Battle of Gdynia

Battle in Poland 1939

Battle of Gdynia was one of the major battles in northern Poland during the Invasion of Poland of 1939. The Germans' main push towards Gdynia began on 8 September and they captured Gdynia six days later on 14 September.

The German offensive isolated the Polish coast from the Polish mainland between 4 and 8 September, and Armia Pomorze was forced to retreat south east. Units of Land Coastal Defence has been engaged by the German forces from 1 September, although it was not until the second week of the war that the Germans would begin a direct assault on the Polish port of Gdynia. The Kriegsmarine, operating in the area with the pre dreadnought Schleswig Holstein and smaller units shelled Polish positions, but with limited effect, and were prevented from closing on the coast by Polish coastal batteries. The German land offensive was much more successful. German forces established a connection between Germany and Prussia by 4 September. After heavy fighting near Kartuzy (5 September), their main attack towards Gdynia began on 8 September, and after intense fighting near Puck and Wejherowo (8 September) step by step the Poles were forced back towards the sea. When the Polish positions outside Gdynia were overrun, and in view of the retreat of the Armia Pomorze, on 10 September Colonel Dąbek decided to abandon Gdynia in order to avoid civilian casualties during the city fighting, and thus on 12 September he ordered all Polish units to retreat from Gdynia toward Kępa Oksywska, a fragment of the coast near Puck Bay. On 11 and 12 September the fights near Mechlinki transformed into an incessant two day battle, after which Polish troops had to retreat again. The Germans captured Gdynia on 14 September. Kępa Oksywska was not prepared for siege or provisioned for the approximately 9,000 strong remaining Polish forces and in the battle of Kępa Oksywska the Poles sustained heavy losses (approximately 2,000). After a last failed counterattack on 19 September, Colonel Dąbek, who participated in the front line battle and was wounded, decided to issue order to surrender and committed suicide after giving the order to cease fire. The Polish Navy was tasked to provide support to Gdynia through Plan Worek (submarine operations) and Operation Rurka (laying a mine barrage in Gdańsk Bay). The five submarines assigned to Plan Worek left their war stations in early September. Three submarines faced internment in neutral ports. Two reached Great Britain. One mine set by a submarine sank a German minesweeper. As for Operation Rurka, a German air attack on September 1 left the minelaying vessel damaged, unused mines were dumped into the sea, and the vessel docked in the port in Hel where no mines were readily available, which led to cancellation of the operation.

Polish soldiers fought gallantly, and they did not spare blood. The area of Gdynia and Danzig was defended by the elite of the Polish armed forces. Those were young and inspired units of the navy and army, which fought admirably. On the plateau of Oxhöft we found trenches filled with dead Polish soldiers, who fell by hundreds where they fought, with the rifles still in their hands. It was apparent, that they fought to the bitter end. from F. O. Busch, Unsere Kriegsmarine im Polnischen Feldzug