Independent Operational GroupPolesie (Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Polesie,SGO Polesie) was one of thePolishArmy Corps (Operational Groups) that defended Poland during theInvasion of Poland in 1939. It was created on 11 September 1939 and was commanded by generalFranciszek Kleeberg. The SGO is most notable for fighting in thebattle of Kock, the last battle of theInvasion of Poland.[1][2]
The SGO was created on the orders of the Polish Commander in Chief on 9 and 11 September due to German breakthroughs and was tasked with defending the region ofPolesie (see alsoPolesie Voivodeship), defined by the lines ofMuchawiec andPrypeć rivers, with the towns ofBrześć (Brest) andPińsk (where the SGO HQ was located). The SGO was to prevent Polish forces in central Poland from being encircled from the east.[3]
From 14 September the units of the SGO faced the GermanXIX Panzer Corps underHeinz Guderian. The forces under generalKonstanty Plisowskidefended the town of Brześć (Brest) from 16 to 19 September while the forces under colonelAdam Eplerdefended Kobryń from 16 to 18 September.[3]
After theSoviet invasion of Poland on September 17, Kleeberg at first followed orders from Polish High Command and retreated towards theRomanian border (seeRomanian Bridgehead). On 22 September, cut off from his superiors, he decided to aidbesieged Warsaw. As they were running low on supplies, Kleeberg decided to recapture the town ofDęblin, where the Polish Army had large stores of supplies.[3]On 28 September Warsaw capitulated; Kleeberg - at that time having crossed theBug river nearWłodawa - decided that the units would advance west and organize large scalepartisan warfare from local forest complexes nearŚwiętokrzyskie Mountains. In the days of 29–30 September the units were engaged by the SovietRed Army but were able to defeat them. From 2 October the SGO, at that point the last organized regular unit of the Polish Army, fought against the German forces ofXIV Mechanized Corps in thebattle of Kock. Despite immense German numerical superiority, the Polish forces were able to score several tactical victories; however they were increasingly running low on supplies, including ammunition. Hence on 5 October Kleeberg decided tocapitulate; the fighting ended in the early hours of October 6.[2] He was the last Polish general to capitulate in the Polish Defensive War; he is also considered one of the few Polish generals of the September 1939 campaign to have not been defeated in battle (along with Gen. Maczek).[a]
Not all of the Polesie Group soldiers capitulated; many dispersed and continued guerrilla warfare, most notably majorHenryk Dobrzański and hisDetached Unit of the Polish Army, which is credited with being the first Polish partisan unit and was active until the spring of 1940.[4]
The SGO was commanded by generalFranciszek Kleeberg, his chief of staff was colonel M. Łapicki. Kleeberg was tasked with organizing his group from various small units in the Polesie region; most of them were either reserve and mobilizing or second line such as theNational Defense units; the notable exception were the eliteBorder Protection Corps (KOP) units and theRiverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy.
On 14 September, when the group was engaged by German forces, it was composed of:
Over the next two weeks the group sustained casualties but it was also reinforced by various units from the disintegrating Polish army, including defenders of theSarny Fortified Area. The total strength of the SGO was 18,000 soldiers.
On 29 September, after reorganization, the group was composed of:
A^Stanisław Maczek, another Polish commander with the reputation of being undefeated, was promoted from colonel to general in November 1939 after his10. Cavalry Brigade AKA "Die Schwarze Brigade" – "The Black Brigade", a fully motorized and mechanized unit, outperformed any other such unit (including tank brigades) in the Polish military. The unit was recreated in France in 1940 and fought in 1944 and 1945 alongside the British (Polish Armed Forces in the West).
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