Polish Army manoeuvres in Volhynia
Encyclopedia
In the interbellum Poland
, headquarters of the Polish Army frequently organized huge military manoeuvres on the territory of the Volhynian Voivodeship
. These war games would take place in early fall, right after harvest. Most probably, they were organized on the real estates, whose owners were mostly Polish members of upper classes (szlachta
). Local Ukrainian peasants, who made a majority of inhabitants of Volhynia, frequently complained about these events.
The biggest of such manoeuvres took place between September 9 and 19, 1938 in the area between the cities of Lutsk
- Rowne
- Dubno
- Horochow. These war games were also the biggest manoeuvres of the Polish Army before the outbreak of World War II. Polish historian Marek Piotr Deszczynski of the University of Warsaw
presented a description of the war games.
The manoeuvres gathered the cream of the Polish Army, with Marshall Edward Smigly-Rydz, Minister of Military Affairs, General Tadeusz Kasprzycki
, Army Inspector General Stanislaw Burhardt-Bukacki, Colonel Stanislaw Maczek
, General Józef Kustroń
, and other top officers. Altogether, around 50,000 - 60,000 soldiers participated in them, which was some 20% of the whole Army. Among units taking part, there were elite troops of the 21st Mountain Infantry Division from Bielsko-Biała
, 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade from Rzeszów
, and 3rd Legions Infantry Division
from Zamość
. Additional forces were: 13th Infantry Division from Rowne, 27th Infantry Division
from Kowel, and 30th Polesie Infantry Division from Kobryn
. All units were divided into two groups - the Reds, and the Blues. The Reds were advancing from the east, and the Blues were supposed to halt their advance.
The manoeuvres were completed on September 19, 1938, when in Lutsk, local inhabitants presented to the Army military equipment, funded by the Volhynians. Next day, September 20 in Lutsk, a parade took place, witnessed by Edward Smigly-Rydz. On the same day, the 21st Mountain Infantry Division, and the 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade were hastily transported to Upper Silesia
, soon afterwards taking part in the Annexation of Zaolzie
(see Independent Operational Group Silesia
).
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, headquarters of the Polish Army frequently organized huge military manoeuvres on the territory of the Volhynian Voivodeship
Volhynian Voivodeship
Volhynian Voivodeship or Wołyń Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1566 till 1569 and in the Kingdom of Poland since 1569 till the partitions of Poland in 1795...
. These war games would take place in early fall, right after harvest. Most probably, they were organized on the real estates, whose owners were mostly Polish members of upper classes (szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
). Local Ukrainian peasants, who made a majority of inhabitants of Volhynia, frequently complained about these events.
The biggest of such manoeuvres took place between September 9 and 19, 1938 in the area between the cities of Lutsk
Lutsk
Lutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast...
- Rowne
Równe
Równe may refer to:*Polish name for Rivne in Ukraine*Równe, Masovian Voivodeship *Równe, Opole Voivodeship *Równe, Pomeranian Voivodeship *Równe, Subcarpathian Voivodeship...
- Dubno
Dubno
Dubno is a city located on the Ikva River in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Dubno Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
- Horochow. These war games were also the biggest manoeuvres of the Polish Army before the outbreak of World War II. Polish historian Marek Piotr Deszczynski of the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
presented a description of the war games.
The manoeuvres gathered the cream of the Polish Army, with Marshall Edward Smigly-Rydz, Minister of Military Affairs, General Tadeusz Kasprzycki
Tadeusz Kasprzycki
Tadeusz Kasprzycki was a member of the Polish Legions in First World War, general of the Polish Army from 1929 and Minister of Military Affairs of Poland from 1935 to 1939....
, Army Inspector General Stanislaw Burhardt-Bukacki, Colonel Stanislaw Maczek
Stanislaw Maczek
General Stanisław Maczek was the most accomplished Polish tank commander of World War II. His division was instrumental in the Allied liberation of France, where it closed the Falaise pocket, resulting in the destruction of 14 German Wehrmacht and SS divisions....
, General Józef Kustroń
Józef Kustroń
Józef Rudolf Kustroń was a Brigadier General of the Polish Army in the Second Polish Republic, commandant of the 21st Mountain Infantry Division.-Early life:Kustroń spent his childhood in the southern town of Nowy Sącz, where his family had settled...
, and other top officers. Altogether, around 50,000 - 60,000 soldiers participated in them, which was some 20% of the whole Army. Among units taking part, there were elite troops of the 21st Mountain Infantry Division from Bielsko-Biała
Bielsko-Biała
-Economy and Industry:Nowadays Bielsko-Biała is one of the best-developed parts of Poland. It was ranked 2nd best city for business in that country by Forbes. About 5% of people are unemployed . Bielsko-Biała is famous for its textile, machine-building, and especially automotive industry...
, 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade from 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 3rd Legions Infantry Division
Polish 3rd Legions Infantry Division
Polish 3rd Legions Infantry Division was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed in 1919, as a third unit composed significantly of veterans of the Polish Legions in World War I , the unit saw extensive action during the Polish-Bolshevik War and...
from Zamość
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
. Additional forces were: 13th Infantry Division from Rowne, 27th Infantry Division
27th Infantry Division (Poland)
The 27 Infantry Division , was a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. It was created on 18 October 1920, as a result of reorganization of the Army, from units of the 2nd I.D., 3rd I.D., and 13th I.D. Its headquarters were located in Kowel, with units stationed in other Volhynian...
from Kowel, and 30th Polesie Infantry Division from Kobryn
Kobryn
Kobryn or Kobrin is a city in the Brest voblast of Belarus and the center of the Kobryn Raion. The city is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus where the Mukhavets River and Dnepr-Bug Canal meet. The city lies about 52 km east of the city of Brest. Kobryn is located at Latitude...
. All units were divided into two groups - the Reds, and the Blues. The Reds were advancing from the east, and the Blues were supposed to halt their advance.
The manoeuvres were completed on September 19, 1938, when in Lutsk, local inhabitants presented to the Army military equipment, funded by the Volhynians. Next day, September 20 in Lutsk, a parade took place, witnessed by Edward Smigly-Rydz. On the same day, the 21st Mountain Infantry Division, and the 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade were hastily transported to Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
, soon afterwards taking part in the Annexation of Zaolzie
Zaolzie
Zaolzie is the Polish name for an area now in the Czech Republic which was disputed between interwar Poland and Czechoslovakia. The name means "lands beyond the Olza River"; it is also called Śląsk zaolziański, meaning "trans-Olza Silesia". Equivalent terms in other languages include Zaolší in...
(see Independent Operational Group Silesia
Independent Operational Group Silesia
Independent Operational Group Silesia was an Operational Group of the Polish Army, created in September 1938 to annex Zaolzie from Czechoslovakia.-History:...
).
Source
- Marek Piotr Deszczynski, The Last Exam. Polish Army towards the Czechoslovakian Crisis of 1938-1939. Wydawnictwo NERITON, Warszawa 2003. ISBN 83-88973-61-4