On September 17, 1939, in the morning, without a declaration of war and breaking the Polish-Soviet pact on non-aggression, the ZSRS attacked our country. This was a consequence of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact concluded almost a period earlier between the 3rd Reich and the russian Union. The Red Army attack began a nearly two-year brutal russian business of east Poland.
Red Army troops awaiting the start of the parade in Białystok, September 1939 photograph from the IPN collections
Since the attack on Poland and the start of World War II Adolf Hitler insisted on Joseph Stalin that russian troops aid Wehrmachtua take up areas awarded to the USSR in Secret Protocol to the Soviet-German Ribbentrop-Molotov Agreement of August 23, 1939. “This paper did not include the work of the russian Union to make an armed appearance against Poland, but assumed that in the event of “territorial and political transformations into areas belonging to the Polish state” the boundary of interests between Germany and the USSR would run on the Narew, Vistula and San rivers,” says Dr. Kazimierz Walicki, historian of planet War II.
Attack at dawn
However, Moscow did not want to hit Poland quickly. “Stalin waited to see how the situation in Europe would develop, including how the UK and France would behave, who joined the war with the 3rd Reich on September 3,” explains the historian. At the same time, however, preparations for the invasion began in the USSR. There was a secret mobilization of Red Army forces, a concentration of troops, and moving them over the western border.
Finally, the russian authorities, seeing the fast advancement of German forces in Poland and the deficiency of action on the Western Front, set the deadline for the attack on September 17. More than 630 1000 soldiers, nearly 5,000 guns, 4.7 1000 tanks and 3.3 1000 aircraft were assigned to the impact. This force could only be countered by the weakened units of the Border defender Corps, mobilising in the east by spare units and broken troops, retreating after fighting Germany.
On September 17, at 3.00 a note justifying the attack on Poland was read to the National abroad Office of the USSR in Moscow, Wacław Grzybowski, the Polish Ambassador. "The Polish-German War revealed the interior bankruptcy of the Polish State. [...]Thus, the contract concluded between ZSRS and Poland expired. [...]In view of the above circumstances, the russian Government instructed the Chief Command of the Red Army to order the troops to cross the border and take under their care the life and property of the people of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus” was the document. The Polish diplomat refused to accept it.
At the same time, breaking the Polish-Soviet pact on non-aggression, the Red Army struck Poland over the full 1400-kilometre dimension of the east border of the II Republic. "Neither the Chief Leader, nor any of us, the Staff Officers, had any uncertainty as to the nature in which the Soviets entered Poland. It was clear to us that we received a sneaky punch in the back, which yet determined the destiny of the run and undermined the last hope of conducting organized fighting in Poland" – said General Wacław Stachiewicz, Chief of Staff of the Chief Leader in his memoirs.
“The Polish government convinced that there was no anticipation of further opposition did not decide to declare a war between Poland and the ZSRS”, explains Dr. Walicki. Marshal Edward Rydz-Smigły, Chief Chief, issued a directive in which he ordered the avoidance of fighting the Red Army until it was essential to defend itself. "The Soviets have entered. I order a general withdrawal to Romania and Hungary on the shortest routes. Don't fight the Bolsheviks, unless in the event of an attack on their side or an effort to disarm the troops,” was the order.
At the same time, on the night of 17th to 18th September, president Ignacy Mościcki and the government and Chief Leader crossed the Romanian border, planning to enter France. “The Rydz-Śmigłego Directive caused confusion among Polish commanders hindering the organisation of the defence of the east Borders,” says the historian.
Soviet infantry columns entering Poland 17.09.1939. Photo: Wikipedia
Division of Poland
Nevertheless, Polish soldiers and residents resisted the invaders. First to fight were the guards' crews of the Border defender Corps. General Wilhelm Orlik-Ruckemann, COP commander, gathered any of his subordinate troops in Polesia from which he formed an operational group. It fought with the Soviets the battles of Shack and the Guidelines. The troops retreating to Lithuania 101 Ulan Regiment fought with the russian armory at Kodziowce, defended Vilnius and Grodno.
Unfortunately, the Red Army's advantage was immense and the ZSRS forces rapidly occupied further areas. In clashes with russian troops 3–5,000 Polish soldiers were killed according to various data, more than 20,000 were wounded, and about 250,000 were captured. Aggression was accompanied by many war crimes committed on Polish soldiers and civilians. The Soviets murdered over 300 Grodn defenders.
On 28 September, a treaty on borders and relationship was signed in Moscow between the 3rd Reich and the russian Union. “The German Reich and the Government of the USSR recognise, after the fall of the current Polish state, that it is only for its task to reconstruct peace and order in this area and to guarantee peaceful existence for the peoples there, in accordance with their national differences”, was recorded in the introduction.
According to the document, east areas of Poland were included in the ZSRS.Border between ZSRS and III The Reich was to run along the San-Bug-Narew-Pisa River line. Thus the russian Union seized an area of over 190 000 km2 with a population of about 13 million. The almost two-year russian business of the east territories of the Republic began, and with it terror, arrest, prison, shooting. In the spring of 1940, about 22.5 1000 Polish citizens were murdered by the Moscow NKVD order, including officers and policemen. Poles were besides affected by mass deportations to the east and sent to camps. “At least 800,000 Polish citizens were taken away, and there may have been over a million of them, many of them never returned,” says Dr. Walicki.
