Westerplatte
From Free net encyclopedia
{{Infobox Military Conflict |conflict=Battle of Westerplatte |image=Image:Schleswig Holstein ostrzeliwuje Westerplatte 39 09 01 b.jpg |caption=German battleship Schleswig-Holstein shelling Polish Westerplatte, 1 September 1939 |partof=Polish Defensive War |date=September 1 - September 7, 1939 |place=Westerplatte, Danzig |result=German victory |combatant1=Poland |combatant2=Germany |commander1=Henryk Sucharski, Franciszek Dąbrowski |commander2= |strength1=205 |strength2=ca. 2600 |casualties1=14 |casualties2=ca. 300 |}} Template:Campaignbox Polish September Campaign
Westerplatte is a peninsula in Gdańsk, Poland, at an estuary of the Dead Vistula (one of the Vistula delta estuaries), in the Gdańsk harbour channel. From 1926 - 1939 a Polish Military Transit Depot was located there, on a territory of the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk). It is famous as the place of battle of Westerplatte, one of the first - and longest - battles of the Polish September Campaign in 1939.
Contents |
The transit depot
In 1925 the Council of the League of Nations allowed Poland to keep 88 soldiers on Westerplatte. By September 1939 the crew of Westerplatte had increased to 182 soldiers. They were armed with one 75mm field gun, two 37mm Bofors antitank guns, four mortars and a number of medium machine guns. There were no real fortifications, only several concrete blockhouses hidden in the island's forest. The Polish garrison was separated from Freie Stadt Danzig (Gdańsk) city by the harbour channel, with only a small pier connecting them to the mainland. In case of war, the defenders were supposed to withstand a sustained attack for 12 hours. The Polish garrison's commanding officer was Major Henryk Sucharski, the executive officer was Captain Franciszek Dąbrowski (according to recent opinions, from 2 September Captain Dąbrowski was also the actual commander, following Sucharski's breakdown).
Battle of Westerplatte
Image:Westerplatte burning.jpg
At the end of August 1939 the German pre-Dreadnought battleship Schleswig-Holstein came to Danzig (Gdańsk) under the pretext of a courtesy visit and anchored in the channel, near Westerplatte. On 1 September 1939, at 0445 local time, as Germany began its invasion of Poland, Schleswig-Holstein started to shell the Polish garrison with its 280mm and 150mm guns. This was followed by an attack by German naval infantry (marines) who were hoping for an easy victory, but were repelled with Polish small arms and machine gun fire. Another two assaults that day were repelled as well, and the Germans suffered losses. The only Polish 75mm gun was destroyed after firing 28 shells at German positions across the channel. Over the coming days, the Germans repeatedly bombarded Westerplatte with naval and heavy field artillery (including 210 mm howitzers) along with dive-bombing raids by Junkers Ju 87 Stukas. Repeated attacks by German marines, SS Heimwehr Danzig (Danzig homeland protection) and combat engineers were repelled by the Poles for the 7 days. Finally, the Westerplatte garrison, who were now exhausted - with many severely wounded - as well as being short of food, water, ammunition and medical supplies, surrendered on 7 September.
Approximately 2600 German soldiers were engaged in actions against the 205 strong Polish garrison. The exact number of German losses remains unknown or undisclosed; it is estimated that around 300 German soldiers were killed and many more wounded. Polish casaulties were much lower - 14 killed and 53 wounded out of 205 soldiers defending the post. An additional victim, Sergeant Kazimierz Rasiński, the radio-telephone operator, was murdered after the capitulation for refusal to give in the radio codes to the Germans. Image:Westerplatte makieta.jpg Image:Westerplatte kapitulacja.jpg
The ruins of the island's barracks and blockhouses are still there. After the war one of the barracks has been converted into a museum - two shells from the Schleswig-Holstein prop up its entrance. Image:Westerplatte Sucharski sabre.jpg
Polish poet Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński wrote a known poem about this battle (A Song of the Soldiers of Westerplatte, Pieśń o żołnierzach Westerplatte).
Civilian War Heroes
Related reading
Sources and documents
- {{cite book
| author = Stanisława Górnikiewicz-Kurowska (red.) | title = Znaki pamięci : listy westerplatczyków (1940-1993) | publisher = "Marpress" | year = 1994 | id = ISBN 8385349219}}
- {{cite book
| author = Jacek Żebrowski (red.) | title = Dziennik działań bojowych pancernika "Schleswig-Holstein" 8.09.-2.10.1939 r. | publisher = Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek | year = 2001 | id = ISBN 8373221239}}
Guidebooks
- {{cite book
| author = Franciszek Mamuszka | title = Westerplatte : przewodnik historyczny | publisher = Warsaw: Wydawnictwo PTTK "Kraj" | year =1988 | id = ISBN 8370051928}}
Fiction
- {{cite book
| author = Mariusz Wójtowicz-Podhorski, Krzysztof Wyrzykowski | title = Westerplatte: Załoga śmierci | publisher = Milton Media | year =2004 | id = ISBN 8392087801}}
Other
- {{cite book
| author = Zbigniew Flisowski | title = Tu, na Westerplatte | publisher = Warsaw: Książka i Wiedza | year =1982 | id = }}
- {{cite book
| author = Zbigniew Flisowski (red.) | title = Westerplatte | publisher = Warsaw: Wydawnictwa MON | year =1989 | id = ISBN 8311076944}}
- {{cite book
| author = Maria and Zbigniew Flisowscy | title = Bastion u wrót Gdańska | publisher = Warsaw: Nasza Księgarnia | year =1985 | id = ISBN 8310087799}}
- {{cite book
| author = Władysław Kluz | title = Honor : mjr Henryk Sucharski | publisher = Warsaw: Akademia Teologii Katolickiej | year =1989 | id = }}
- {{cite book
| author = Mirosław Gliński | title = Westerplatte | publisher = Gdańsk: Muzeum Historii Miasta Gdańska : Wydaw. Gdańskie | year =1998 | id = ISBN 8385843760}}
- {{cite book
| author = Stanisława Górnikiewicz-Kurowska | title = Lwy z Westerplatte | publisher = Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Morskie | year =1988 | id = ISBN 8321572375}}
- {{cite book
| author = Stanisława Górnikiewicz-Kurowska | title = Westerplatczycy : losy obrońców Wojskowej Składnicy Tranzytowej | publisher = Gdańsk: "Marpress" | year =1999 | id = ISBN 8387291536}}
- {{cite book
| author = Andrzej Drzycimski | title = Wojna zaczęła się na Westerplatte | state = | publisher = Gdańsk: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza | year =1989 | id = ISBN 8303024035}}
- {{cite book
| author = Andrzej Drzycimski | title = Major Henryk Sucharski | publisher = Wrocław: Ossolineum | year =1990 | id = ISBN 8304033747}}
- {{cite book
| author = Melchior Wańkowicz | title = Westerplatte | state = Warsaw | publisher = Pax | year = 1990 | id = ISBN 8321111130}}