Battle of Jarosław

Part of Invasion of Poland

Date	September 10, 1939 – September 11, 1939
Location	Jarosław, Poland
Result	German victory

Belligerents

Germany

Poland

Commanders and leaders

Strength

2 armoured divisions

10th Cavalry Brigade
4 infantry battalions
20 guns

Casualties and losses

At least a few tanks

Negligible

The Battle of Jarosław (known as the Defence of Jarosław in Polish sources) took place between September 10 and September 11, 1939, in the city of Jarosław on the San River. During the battle the Polish forces of General Stanisław Maczek successfully held the river crossings in the town for two days against the Nazi German Wehrmacht, which was enough time for the Polish 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade to cross the river and retreat further eastwards.

Contrary to most other Polish armies during the Polish Defensive War of 1939, the Kraków Army managed to withstand the initial German assault on Silesia and retreat steadily eastwards. The Carpathians in the south and the Vistula river to the north provided enough cover for the army to focus on delaying actions in the path of the advancing Germans. However, the German numerical and technical superiority meant that the Polish forces were too weak to counter-attack and the best choice for the army was to hold the lines of rivers and major towns on the path of the Polish retreat.

One such line was to be prepared along the San River by General Wacław Scaevola-Wieczorkiewicz, the pre-war commanding officer of the Przemyśl-based 10th Corps Area, one of the peace-time units in the Polish Army. The preparations started on September 7. However, as most forces in the area were already mobilized and most march battalions were sent to the front, the defensive positions along the river banks were severely undermanned. The following day in the area between Przemyśl and Rozwadów, the Polish commander had only 10 battalions of infantry, one battalion of engineers and 42 pieces of artillery at his disposal. The central area of the line around Jarosław (between Radymno and Sieniawa was manned by four battalions of infantry and 20 guns under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Jan Wójcik of the 2nd Legions' Infantry Division. The forces were insufficient to guard the river line, and especially so because the summer of 1939 was uncommonly dry and the level of water in Polish rivers was very low, allowing the armoured forces to cross them by fording.

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Wikipedia