Battle of Kępa Oksywska

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Kępa Oksywska
partof=Invasion of Poland
date=10 September – 19 September, 1939
place=Oksywie Heights, near Gdynia
result=German victory
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1= †
commander2=
strength1=~15,000
strength2=Unknown
casualties1=2,000 KIA
7,000 WIA
casualties2=Unknown|

The Battle of Kępa Oksywska took place in the Oksywie Heights outside of the city of Gdynia between September 10 and September 19, 1939. The battle, fought by the Polish Army and the German Wehrmacht, was part of the Polish September Campaign during World War II. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the campaign, with Polish KIA losses reaching roughly 14% of all the forces engaged.

The battle

German advance on Gdynia

On September 10, after a series of skirmishes in the vicinity of Reda at the western outskirts of Gdynia, the Polish commander of the Land Coastal Defence forces, pułkownik Stanisław Dąbek, was in a difficult position. His forces, centred around the port of Gdynia, were forced to wage a two-front war against the German forces advancing both from the west and from the territory of the Free City of Danzig. The main part of his forces was facing the German forces under General der Flieger Leonard von Kaupisch, advancing from the east along the shores of the Gdańsk Bay. At the same time a smaller detachment of the Polish forces prepared a stand in the area of Oksywie, where the German forces managed to cut the Poles out of the nearby Hel Peninsula. Thus Gdynia was besieged.

Positional fighting

Although the Polish forces managed to halt the German blitzkrieg and the fights resembled those of World War I on the western front, the besieged garrison was suffering heavy losses and was in desperate need to shorten its front lines. As there was no chance of relief of the besieged Polish forces by a strong force from the Polish mainland, the Heights offered a decent defensive position. Although completely unprepared for defence, the area was densely forested and made enemy penetration and aerial and naval bombardment much more difficult.

Polish withdrawal to Oksywie Heights

In order to spare the city from destruction in the effect of the probable urban combat, on September 12 Col. Dąbek ordered all of his forces to withdraw to Oksywie Heights to the north-east of the town, thus abandoning Gdynia. Until September 14 all Polish forces, by then reduced to roughly 9,000 servicemen, gradually withdrew to the area, along with up to 140 HMGs, 14 mortars, 23 pieces of artillery and a large number of civilian refugees. Amassed in the area no greater than 4 km², the Poles were able to inflict heavy losses on the numerically and technically superior enemy. Until September 19 there were no less than 110 skirmishes fought in the area of less than 4 square kilometres.

Cease-fire

However, finally constant aerial bombardment and lack of supplies and reinforcements forced Col. Dąbek to order a cease-fire on September 19. By then the Polish casualties reached roughly 2,000 dead and additional 7,000 wounded, as there were hardly any unwounded soldiers. Col. Dąbek then committed suicide.