Recent from talks
Boryszew massacre
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Boryszew massacre
The Boryszew massacre, which took place on September 22, 1939, in the village of Boryszew (now a district of Sochaczew), was a war crime committed by the Wehrmacht during its invasion of Poland. On that day, 50 Polish prisoners of war from the "Bydgoszcz" Battalion of National Defense were executed following a kangaroo court trial. The massacre was carried out in retaliation for the battalion’s participation in the events of the so-called "Bloody Sunday" in Bydgoszcz.
The "Bydgoszcz" Battalion was part of the Polish territorial military formation known as the National Defense (Obrona Narodowa). During the September Campaign of 1939, it was incorporated into the 15th Infantry Division and followed almost the entire combat trail of the Pomeranian Army. According to the division’s official history, on September 3, 1939, the battalion engaged German irregular forces in Bydgoszcz. During this time, the violent events known as "Bloody Sunday" took place in Bydgoszcz, later portrayed by Nazi propaganda as a mass scale pogrom against local Volksdeutsche.
In the following days, the battalion participated in the Battle of Bzura, suffering heavy losses. It was ultimately defeated near Iłów, where around 200 soldiers were taken prisoner by the Germans. On September 17, these prisoners were transferred to Żyrardów, where nearly 30,000 captured Polish Army soldiers were already being held in a makeshift POW camp set up on the grounds of the city stadium.
Shortly thereafter, the Germans systematically identified and isolated almost all of the soldiers from the "Bydgoszcz" Battalion from the mass of prisoners. To achieve this, they spread a false rumor in the camp, claiming that prisoners from Pomerelia would be the first to be released. On September 21, 179 soldiers from the "Bydgoszcz" Battalion, along with a dozen or so prisoners from other units who falsely claimed to belong to the battalion in hopes of early release, were transported to Sochaczew under heavy guard.
The reason for this selection process was a report submitted by a man named Lorentz, a Polish Army cadet of German nationality, who alleged that soldiers from the battalion had murdered members of the German minority during "Bloody Sunday" in Bydgoszcz.
On September 22, 1939, the Germans convened a session of the so-called "Divisional Court Martial" in the village of Boryszew (now a district of Sochaczew), presided over by a major of unknown name. At the start of the proceedings, Lorentz addressed the soldiers of the Bydgoszcz Battalion, declaring:
These are the greatest butchers and bloodsuckers, because only such people served in this battalion.
The German judges interrogated all officers and non-commissioned officers, as well as one soldier from each company, in the building of what is today the Cultural Center. They then ordered all Volksdeutsche to step forward. Two men—Antoni Uibel and Walter Rogowski—complied. Others who were called forward included spouses from mixed Polish-German marriages, graduates of German schools, medics, fathers of large families, and World War I veterans who had served in the Imperial German Army. Additionally, all prisoners who did not belong to the "Bydgoszcz" Battalion were separated from the group. From among the remaining prisoners, the German major selected all officers and—at random—some soldiers, forming a group of 50 prisoners.
Hub AI
Boryszew massacre AI simulator
(@Boryszew massacre_simulator)
Boryszew massacre
The Boryszew massacre, which took place on September 22, 1939, in the village of Boryszew (now a district of Sochaczew), was a war crime committed by the Wehrmacht during its invasion of Poland. On that day, 50 Polish prisoners of war from the "Bydgoszcz" Battalion of National Defense were executed following a kangaroo court trial. The massacre was carried out in retaliation for the battalion’s participation in the events of the so-called "Bloody Sunday" in Bydgoszcz.
The "Bydgoszcz" Battalion was part of the Polish territorial military formation known as the National Defense (Obrona Narodowa). During the September Campaign of 1939, it was incorporated into the 15th Infantry Division and followed almost the entire combat trail of the Pomeranian Army. According to the division’s official history, on September 3, 1939, the battalion engaged German irregular forces in Bydgoszcz. During this time, the violent events known as "Bloody Sunday" took place in Bydgoszcz, later portrayed by Nazi propaganda as a mass scale pogrom against local Volksdeutsche.
In the following days, the battalion participated in the Battle of Bzura, suffering heavy losses. It was ultimately defeated near Iłów, where around 200 soldiers were taken prisoner by the Germans. On September 17, these prisoners were transferred to Żyrardów, where nearly 30,000 captured Polish Army soldiers were already being held in a makeshift POW camp set up on the grounds of the city stadium.
Shortly thereafter, the Germans systematically identified and isolated almost all of the soldiers from the "Bydgoszcz" Battalion from the mass of prisoners. To achieve this, they spread a false rumor in the camp, claiming that prisoners from Pomerelia would be the first to be released. On September 21, 179 soldiers from the "Bydgoszcz" Battalion, along with a dozen or so prisoners from other units who falsely claimed to belong to the battalion in hopes of early release, were transported to Sochaczew under heavy guard.
The reason for this selection process was a report submitted by a man named Lorentz, a Polish Army cadet of German nationality, who alleged that soldiers from the battalion had murdered members of the German minority during "Bloody Sunday" in Bydgoszcz.
On September 22, 1939, the Germans convened a session of the so-called "Divisional Court Martial" in the village of Boryszew (now a district of Sochaczew), presided over by a major of unknown name. At the start of the proceedings, Lorentz addressed the soldiers of the Bydgoszcz Battalion, declaring:
These are the greatest butchers and bloodsuckers, because only such people served in this battalion.
The German judges interrogated all officers and non-commissioned officers, as well as one soldier from each company, in the building of what is today the Cultural Center. They then ordered all Volksdeutsche to step forward. Two men—Antoni Uibel and Walter Rogowski—complied. Others who were called forward included spouses from mixed Polish-German marriages, graduates of German schools, medics, fathers of large families, and World War I veterans who had served in the Imperial German Army. Additionally, all prisoners who did not belong to the "Bydgoszcz" Battalion were separated from the group. From among the remaining prisoners, the German major selected all officers and—at random—some soldiers, forming a group of 50 prisoners.