Overview
The battle can be divided into four phases:
- 1 September: successful Polish defense of the outer positions near the Brzeźce and Wielka Wisła villages.
- 2 September, morning: Polish defense of the main positions near Pszczyna.
- 2 September, afternoon: battles near Ćwiklice.
- 3 September - 4 September: Polish successful separation and withdrawal, however they paid dearly (Polish withdrawal was successful mainly thanks to a diversionary counterattack on Ćwiklice made by two battalions from the 16th infantry regiment which gave time for other units to regroup and withdraw).
During the first two days Polish forces suffered a defeat and were forced to retreat.
The main reason of the Polish defeat (apart from huge German material and numerical superiority) was that the Polish commanders incorrectly predicted the direction of the main German attack on 2 September.
As the result, the whole Polish plan of defense failed, because then it became impossible to activate a huge trap, which was prepared for German tanks, called the "big bag" trap, which was weak in front, but strong on its sides - with strong artillery assisting in attacking targets which entered the 'bag'.
Also overmuch certainty after great successes of the previous day (espeially fierce, few hours-long combat - with use of the "big bag" trap - near Brzeźce village) contributed to Polish defeat.
Because of their certainty, Polish commanders decided to make "the big bag trap" more shallow - which meant that it was less flexible, and Polish positions would be easier to crush if the defense was not successful (as it happened) - but on the other hand - if the defense was successful (which didn't happen since the unexpected direction and strength of the German main attack were deadly), the shallow "bag" would be more effective because the German attack would be stopped faster and with greater casualties for the enemy due to a greater concentration of firepower.
The defeat suffered at Pszczyna (which also caused a loss of a significant percent of divisional artillery) forced the Polish High Command to pull back the entire frontline, and cede the territory of Upper Silesia to the Germans.
- German equipment losses and Polish equipment losses and casualties (list may be incomplete):
On 1 September:
| Place | German casualties | Polish casualties | Polish dead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rybnik | 7 tanks | 7+ cars | 16+ dead |
| Rydułtowy | none | none | 2 dead |
| Mszana | 7 armoured cars | none | none |
| Branica | 2 tanks | none | unknown |
| Łąka | few tanks | unknown | unknown |
| Brzeźce | 13 - 14 tanks and 1 tank surrendered to the Poles (with 2 soldiers) and was destroyed | 1 AT gun | 1 - 2 dead |
| Równie | 4 tanks (including 1 Pz-IV) | 1 75mm cannon | unknown |
| Żory | 4 tanks | none | 11 dead |
| Głożyny | none | none | 7 dead |
| Wilchwy | none | none | 2 dead |
| Wodzisław | none | none | 1 dead |
| Jastrzębie | 2 tanks and 4 - 6 armoured cars | none | 3 dead |
| Warszowice | none | none | 2 dead |
| Kryry | 3 tanks and 2 more tanks stuck in the swamps (1 later pulled out) | none | none |
| Wisła Wielka | 4 tanks | 1 75mm cannon | 15 dead |
| Strumień | 1 light tank (by Polish tankettes TK), 1 Luftwaffe recon plane shot down over Strumień | none | 2 dead |
| Unknown place | unknown | unknown | 3 dead |
| Total 1 September: | 45 - 47+ tanks & 11 - 13+ armoured cars, 1 recon plane | 2 cannons, 1 AT gun, 7 cars+ | 65 - 66+ dead |
Between 2nd and 4 September:
| Place | German casualties | Polish casualties | Polish dead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Łąka | none | unknown (all are included in summary for the day) | 27 dead |
| Pszczyna | 5 tanks | unknown | 10 dead |
| Ćwiklice | 17 - 18+ tanks (including at least 1 Pz-IV) and 3 more got stuck in the mud (1 later pulled out, 2 captured by Poles) | unknown, but very high - including 6 batteries of light artillery & at least 3 AT guns (all included in summary for the day) | 226 or 251 dead and estimated 300 - 350 wounded |
| Stara Wieś | 3 - 8 tanks (3 for sure by mines, up to 5 by AT gun but this is doubtful) | unknown | 9 - 13 dead |
| Jankowice | none | unknown | 6 dead |
| Miedźna | 1 tank | unknown | none |
| Góra | 1 tank | unknown | 3 dead |
| Goczałkowice | none | unknown | 1 dead |
| Unknown place | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| Total 2 September: | 30 - 36+ tanks | 23 - 24 75mm cannons, 4 105mm cannons, 4 AT guns | 282 - 311+ dead |
| Międzyrzecze | several tanks | none | unknown |
| Bojszowy | 5 tanks | none | none |
| Jankowice | none | 1 AT gun | 2 dead |
| Piasek | none | none | 1 dead |
| Unknown place | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| Total 3 September: | 7 - 8+ tanks | 1 AT gun | 3+ dead |
| Rajsko - 4 IX | 5+ tanks | 5 AT guns, 4 75mm cannons | 80 - 83 dead + 11 drown in the river Soła |
| Unknown place 4 IX | unknown | 2 tankettes - non-combat losses (one was left without seeing combat because of a technical failure during withdrawal, the second was lost in the canal along with its crew) | unknown |
| Grand Total Battle of Pszczyna: | 87 - 96+ tanks & 11 - 13+ armoured cars, 1 Luftwaffe recon plane | 2 tankettes, 29 - 30 75mm cannons, 4 105mm cannons, 11 AT guns | 441 - 474+ dead |
Casualty list according to: the latest book about the battle: "Bitwa Pszczyńska 1939" ("Battle of Pszczyna 1939") by Janusz Ryt
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Pszczyna