|
| units2 = | strength1 = Unknown number of tanks or infantry | strength2 = 11 infantry battalions 5 batteries of artillery (mainly 75 mm guns) 2 armoured trains 1 cavalry unit 1 engineering platoon and a small number of soldiers who had retreated into the city from elsewhere | casualties1 = German 1st Mountain Division: 484 killed (including 116 from Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 99.) 918 wounded 608 sick Soviet: 24th Armoured Brigade: 4 KIA and 8 WIA on 22 September Total: 488+ killed 926+ wounded 608+ sick | casualties2 = Unknown | campaignbox = }} The Battle of Lwów (sometimes called the ''Siege of Lwów'') was a World War II battle for the control over the Polish city of Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine) between the Polish Army and the invading Wehrmacht and the Red Army. The city was seen as the key to the so-called Romanian Bridgehead and was defended at all cost. ==First clashes== ] Initially, the town of Lwów was not to be defended as it was considered too deep behind the Polish lines and too important to Polish culture to be used in warfare. However, the fast pace of the Nazi invasion and the almost complete disintegration of the Polish reserve Prusy Army after the Battle of Łódź resulted in the city being in danger of a German assault. On September 7, 1939, general Władysław Langner started to organise the defence of the city.〔, see also general reference No. 2〕 Initially the Polish forces were to defend the Bełżec — Rawa Ruska — Magierów line against the advancing German forces. General Rudolf Prich was given command of the Polish forces in the area and on September 11 he prepared a plan of defence of the area. The Polish units were to defend the line of the San river, with nests of resistance along the Żółkiew - Rawa Ruska - Janów (also called Yaniv or Ivano-Frankove) to the west of the river Wereszycą — Gródek Jagielloński line.〔Leinwald, op.cit.〕 The following day the first German motorised units under Colonel Ferdinand Schörner, 1st Mountain Division (Wehrmacht), arrived in the area. After capturing Sambor (66 kilometres from Lwów), Schörner ordered his units to break through the weak Polish defences and capture the city as soon as possible.〔Zaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., ISBN 9781841764085〕 The assault group was composed of two motorised infantry companies and a battery of 150 mm guns. The group outflanked the Polish defenders and reached the outskirts of the city, but then was bloodily repelled by the numerically inferior Polish defenders.〔; ISBN refers to the 1990 reprint of the original publication〕 The Polish commander of the sector had only three infantry platoons and two 75 mm guns, but his forces were soon reinforced and held their positions until dawn. The same day command of the city's defence was passed to General Franciszek Sikorski, a World War I and Polish-Bolshevik War veteran, and a brother of General Władysław Sikorski. The following day the main forces of Colonel Schörner arrived, and at 14.00 the Germans broke through to the city centre, but again were driven back after heavy city fighting with the infantry units formed of local volunteers and refugees. To strengthen the Polish defences, on September 13 General Kazimierz Sosnkowski left Lwów for Przemyśl and assumed command over a group of Polish units trying to break through the German lines and reinforce the city of Lwów.〔 〕 Schörner decided to fall back and encircle the city to await reinforcements. His forces achieved a limited success and captured the important suburb of Zboiska together with the surrounding hills. However, the Polish forces were now reinforced with units withdrawn from central Poland and new volunteer units formed within the city. In addition, the Polish 10th Motorised Brigade under Colonel Stanisław Maczek arrived and started heavy fighting to take back the suburb of Zboiska. The town was re-captured, but the surrounding hills remained in German hands. The hills gave a good overview of the city centre and Schörner placed his artillery there to shell the city. In addition, the city was almost constantly bombed by the Luftwaffe. Among the main targets for the German air force and artillery were prominent buildings such as churches, hospitals, water plant and power plants.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Lwów (1939)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|