Blitzkrieg is the combination of surprise attack and quick attack, which will hit the enemy like lightning! It can cause the enemy to lose morale under a sudden threat, so that it will collapse immediately under the first huge blow!
The heavy artillery had already blown the Polish position on the other side of the river to pieces. Now the Poles had to rely on limited artillery to cause trouble to the 19th Armored Corps. However, even when they forcibly crossed the Vistula River, there were still more than thirty A tank was hit and destroyed on the roadside.
The Poles shouted "Long Live Poland" and armed themselves with crude weapons, hoping to drive the 19th Panzer Corps back across the river. Guderian looked at the Polish soldiers who were resisting desperately, with an expression of pity on his face, but it disappeared in an instant and was replaced by a cold expression.
In a life-and-death battlefield, you can't be kind to women. Guderian, who has been on the battlefield for a long time, certainly understands this simple truth. Guderian said to the chief of staff, "Inform Nate Livers, from the side and rear of the Polish position." Make a roundabout way and attack the Poles on the opposite side with us."
"General, Division Commander Nate Livers is en route in a detour," the staff officer replied.
"Well!" Guderian said nothing and continued to look at the Polish soldiers opposite who had been sentenced to death in his heart.
Twenty minutes later, Nate Levers appeared at the rear of the Polish army with two light armored divisions. The Polish soldiers were caught off guard. Unexpectedly, the Germans had already crossed the Vistula River. Their morale became unstable. Guderian seized the opportunity and forcibly crossed the Vistula River. After the front and rear attacks by the four armored divisions of the 19th Armored Corps, the Poles soon could no longer hold on.
However, the Poles did not choose to surrender, but retreated backwards. Without any hesitation, Guderian began to pursue. For this reason, Guderian specially assigned an armored division to pursue the pursuit, while the remaining three divisions had to guard the Vistula River. Only by blocking this area could the North Army Group encircle the Poznan Army Group in Poland. The Poznan Army has four divisions and two cavalry brigades and is stationed in the west of Poznan Province. Among the seven armies in Poland, it is second only to the Krakow Army in southern Poland.
Along the way, the Polish army dropped countless supplies and baggage, and the number of people began to decrease. After all, it is difficult for human legs to run over the wheels of a car.
Just when the Poles were beginning to despair, suddenly the ground began to tremble. Those familiar with it could immediately tell that this was not an earthquake.
It's the sound of thousands of horses running together that makes this sound happen, just when both the pursuer and the pursued are confused.
Thousands of cavalry appeared in front. The commander of this cavalry brigade was specially sent to support the troops on the Vistula River after the Poznan Army heard that the Vistula River was under attack. The Polish soldiers who were already being chased were vomiting blood. After seeing his cavalry, he shouted excitedly.
The pursuing German troops were also stunned. Since the Polish troops were relatively scattered, the commander of the armored division responsible for the pursuit also split up his troops and pursued the fleeing Polish troops separately. So now they encountered these cavalry. The German army consisted of only a few hundred men.
"Quick..., contact the headquarters quickly. The 21st Armored Battalion encountered a large number of Polish cavalry." After a brief silence, the battalion commander responsible for chasing the Polish cavalry shouted loudly.
"Yes, yes... Battalion Commander" The communications soldier's teeth were chattering. After all, they had heard of the reputation of the Polish cavalry.
Therefore, after seeing the Polish cavalry on the opposite side, the pursuing German army immediately stopped pursuing. Slowly retreat and start to defend on the spot. After all, they only have a few hundred people. If they really fight, they may not be able to defeat thousands of cavalry.
The retreat of the German army immediately fell into the eyes of the commander of the Polish Cavalry Brigade. Just when he waved his hand and was about to start the attack, he was called back. The person who called him back was the commander of the Polish infantry regiment responsible for defending the Vistula River: "Dear Brigadier, I ask you not to launch an attack. The German troops on the opposite side are different from the troops we have faced before. They are not So easy to deal with." Indeed, in the battle for the Vistula River, the strength displayed by Guderian's 19th Armored Corps and their fighting tactics were very different from those of ordinary armies. As Guderian's opponent, the man in front of him The commander of the Polish infantry regiment understood very well. No matter how confident he was in his country's cavalry, he didn't know what the outcome would be if they faced off against German armored soldiers.
"It seems that you have frightened the German army!" the commander of the cavalry brigade said unceremoniously: "It seems that after the war is over, no, from now on, you are no longer suitable to serve as a commander of the great Polish army. You are the regimental commander. When I return to the headquarters, I will definitely ask the headquarters to remove you from your post."
Polish tanks are almost old tanks and most of them were blown up on the ground by the JU-87 "Stuka". This way the only mobile force in Poland is the cavalry. Moreover, in the eyes of the cavalry brigade commander, only the bravest soldiers , to become a cavalry, usually he would look down on those armored soldiers at all. Besides, Polish tanks are indeed not very advanced. It is indeed normal for him to look down on armored soldiers.
The commander of the cavalry brigade glanced at the surrounding cavalry and said, "Our brother troops have scared the Germans' armor. We need to show them what a real soldier is!"
Hey... all the cavalrymen pulled out their sabers and shouted, "Long live Poland... God bless Poland... and destroy the German devils."
The news that the 21st Armored Battalion encountered the Polish cavalry in Dagu immediately reached Guderian's ears via radio. In response, Guderian immediately decided to have the pursuing armored division give up pursuing the Polish troops and go to support the isolated 21st Armored Battalion.
Under the dazzling sunlight, the shining silver saber flashed a cold white light. The commander of the cavalry brigade gave the order: "Charge..."
"Long live Poland..., God bless Poland..." Thousands of cavalry shouted loudly, running with thousands of horses, raising their morale to an unimaginable level. Even the 21st Armored Battalion opposite , some soldiers couldn't help but tremble slightly at this scene.
"Quick, shoot quickly..." Even so, the commander of the armored battalion still tried his best to command his troops, hoping to wait for the arrival of reinforcements. In this case, escaping is the stupidest move. Between infantry and cavalry, Escape in front of your eyes, and the war will immediately turn into a massacre.
Fortunately, the armored battalion responded correctly at this time and began to defend on the spot. They pushed the tanks to the front, and the tanks in front continued to pour shells into the charging Polish cavalry. The soldiers continued to shoot at the Polish cavalry with their own weapons.
The shells kept falling among the cavalry, but it did not affect the fighting spirit of the cavalry. They all thought that they were the bravest Poles, so they ignored the existence of the shells. Just when the 21st Armored Battalion was about to be unable to withstand it, the cavalry next to them The pursuing troops finally heard the news and rushed over, fighting fiercely with the Polish cavalry.
But even so, the German army is still at a disadvantage and can only retreat and defend. The surrounding German troops continued to enter the battlefield, and gradually the two sides began to turn into a melee, and the war became a mess.
When Guderian arrived at the battlefield, he was shocked by the scene before him. Both sides had no tactics at all, just the simplest cavalry charge and infantry counterattack. Fortunately, the Polish cavalry saw Guderian's armored division coming, and immediately abandoned the small group of German troops, turned around and approached the armored division.
When the Polish cavalry attacked a small group of armored troops, they did not feel the power of the armored troops. This was mainly because at the beginning, the German armored troops did not boldly use ordinary tactics because of the prestige of the Polish cavalry. Later, support came The troops had to join the melee because the earlier troops had already engaged in a melee with the Polish cavalry. Tanks were not used to attack the cavalry, so the current Polish cavalry still thinks that the German armored troops are nothing more than this.
The Polish cavalry certainly has pride. In 1920, the Soviet Union and Poland conducted the last large-scale cavalry battle in human history. The domineering, heroic, and rugged Cossacks suffered their first disastrous defeat in front of the Polish cavalry after the founding of the Soviet Union.
However, what they met now was the armored division brought by Guderian himself, so the Polish cavalry was destined to be taught a lesson at first. He used his own life to make up for the fact that the Polish army's military thinking was backward.
When the Polish cavalry rushed over, the approaching armored division was as shocked as the troops in front. But this shock immediately turned into joy. The gunner aimed at the focus, preparing to deliver a fatal blow, and the loader relaxed his muscles, because next, they had to ensure the supply of shells.
Time is fixed at this moment, in 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Facing the steel monster they had never seen before - the tank, the Polish cavalry was not afraid. They polished the sabers in their hands, imagining that they would use it to kill their enemies as before. When the Polish cavalry rushed toward the German tank group with sabers raised, the outcome of the war was already determined, and the German guns began to roar. The brave knights were slaughtered one after another. This is the swan song of the cavalry. This branch of arms that has dominated the history of human warfare for thousands of years has gradually withdrawn from the stage of history.
Amidst the gunfire, the Polish cavalry were massacred in batches. The arrogant cavalry brigade commander was also killed by a machine gun on the way to the charge. Maybe he knew his mistake on the eve of his death, but he had no way to remedy it. Opportunity.
After conquering the Vistula defense line, in the Polish corridor between East Prussia and the German mainland, the Pomeranian Army, with five divisions and a cavalry brigade, (the cavalry brigade has been annihilated!) has been surrounded.
On September 4, after completely consolidating the occupied area on the Vistula River, Guderian notified the commander of the North Route Group, General Ludwig Beck, and Admiral Hillel by radio. After discussing with General Kruger, they decided to use this god-given opportunity to annihilate the Pomeranian Army Group in the Polish Corridor.
On September 5, the Third Army and General Kruger's Fourth Army, a total of five infantry corps and one armored corps, launched attacks from Silesia and East Prussia respectively. The ferocious German attack decided the war from the beginning. The victory or defeat of the Pomeran Army Group, the commander of the Pomeran Army, Bortnovsky, was completely confused about the situation. When the German army began to attack, Bortnovsky blindly ordered the Pomeran Army Group to launch a counterattack and strive to I don't know if I was overconfident or extremely stupid to drive two army groups and 200,000 troops back to Germany.
Soon the Pomeran Army's counterattack was disintegrated by General Kruger's Fourth Army, and took advantage of the victory to enter the Polish Corridor area. At this time, even if Bortnovsky came to his senses, the Pomeran Army also had its wings. There is no escape.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, the general offensive began. Countless tanks, armored vehicles, and motorcycles attacked from the weak parts of the Pomeran Army's defense line. Under the cover of the air force, they quickly broke through the defense line. Begin to divide and encircle the troops of the Pomeran Army.
The barbed wire fences and trenches prepared by the Polish army did not have the desired effect. Under the assault of the armored troops, the Pomeranian Army quickly began to collapse. Within two hours, Germany broke through several lines of defense one after another, and the Polish tactical defense system The backwardness was reflected at this time.
Except for Marshal Piłsudski and a handful of cool-headed Polish politicians, almost no Polish people have ever realized that after they unreasonably obtained a large amount of territory from neighboring Soviet Russia and Germany through coercion, it became even more difficult for them to do so. Poland is in a dangerous situation. Poland has a total population of only 35 million, of which only 22 million are real Poles. The rest are ethnic minorities such as Germans, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Jews, and they all suffer a considerable degree of oppression.
In addition to relying on their ally France, the Poles spent too much time dreaming about opportunities for aggression when Germany and Russia's military forces were weak. Some wanted to raid isolated East Prussia and Upper Silesia; others wanted to take the shortest route and capture Berlin. This dream should have been disillusioned when Germany had established fortifications in East Prussia and the Oder-Warta basin, and later began to rearm. However, Polish politicians and soldiers relied on the French military oppression on the Western Front, and they still clung to this delusion in their hearts. From the initial stage, the above-mentioned deployment certainly represents defensive thinking, but it can also be judged that their intention is to assume that once France's assistance takes effect, it can immediately switch from defense to offense.
In addition, the Polish General Staff Headquarters also lacks its own military tradition, which can only be formed through long-term accumulation of experience. On the other hand, the Polish people are also naturally fond of attacking and not good at defending. We can reasonably assume that in the hearts of Polish soldiers, they still miss their past glory, at least subconsciously. I once saw a portrait of Marshal Leeds-Smigray, which had a Polish cavalry charge as the background. On the other hand, the newly established Polish Army received French education. Since French military thinking since 1918 has been based on static war experience, it is of course difficult for the Poles to acquire the concept of combat speed and maneuverability. All of this has resulted in the current predicament of the Pomeran Army.
After the counterattack failed, the Pomeran Group failed to organize effective resistance. On the contrary, the German attack was like flowing water. Under the strong attacks of the Third and Fourth Army, the resistance of the Polish Pomeranian Army seemed so weak. By seven o'clock in the evening, even Bortnovsky himself Everyone knows where their troops are.
In the early morning of September 6, Bortnovsky left the remaining 30,000 Polish troops to surrender.
Britain and France had officially declared war on Germany and stated that they would aid their ally Poland. However, when Germany actually launched an attack on Poland, Britain and France remained indifferent, and there was an astonishing calm on the Western Front. Common people in Germany began to call this kind of war a "sit-down war." In the West, people quickly named it "fake war." As a British general named Fuller said, "The most powerful French army in the world was facing only 26 German divisions, but it was sitting quietly behind reinforced concrete fortifications, watching a Tang Dynasty. ·The Quixotically heroic Allies were wiped out by Hitler."
This situation did not surprise the Germans at all. Army Chief of Staff Halder, in mid-August, gave a detailed estimate of what might happen on the Western Front once Germany attacked Poland. He believed that France "most likely would not" take the offensive. He believed that France would never send troops to Belgium "ignoring the wishes of the Belgians". He concluded that France would remain on the defensive. On the evening of September 7, he also recorded Hitler’s analysis of the war situation that afternoon with Army Commander Brauchitsch. They believe that the direction of the West is unclear. Judging from some signs, Britain and France had no real intention to go to war.
"The French cabinet lacked courage. The British side also began to show signs of clear thinking." It was based on this estimate that Hitler issued the third combat order two days later, ordering preparations to be carried out. Army and air force units were transferred from Poland to the Western Front. However, it doesn’t have to be a fight. The troops were required to be on standby, even after Britain and France hesitantly launched provocations. "Every time our ground troops or aircraft cross the western border, and every air strike against Britain, there must be my clear order."
According to the guarantees given by France and Britain to Poland, the British guarantee is broad and general. But France's guarantee is clear and concrete. The Franco-Polish military agreement of May 19, 1939 clearly stipulated that the French side would "gradually launch an offensive against limited targets within three days of the issuance of the general mobilization order." Now, the general mobilization order has been announced on September 1. The treaty further stipulated that "Once Germany attacks Poland with its main force, France will launch an offensive against Germany with its main force on the fifteenth day after the French general mobilization begins."