Showing posts with label September 1939. Show all posts
Showing posts with label September 1939. Show all posts

Thursday, September 3, 2026

Taczanka in Polish army 1939

 Salvete Omnes,



September 3rd back in the 1939 - the German & allies invasion of Poland was in full gallop. 

Polish armies continued withdrawals toward the Vistula River, while the German invaders continued to increase brutalization and crimes against the Polish civilian population.





That evening  of the 3rd the governments of  Great Britain(and by being part of the British Commonwealth also Canada, New Zealand & Australia and British India, while South Africa joined on September 6th) and France declared they were at war with Hitler's Germany. They needed weeks or months to mobilize for this new war, too late for Poland.

ad rem,

three horse-tema would pull the final Polish taczanka

The taczanka (tachanka) - Polish armies adopted this horse-drawn carriage with the heavy machines gun, 1908&1910 Maxim, mounted on the carriage from the Bolshevik Red Army they fought against in 1919-20.





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During the 1930s  the Polish army intensified their search for a perfect taczanka. They constructed 1934 version, and finally so called the 1936 version, authorized for cavalry and infantry. Polish cavalry got their 1936 taczanka with the 1930 maxim, 8 per regiment  by November 1938.

  







Nazi Germany and Soviet Union also developed their taczanka vehicles during 1930s. Soviet tachanka'35 with Maxim MG, 



and German Maschinen-Gewehrwagen 36 with machine gun MG-34.

Valete

Tuesday, September 1, 2026

World War II - Invasion of Poland'39 & field kitchens

 Salvete Omnes, 




it is September already - times flies or tempus fugit. The most tragic anniversary in the Polish and world history - the day one of World War II.


 
Germany(Third Reich) & Slovakia invaded Polish 2nd Republic early in the morning of September 1st - committing atrocities like the bombing of Wielun on day one (during World War I, August 22, 1914  the Germans bombed the city of Kalisz).



The invaders and defenders, their armies, used hundred of thousands of horses, mostly for the draft work.






Providing food, especially hot food, for the soldiers was one of the most important logistic challenges they faced. Regimental field kitchens provided the most desired and needed hot meals. Teams of horses pulled this field kitchens.




..




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Pacem Aetrenam 

Valete

Monday, September 1, 2025

Fall Weiss - destruction of the 2nd Polish Republic September-October 1939

 Salvete Omnes,





Today we, Polonians* around the world, observe the anniversary of the 'tragic death' of the 2nd Polish Republic- caused by the horrible invasion of Poland by Hitler's Germany (aided by Slovakia) and Soviet invasion on Sept., 17, 1939. The German invasion had a code name - Fall Weiss (Case White)

Artur Szyk pinxit


Soviet-German meetings in 1939

Polish city of Lwow, defended by the Polish army and civilians, was surrounded by both actors- the Red Army and Wehrmacht 


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German army in 1939  still used hundreds of thousands of horses, mostly in wagon trains and for the field artillery. There were also 18 German cavalry regiments. 
















the beginning of atrocities and genocide - the German army killing of Polish prisoners of war



Today, I read some Hitler's speeches -  one from the 22nd of August 1939 (day before the Ribbentrop-Molotov or Soviet -German past was made public) and  one from the 1st of September 1939. 

By the way, Robert Forczyk wrote a very good book on the military history of the German invasion of Poland - and I did a post about it -  Case White The Invasion of Poland, 1939.

*Polonians -  the XVI-XVII century English name for the Polish people eg Fynes Moryson .

Valete