Battle classic

Author: CCTV National Defense Time Column Group / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Host: After the Gleiwitz Incident, the Polish government, looking utterly innocent, issued a statement explaining that the event had nothing to do with them while simultaneously holding emergency consultations with Western powers like Britain to discuss contingency plans. Despite realizing the severity of the situation, Poland never imagined the Germans would give them even a moment to prepare for war. On the very next day after the Gleiwitz Incident, the largest war in human history began in Poland.
Narration: At 4:45 AM on September 1, 1939, German bombers screamed toward Poland. Within minutes, the unprecedented aerial devastation in human history began. German air forcesly attacked 21 Polish airfields, destroying hundreds of Polish planes before they could even take off. At the same time, German bombers launched concentrated strikes on Poland's central cities, railway hubs, communication centers, power plants, bridges, and command institutions, paralyzing the entire country. The German Navy did not lag behind. Days before the war broke out, German warships that had visited the port of Danzig under the guise of a friendly visit suddenly turned hostile, shelling the Polish naval base and blocking Poland's maritime channels. Meanwhile, the German Army launched large-scale "blitzkriegs" from north and south. In this mechanized offensive, the Germans advanced at a speed of 50 to 60 kilometers per day into the heart of Poland. The German Southern Army Group, under the command of Rundstedt, advanced in three columns toward the middle reaches of the Vistula River; the German Northern Army Group, under the command of Bock, advanced in two columns—eastward into the "Polish Corridor" and southward from East Prussia toward the Bug River behind Warsaw.
Expert (Chen Rongdi): The German strategic objective was to fully leverage the absolute superiority of their rapid troops and air forces to launch a surprise attack on Poland and seize the country in one stroke. According to this plan, the first step was to divide and destroy the main force of the Polish army west of the Vistula River and north of Warsaw, capturing the industrial region of Upper Silesia and the Polish naval base of Gdynia. Then, the offensive would develop from both north and south, with a total force of 1.6 million people and 61 divisions. This included over 2,800 tanks and approximately 2,000 combat aircraft. Before the war broke out, the Polish government followed a pro-Britain and France, anti-Soviet policy. It believed that with Britain and France holding Germany in check in the west, Germany would not be able to transfer large forces to the eastern front to attack Poland. Even if Germany did attack, the number of troops it could mobilize would be no more than 20 to 30 divisions. Based on this judgment, the Polish army did not take serious combat preparations before the war. At that time, the Polish army had about 1 million troops available for combat. However, only 24 divisions, 8 cavalry regiments, and 56 civil defense units had completed their strategic deployment before the war. The Polish Air Force had about 800 aircraft, but only over 400 were actually combat-ready. From the comparison of troop numbers between Poland and Germany at the time, Germany clearly held a significant advantage.
Narration: These were the Poles, and indeed the entire world, who first tasted the bitterness of "blitzkrieg." However, despite being caught off guard, the Polish army still fought bravely against the invaders. The Polish army clearly lacked understanding of the capabilities of tanks and charged forward with swords and spears, attacking German tanks with fierce determination. This modern Don Quixote-style battle was met with merciless machine-gun fire and crushing by the German tanks. The Polish knights' imagined duels were instantly transformed into a massacre of overwhelming disparity in strength.
Expert (Ma Jun): "Blitzkrieg" is called "Blitzkrieg" in German, which literally means "lightning-fast battle." Its three key elements are coordination, mobility, and speed. It is not just a tactical surprise attack but rather achieving national strategic objectives through one or more campaign actions. P4-5