The Polish campaign of 1939 was full of extraordinary episodes that modern military would probably consider as acts of insane courage or total desperation in the face of the enemy. It is hard to find a better example than the participation in the defense fights on the Coast of the volunteer unit of "Gdynia scythe".
Polish coastal centers may not have been the main area of military operations in September 1939, but their defense determined our "to be or not to be" at the Baltic Sea. For the Polish troops fighting there, keeping the window to the world as long as possible was a prestigious matter.
With full awareness of the seriousness of the situation, the socialist activist Kazimierz Rusinek reported to the commander of the Land Defense of the Coast - Colonel Stanisław Dąbek on the very first day of the fighting. He announced readiness to create additional military units made up of workers.
PPS's appeal in Gdynia calling on workers to join the ranks of kosynierzy.
And not small units, because supposedly there were supposed to be even two thousand volunteers! The conversation with the colonel was aimed at acquiring weapons for the proletariat, which was eager to fight. Hearing the proposal, Stanisław Dąbek reportedly replied: Weapons? There is no gun. The soldiers don't have it.
In this situation, the volunteers were directed not to the front, but to build fortifications. They did bravely preparing all kinds of fortifications, but their ultimate goal has not changed at all:they still wanted to take up arms and fight the enemy!
For lack of rifles and a good scythe
It was then that the concept of using scythes put upright was born. There was even a special appeal from the Commander of Workers' Teams, which was to encourage volunteers to join the ranks of the newly formed formation. We can read in it, among others:
Comrades! Gdynia workers! A battalion of scythe with weapons will stand next to people with shovels . Let's throw off our civilian clothes and put on the uniforms of our brave Army. Today, on Sunday, September 10, everyone will be at ul. Morska 98, blocks of Gdynia Housing Cooperative, at the Headquarters of Workers' Teams. I manage a fundraiser. Please appear immediately after reading this leaflet.
Lt. Col. Stanisław Wężyk was previously appointed the commander of the battalion composed of volunteers. It consisted of four companies and a platoon of gendarmes.
On September 11, the scythe soldiers got their first opportunity to prove themselves on the battlefield . The 1st company of kosyniers together with the 2nd retainer company supported by a platoon of cyclists received an order to recapture the village of Łężyce from the hands of the Germans. The first platoon of kosyniers was to get through the forest, while the second platoon was to provide insurance for the second company. What was this strange encounter?
The tactic of the kosyniers was extremely simple, although it was effective . First of all, the volunteers moved in hiding behind the infantry until an order was given to assume an assault stance. Then a loud, Polish "hurray" rained from everywhere and the fight began. Whoever killed the enemy immediately seized his weapon, and the scythe left behind was collected by another volunteer. In this way, the shortages in the armament were filled.
And so they fought. They fought until the very end, until Oksywie fell and Polish units were crushed. Colonel Dąbek - aware that the final defeat was already approaching - was to say to the government commissioner, Franciszek Sokół:
I, a peasant from Stalowa Wola near Nisko, have full satisfaction that I commanded the defense of Gdynia, that peasant scythes were ringing for me among the murmur of the azure waters of the Baltic Sea.
Source:
Trivia is the essence of our website. Short materials devoted to interesting anecdotes, surprising details from the past, strange news from the old press. Reading that will take you no more than 3 minutes, based on single sources. This particular material is based on:
- Apoloniusz Zawilski, Battles of the Polish September , Społeczny Instytut Wydawniczy Znak 2011.