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| Slovak invasion of Poland | |||||||||
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| Part ofInvasion of Poland ofWorld War II | |||||||||
 Slovak Minister of DefenceFerdinand Čatloš decoratesethnic Germans in the Slovak Army | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 SlovakiaSupported by:  Germany |  Poland | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Ferdinand Čatloš | Kazimierz Fabrycy | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Field Army Bernolák Supported by:  14th Army | Carpathian Army | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 6 infantry divisions | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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TheSlovak invasion of Poland occurred duringNazi Germany'sinvasion of Poland in September 1939. The recently createdSlovak Republic joined the attack, andField Army Bernolák contributed over 50,000 soldiers in three divisions.[1][2] Since most of the Polish forces were engaged with the German armies, which were more to the north of the southern border, the Slovak invasion met only weak resistance and suffered minimal losses.
On March 14, 1939, theSlovak State was established as aclient state of Germany, which initiated the breakup ofCzechoslovakia. The southern Slovak part of Czechoslovakia had contained a substantialHungarian population (Slovakia had been part of theKingdom of Hungary). It was taken by theRoyal Hungarian Army as a result of theFirst Vienna Award on November 2, 1938.
The official political pretext for the Slovak participation in thePolish Campaign was a small disputed area on the Poland–Slovakia border. Poland had appropriated the area on October 1, 1938, after the previous month'sMunich Agreement. In addition, some Polish politicians supported Hungary in its effort to include areas that were inhabited mostly by Hungarians.[citation needed]
During secret discussions with the Germans on July 20–21, 1939, the Slovak government agreed to participate in Germany's planned attack on Poland and to allow Germany to use Slovak territory as the staging area for German troops. On August 26, Slovakia mobilised its armed forces and established a newfield army, codenamed "Bernolák", with 51,306 soldiers. Additionally, 160,000reservists were called up, with 115,000 entering service until September 20, 1939.
The Bernolák army group was led by Slovak Defence MinisterFerdinand Čatloš and had its initial headquarters inSpišská Nová Ves, though after September 8 this was moved toSolivar near Prešov. It consisted of:
The group was part of the GermanArmy Group South; was subordinated to the14th Army, led byWilhelm List; and contributed to the 14th Army's total of five infantry divisions, threemountain divisions, twopanzer divisions and oneLuftwaffe division. Bernolák's tasks were to prevent a Polish incursion into Slovakia and to support German troops.
They were opposed by the PolishCarpathian Army, which consisted mainly of infantry units with some light artillery support and no tanks.
The attack started without a formaldeclaration of war on September 1, 1939, at 5:00 a.m. The 1st division occupied the village ofJavorina and the town ofZakopane and continued towardNowy Targ to protect the German2nd Mountain Division from the left.[3]: 50 On September 4 and 5, it engaged in fighting with regular Polish Army units. On September 7, the division stopped its advance 30 km inside Polish territory. Later, the division was pulled back, with one battalion remaining until September 29 to occupy Zakopane,Jurgów and Javorina.
The 2nd Division was kept in reserve and participated only in mopping-up operations in which was supported by the Kalinčiak group. The 3rd Division had to protect 170 km of the Slovak border betweenStará Ľubovňa and the border withHungary. It fought minor skirmishes, and after several days, it moved into Polish territory and ended its advance on September 11.
Two or three Slovak air squadrons (codenamedĽalia,Lily) were used forreconnaissance, bombing and close support for German fighters. Two Slovak planes were lost (one to anti-aircraft fire, another to an accidental crash), and one Polish plane was shot down. The total Slovak losses during the campaign were 37 dead, 114 wounded and 11 missing. Polish losses are unknown.[4]
All Slovak units were pulled back until the end of September 1939. On October 5, a victorious military parade was held inPoprad. The mobilised units were gradually demobilised, and the Army Group Bernolák was disbanded on October 7.
The Slovak Army took around 1,350 civilian prisoners in Poland. In February 1940, around 1,200 of them were handed to Germans and some of the remainders to theSoviets. The rest were kept in a Slovak prison camp inLešť.
All of the disputed territory, whether in Poland from 1920 or only from 1938, was given to Slovakia, which was confirmed by a Slovak parliamentary resolution on December 22, 1939. That arrangement lasted until 20 May 1945, when the border line was returned to its 1920 position. Since the war was started without a formal declaration of war and there were no longer any Polish prisoners of war held by Slovakia, there was no formalpeace treaty between Poland and Slovakia.
.JPG)
