Battle of the Bzura

Danzig - Westerplatte - Tuchel Heath - Krojanten - Mlawa - Radom - Wizna - Bzury - Brześć - Lviv - Rawa Ruska - Lublin - Kampinoska Heide - Warsaw - Szack - Modlin - Hel Peninsula - Kock

With the Battle of the Bzura (also: Battle of Kutno ) the decisive battle in the struggle for Poland took place near the town of Kutno in Poland from 9 to September 19, 1939 between German and Polish troops at the beginning of World War II.

Shortly after the beginning of the German attack on Poland succeeded in the Armed Forces to break through the Polish lines. The German troops invaded from the north and southwest so ago in the depths of Poland.

The Polish forces succeeded in return - unnoticed by the German Enlightenment - under General Tadeusz Kutrzeba two Polish armies in Kutno north of Bzury contract. Confederates included the newly formed army eight infantry divisions and two cavalry brigades. To help control the advance of the Germans, the Poles attacked the advancing 8th Army under General der Infanterie Johannes Blaskowitz against the flank and rear. The 8th Army was thus seriously threatened.

Once it was the Wehrmacht managed to stabilize the situation, an enclosure of Polish troops was initiated. From the north and west of the 4th Army attacked by General Günther von Kluge of artillery. Additional support for the 8th Army came in the form of numerous tanks and fast moving units of the 10th Army under General of Artillery Walter von Reichenau in the southeast. The Poles were surrounded and the combined German forces began with the support of 820 aircraft on 16 September a major attack. After heavy losses and a failed attempt to break the Polish units on September 19 showed. Thus, the decisive and longest battle was lost 170,000 soldiers fell into German captivity.