Battle of Brest-Litovsk

Battle of Brześć Litewski

Map showing the advance of German XIX Corps on Brześć Litewski.

Date	14–17 September 1939
Location	Brześć Litewski, Polesie Voivodeship, Poland (now Belarus)
Result	German victory

Belligerents

Germany

Poland

Commanders and leaders

Heinz Guderian

Konstanty Plisowski

Units involved

XIX Panzer Corps:

Brześć defense group

Strength

+70 tanks and AFVs
unknown number of infantry

3 infantry battalions
1 engineering battalion
2 armoured trains
15 FT-17 tanks
Artillery

Casualties and losses

Unknown

1,000 killed, wounded and captured
15 tanks destroyed

XIX Panzer Corps:

The Battle of Brześć Litewski (also known as the Siege of Brześć, Battle of Brest-Litovsk or simply Battle of Brześć) was a World War II battle involving German and Polish forces that took place between 14 and 17 September 1939, near the town of Brześć Litewski (now Brest, Belarus). After three days of heavy fights for the stronghold in the town of Brześć, the Germans captured the fortress and the Poles withdrew.

Initially, the Polish forces did not plan to defend the old fortress of Brześć. The town was located deep behind the Polish lines and was seen as a supply depot and organisation centre rather than a front-line fort. However, after the Battles of Mława and Wizna the German XIX Panzer Corps under General Heinz Guderian broke through Polish lines and sped southward with the aim of flanking Warsaw from the East and cutting Poland in two.

According to the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 23 August 1939, the region of Brześć was assigned to the Soviet "sphere of influence". However, the Soviets did not begin their invasion of Poland yet, and had the rapidly advancing German corps stopped, it would give Poles time to regroup and prepare. Already on 8 September the German foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, notified the Soviet government that the German forces would have to violate the Soviet "sphere".

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