Battle of Grudziądz

Battle of Grudziądz was a military engagement between German and Polish forces during the early days of the Invasion of Poland in September 1939. It started on 1 September and ended with a German victory on 4 September. German historiography has dealt with the fighting in the larger context of the Battle of Tuchola Forest.

The Polish border city of Grudziądz (Germ. Graudenz) contained headquarters of the 16th Infantry Division, as well as the military Center of Cavalry Training (Centrum Wyszkolenia Kawalerii). Moreover, it played a crucial role as a strongpoint in order to defend the Vistula River Line and secure the route of retreat of Polish divisions of the Pomorze Army under General Władysław Bortnowski, engaged on the left, western bank of the river. Among units stationed in the Polish Corridor were the 9th, the 15th, and the 27th I.D.'s, together with the Pomeranian Cavalry Brigade from Bydgoszcz. Since Polish headquarters had planned an armed intervention in the Free City of Danzig, the 27th I.D. and the Pomeranian Cavalry had been transferred northwards in mid-August 1939, to the area of Chojnice and Starogard Gdański. On 1 September 1939, at the moment of the invasion, both units remained in the Corridor, vulnerable to a German attack. East of the Vistula, along the line stretching from Grudziądz to Lidzbark (Germ. Lautenburg) stood the German 4th Army, under General Günther von Kluge. Grudziądz itself was defended by the Operational Group East (Grupa Operacyjna Wschód), under Gen. Mikołaj Bołtuć. The group consisted of the 4th from Toruń (Colonel Tadeusz Lubicz-Niezabitowski), and the local 16th Infantry Division (Colonel Stanisław Świtalski), both part of the Pomorze Army.