Polish 24th Infantry Division was a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period, which took part in the Polish September Campaign. The Division was created in 1921, and its first commandants were: General Jan Hempel (until 1926), General Waclaw Scewola-Wieczorkiewicz, Colonel Boleslaw Maria Krzyzanowski (until September 9, 1939), and Colonel Boleslaw Schwarzenberg-Czerny (in the final days of the September 1939 campaign). The 24th Division's headquarters were located in Jarosław, with some regiments stationed in nearby cities of Rzeszów

Rzeszów

Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...

 and Przemyśl

Przemysl

Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....

. It consisted of:

• 17th Infantry Regiment (Rzeszów),
• 38th Infantry Regiment of Lwów Rifles (Przemyśl),
• 39th Infantry Regiment of Lwów Rifles (Jarosław),
• 24th Light Artillery Regiment of King Jan III Sobieski (Jarosław).

Polish September Campaign

The 24th Division, commanded by Colonel Boleslaw Maria Krzyzanowski, remained in the first days of the war in reserve. On September 3 transported to the area of Tarnów

Tarnów

Tarnów is a city in southeastern Poland with 115,341 inhabitants as of June 2009. The city has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999, but from 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the Tarnów Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east-west connection...

 and Dębica

Debica

Dębica is a town in southeastern Poland with 46,693 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It is the capital of Dębica County. Since 1999 it has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it had previously been in the Tarnów Voivodeship .-Area:...

, where it was supposed to man the line Pilzno

Pilzno

Pilzno is a town in Poland, in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in Dębica County. It has 4,484 inhabitants . It is located at the junction of important roads - West-East European E40 Highway, and National Road 73 Pilzno is a town in Poland, in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in Dębica County. It has...

 - Szynwald

Szynwald

Szynwałd may refer to the following places:*Szynwałd, Grudziądz County in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship *Szynwałd, Sępólno County in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship...

 - Tuchów

Tuchów

Tuchów is a town in Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 6,476 .- History :The history of Tuchów is very rich and interesting. The first historical note about Tuchów dates back to 1105...

. Attached to the Karpaty Army

Karpaty Army

Karpaty Army , formed on 11 July 1939 under Major General Kazimierz Fabrycy, was created after Germany annexed Czechoslovakia and created a puppet state of Slovakia.-Tasks:...

, on September 6 it was engaged in havy fighting with advancing 4th Light Division of the Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

. In the evening of that day, General Kazimierz Fabrycy

Kazimierz Fabrycy

Kazimierz Fabrycy was a Polish general. Fabrycy was a member of the Polish Legions in World War I, and fought in the Polish Soviet War. He was the Viceminister of military affairs from 1926 to 1934, and commander of several infantry divisions during the interwar period in the Second Polish Republic...

 ordered the Division to withdraw towards the Wisłoka and defend the main west-east route from Kraków

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

 to Lwów.

On September 7, marching Polish units were ambushed by the Germans near Tuchów, who managed to destroy several battalions. After the attack, Colonel Boleslaw Maria Krzyzanowski lost his ability to command the Division and was replaced by Colonel Boleslaw Schwarzenberg-Czerny. Contrary to orders of General Fabrycy, the Division retreated further eastwards, towards the San.

Between September 11 and 12, 1939, the Poles were engaged in heavy fighting with German Second Mountain Division near Bircza

Bircza

Bircza is a village in Przemyśl County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Bircza. It lies approximately south-west of Przemyśl and south-east of the regional capital Rzeszów...

. The Germans managed to break Polish positions in the evening of September 12, therefore southern wing of defence of Przemyśl was opened. Retreating towards Lwów, the 24th kept on repulsing German attacks, reaching Mosciska

Mosciska

Mościska may refer to the following places:*Polish name of Mostyska in Ukraine*Mościska, district of the town of Orzesze in south Poland*Mościska, Chełm County in Lublin Voivodeship *Mościska, Parczew County in Lublin Voivodeship...

 on September 15. Two days later, General Kazimierz Sosnkowski

Kazimierz Sosnkowski

Kazimierz Sosnkowski was a Polish independence fighter, politician and Polish Army general.-Life:Sosnkowski served successively as founder and first commander of Związek Walki Czynnej , chief of staff of the 1st Brigade of the Polish Legions, Polish minister of military affairs, vice-president of...

, who commanded Polish troops in the area, ordered all units to break to Lwów. First groups of Polish soldiers reached the besieged city on September 17 in the evening.

On September 18, when news of Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 attack on eastern Poland

Kresy

The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...

 reached General Sosnkowski, he decided to change plans. Instead of breaking to Lwów, Sosnkowski ordered the soldiers to form small groups and try to reach Hungary. Heavy equipment and vehicles were destroyed, and those soldiers who did not wish to fight any more, were let go. Meanwhile, units of the 24th were fighting German Fifth Armored Division in the area of Rzesna Ruska. Soon afterwards, Soviet tanks appeared around Lwów, and General Sosnkowski decided to dismiss the Division, which ceased to exist.

Operation Tempest

The 24th Infantry Division was recreated in the summer of 1944, during the Operation Tempest

Operation Tempest

Operation Tempest was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the Polish Home Army , the dominant force in the Polish resistance....

, as part of the Home Army.

Sources

• Tadeusz Jurga: Wojsko Polskie : krótki informator historyczny o Wojsku Polskim w latach II wojny s´wiatowej. 7, Regularne jednostki Wojska Polskiego w 1939 : organizacja, dzia?ania bojowe, uzbrojenie, metryki zwia˛zków operacyjnych, dywizji i brygad. Warszawa : Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej 1975.
• Czes?aw Grzelak i Henryk Stan´czyk: "Kampania Polska 1939"
• Janusz Pieka?kiewicz: "Polen Feldzug. Hitler und Stalin zerschlagen die Polnische Republik"

• Ryszard Dalecki: "Armia KARPATY w wojnie obronnej 1939 r.", KAW Rzeszów 1989. ISBN 83-03-02830-8
• Stanley S.Seidner, Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland, New York, 1978.
• Kazimierz Sosnkowski: "Cieniom Wrzes´nia", MON Warszawa 1988, ISBN 83-11-07627-8.