Chapter 15 capture of warsaw

After the battle of the Bzura River, a series of battles took place in the area south of Modlin in order to prevent the remnants of the enemy from fleeing from the Modlin fortress to Warsaw, and the army group was ordered to capture the Polish capital.What astonishes us most is that up to this time England and France have watched their allies suffer their fate. We had reported to Army Headquarters that preparations for the attack on Warsaw could not be completed before September 25, since our main purpose was to mobilize all Army artillery, including Fourteenth Army. However, when Russia also took action on September 17 and decided to use the Vistula River as the dividing line, Hitler hoped to occupy the city quickly and ordered that it must be captured before the end of September.It certainly isn't unusual for politicians to want their generals to win a victory, but I think the timing is definitely out of line.

Nevertheless, Army Group Headquarters decided that casualties should be kept to a minimum during the attack.Therefore, the only reason to attack the city is that the enemy has used an entire army group to deploy the city defensively, and the Supreme Commander of Poland has announced that the city is ready to defend to the end. The headquarters of the Army Group knew that in this environment, there was absolutely no hope of a surprise attack on the city. On the contrary, in any case, it never wanted to conduct street fighting in the city of Warsaw, because this would inevitably cause serious damage to both the attacking army and the civilian population. loss.

Therefore, the Eighth Army, which was ordered to capture the city, was limited to attacking roughly along the circular railway line, forming a tight and continuous blockade line against the city.Then use the combined effect of shelling and bombing to force the city to surrender. If this is not effective, the lack of water and food can still achieve the final goal.I should remind everyone here that Hitler had long wanted to order the air force to bomb the city, but the headquarters of the Army Group firmly opposed it, so it has not been carried out. Our reason is that at that stage, the air strike has no direct impact on military operations. Interests.Now, however, bombing is justified again on the same grounds.

On September 25, the German army began shelling surrounding forts, strongholds, and important supply centers.At the same time, in order to reach the predetermined siege line, local attacks also began.On September 26, the German Air Force distributed leaflets to the city, warning that the city was about to be bombed and asked the residents to surrender.Since the Polish army continued to put up tenacious resistance, the bombing began in the afternoon of the same day. At noon on September 27, when Admiral Lundster and I were inspecting my old 18th Division, it had just captured two forts and suddenly heard the news that the enemy expressed their willingness to surrender.The shelling then ceased immediately.

The next day, the commander of the Polish garrison and the commander of the German Eighth Army, General Blaskowitz, signed a contract of surrender.The Surrender Treaty stipulates that the civilian population and wounded enemy troops should be relieved immediately, and the heroic enemy troops have tried their best to maintain the honor of their soldiers.Officers were permitted to keep their sabers, and soldiers were freed after completing their requisite form of disposal. According to the reports of the Poles, a total of 120,000 officers and soldiers surrendered in Warsaw.When the surrender was signed, Poland's chief general said: the wheels always turn.His words finally came true, but the fate of his motherland was beyond his expectation.