UtCon Collection / Alamy Stock PhotoPolish Captain Władysław Raginis swore that he would rather die than surrender to the Germans.
The Battle Of Wizna: When Polish Troops Held Back A German Force 50 Times Their Size At The Outset Of World War II
On Sept. 7, the German 3rd Army, stationed in East Prussia, advanced toward Warsaw and arrived at Wizna. General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst of the 10th Panzer Division led the initial assault on the village. The next day, German General Heinz Guderian, one of Germany’s top generals, arrived with orders to advance through Wizna towards Brześć.
In all, some 42,000 German troops had arrived in Wizna to battle the mere 720 Polish soldiers guarding the village. Alongside their men, Germans possessed greater firepower: 350 tanks, 188 grenade launchers, 195 anti-tank guns, and nearly 1,000 machine guns.
To an outside observer, the Poles’ fight at the Battle of Wizna appeared futile. However, the soldiers would defy the odds for three days.
The Polish ‘Thermopylae’ — And Its Legacy Today
Polish Museum of AmericaSoldiers running during the Battle of Wizna.
After kicking off on Sept. 7, 1940, the Battle of Wizna roared on. German forces launched a hard assault against the Polish fortifications, and after several failed attempts to get them to surrender, German forces began both aerial and artillery bombardment.
The Polish forces that had not retreated back were forced to move to the bunkers. Eventually, German tanks began crossing the line and advancing towards Warsaw. However, German infantry continued to face a strong Polish assault.
Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, the fatigued Polish forces struggled with their next course of action after their bunkers were reduced to just two and they became surrounded. When asked a final time to surrender on Sept. 10, Captain Raginis relented. Only, he had no intention of surrendering himself.
After telling his troops to surrender, Captain Raginis died by suicide by throwing himself down onto his grenade. In the end, he kept his promise to never let the Germans advance while he was alive.
Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0Remnants of a bunker from the Battle of Wizna, now a memorial site.
While death toll estimates are difficult to establish, German General Heinz Guderian wrote that roughly 900 German lives were lost. As for the Polish troops, fewer than 100 survived the battle, and most of those who survived were captured.
Later, when explaining why his troops struggled with fighting off such a small force, General Guderian made several excuses in his memoir, including that the Germans were “having trouble building bridges across the rivers” and that Wizna was “well-defended by a local officer school.”
While not one of the most well-known conflicts of World War Two, the Battle of Wizna has become Poland’s own Thermopylae, an ancient battle where 300 Greeks held off the Persian army for a week. Today, it is remembered and celebrated as a proud moment in Polish history, immortalized in songs and in stories passed down through generations.
At the site of the battle, on a twisted bunker that has been preserved as a memorial, and where Raginis was laid to rest, is a monument that reads: “Passerby, tell the Fatherland that we fought to the end, fulfilling our duty!”
After reading about the Battle of Wizna, view 55 colored photos that bring the devastation of World War II to life. Then, view 36 photos from the Battle of Stalingrad, the largest battle of World War II and the turning point for Germany on the eastern front.
