The Romanian

The Poles had originally planned to make a defensive stand along the Vistula river, but because this line was overrun, the Polish Commander in Chief, Edward Śmigły-Rydz, decided to withdraw his troops towards the so-called ‘Romanian Bridgehead’. This was an …

1939-09-18

PoH08

The Poles had originally planned to make a defensive stand along the Vistula river, but because this line was overrun, the Polish Commander in Chief, Edward Śmigły-Rydz, decided to withdraw his troops towards the so-called ‘Romanian Bridgehead’. This was an easily defendable area in the south-eastern region of Poland, comprised of moors and rivers. This area also bordered Romania, from which Allied aid was supposed to be sent to Poland. The plan was realistic and feasible, since Germany had turned most of its mobile units towards the Bzura river area in order to counter the ongoing Polish counteroffensive going on there. The Romanian Bridgehead could draw military forces from the northern, central and southern Polish fronts, instantly creating a strong defensive military position. Moreover, the Allies had promised to initiate an offensive on the Western front and this would greatly decrease the German pressure and number of units on the Polish front, since the Germans would have to re-deploy armies to the west. However, the unexpected Soviet surprise attack and the lack of Western Allied support put an end to these plans. The area of the Romanian Bridgehead was attacked and penetrated by Soviet armored units, forcing Śmigły to evacuate Poland, and as a result, he was no longer able to coordinate actions on the Polish fronts. The Polish armies, however, continued to steadfastly march towards the south-east where they encountered the German XXII Corps, which had out-distanced the main German supply lines and was low on fuel and ammunition. The Polish forces attacked the Germans, but did not coordinate their attacks. The Germans exploited their central position, beating the Polish forces piecemeal one after the other. The first battle, pitting the German XXII Corps against the Polish Central Front armies, took place between Sept 17 and 20 and became known as the First Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski. The Second Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski took place between Sept 22 and 27, where the XXII Corps faced the Polish Northern front forces.

Tomaszów Lubelski, Poland

The Romanian Bridgehead was an area in southeastern Poland, now located in Ukraine. During the invasion of Poland of 1939 (at the start of World War II), on 14 September the Polish commander-in-chief Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Śmigły ordered all Polish troops fighting east of the Vistula (approximately 20 divisions still retaining the ability to cooperate) to withdraw towards Lwów, and then to the hills along the borders with Romania and the USSR. The plan was a default plan in case it was impossible to defend the Polish borders, and assumed that the Polish forces would be able to retreat to the area, organise a successful defence until the winter, and hold out until the promised French offensive on the Western Front started.

Wikipedia: Romanian Bridgehead

German

Polish