Battle of the Bzura

Battle of the Bzura
	Part of Invasion of Poland, World War II
	; Polish cavalry brigade "Wielkopolska" during the battle
Date	9–19 September 1939
Location	Near Kutno, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland52°14′00″N 19°22′00″E / 52.23333°N 19.36667°E
Result	German victory Destruction of Armies Poznań and Pomorze;
Belligerents
Germany	Poland
Commanders and leaders
Gerd von Rundstedt ; Johannes Blaskowitz ; Walther von Reichenau ; Günther von Kluge ; Wilhelm Ulex ; Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb ; Erich Hoepner	Tadeusz Kutrzeba ; Władysław Bortnowski ; Edmund Knoll-Kownacki ; Mikołaj Bołtuć ; Roman Abraham ; Leon Strzelecki
Strength
12 infantry divisions ; 5 armoured and motorized divisions ; 425,000 soldiers	8 infantry divisions ; 2–4 cavalry brigades ; 225,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
8,000 dead ; 4,000 captured ; 50 tanks ; 100 cars ; 20 artillery pieces	18,000–20,000 dead; 32,000 wounded ; 170,000 captured

The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was both the largest battle^[3] and Polish counter-attack^[4] of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.^[5]^[6] The battle took place west of Warsaw, near the Bzura River. It began as a Polish counter-offensive, which gained initial success, but the Germans outflanked the Polish forces with a concentrated counter-attack. That weakened Polish forces and the Poznań and Pomorze Armies were destroyed. Western Poland was now under German occupation.^[7]^: 65–70 The battle has been described as "the bloodiest and most bitter battle of the entire Polish campaign".^[8] Winston Churchill called the battle an "ever-glorious struggle".^[9]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Cisowski, Zalewski, Bitwa..., p.14
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Cite error: The named reference cbapl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Richie, Alexandra (17 October 2023). "The Invasion of Poland". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
^ David T. Zabecki (1 May 2015). World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 1665–. ISBN 978-1-135-81242-3.
^ The Second World War: An Illustrated History , Putnam, 1975, ISBN 0-399-11412-2, Google Print snippet (p.38)
^ Sources vary regarding the end date, with some giving 18 September and others 19 September. Brockhaus Multimedial Lexikon gives 19 September 1939 as to the battle's end date.
^ Zaloga, S.J., Poland 1939, Oxford, Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2002, ISBN 9781841764085
^ Donald A. Bertke; Gordon Smith; Don Kindell (1 March 2011). WORLD WAR TWO SEA WAR. Lulu.com. pp. 67–. ISBN 978-0-578-02941-2.
^ Winston Churchill, The Gathering Storm, vol. 1 of The Second World War (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1948), p. 445. Churchill gives "the battle of the river Bzura" as its name.

[ciszal4-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Cisowski, Zalewski, Bitwa..., p.14

[cbapl-2] Cite error: The named reference cbapl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] Richie, Alexandra (17 October 2023). "The Invasion of Poland". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. Retrieved 8 April 2024.

[Zabecki2015-4] David T. Zabecki (1 May 2015). World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 1665–. ISBN 978-1-135-81242-3.

[largest-5] The Second World War: An Illustrated History , Putnam, 1975, ISBN 0-399-11412-2, Google Print snippet (p.38)

[dates-6] Sources vary regarding the end date, with some giving 18 September and others 19 September. Brockhaus Multimedial Lexikon gives 19 September 1939 as to the battle's end date.

[Zaloga-7] Zaloga, S.J., Poland 1939, Oxford, Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2002, ISBN 9781841764085

[BertkeSmith2011-8] Donald A. Bertke; Gordon Smith; Don Kindell (1 March 2011). WORLD WAR TWO SEA WAR. Lulu.com. pp. 67–. ISBN 978-0-578-02941-2.

[9] Winston Churchill, The Gathering Storm, vol. 1 of The Second World War (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1948), p. 445. Churchill gives "the battle of the river Bzura" as its name.

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