and was directed to remain west of the line along the Bug River-Brzesc-Bialystok. Units of the XXI Corps in the Bialystok area and a motorized division of XIX Corps in the Brzesc region had already advanced east of this line. These units were to be permitted to remain east of the line long enough to complete their missions, after which they were to withdraw. The plan to send armored and motorized infantry columns to Slonim and Kowela was abandoned. Despite the OKH order to confine its operations to the area west of the Bug-Brzesc-Bialystok line, Army Group North instructed its air reconnaissance units to continue flying missions to Grodno and other points deep enough to provide security for the army group. [See map 10.]
The second phase of operations by Army Group North was completed with the intervention of the Red Army. All organized resistance in the area between Warsaw and Brzesc had ended, and Army Group North had established contact with Army Group South across the Vistula at Gora Kalwarja. Farther east advance Panzer units of XIX Corps had established radio contact with Panzer elements of Rundstedt's force and only a few miles separated the armored spearheads of the two German army groups. Prisoners taken on 16 and 17 September represented half the identified Polish divisions and almost one-third of the cavalry brigades, and their statements indicated complete despair on the part of the remnants of the Polish Army.
Relations with the Russians suffered several setbacks at the outset in the Army Group North area. Russian aircraft bombed a bridge nine miles west of Bialystok on 17 September, killing three German soldiers and several Labor Service men. Other Russian air attacks inflicted casualties on advance units of XIX Corps east of the Bug.
Warsaw presented a special problem with the intervention of the Russians. The capital was held by a large garrison, reinforced by the units that had escaped encirclement in the battles farther west, and a large part of the heavy artillery required for an assault on Warsaw's defenses was committed at Modlin, the fortress city a short distance down the Vistula. The bulk of the army group's armor was far to the east at Brzesc, and Hitler was unwilling to accept the heavy casualties an infantry assault on Warsaw would cost. However, the Fuehrer was anxious to gain possession of the city before the arrival of the Russians, to impress the Red Army and prevent the formation of a Communist puppet government in the Polish capital.
To weaken the determination of the population of Warsaw to resist, a leaflet drop over the city had been made on 15 September, urging noncombatants to leave and promising fair treatment and the release of the garrison as soon as the formalities of surrender were completed. The Germans had to take into account the matter of foreign public opinion about the lives of noncombatants and the large diplomatic colony still inside Warsaw. The United States Congress was soon to convene in special session, and the Congress of American States had called on its members to meet. The killing of large numbers of civilians and disregard of accepted custom in repatriating diplomatic representatives would win the German Government no friends in either congress. The United States arms embargo was still in force, prohibiting the sale of weapons and munitions to the Allies, and the attitude of the American states toward the German attack was still undeclared.
Map 10 - German Situation Map as of Early 17 September 1939
As pointed out elsewhere the Obama administration announces they won't put the missile shield over Poland on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion. What a signal to the world. Sigh.
Not to mention a slice of Romania as well.
Courageous Sinking-17 September 1939
I’m surprised the Times didn’t pick up on this for anther 24 hours. You would think that someone aboard Courageous would have Twittered the news or something.
Military censorship...
Some sinkings weren’t reported by the US and British Governments until AFTER the War!
NAVAL EVENTS-Sunday, 17 September
Norwegian Sea - German steamer CLARE HUGO STINNES I (5294grt) which had run aground on Raftsund on the 9th was refloated on this date and taken to Trondheim to offload her cargo on the 21st. With a damaged bottom, she remained at Trondheim until early October when she left for repairs at Tingvold arriving on 6 October. She underwent repairs until 7 April 1940, then left Tingvold for Ulvik in Hardangersfjord. This move did not save her during the Norwegian campaign as she was soon captured by Norwegian forces, but only until 20 April when she was recaptured by German naval forces.
ARK ROYAL, Northwestern approaches - aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL with destroyers FURY, FORESTER, FORTUNE, FEARLESS departed Loch Ewe for her second anti-submarine patrol NW of Ireland. Destroyers SOMALI and MATABELE sailed ahead to search for a reported submarine in the area of Tory Island. FORTUNE was later detached to join.
On the 17th seven miles west of Tory Island, steamer BARON LOVAT (3395grt) was attacked by a submarine and ARK ROYAL’s aircraft sent to search the area.
With the loss of COURAGEOUS, ARK ROYAL and escorts were ordered to return to Loch Ewe at 1400/18th. Still on the 18th, ARK ROYAL’s aircraft sighted a submarine in the afternoon, which FURY unsuccessfully depth charged.
Destroyers SOMALI, MATABELE, FORTUNE rejoined the force at 1545/18th. SOMALI and MATABELE were again detached at 2047/18th to assist British trawler LORD MINTO which was under attack. ARK ROYAL arrived in harbour at 0950/19th.
British northern waters - heavy cruiser NORFOLK departed Scapa Flow on patrol. Returning on the 20th, she was ordered to proceed through Fair Isle Channel, due to submarine activity in Pentland Firth and arrived back on the 21st.
Battleship NELSON departed Scapa Flow, unaccompanied, and arrived at Loch Ewe that evening.
Destroyer MASHONA arrived at Scapa Flow.
Destroyer FAME departed Scapa Flow escorting British tanker SAN ALBERTO (7397grt) to Invergordon. FAME arrived back at Scapa Flow on the 18th with tanker MONTENOL.
British west coast - patrol sloop PC.74, operating as decoy ship CHATGROVE, was damaged in a collision with British trawler TOM MOORE (194grt) at Liverpool. PC.74 was repaired at Liverpool completing on 4 October.
U.32 laid mines in Bristol Channel, which sank two merchant ships.
British east coast - sloops BITTERN and ENCHANTRESS, both escorting an east coast convoy, separately attacked submarine contacts off Flamborough Head.
North Sea - submarine SEAHORSE departed Dundee on patrol on the 16th, and now on the 17th, attacked U.36 at 1200 while she was searching a Danish merchant ship 100 miles east of Montrose. Three torpedoes were fired at 1210, with one apparently hitting, but not exploding. U.36 examined neutrals Norwegian steamers IRIS (1177grt) and ELDRID (1712grt), Swedish steamer NORMA (1287grt) and Danish steamer OSLO (1412grt) on the 17th.
U.41 captured Finnish merchant ships VEGA (1073grt) and SUOMEN POIKA (1099grt) in the North Sea at 58N, 04E and sent both ships back to Germany with prize crews.
Baltic - Polish submarine SEP (Lt Cdr Salamon), with two compartments flooded and diving planes inoperative, arrived at Landsort, Sweden, for internment.
Dover Straits - patrol sloop KITTIWAKE struck a British mine at 1900 in the Goodwins-Ruytingen minefield two miles east of South Goodwin Light Vessel and only a few cables from minesweepers sinking shallow mines. She was badly damaged with one rating killed and four missing from the blast. Cdr E R Conder was blown off the bridge and later picked up by a trawler. Minesweeper HARRIER took 39 crewmen on board and towed KITTIWAKE to Dover. On 7 October she was towed by tugs GONDIA and SIMLA to Sheerness and under repair until 18 January 1941.
English Channel - minelaying-cruiser ADVENTURE, escorted by destroyer BEAGLE, departed Dover to return to Portsmouth where they arrived safely.
UK-France convoys - DB.4 departed Southampton with troops and arrived at Brest on the 19th.
MB.4 departed Southampton with eight cargo ships carrying war materials and arrived at Brest on the 19th.
BC.1F of steamers FENELLA and TYNWALD departed Quiberon Bay escorted by destroyers KEITH and VIVACIOUS. The convoy safely arrived at Barry Roads on the 19th.
BC.1S of steamers BARON MINTO, BELLEROPHON, and TRELAWNEY departed the Loire, escorted by destroyers ELECTRA and ESCORT. The convoy arrived in Bristol Channel on the 19th.
UK-out convoys - OA.6 departed Southend, while destroyers JUNO and AMAZON departed Devonport to escort the convoy from the 17th to 20th. The destroyers arrived back at Devonport on the 21st.
OB.6 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers WINCHELSEA and WALPOLE.
Loss of aircraft carrier COURAGEOUS - COURAGEOUS (Capt William Makeig-Jones) was on anti-submarine patrol 350 miles west of Land’s End with destroyers INGLEFIELD, INTREPID, IMPULSIVE, IVANHOE. The distress call from KARIFISTAN was received and COURAGEOUS flew off four aircraft and detached destroyers INGLEFIELD and INTREPID to assist. One of the aircraft dropped a bomb on U.53 causing her to dive.
Then U.29 sighted COURAGEOUS and fired two torpedoes at 1920. They exploded port side and COURAGEOUS sank at 2015.
IVANHOE made three anti-submarine attacks at 2000, 2017, and 2028 during a five hour search and IVANHOE and INTREPID searched until daylight. Destroyers KEMPENFELT and ECHO submarine hunting in the area went to assist.
Light cruisers CARADOC and CERES and destroyer KELLY investigating a possible submarine contact off Land’s End received the COURAGEOUS SOS and sped to the scene to rescue survivors. INGLEFIELD arrived back at 2335.
American steamer COLLINGSWORTH (5101grt), steamer DIDO (3554grt), Dutch liner VEENDAM (15,450grt) also rescued survivors. DIDO picked up 23 officers and 195 five ratings. The survivors were transferred from the merchant ships to INGLEFIELD and KELLY, and arrived at Devonport on the evening of 18 September. INTREPID escorted steamer DIDO to Liverpool.
U.29 left her patrol area for Wilhelmshaven for refuelling with only one torpedo left.
Southwestern approaches - destroyer ANTELOPE with destroyer JACKAL in company attacked a submarine contact 15 miles SSW of Land’s End.
Destroyer KELLY, 70 miles SW of Land’s End made three attacks on submarine contacts early on the 17th.
U.53 attacked steamer KARIFISTAN (5193grt) at 1445, 280 miles WSW of Fastnet in. She was able to get off a radio report before being sunk by U.53. Six crewmen were lost and the survivors were picked up by American steamer AMERICAN FARMER (7430grt).
Spanish and Portuguese coasts - French large destroyers LE FANTASQUE, LE TERRIBLE, L’AUDACIEUX patrolled off the Spanish coast from the 17th to 19th.
Light cruiser CAPETOWN departed Gibraltar as escort with SL.1 and arrived back on the 27th.
Mediterranean Fleet - arrived back at Alexandria after covering Mediterranean convoys GC.1 and Green 1.
Indian Ocean - Light cruiser GLOUCESTER departed Mombasa and arrived at Aden on the 22nd.
No Reports in the U-Boat command War Log for 17 Sept., 1939
The opening scene in Wajda’s “Katyn” says it all.
Poles were evacuating Eastward to escape the Germans only to find their compatriots heading towards them and alerting them that the Soviets have invaded, so they in turn reverse their course and head back westward.
Kind of like trying to decide whether to jump from a burning building.
FROM AHF-Reports of Third Panzer Division-September 17
The 3rd Pz received the task of watching the sector Brest-Litowsk-Wlodawa.
At 07:00 hours the Division informed that the enemy was resisting in Wlodawa yet, the I./SR. 3 went to the attack on Zt. Wlodawa.
At 07:06 it informed that patrols of I./PR 5 (Wendenburg) reached the railroad Chelm - Luboml to the east of the Bug river (elements of the 4. /PR 5).
At 10:00 hours it was reported that the railroad and road bridges south of Okopy were blasted by the Wendenburg Group.
At 10:50 hours the CP of the 3. Pz Brig around 9 kilometers to the north of Wlodawa.
At 17:00 hours the Corps Commander visited the 3 Pz whose CP was in the Station of Tomaszowka.
17 September, 1939
After learning of the Soviet Invasion, Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Smigly, orders all Polish Units to retreat in to Romania.
His speech:
“The Soviets have entered.
I order a general retreat to Romania and Hungary by the shortest route.
Do not fight the Bolsheviks unless they assault you or try to disarm your units. The tasks for Warsaw and cities which were to defend themselves from the Germans - without changes.
Cities approached by Bolsheviks should negotiate the issue of withdrawing the garrison to Hungary or Romania.”
—Edward Rydz-smigly, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish armed forces, September 17 1939
Many Polish units will never hear this broadcast, as things are now complete choas in Poland, for Polish forces.
The German Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Schulenburg) to the German Foreign Office
No. 372 of September 17
Reference my telegram No. 371 of September 16.
Stalin received me at 2 o’clock at night in the presence of Molotov and Voroshilov and declared that the Red Army would cross the Soviet border this morning at 6 o’clock along the whole line from Polozk to Kamenetz-Podolsk.
In order to avoid incidents, Stalin urgently requested that we see to it that German planes as of today do not fly east of the Bialystok-Brest-Litovsk-Lemberg Line. Soviet planes would begin today to bomb the district east of Lemberg.
I promised to do my best with regard to informing the German Air Force but asked in view of the little time left that Soviet planes not approach the above-mentioned line too closely today.
The Soviet commission will arrive in Bialystok tomorrow or day after tomorrow at the latest.
Stalin read me a note that is to be handed to the Polish Ambassador tonight, to be sent in copy to all the missions in the course of the day and then published. The note contains a justification for the Soviet action. The draft read to me contained three points unacceptable to us. In answer to my objections, Stalin with the utmost readiness so altered the text that the note now seems satisfactory for us. Stalin stated that the issuance of a German-Soviet communique could not be considered before two or three days.
In future all military matters that come up are to be handled by Lieutenant General Karstring directly with Voroshilov.
SCHULENBURG
No. 374 of September 17
Reference your telegram of the 16th, No. 358. (1)
On the occasion of my visit of today, Stalin informed me that the Turkish Government had proposed to the Soviet Government the conclusion of an assistance pact that was to apply to the Straits and the Balkans. The Turkish Government desires a pact with a restrictive clause whereby Turkey in rendering aid to the Soviet Union would be obligated only to such actions as are not directed against England and France.
The Soviet Government is not greatly edified by the Turkish proposal and is considering proposing a clause to the Turkish Government to the effect that the Soviet Union on its part would not be obligated to any action directed against Germany. Stalin requested our reaction to this idea, but made it clearly evident that he considered the conclusion of the assistance pact in suitable form as very advantageous, since Turkey would in that case surely remain neutral. Voroshilov, who was present, added that such a pact would be a “hook” by which Turkey could be pulled away from France. Request instructions.
SCHULENBURG
The Polish Government, with Poland’s president Moscicki and Prime Minister Slawoj-Skladkowski, will cross into Romania at around midnight on 17 September 1939 through the border-crossing in Zaleszczyki.
On Sept. 17th, the remnants of the Polish Air Force flee to Romania:
17 P.37s of Bomber Brigade’s initial strength of 86 aircraft flew to Romania, all the P.23 Karas bombers having been either destroyed or damaged beyond repair.
16 of the initial 64 P.23s from the army reconnaissance squadrons made it to Romania.
Lotnictwo Wojskowe lost 333 aircraft, 260 as the result of enemy action.
Of these, around 100 were destroyed in combat, and a further 120 as the result of sustained damage. Only 25 combat aircraft (as opposed to many training and civilian airplanes) were destroyed on the ground.
Aircrew killed numbered 61, 110 were missing and 63 wounded. When comparing the combat potential of both sides, this is by no means a bad result for the Polish Air Force.
And many of those Polish Pilots would fight again in the RAF during the “Battle of Britain.”
HMS Courageous as first built before conversion to an aircraft carrier.
Courageous Class.
They were protected as a light cruiser but had battlecruiser calibre guns. The secondary armament was mainly a new triple 4 inch mount that although in theory had a high rate of fire was actually disappointing in service owing to being complicated to operate. They were the first major warships to have geared turbines and the first large British warships with small tube boilers.
80th Anniversary Bump
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