So, why did the French army, which had an overwhelming advantage over the German army on the Western Front, launch an offensive as General Gamelin and the French government had guaranteed in writing? The most fundamental reason is that the French High Command and the French government establishment were deeply involved. Defeatist and fearful of German weapons and air superiority. Sure enough, the French government had insisted from the beginning that the British Air Force not bomb targets in Germany for fear that French factories would be retaliated against.
By September 4, all three infantry divisions and one cavalry brigade of the Polish "Pomeriary" Army had been annihilated, while the four divisions commanded by Guderian only suffered a total of 150 deaths and 700 injuries. The next day, Hitler came to inspect the 19th Armored Army. When talking to Hitler about the main experience of this battle, Guderian said: "The bravery and strength of the Poles cannot be underestimated, even surprising. But in The reason why our losses in this battle were so small was entirely due to the high power of our tanks."
Guderian's conclusion about the tank cluster left a deep impression on Hitler.
When the North Army Group encircled and annihilated the Polish Pomeranian Army, the South Army Group, under the leadership of Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt, commanded the 14th Army of the "South" Army Group to seize the After occupying the industrial area of Upper Silesia, one of its troops crossed the Beskidi Mountains and attacked Tarnów, approaching the Dunajec River from the west.
The Tenth Army used a large number of rapid corps to wedge itself into the Polish army deployment area east of Opelun. Its advance troops arrived at the Warta River north of Czestochowa on September 2. Afterwards, the armies of the army advanced rapidly towards Warsaw and Radom. On September 7, the army crossed the Pilica River on a wide front. In the middle reaches, its advance detachment has reached the area between Tomaszow-Mazowiecki and Lodz, 60 kilometers southwest of Warsaw. On September 7, the Eighth Army pushed into the line north of Vask and Kalish.
Paul Hausser is currently facing the Krakow Army Group, which has six divisions, a cavalry brigade and a motorized brigade, stationed between Cenchitochowa and Katowice. Behind the latter two armies was the Priso Army, a total of six divisions and a cavalry brigade, stationed in the Tomashov-Mazowiecki area.
It can be seen that the SS Imperial Division, which is currently alone and deep, is somewhat suspected of being outnumbered. However, Paul Hausser is not a fool. The establishment of the SS is different from the traditional Wehrmacht establishment. Furthermore, out of opposition to the party, Because of the trust of the SS, Hitler consciously or unconsciously took care of the SS when new equipment was distributed to the troops. Therefore, the tanks and armored vehicles of the SS had already been installed and had considerable combat effectiveness.
Under the city of Krakow, Paul Hausser put on a massive offensive posture, causing the Polish troops in the city who were responsible for defending Krakow City to be frightened and quickly sought reinforcements from other units of the Krakow Army Group next to them.
As for giving up the city of Krakow, I'm sorry, but the Polish defenders in the city didn't think so at all, because the basic idea of the Polish army is to cover everything and never give up anything voluntarily, otherwise the strategic goals of the Polish army's deployment will be It's hard to know for sure. And such policies usually result in the weaker party's defeat.
The first unit to attack was the 'Führer Regiment' of the SS Imperial Division. Most of the soldiers in the Führer Regiment had participated in the Spanish Civil War and the Madrid Offensive and Defense with Paul Hausser. It can be said that they had some experience in street fighting. They had experience with heavy artillery. Under cover, the Führer Regiment first attacked Krakow Station.
Krakow Station is located in an open area, and the terrain is very conducive to the advancement of armored troops. The reason why Paul & Hausser chose this place for the first battle is because Krakow City has very developed transportation. Krakow Station was bombed by the German Air Force. , the damage was not serious, so in order to prevent the Polish defenders in the city from receiving reinforcements from the outside, Krakow Station must be captured.
Under the cover of heavy artillery and air force, the Führer Regiment slowly marched towards the center of Krakow Station. The Polish army put up fierce resistance at the station. Of course, this was expected by the Führer Regiment, and it would be strange not to resist.
With experience in street fighting in Madrid, the soldiers of the Heads of State stopped their march very skillfully and then divided into separate combat groups to deal with the erratic Polish defenders. They did not attack dangerous buildings or bunkers at all. You are welcome to destroy it with heavy artillery or tanks. Anyway, their purpose is to destroy this place and prevent the Polish army from outside from passing here for support, not to occupy it.
After receiving the emergency call from the defenders in Krakow, the nearby Polish army immediately began to march here, trying to rescue the place, and even wanted to eat the German army that was alone in the depths.
After Paul & Hausser found out, they immediately separated two armored regiments and carried out sniper attacks. It is conceivable that the poorly equipped Polish army is no match for the German army with No. 4 tanks and Gatling guns in the open field. No matter how hard they try, they cannot move forward, especially when there are clouds in the sky anytime and anywhere. There may be some uninvited guests, Stuka dive bombers.
Although Rundstedt knew that Paul Hausser was likely to be besieged by several times more Polish troops in Krakow, he was not ready to rescue him yet. One reason was that he had no feelings for Paul Hausser. He has confidence in the troops under his command, and the second is that Rundstedt now has a bigger plan.
According to the plan drawn up by the German Army Headquarters, it is to conduct a large-scale detour movement against the Polish Army from East Prussia and Silesia. After the Northern Army Group has driven the Polish army out of the corridor and established a link between East Prussia and Pomerania, it should move directly behind the Vistula River in order to attack the position on the big river from the rear. The main enemy force in the bay.
The task of Army Group South is to engage the enemy in front of the Vistula River as much as possible to prevent their attempts to retreat to the rear of the Vistula and San rivers. This means that the tanks of the 10th Army should work together to rush through enemy forces that may be gathering near the national border, so that the armored forces may be in front of the enemy and reach the Vistula crossings from Dunblin to Warsaw. . It should also be assumed that the 14th Army advancing through Grisia can also reach and cross the San River at maximum speed. If the enemy's intention is to make decisive resistance on the San and Vistula rivers, this army can immediately sweep the river defenses from the south and, together with the eastern wing of the Northern Army Group advancing from the north, behind the enemy Meet in the depths. The following facts are also destined to provide the 14th Army with considerable help. Because its right wing extends eastward into Slovakia. Therefore, it poses an immediate threat to the enemy's deep flanks concentrated in the Krakow area, which also makes it impossible for them to make any effective long-term defense against Grisia.
The operations of Army Group South in Poland were based on this line of action. Its purpose was to destroy the enemy's main force in front of the Vistula River. At the same time, we must try to prevent him from realizing his attempt to retreat to the rear of the San and Vistula rivers before accepting a decisive battle.
Therefore, General Blaskowitz's 8th Army, General Reichenau's 10th Army, and General List's 14th Army, under the command of Rundstedt, respectively General's 14th Army advanced towards the Dunajec River.
General Reichenau's 10th Army crossed the middle reaches of the Pilica River on a wide front, and its advance detachment has reached the area between Tomaszów-Mazowiecki and Lodz, 60 kilometers southwest of Warsaw. At this time, Guderian's 19th Armored Corps on the northern front had cooperated with the North Army Group to annihilate the Polish Army's Pomeranian Army. At this time, Guderian, like the 10th Army on the southern front, was moving toward Bures. Marching through the fortress area in the middle of Tri-Litovsk, as long as they break through the enemies they face, the German troops can join forces in Poland.
Finally, the remaining 14th Army, led by General List, was sent to Krakow by General Rundstedt to support the SS Imperial Division. His order to General List was
The first goal of the 14th Army was to encircle the powerful enemy forces supposedly concentrated in the Krakow area. The original deployment of this army from Silesia through Moravoska Ostava to the Carpetian Mountains was enough to hint at the intention of such an encirclement.
The 8th Army, commanded by General Bush, has two infantry divisions, the 8th and 28th, and the 5th Armored Division. He was ordered to break through the strong Polish border fortress in eastern Upper Silesia, and then advance along the north bank of the Vistula River towards Krakow. The 17th Army, commanded by Gen. Kienitz, commanded by the 7th and 44th Infantry Divisions, attacked Krakow from Moravia along the Vistula River. Two other corps were assigned to carry out a direct encirclement mission against enemy forces presumed to be near Krakow.
The 22nd Armored Corps, commanded by General Kleist, consists of the 2nd Armored Division and the 2nd Light Division. It should rush out of the Arafa Valley in the Carpetian Mountains in the west and attack Krakow from the south. . The 18th Mountain Army, commanded by General Bell, has two mountain divisions, the 2nd and 3rd. It is scheduled to protrude from the Prad Valley east of Gautara and march towards Bochnia through Novi Shaz. objective, which was west of Tarlow, and to attack the enemy at Kraków from behind.
Regarding the Polish Army on the Lodz side, Rundstedt ordered General Blaskowitz's 8th Army to support the SS Gendarmerie Division and Viking Division.
The second largest city in Poland and the capital of Lodz Province, Lodz City. It is located in central Poland, on the watershed of the Vistula and Warta rivers. The altitude is 187 meters. The annual average temperature is 18.3°C and the annual precipitation is 590 mm. Records first appeared in the 14th century, and the city was established in 1798. The superior geographical location and local market attracted nearby cheap labor. After 1820, the textile industry developed rapidly and became the center of the national textile industry. Together with surrounding towns, it constituted a national textile industry specialized area, producing more than 40% of the country's cotton products and products. Silk products, knitwear, wool and chemical fiber fabrics also play an important role.
Here, the Polish army of the Lodz Army under General Julius Rohmel fought against the German attack. They faced the SS Gendarmerie Division. As the first SS division-level unit established by Lin Wei, 3.3 The scale of tens of thousands of people is also unique in the world. The number can even catch up with Guderian's 19th Panzer Corps. What's more, there is a newly formed Viking division nearby, so the situation in Rhodes City is not worrying.
After the border battle, taking advantage of the slow movement of the Polish army, the Gendarmerie Division and the Viking Division made a bold assault, split up the Polish army they faced, and marched all the way to Lodz City.
Now the situation in the south is that Germany's three armies are facing off against Poland's Lodz Army and Krakow Army. No matter where you look at it, Germany has the upper hand.
On September 8, Rundstedt gave an order, and the three armies began a fierce attack on the city of Lodz and Krakow. First, in the city of Lodz, the Lodz Army under General Julius Romel first resisted. Unable to stop, the city of Rhodes was captured.
In fact, there is no shortage of reasonable suggestions on the Polish side. According to Colonel Schreider's report, General Weygand had suggested setting up the defense line behind the Neman, Bol, Narev, Vistula and San rivers. From an operational point of view, this is the only appropriate suggestion, because it can avoid the possibility of being surrounded by German troops, and at the same time, using river obstacles can also greatly enhance the Polish army's defense capabilities against German armored forces. In addition, this line of defense was only about 375 miles long, while the Polish national border from Suwalki to the Carpathian Pass was 1125 miles long. However, if you accept this suggestion, of course you must give up the entire West Poland, which includes the country's most valuable industrial and agricultural areas. Therefore, if any Polish government takes such a step, it may itself collapse first.
At the same time, it should be remembered that even such an extensive retreat at the beginning of the war would not necessarily enhance the enterprising spirit of the French in the West. Also, it is an open question whether giving up all of Western Poland to the Germans would encourage the Russians. They might have decided that time was of the essence and would have taken immediate action to secure their possible share of the loot to the east.
General Kutzeba, the principal of the Polish Military Academy, also proposed another solution. In early 1938 he proposed a memorandum to Field Marshal Leeds Smith Gray. He insisted that the question of abandoning "important strategic areas of Poland", which included the industrial areas of Lodz and Upper Silesia as well as valuable agricultural areas such as Poznań, Kutno and Kiels, should never be considered. Therefore, the deployment he advocated was to abandon the defense of the Polish Corridor or Poznań Province, which was essentially similar to the plan finally implemented in 1939.
As a basis for the defense of Poland, an extensive system of fortresses should be established, forming a broad arc on the East Prussian border from Grudjaz to Poznań, and along the Silesian border from Ostrovo , passing through Censhitokhova and ending at Ceszin. At the same time, Kutzeba also pointed out that future attacks on East and West Prussia and Silesia should still be prepared.
To build such a huge fortress system was actually completely beyond Poland's capabilities. Despite this, Kutzeba has realized that in addition to Poland's military disadvantage against Germany, he also has a clear understanding of France's support, because he said that even if France gives maximum military assistance, initially Within six to eight weeks, Poland will still have to rely on its own resources to tide over the crisis. So he wanted to conduct a strategic defense along the western perimeter of the aforementioned "vital area." The reserves are concentrated in the rear areas for decisive action later.
After Lodz was captured, Rundstedt prepared to head to Lodz, the industrial center of Poland. By the way, he had a general understanding of the situation on the front line, but at this time, he had to face a customer.
This person is Lin Wei, who has just arrived at the headquarters of Rundstedt. The headquarters of Rundstedt is the largest building in this town, the church. After the war started on September 1, Lin Wei came from Germany. However, the rapid changes on the battlefield and the army's confidentiality regulations made it difficult for Lin Wei to find the exact location of Rundstedt.
Therefore, Lin Wei could only understand the situation on the battlefield. While looking for Rundstedt. So today, a week after the war started, Lin Wei came belatedly and appeared in front of Rundstedt.
"Hello, General Rundstedt," Lin Wei said with a compliment as soon as he came in, "General, the Southern Army Group under your command has captured Lodz so quickly. The head of state will be very happy to know that. This will be very important to Poland." It’s also a blow to people.”
"Haha..." Rundstedt smiled and said, "Thank you, little Lampard. In this battle in Lodz City, your two SS divisions performed very well. It can be seen that , you have put in a lot of effort."
"By the way, General" Lin Wei looked at the staff who were preparing to pack their things and said, "Where are you going?"
"Oh!" Rundstedt glanced around and said, "I am going to move the headquarters to Lodz City. After all, the conditions there are better."
"That's great, General Rundstedt, you don't mind if we go together!" Lin Wei requested, "You also know, well, it's not very safe to move alone on the battlefield. We only have a few dozen Individuals are easily in danger," Lin Wei hesitated.
Uh... Rundstedt looked at Lin Wei in astonishment, and after a while he smiled bitterly and said, "Lampard, you little naughty boy! So you thought I was the bodyguard of your Krupp family."
"If Uncle Rundstedt must think so!" Lin Wei went up the pole and said, "You don't want to see my father sad, do you? He is only a son like me."
"Okay, okay!" Rundstedt interrupted Lin Wei's attentiveness and said, "Then let's go together."
There is a sick bird today, with vomiting and diarrhea. I can sit in front of the computer now, and I am too tired to have any energy, so today’s chapter is a bit watery.