Battle of Tuchola Forest

Part of the Invasion of Poland

Date	1–5 September 1939
Location	Near Tuchola Forest, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland
Result	German victory

Belligerents

Germany

Poland

Commanders and leaders

Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki

Józef Werobej

Juliusz Drapella

Casualties and losses

150 killed

700 wounded

10,000 killed wounded or captured

150 killed

The Battle of Tuchola Forest (German: Schlacht in der Tucheler Heide, Polish: Bitwa w Borach Tucholskich) refers to one of the first battles of the Second World War during the Invasion of Poland, 1939. The battle started on 1 September and ended on 5 September with a major German victory. Due to lack of coordination and poor command of forces on the Polish side and German numerical and tactical superiority, the Germans managed to cripple the Polish Army of Pomerania and connect mainland Germany with East Prussia, breaking through the Polish Corridor.

Tuchola Forest (Polish: Bory Tucholskie, German: Tucheler Heide) in Westprussia, since 1920 Treaty of Versailles in the Polish Corridor, is a large forest territory. Because of its difficult terrain it was viewed by the Poles as good defensive terrain. The German troops, on the other hand, had their Truppenübungsplatz Gruppe exercise area there until 1919, and were familiar with it, like Heinz Guderian, who had been born in nearby Kulm.

Polish forces in the theater were composed of elements of the Pomeranian Army: 9th Infantry Division under colonel Józef Werobej, the 27th Infantry Division under general Juliusz Drapella, and Czersk Operational Group under gen. Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki.

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