Battle of Kock (1939)
The Battle of Kock became the last armed engagement of the Nazi invasion of Poland. On the 2nd of October 1939, German half-tracks rolled toward the small town of Kock. The officer commanding the German assault force held a frank view of his enemy. The Poles facing him were so demoralized, he believed, that one battalion could disarm them and escort them to a prisoner of war camp. Within hours, those vehicles came under fire from a Polish guard platoon. The fighting lasted four days. By the 6th of October, Germany had committed two full motorized divisions to a battle it had assumed would take one battalion. How General Franciszek Kleeberg assembled his force from the collapsing campaign, and what finally brought it to its knees, are the threads ahead.
Soviet forces crossed into Polish territory on the 17th of September 1939. They struck from the east as German armies pressed from the west. Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły, the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, faced a two-front collapse that no defensive plan had accounted for. Units stationed near East Prussia took severe losses and were driven south and southeast. Commanders hoped to regroup along natural barriers such as the Vistula and San rivers.
Polish columns attempting to reach Lublin and Sandomierz found communications severed and retreats fragmenting into chaos. German forces advanced beyond the Vistula toward towns such as Zamość, cutting off organized resistance before it could form. By the time Polish forces reached Lublin, their numbers had fallen so sharply that effective resistance was nearly impossible. Soviet forces occupied cities such as Volodymyr-Volynskyi in the east as Polish formations tried to navigate both threats at once.
Kraków and Małopolska anchored the southern half of the Polish defensive plan. Army Group South defeated those forces before they could reach the San River line, leaving the southeastern theater without a coordinated defense. General Kleeberg held responsibility for the eastern front. From that posting, he would build the formation that fought on after Warsaw's fall.
On the 8th of September 1939, General Kleeberg received orders from Marshal Rydz-Śmigły to raise a division of infantry from the depot pool. In the Polish system, depots were where reserves and recruits were trained before being sent to the front. He was also ordered to organize a defensive line from Brześć to Pińsk. His troops were well-drilled but short of heavy equipment, most of which had already been dispatched to front-line formations.
Colonel Adam Epler commanded the 60th Infantry Division, built around seven infantry battalions, an artillery unit, and an anti-tank battery. Lieutenant Colonel Kazimierz Gorzkowski led the Drohiczyn Poleski Group, contributing three infantry battalions and anti-tank capability. General Konstanty Plisowski headed the Brześć Fortress Group. That formation included three infantry battalions, an engineer battalion, two FT-17 tank companies, two armoured trains, and an artillery group. A Riverine Flotilla of several dozen motor boats, monitors, and artillery ships rounded out the order of battle, alongside eight independent anti-aircraft batteries.
General Heinz Guderian's XIX Army Corps arrived at Brześć on the 14th of September, having broken through the Polish line at Wizna. The corps was built around the 3rd Panzer Division, the 10th Panzer Division, and the 20th Motorized Infantry Division, with a second motorized division in reserve. Its mission was to seize the fortress at Brześć Litewski and then drive south toward Kowel and Galicia to cut Poland in two. Plisowski's improvised four-battalion force stopped that advance cold.
Three days of fighting at Brześć Litewski left significant casualties on both sides. The Poles withdrew on the 17th of September, but German forces did not pursue quickly enough to destroy the retreating column. The Podlaska Cavalry Brigade, commanded by General Ludwik Kmicic-Skrzyński, evaded encirclement by slipping through the Białowieża Forest. General Kmicic-Skrzyński, accompanied by his chief of staff Major Julian Szychiewicz, traveled to Vawkavysk and established telephone contact with Kleeberg. The two generals agreed to join forces and move southward. Kleeberg had been ordered to withdraw toward Romania and Hungary, but the events of the following days would redirect that march entirely.
On the 18th of September 1939, as Kleeberg's group moved south, the 16th Motorized Infantry Regiment struck with artillery and Luftwaffe support. It attacked positions held by the Polish 83rd Infantry Regiment, capturing several. A Polish counter-attack at 17:00 recovered some ground. Over the following two days, Polish units concentrated north of Kowel.
On the 22nd of September, Kleeberg reversed course and decided to march to the relief of Warsaw. His first objective was to seize crossing points on the Bug River, with Włodawa designated as the concentration area. German aircraft attacked the march columns between the 22nd and the 25th of September, and units on the march also came under attack from fifth columnists.
On the last day of those air attacks, Kleeberg learned that unknown Polish units had already seized Włodawa. Most were soldiers from shattered formations who had evaded capture and were searching for commanders still in the field. Kleeberg's staff organized a bridgehead defense in the town. Between the 17th and the 26th of September, elements of the group crossed the Bug River and entered the Włodawa area.
After receiving news of Warsaw's surrender, Kleeberg consulted his commanders on the military situation. He then reorganized his command. The 'Brzoza' and 'Drohiczyn' groups merged into the 50th Infantry Division under Colonel Brzoza-Brzezina, with three infantry regiments and a division of artillery. Kleeberg also sought to bring in General Zygmunt Podhorski's 'Zaza' cavalry division, which comprised two cavalry brigades, two infantry battalions, and divisional artillery. Podhorski initially agreed but planned first to visit Stawy near Dęblin, where the main Polish army arsenal was located. His longer aim was to reach the Holy Cross Mountains and fight on as guerrillas. In all, Kleeberg's reorganized force came to some 18,000 men.
On the 28th of September, the force began marching south toward the Parczew-Wojcieszków line. The 'Zaza' cavalry division secured the advance. One Uhlan regiment from the 'Edward' brigade crossed the Wieprz River and seized Spiczyn; another regiment captured Jawidz and Wymysłów after resistance. On the 30th of September, the 5th Uhlan Regiment's command element attacked the Germans in Kock. The 'Olek' and 'Wilk' battalions joined the assault and captured the town.
By the 1st of October, Polish forces held the line between the rivers Tyśmienica and Wieprz. A squadron of the 2nd Uhlan Regiment, defending a road, destroyed a German reconnaissance patrol that day. That same day, Walter von Reichenau ordered his 10th Army staff to plan the destruction of the large Polish force. It was located between the Bug and Vistula rivers. The instrument would be the XIV Motorized Corps under General Gustav Anton von Wietersheim.
Each German motorized division in the XIV Motorized Corps was built to a paper strength of 16,445 soldiers. Those divisions also fielded 2,676 trucks and staff cars, 1,944 motorcycles, and 18 armored cars each. On the 2nd of October, von Wietersheim sent the 3rd Battalion of the 93rd Motorized Infantry Regiment to Kock. It had the support of the 8th Battery of the 13th Regiment of Light Artillery. The battalion commander divided his men into two groups and directed them toward Kock and the village of Serokomla.
The Polish 179th Infantry Regiment moved to defensive positions in and around Kock. At around 11:00, German lead elements attacked with artillery support, facing two reinforced Polish battalions in prepared positions. The attack failed. At dusk, German motorcyclists appeared near the church in Kock, opened fire, and withdrew when the Poles returned fire.
At Serokomla, a company of German motorized infantry entered the village and ran into Uhlans from the 'Pils' Cavalry Brigade. Artillery from the same brigade supported the defenders, and the Germans withdrew to the south of the village. By the close of the first day, German losses stood at between 300 and 400 killed and wounded. The Poles had briefly captured five officers and 180 NCOs and privates. The 'Pils' brigade had lost approximately 200 killed or wounded.
On the 3rd of October, General Otto committed all available forces. The 33rd Motorized Infantry Regiment advanced on Annopol, Pieńki, and Talczyn to destroy the Polish 50th Infantry Division. The 93rd Motorized Infantry Regiment attacked toward Serokomla and Hordzież, targeting the 'Zaza' cavalry division. The 66th Motorized Infantry Regiment entered the field in the afternoon. Between 07:50 and 09:30, two regiments of the 50th Infantry Division attacked with a howitzer battery, under Lieutenant Colonel Gorzkowski's command.
Initial gains by the Polish 50th Infantry Division were stopped and reversed. German artillery opened on cavalry positions at 10:30, and the 93rd Motorized Infantry Regiment dealt heavy losses to the 'Wilk' battalion. Wola Gułowska fell to the Germans by evening, but Polish forces recovered its eastern section and left the Germans holding only the western edge. General Otto's failure on both days forced General von Wietersheim to commit his second division.
On the 4th of October, the 29th Motorized Infantry Division entered the battle. General Otto moved the 93rd Motorized Infantry Regiment back toward Dęblin, while the 66th Motorized Infantry Regiment attacked Adamów and Wola Gułowska. The 33rd Motorized Infantry Regiment cleared the area north of Kock. Kleeberg believed the combined assault would fall on Adamów and Krzywda, and he saw an opening. The 13th Motorized Infantry Division had already taken heavy casualties and material losses; his 60th Infantry Division could strike it hard. The Podlaska Cavalry Brigade would oppose the 29th.
By noon on the 4th, elements of the 66th Motorized Infantry Regiment had captured Zakępie and pushed toward Adamów. The 1st Battalion of the 180th Infantry Regiment halted them there. The 2nd Squadron of the 2nd Uhlan Regiment in Zarzecze came under attack around midday and withdrew with heavy losses. The regiment's commander shifted the 4th Squadron south from Helenów to assist, while the 3rd Squadron held the German advance west of Wola Gułowska.
The 3rd and 4th Squadrons, with elements of the 10th Uhlan Regiment, fought near the Turzystwo village cemetery and the church in Wola Gułowska. Ground changed hands repeatedly. A joint attack by the 2nd Battalion of the 184th Infantry Regiment and an Uhlan squadron eventually let the Polish defenders dig in.
On the 5th of October, General von Wietersheim coordinated both divisions for a final encirclement. The 13th Motorized Infantry Division drove toward Bystrzyca and Adamów, then toward Nowa Wróblina and Stanin. The 29th Motorized Division advanced on Radoryż Kościelny and Nowa Wróblina to link with the 13th. Kleeberg ordered the 50th and 60th infantry divisions and the 'Zaza' cavalry to strike and destroy the 13th Division. The Podlaska Cavalry Brigade defended the Radoryż Kościelny and Nowa Wróblina sector against the 29th.
German artillery opened at 05:30 on the 180th Infantry Regiment and the 'Olek' battalion in Gułów. The 66th Motorized Infantry Regiment advanced two and a half hours later. By 10:00, the Germans had captured Adamów, then Hill 170 and Gułów after intense fighting. General Podhorski sent the 'Pils' cavalry brigade to counter-attack into the Adamów forest. They seized the forest and established defensive positions there.
The 33rd Motorized Infantry Regiment captured Wojcieszków in the afternoon. Polish forces retook it briefly before being forced back with heavy losses. The 2nd battalion of the 183rd Infantry Regiment then launched a bayonet assault on Germans pressing the southern wing of the 'Pils' cavalry brigade. The attack succeeded and the Germans retreated, chased by Polish infantry and cavalry. The 'Edward' cavalry brigade struck the rear of the 13th Motorized Infantry Division, capturing the village of Poznań and a German artillery battery. That battery had to be destroyed when enemy counter-battery fire forced the cavalry to pull back.
At 16:30 on the 5th of October, General Kleeberg issued his last field order from Hordzieżka. German shelling then forced him back to his headquarters in Krzywda. At 20:40, Lieutenant Colonels Kazimierz Gorzkowski and Tadeusz Śmigielski left to establish contact with the command of the 13th Motorized Infantry Division. They met German officers near Adamów and agreed to a ceasefire until 06:00 on the 6th of October. A formal surrender was to be concluded before that hour.
Independent Operational Group Polesie surrendered at 10:00 on the 6th of October 1939. In his final order, Kleeberg wrote that his men were surrounded and had run out of ammunition and food. General Kleeberg's ceremonial surrender took place at the Jabłonowskich Palace in Kock, the town his men had seized six days before his last order was written.
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Common questions
What was the Battle of Kock and when did it take place?
The Battle of Kock was the final engagement of the German invasion of Poland in 1939. It took place from the 2nd to the 5th of October 1939, near the town of Kock in Poland, and ended with the surrender of the Polish Independent Operational Group Polesie on the 6th of October.
Who commanded the Polish forces at the Battle of Kock in 1939?
General Franciszek Kleeberg commanded the Polish Independent Operational Group Polesie at the Battle of Kock. His force included the 50th and 60th infantry divisions, the Podlaska Cavalry Brigade, and the 'Zaza' cavalry division, totaling some 18,000 men.
Who commanded the German forces at the Battle of Kock?
General Gustav Anton von Wietersheim commanded the German XIV Motorized Corps at the Battle of Kock. His corps comprised the 13th Motorized Infantry Division and the 29th Infantry Division, along with independent supporting units.
How many Polish soldiers fought at the Battle of Kock?
The Polish Independent Operational Group Polesie numbered approximately 18,000 men at the Battle of Kock. The force was assembled from depot units, survivors of earlier battles, and cavalry formations that had evaded German encirclement during the wider campaign.
Why did General Kleeberg surrender at the Battle of Kock?
General Kleeberg stated in his final order that his force was surrounded and had exhausted its ammunition and food. A ceasefire was agreed on the evening of the 5th of October 1939, with the formal surrender completed at 10:00 on the 6th of October.
Where did the surrender ceremony for the Battle of Kock take place?
General Kleeberg's ceremonial surrender took place at the Jabłonowskich Palace in Kock on the 6th of October 1939. The ceremony marked the end of the final battle of the German invasion of Poland.
All sources
11 references cited across the entry
- 1Battle of KockPolish-Military.pl — 7 October 2005
- 3Brushes and Bayonets...: Stanislaw Maczek - Part 3 - Poland between the wars (1921-1939)L. Sabia Byrne — 2017-08-12
- 6BookPoland Betrayed: The Nazi-Soviet Invasions of 1939David G. Williamson — Pen and Sword — 2009
- 11BookHistoria SGOKarol Ponikowski — Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Woli Gułowskiej — 2016