Battle of Bzura reenactment pics

[Brzeczyszczykiewicz]

This show, commemorating the biggest battle of the 1939 September campaign, is the biggest reenactment event in Poland.

[Pics are from 2003 and 2004, stolen from http://www.odkrywca.com.pl]

[perdurabo]

Originally Posted by Brzeczyszczykiewicz

This show, commemorating the biggest battle of the 1939 September campaign, is the biggest reenactment event in Poland.

the biggest reenactment ?? what about Grunwald? Wolin? VivatVasa?

[mack pl]

Note: 2 guys on the right arent reenactors



Note: kids, we werent allies

[mack pl]

Originally Posted by perdurabo

the biggest reenactment ?? what about Grunwald? Wolin? VivatVasa?

shut up.....Brzeczyk spędził cały dzień nad tym postem

[Clete Torres]

Holy Shizen! It's too bad the Pope is in the hospital and couldn’t make it this year. I heard that the VIP tickets he gets set him back a pretty Deutsche Mark. Well at least two lucky holocaust survivors were able to go in his place and sat sideline for the "Ghetto Liquidation" portion of the reenactment. What the **** is wrong with German people anyway?

[Brzeczyszczykiewicz]

Originally Posted by perdurabo

the biggest reenactment ?? what about Grunwald? Wolin? VivatVasa?

Well I don't know sh*t about reenactment events But they said that it is

Originally Posted by mack pl

shut up.....Brzeczyk spędził cały dzień nad tym postem

Aha, dokladnie Czlowiek sie meczy caly dzien a tu nikt nie docenia...

[dan_pub]

OK, Maybe I'm dense. Someone explains to me why on earth Poles would want to re-enact the Nazis invading Poland ?


I don't remember Israelis trying to "re-enact" the extermination camps...

[Svätopluk]

2>dan_pub:
Because they are proud on the fact that they didn't surrender to a nazi/komunistic invasion. They didn't give, they were fighting to the end.
My respect, wery intersting pics.

[Brzeczyszczykiewicz]

WTF? What's the big deal about the Germans?
It was a battle between Polish and German forces, so reenacting it without some guys playing Germans would be rather stange...
And this event isn't commemorating the German forces, it's comemmorating the memory of Polish soldiers, who could successfully engage the German army despite its technical and numerous advantage.

Originally Posted by ww2.boom.ru

Battle of Bzura- The biggest and the bloodiest

On 7 and 8 September 1939 armies Poznan and Pomorze retreating from Posnania and Pomerania concentrated in the triangle Leczyca - Wloclawek - Plock. According to the orders of the Supreme Command they were heading for Warsaw. Meanwhile the ring of the enemy siйge was tightening more and more around Poland's capital. Divisions from the German 8th and 10th Armies were moving along the routes parallel to the Polish retreat.

In those circumstances the commander of the Army Poznan, Gen. Tadeusz Kutrzeba, came to the conclusion that the direction of his troops' retreat had to bring a major battle in Warsaw approaches and that the Germans would reach the prospective battlefield sooner, thanks to the higher degree of motorization of their troops. Therefore he came out with the concept of a counter-strike from the banks of River Bzura against the northern wing of the advancing 8th Army. He intended to drive the 8th Army southward and destroy it if possible. In that battle the Army Poznan had to be supported by the Army Pomorze, which was still within 3-4 days of march from the initial battle positions.

The forces designated for the counter-attack comprised almost all the troops from the Army Pozna&n; the direct command of those troops was entrusted to General Edmund Kownacki-Knoll. Knoll's operation group comprised three infantry divisions and cavalry operating on their flanks. They had to overcome the enemy troops in front of them and attack along the axis Krosniewice - Brzeziny (near Lodz). The 25th Infantry Division of Gen. Franciszek Alter had to take Leczyca and pursuit the enemy as far as to Ozorkow. The 17th Infantry Division of Col. Mieczyslaw Mozdyniewicz had to advance on Celestynow, and the 14th Infantry Division of Col. Franciszek Wіad had to take the suburb Balkow-Goslub and secure the approaches of Rogozno. From the west the advance had to be covered by the Cavalry Operation Group of Gen. Stanisіaw Skotnicki-Grzmot, which had to advance on Poddebice; on the eastern flank, in the vicinity of Glowno, had to operate the Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade of Gen. Roman Abraham. In the reserve near Lowicz General Kutrzeba kept divisions of Gen. Mikoіaj Boіtuж's operation group from the Army Pomorze.

The counter-strike commenced on 9 September and instantly drove German 30th and 24th Infantry Divisions away from the Bzura. Polish troops inflicted heavy losses on the Germans and took Leczyca, Piatek, Sobota, Bielawy and Lowicz, and pursued the enemy as far as to Strykow near Lodz. The enemy counter-attacks on Leczyca and Piatek on 10 September, as well as Lowicz on 12 September, were repelled in bloody fights. However, the Polish counter-strike achieved only tactical objectives. On 12 September General Kutrzeba decided to terminate the advance and return the Knoll's group on its initial positions. There started its regrouping for the strike on Sochaczew to open the road to the besieged Warsaw. To cover the strike on Sochaczew the divisions from the Army Pomorze were introduced into fights near Lowicz. Under the command of General Wіadysіaw Bortnowski they had to strike against Skierniewice, and from there move towards Warsaw.

Meanwhile the Germans command had been hastily bringing reinforcements to the sector of Bzura. By 16 September the Army Group South had brought from the areas south of Pilica and introduced in fights several light, motorized and armoured divisions. At that time the Army Pomorze was already engaged at Lowicz. General Bortnowski personally commanded the advance on Skierniewice. Three divisions: 26th Infantry, 16th Infantry and 4th Infantry from the Boltuc's group attacked the enemy on 14 September at 8:00. The 16th Infantry Division was attacking the enemy positions in the east of Lowicz. But for the reasons, which still remain unknown, General Bortnowski ordered to cease the attack, abandon Lowicz and assume defence positions on the northern bank of Bzura. Now the division had to attack the town once again. Bloody street fights flared up in Lowicz; the Germans counter-attacked as soon as they received reinforcements. The Polish attack once again had to be ceased.

The Polish command was already bringing in the forces of the Wielkopolska and Podolska Cavalry Brigades. This operation was covered in the south by Boltuc's troops fighting near Lowicz, and in the rears by the troops of Generals Grzmot and Michaі Tokarzewski-Karaszewicz. But the enemy was faster. On 16 September in the morning two armoured divisions, the 1st and the 4th, crossed Bzura in the north and south of Sochaczew and attacked Polish positions. About that day Kutrzeba wrote later:

The tanks broke the front of the 14th Infantry Division and drove a deep incursion. The 14th Infantry Division retreated, and the attack of the 17th and 25th Infantry Divisions also stalled in fights with the tanks. It was confirmed that near Sochaczew the enemy had forced the Bzura. (...) The battle took an unfortunate turn.

The unequal battle of infantry and cavalry against tanks had started. Polish troops, amassed in a relatively small area and deprived of the anti-air defence, became an easy target for the German air forces. In the evening 16 September at the Army Poznaс headquarters at Zaluskow it was decided to terminate the battle and undertake a fast withdrawal to Warsaw.

Abraham's cavalry group, composed of two cavalry brigades - Wielkopolska and Podolska - had to march across the Kampinos Forest and open the road for the rest of the Polish troops. Knoll's group had to follow it and force the Bzura. Then had to move the divisions of the Army Pomorze still fighting near Lowicz. Kutrzeba's orders did not reach all the units, and out of those, which had received them, not every one was able to follow. The cavalry managed to get through the Kampinos Forest having fought the clashes with the German troops at Debowka, Gorki, Grabina, Palmiry, Sierakow, Laski, Truskaw and Pociecha. The 25th and 15th Infantry Divisions managed to force the Bzura. Only the whipped regiments from those divisions and brigades managed to get to Warsaw. The rest of the forces of the Armies Poznaс and Pomorze were encircled on the Bzura and annihilated in fights. In those fights fell Generals Grzmot, Wіad and Boіtuж, and the wounded General Bortnowski was taken prisoner. The battlefields of the Kampinos Forest and both banks of Bzura became covered with the corpses of the fallen Polish soldiers. Only few and small groups of the crushed armies managed to reach the besieged capital.