883:
879:, he sent PP55 to prevent his forces from being cut off. A platoon of five scout tanks left the train near Żabinka and attacked German armoured cars near a bridge on Muchawiec River. After three tanks were lost, the other two withdrew. A further attack by an assault platoon from the train failed. After a combined attack of the assault platoon and PP55 artillery, the Germans left the area of the Muchawiec bridge. When they returned, PP55 attacked another battle group of the 3rd Panzer Division (consisting of scout elements and the 5th Tank Regiment, supported by the 6th Battery of the 75th light artillery Regiment). After destroying a few armoured cars, the train withdrew towards Brześć and the train station was left in German hands.
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At dawn
General Plisowski ordered part of the Polish forces to retreat from the easternmost fortifications and regroup to the other side of the river and southwards. The evacuation was completed by early morning, 17 September when the last unit crossing the bridge blew it up to hinder the Germans. An
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of both the fortress and the town. Heavy street fighting ensued. At dawn approximately half of the town was in German hands, the other half being defended by Polish infantry. Polish anti-tank weapons, artillery and AA guns were very scarce and were unable provide enough support for the infantry. The
847:
On 14 September 77 German tanks of the 2nd
Battalion of the 8th Panzer Regiment, part of 10th Panzer Division, reached the area of Brześć and attempted to capture the fortress on the run. The probe attack was repelled by Polish infantry and the 113th company of light tanks, consisting of 12 obsolete
831:
The city of Brześć was defended by a small improvised force under
General Plisowski. The Polish forces consisted of three infantry battalions, one engineering battalion, some artillery and were assisted by two armoured trains (designated PP55 and PP53) commanded by Captains Mieczysław Malinowski and
897:
Although the German infantry was repelled and the assault of German tanks was stopped by two FT tanks sealing the northern gate of the fortress, by nightfall it became apparent that the German pressure made the situation very grave. Despite heavy losses, the German 20th
Motorized Division and 10th
898:
Armoured
Division captured the northern part of the citadel. Meanwhile, the combined 3rd Armoured Division and 2nd Armoured Division comprising the XXIInd Armoured Corps entered the area. The Poles were unable to resupply and the casualties rose to almost 40%.
814:
of 82nd and 35th infantry regiments and elements of various smaller units. Moreover, a large number of newly mobilised reservists started to arrive at the fortress, awaiting forward deployment to their units. From these units
General
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following day Polish defenders withdrew from the town, but heavy casualties on both sides prevented the German units from continuing the attacks on the fortress. Instead, it was constantly shelled with artillery and bombed by the
771:
depot and its central part into a prison. Although largely obsolete by contemporary standards, the fortress occupied a strategic position in the Polish lines and its defence could prevent German forces from crossing
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860:, was attacked by a scout patrol from the 10th Panzer Division. The crew from the train opened fire with artillery. Several other skirmishes were fought, but were largely inconclusive.
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yet, and had the rapidly advancing German corps stopped, it would give Poles time to regroup and prepare. Already on 8 September the German foreign minister,
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When reports told Polish
General Plisowski that scout elements from the 3rd Panzer Division were seen near the railway station at Żabinka, north of
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organized a force of roughly three infantry battalions, aided by an engineering battalion, several batteries of artillery and two companies of old
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ammunition and light arms thanks to the munitions depot in the fortress, but had almost no anti-tank weapons and insufficient artillery cover.
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from retreating southwards and joining the rest of the Polish forces. The German forces consisted of an entire armoured corps: the
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tanks. All the Polish tanks were destroyed, but the German forces were forced to retreat towards their initial positions. Polish
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of 23 August 1939, the region of Brześć was assigned to the Soviet "sphere of influence". However, the
Soviets did not begin
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the division evaded encirclement and joined the forces of
General Plisowski. The Polish forces were soon joined by the
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crossed the Polish border and started its quick advance westwards. The Soviet 29th tank brigade under
Brigadier
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Some 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the east the Polish improvised "Kobryń" Infantry Division under Colonel
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The aim of the German XIX Corps was to seize the fortress in order to prevent elements of a divided
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The main assault finally started in the early morning of 16 September. The defenders had plenty of
816:
752:, notified the Soviet government that the German forces would have to violate the Soviet "sphere".
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hour later elements of the German 76th infantry regiment entered the fortress – almost unopposed.
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times and then again in 1847. Heavily damaged during World War I, the fortress was turned into a
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forces that took place between 14 and 17 September 1939, near the town of Brześć Litewski (now
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was handed over to the Soviets in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. It was
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was held in the town, after which the German forces left the area, crossed the
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reached the area of Brześć later that day and took over the fortress from the
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The German forces consisted of the entire XIX Panzer Corps under General
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broke through Polish lines and sped southward with the aim of flanking
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and started their pursuit of the fleeing forces of general Plisowski.
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A gate to the northern island of the fortress blocked by the FT tanks
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at the end of the Invasion of Poland. At the center Major General
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Zaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd.,
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51:
Map showing the advance of German XIX Corps on Brześć Litewski.
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Initially, the Polish forces did not plan to defend the old
700:, the Germans captured the fortress and the Poles withdrew.
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was ordered to retreat in tandem with Plisowski. After the
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number 53 (PP53), which made a reconnaissance advance to
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Later that day the German artillery arrived and started
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The ancient fortress of Brześć is at the confluence of
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At the end of the summer the fortress was housing the
1030:List of German military equipment of World War II
1025:List of World War II military equipment of Poland
970:and together started to make their way towards
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920:Joint parade of the Wehrmacht and Red Army in
912:German–Soviet military parade in Brest-Litovsk
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8:
696:). After three days of heavy fights for the
823:tanks used for training, Nos. 112 and 113.
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984:they formed the bulwark of the remaining
737:from the East and cutting Poland in two.
1015:conducted against Soviet Union in 1941.
988:, fighting effectively against both the
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740:According to the secret protocol of the
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684:) was a World War II battle involving
1011:by the Wehrmacht in the beginning of
7:
789:Independent Operational Group Narew
260:1,000 killed, wounded and captured
25:
1079:Battles of the Invasion of Poland
1000:, that ended on 6 October 1939.
698:stronghold in the town of Brześć
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1084:Brest (Belarus) in World War II
1109:Western Belorussia (1918–1939)
1:
670:The Battle of Brześć Litewski
947:. During that event a joint
1009:besieged and captured again
980:. Under command of General
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229:unknown number of infantry
935:On 17 September 1939 the
643:Slovak invasion of Poland
636:Soviet invasion of Poland
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234:1 engineering battalion
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32:Battle of Brześć Litewski
1089:Sieges involving Germany
968:Podlaska Cavalry Brigade
805:20th Motorised Divisions
746:their invasion of Poland
1094:Sieges involving Poland
742:Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
727:German XIX Panzer Corps
678:Battle of Brest-Litovsk
18:Battle of Brest-Litovsk
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750:Joachim von Ribbentrop
232:3 infantry battalions
204:20th Infantry Division
142:Commanders and leaders
1104:September 1939 events
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607:1st Tomaszów Lubelski
555:2nd Tomaszów Lubelski
252:Casualties and losses
1013:Operation Barbarossa
949:German-Soviet parade
650:Operation Tannenberg
313:Battle of the Border
217:Brześć defense group
194:10th Panzer Division
63:14–17 September 1939
1099:Polesie Voivodeship
982:Franciszek Kleeberg
977:Romanian Bridgehead
832:Andrzej Podgórski.
817:Konstanty Plisowski
672:(also known as the
453:Tomaszów Mazowiecki
227:+70 tanks and AFVs
199:3rd Panzer Division
167:Konstanty Plisowski
77:Polesie Voivodeship
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715:fortress of Brześć
301:Invasion of Poland
262:15 tanks destroyed
39:Invasion of Poland
941:Semyon Krivoshein
930:Semyon Krivoshein
858:Wysokie Litewskie
709:Before the battle
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16:(Redirected from
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964:Battle of Kobryń
812:march battalions
793:Młot-Fijałkowski
719:Battles of Mława
682:Battle of Brześć
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837:Heinz Guderian
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105:Belligerents
37:Part of the
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986:Polish Army
865:bombardment
468:Borowa Góra
379:Częstochowa
1073:Categories
1036:References
996:until the
910:See also:
892:small arms
850:Renault FT
797:3rd Panzer
765:Napoleonic
761:Bug Rivers
680:or simply
580:Krasnobród
570:Krasnystaw
426:Worek Plan
421:Danzig Bay
990:Wehrmacht
953:Bug River
945:Wehrmacht
906:Aftermath
870:Luftwaffe
757:Muchawiec
364:Fraustadt
349:Grudziądz
247:Artillery
1019:See also
994:Red Army
974:and the
937:Red Army
769:matériel
657:Timeline
622:Cześniki
602:Jarosław
597:Przemyśl
575:Łomianki
525:Kałuszyn
473:Piotrków
394:Bukowiec
389:Katowice
359:Jordanów
344:Pszczyna
329:Krojanty
324:Chojnice
222:Strength
68:Location
782:Galicia
774:Polesia
704:History
612:Jaworów
483:Pułtusk
384:Mikołów
257:Unknown
120:Germany
85:Belarus
1052:
877:Kobryń
843:Battle
735:Warsaw
690:Polish
686:German
550:Brześć
545:Kobryń
540:Modlin
530:Węgrów
515:Warsaw
431:Gdynia
416:Danzig
319:Wieluń
245:tanks
135:Poland
132:
117:
93:Result
81:Poland
960:Epler
922:Brest
821:FT-17
776:into
723:Wizna
535:Wilno
520:Bzura
498:Barak
493:Łomża
488:Radom
478:Różan
458:Wizna
354:Mława
339:Mokra
243:FT-17
83:(now
1050:ISBN
1003:The
992:and
972:Lwów
803:and
780:and
759:and
725:the
721:and
688:and
627:Lwów
585:Kock
463:Łódź
60:Date
436:Hel
241:15
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839:.
807:.
799:,
676:,
236:2
189::
79:,
75:,
291:e
284:t
277:v
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20:)
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