The forgotten war (in pictures)

Panzercracker

Active member
So guys i've decided to share my entire collection of 1939 pics, German invasion of Poland though quick was bloody and bitterly contested yet overshadowed by the massive conflicts in Russia and the West that would come.

Most pictures have been pulled from the net over the span of 7 years, a few come from private collections, scanned onto the pc, equipment, soidlers and battles all here for you.

1939 in pictures.

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Pz II advancing through a Polish village.


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A column of Pz IIIs somewhere in Górny Śląsk region.

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A German artillery tractor hit by a mortar.


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German officers meet on a farm courtyard somewhere in Poland.

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A Polish 7-TP tank.

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Polish 7-TP moving through the woods (so the Luftwaffe doesnt spot the column).

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Polish 150mm Howitzer in action.

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Polish 150mm howitzer and a Polish Fiat tow-car mid september.

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German infantry advancing (note the horses).


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Polish cavalry major and retinue.

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Polish 7-TP tanks rolling out of the factory.

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Polish Sokół-1000 (Hawk) military bike.
 
A German armored column rolls into Poland.
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Polish propaganda poster.



A polish 7TP tank destroyed in some polish town.
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Some army humor from Poland :)


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Two disabled polish 7TP tanks surrounded by wrecks of Pz Is and IIs.


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Polish Wz34 armored cars advancing.


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Polish anti-tank batteries in action.
 
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Wrecked german tanks after a motorised regiment wrestles a town from polish defenders.

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Destroyed polish tankettes.

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Polish soldiers attack near chemical facility (hence the smoke the place was burning).

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Polish tankettes advance.

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German tanks destroyed by AT guns and direct artillery fire.

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Polish mounted artillery.

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Polish "Taczanka" horse drawn carriages acting as mobile platforms for heavy machineguns.

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Polish officer on a bike.

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Warsaw - Polish armored-motorised column in color (7TP tanks and bikers).

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And some more polish pre-war military humor :)

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German motorised platoon next to a disabled Pz II.


Time to do some work, more pics later.
 
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Wow. Really interesting. I like it. I must agree, it is overshadowed and I know very little on it. Though, weren't some British troops sent into Poland to assist in the defence?
 
Though, weren't some British troops sent into Poland to assist in the defence?
As far as I know, no. British (and French) help were mostly by declaring war on Germany, however without decisive military actions.

Although, I am not sure about British Air Forces and NAVY, however it seems that they won't be able to help Poland even they wanted, because air space and Kattegat was already in control of Germany...
 
Ok, maybe it was France. Some man told me a funny story of his father dropping into a German occupied area and they thought they were on one side of the wall but they were on their side and he got shot. I have a feeling he told me that it was in Poland but I may have been wrong.
 
Nice pix!

Just FYI, the term "Forgotten War" is rather reserved, for the Spanish war in Ifni 1957/58, I do not think the German intrusion into Poland deserves that label as it was that war that started WWII after all.

The "Forgotten War" in Morroco ("La Guerra Olvidada") deserves the label very much more, as really almost nobody recalls it today, though the tactical lessons are taught on every academy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ifni_War

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3121363

and in Spanish: http://www.isospain.net/index.php?/...-50-Anos-De-La-ltima-Guerra-De-frica-III.html

Pix:
http://media.militaryphotos.net/photos/IfniWar1958

Rattler
 
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Fair enough Rattler, lets call both of them forgotten :)

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Polish 75mm field howitzers with a motorised column in the rear.

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Polish Citroen halftruck.

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Polish infantry assault.

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German armored car and bikers advance.

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German motorised scouts leading an artillery column.


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Polish soldier on the coast.

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Soviet army invading Poland (broken border sign in the front).


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Polish R35 tank.

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Westerplatte (Polish coastal military outpost) ablaze, it defended 6 more days after this picture was taken.

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Motorised Polish unit resting before redeployment.

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Polish NCOs after learning the works of the field grenade launcher.
 
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Polish motorised battalion.

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Polish Vickers tanks en route to battle.

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Siege of Warszawa (polish capital ablaze).


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Polish 47mm AA battery rushing to positions.

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Polish recon plane masked on a field airfield.

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German motorised infantry in the city of Poznań (courtyard of a technical school).


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Polish army ambulance.

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Polish armored car column.


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Aftermath of a battle for a polish town (a Pz II passes another one destroyed).


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Polish armor in action.
 
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Aftermath of a tank battle in the woods somewhere in Poland, abandoned polish TP7, a destroyed Pz I in the background.

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Polish border guard a few days before the war.

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Pz II hit by a 75mm howitzer shell.

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German battery in action.


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Polish infantry and tanks assault in the forest (battle of Bzura).

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Polish 220mm mortars towed by medium artillery tractors.

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Polish halftruck Wz222 parked in some village in Śląsk region.

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Polish cavalry anti-tank specialist (note the anti-tank rifle).

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Polish cavalryman manning a general purpose 20mm autocannon.

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Warsaw being bombed (the white lines in the back are traces from AA fire).
 
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Russia invades Poland on 14th September, massed T-26 columns crossing the border.

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Polish pilots posing under a Pzl Łoś (Moose) tactical bomber, in the background a Pzl Karaś (CAS type bomber) lifts off.

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German soldier inspects a captured Polish FT-17 tank.

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Polish mechanized unit.


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Polish anti-tank gun in action.

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Polish engineers towing a pontoon bridge.

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Polish armored battalion during inspection, first days of the war.


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Polish armored car before the battle.


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75mm howitzer and crew in positions.


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Russian armor entering a polish town.

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Remains of a german motorised company strafed by polish bombers.
 
Westerplatte (Polish coastal military outpost) ablaze, it defended 6 more days after this picture was taken.
Westerplatte was the place, were fought father of Yanek - protagonist from Socialist era fiction story and TV series `Four men of tank crew and dog`. This story and TV series was very popular in USSR during 80ies.

So, it wasn't forgoten even in Socialist era :)
"German Battery in Action" is 88 Flak used for ground action if I see it right.
I'm afraid those are 10,5 cm division guns 10 cm sK 18...

Here is pic of Flak 88, see how gun is mounted on cruciform:
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Yes Supo but its still a battery in action :) More pics later (lots and lots and frackin' lots more).

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75mm field gun during battle.

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Polish tankette assault.

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A platoon of german cyclists resting.

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Polish 150 mm howitzer towed by C4P halftrack, presumably war time.

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German cavalry resting their horses by a stream.

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Germans shelling a town.

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Polish troops retreating.

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88 prepped for transport.

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Germans moving through a ruined town.

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German logistic platoon in Bielsko town.
 
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Another day another batch of pics.


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Polish mechanized column (tankette company).

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Polish cavalry charging german positions.

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German trucks passing a destroyed Pz35T.

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A polish motorised unit in Warsaw soon after the beginning of the war (in the front a polish lieutenant).

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German biker scouts examine a destroyed Sdkfz 222.

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Polish motorised column halted, in the front Vickers twin-turret.

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Polish 75mm battery supporting the cavalry.

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Polish fighters heading for the front.

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Polish infantry in combat.

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Polish 7TP negotiating a slope.

More pictures later.
 
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