The battle of Lomza ( Polish: Bitwa pod Łomżą ) is one of the battles of the September Wehrmacht campaign in Poland. After the transfer of troops from Pomerania to East Prussia, the 21st Wehrmacht Infantry Division entered the battle on the Narev River with the forces of the operepativnoy Narev group . The bombing of the city began on September 3, and the battle itself took place from September 7 to 10, 1939.
| The Battle of Lomza | |||
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| Main Conflict: World War II , Polish Wehrmacht Campaign | |||
| date of | September 7 - 10, 1939 | ||
| A place | Lomza | ||
| Total | Tactical victory of the Poles, but leaving the city | ||
| Opponents | |||
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| Commanders | |||
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| Forces of the parties | |||
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Battle Progress
The first clashes took place on September 7, when Lomzhu was attacked by the forces of the German 21st Infantry Division from the 21st Army Corps , commanded by General Nicholas von Falkenhorst. German troops, however, failed to break through the enemy’s defenses, since the 33rd Infantry Regiment (18th Polish Infantry Division) under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Lucian Stanek repelled all attacks. The 1st battalion under the command of Major Stanislav Vyderko was especially distinguished in battle.
The next day, September 8, the Wehrmacht launched its attacks on Fort No. 3 in the village of Pentnitsa, but the garrison of the fort survived. In the afternoon, the Germans stopped attacking, but began to prepare for a night raid: with the support of artillery and heavy fog, the Germans crossed the Narev River a few kilometers from the fort and broke into Novogrud . On September 9, they resumed the attack on Pötnitz: in the morning they attacked Fort No. 2 with the support of aviation and artillery, and in the afternoon the Germans attacked Fort No. 1. Both attacks failed, the next day the situation did not change.
Until 18:00, German troops unsuccessfully tried to take the Polish fortress, after which, under the fire of Polish artillery, they were forced to retreat even further. The situation changed radically at 20:30 - the commander of the 18th Infantry Division, Colonel Stefan Kossetskiy, unexpectedly ordered to leave Lomza and retreat, which caused the indignation of the soldiers. However, they were forced to obey orders and leave the city, which was soon occupied by the Germans. The Poles moved to the town of Bache-Mokre. On the same day, the line of defense of Vizny was broken, and the Germans completely crossed over Narew.
Bibliography
- Mała Encyklopedia Wojskowa , Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, Warszawa 1967, Wydanie I, Tom 2
- 1939.pl : Kalendarium działań wojennych kampanii wrześniowej 1939 (Polish)
- Lomza.glt.pl : Historia 33 Pułku Piechoty z Łomży (Polish)