Forgotten Battle 22

Welcome back viewers

This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The Siege of the Polish Post Office

Intro

The siege of the Polish Post Office occurred on September 1, 1939. It was fought in the Free City of Danzig (now called, Gdańsk) between Polish postmen and soldiers and policemen of the German Wehrmacht. This fifteen hour siege was the very first combat action of the Second World War and would be remembered as a brave stand against overwhelming odds.

Part I

The Polish Post Office was constructed within the Free City of Danzig in the year 1920 as part of the Treaty of Versailles. The main building had two entrances, three floors, and a basement. And like most buildings in the city, it was made of bricks.

Even though the majority of Danzig's populace was German, the post office was considered by the League of Nations to be the extraterritorial property of Poland. In other words, it was both a post office and a pseudo-embassy. By August of 1939, just over 50 people (mostly former soldiers and their families) were working at the post office.

Unfortunately, the presence of the post office was deeply resented by the German citizens of Danzig. Many of them viewed it as thievery by a foreign nation. With the rise of the Third Reich many of the Germans in Danzig became more resentful and began planning to take back the post office. Their opportunity finally came when they learned of the German Wehrmacht massing on the border between Poland and Germany. With the support of Hitler, the more than 180 SS policemen of Danzig mobilized on September 1st, and began marching on the post office.

Part II

After spotting the approaching police, the Poles inside the post office also began mobilizing. Unknown to the Germans, the postman had a small arsenal of weapons inside the building (including three machine-guns). In command of this small garrison was Lieutenant Konrad Guderski. After passing out rifles, pistols, and grenades, the postman took defensive positions by the windows and inside the lobby. Simultaneously, the civilians took shelter in the building's basement.

By 4 PM, a large group of Danzig police and a few soldiers of the Wehrmacht were massed outside the post office. At that moment an officer named Willi Bethke emerged from the ranks and demand the Poles in the post office surrender and return the building to the city it was "stolen" from. In return they would be treated "humanely" as POWs.

Guderski discussed his options with his second-in-command (Alfons Flisykowski) for a few minutes. They both decided to reject the surrender demand. They had already experienced the German citizens' hatred towards them in Danzig. After hearing his surrender demand rejected, Bethke ordered three armored cars to drive in front of his policemen. For the next 45 minutes, a standoff was held until a German battleship fired in the distance. These were the first shots of World War II. At that moment, the SS launched their attack.

Part III

The armored cars opened fire on the post office. The Poles returned fire but found that their bullets could not penetrate the armored cars. They were forced move their three machine-guns from the windows and reassemble them in the lobby of the first floor. Flisykowski then had them focus their guns on the front doors of the building and prepare for the Germans to break in. They did not have long to wait. The doors bust open and several SS soldiers entered the building. They were greeted by a wall of lead that killed the first four who entered and wounded another five. Those that survived quickly retreated back to the street.

But at that moment, an explosion was heard by the rear of the building. Guderski realized that the frontal attack was a diversion and quickly raced over to discover a hole in the wall by the courtyard. On the other side of the hole was a small squad of Germans about to enter the building. With seconds to act, Guderski pulled the pin on a grenade just as one of the SS soldiers aimed at him and fired. Guderski was shot and killed instantly, but his grenade landed in the middle of the squad and detonated. Another four Germans were killed instantly and eight more were wounded and forced to retreat.

With Konrad Guderseki dead, command of the garrison now fell to Alfons Flisykowski who quickly assembled the postmen in a small defensive perimeter and awaited a second attack by the SS. Stunned by the failure of both of his assaults on the building, Willi Bethke quickly grabbed a radio and asked the Wehrmacht to send him artillery guns. 

Six hours later, the Germans received two 75 mm field guns and began to bombard the post office. As they did so, Bethke ordered another infantry attack. To their astonishment, the post-office walls held firm and the Poles once again repelled the attack. Now incensed, Bethke requested the Wehrmacht to lend him more artillery guns. An hour later, a brand new artillery gun (a 105 mm howitzer) was brought into Danzig. Its shells struck the post-office with such force that the whole section of wall by the entrance collapsed. By the time Flisykowski and his men could compose themselves, the SS were already inside the building. The Poles who survived the onslaught quickly retreated into the basement and stopped the SS advance at its staircase.

By now, Bethke was furious. In a complete rage he called the Wehrmacht for one more favor. Inside the building, Flisykowski and his men in the basement noticed a torrent of liquid coming down the staircase. When they smelled it, they realized it was gasoline. They then watched in horror as flames quickly followed. The fire forced them to retreat to the last room, but not before killing multiple soldiers and civilians. By now, the situation was hopeless and the Poles began debating whether they should surrender or attempt a breakout. One of the civilians (Doctor Jan Michoń) suggested the former and most agreed. Flisykowski and five others however, decided that they would attempt to escape.

Epilogue

Doctor Michoń walked out of the post-office waving a white handkerchief. The SS soldiers approached and immediately shot him dead. The rest of the Poles who surrendered were lined up against the wall. The prisoners were then given a mock trial and classified as illegal combatants. All were executed by firing squad. The captured civilians were sent to concentration camps and never heard from again. The casualties for the Germans are not clear, but most historians put the figure as between 10 to 30 killed and the same number wounded. The whole standoff had lasted just over 15 hours.

Flisykowski and his five men snuck out while the SS were distracted and broke into a nearby house. At this point, Flisykowski revealed that had been wounded and ordered his remaining men to leave him behind. The five men changed into civilian clothes, saluted their commander one last time, and fled into the streets of Danzig. The next day, Flisykowski was discovered by the SS and executed. Of the five others, four are known to have escaped and survived the war.

After World War II, the executions of the postmen were classified as judicial murder. Danzig officially became part of Poland and was renamed, Gdańsk. In 1979, a monument was erected in honor of the postmen's brave stand against overwhelming odds. The original building still stands and is now a museum.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/polish-post-office-danzig.html

https://europebetweeneastandwest.wordpress.com/2023/08/22/desperate-defense-siege-of-the-polish-post-office-northern-poland-berlin-54b/

https://libcom.org/article/defence-polish-post-office-danzig

https://www.dark-tourism.com/index.php/545-gdansk-polish-post-office

Forgotten Battle 21

Welcome back viewers

This month's Forgotten Battle is...

The Battle of Prairie Grove

Intro

The Battle of Prairie Grove occurred on December 7, 1862. It was fought in Washington Country, Arkansas, between the Union Army of the Frontier and the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Army. This battle was one of the largest ever fought in the state of Arkansas and it would cost both sides very dearly.

Part I

By late 1862, the United States was fully enveloped in civil war. The vast majority of the fighting took place east of the Mississippi River (namely in the states of Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia). But to the west of the river, savage fighting was also occurring. The fighting on this front mainly took place in the states of Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and what would later become Oklahoma.

In the state of Arkansas savage fighting began in March of 1862. In command of the Union Army was Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis. On March 7 and 8, General Curtis fought against the Confederates who were under the command of General Earl Van Dorn at the battle of Pea Ridge. Despite being outnumbered, the Yankees emerged victorious. 

Their victory at Pea Ridge enabled the Federals to take control of the whole northern border of Arkansas (and most of Missouri). General Curtis then began moving his army further south into the state and captured the city of Helena. In September, Curtis was reassigned to command the Department of the Missouri. Before leaving Arkansas, he formed the Army of the Frontier. On November 20, Brigadier General James G. Blunt was placed in command.

The Confederate commander in Arkansas was Major General Thomas Carmichael Hindman. After General Van Dorn's defeat at Pea Ridge, Hindman received orders to attack General Blunt and regain control of the Arkansas-Missouri border. In October of 1862, General Blunt made an incursion into Arkansas with an army of 5,000. In response, Hindman sent Brigadier General John Marmaduke to intercept him.

Part II

Blunt and Marmaduke's armies met at Cane Hill on November 28. After a nine hour skirmish, the Confederates retreated in the face of superior numbers and artillery guns. The casualties for the Battle of Cane Hill were light. But then on December 3, Blunt's scouts reported that General Hindman was advancing on Cane Hill with more than 11,000 soldiers and 22 artillery guns. Now outnumbered himself, Blunt sent an urgent plea for reinforcements. His plea was answered by Brigadier General Francis Herron, who marched with 3,900 soldiers into Arkansas.

For the next three days, the two armies began attempting to outflank the other. After being slowed down by bad weather, Hindman decided to postpone his attack until December 8. But upon learning of Herron's approaching army, Hindman quickly changed his planes and marched his army to the town of Prairie Grove. They arrived there early in the morning of December 7. Clashes began when Confederate Cavalry attacked and scattered a small contingent of Union Cavalry at 4 AM. After this, General Hindman set up defenses and awaited Herron's approaching column.

While Herron's 3,900 soldiers were approaching Prairie Grove, General Blunt marched his 5,000 soldiers along the Fayetteville Road. All through the night and the morning they marched hoping to link up with Herron's column. In spite of their best efforts, they would not arrive on the battlefield until 3 PM. The main battle at Prairie Grove began just after 1 PM on December 7, 1862. 

Part III

The first to attack were the men of Herron's Division. After opening fire with an artillery barrage (which inflicted several casualties) two federal brigades began advancing on the Confederate line. The focal point of this attack was a farm owned by Archibald Borden. The house on this farm (now called, the Borden House) would be the scene of the bloodiest the fighting during the battle. 

The two advancing union brigades were met with fierce resistance and were forced back with heavy casualties. The confederates responded by launching a counter-attacking, only to be driven back by union artillery. The next to attack was Colonel Daniel Huston's Division. His attack was also driven back with heavy losses. In the thick of the fighting, was the 37th Illinois Infantry.

Led by Lieutenant-Colonel John Charles Black, the 401 soldiers of the 37th were the only ones to initially break through the Confederate line. After this they took a defensive position by the Borden House. Unfortunately, this brought the full weight of Hindman's army down on them. In spite of being flanked by three rebel attacks, the 37th managed to repel one of them. But after suffering a 40 percent casualty rate (including LTC. Black) they too were forced to retreat from their position. It was at this point that General Blunt himself arrived on the battlefield.

Seeing this, General Hindman ordered his army to once again counter-attack. Like before, the rebel attack was cut to pieces by the well-entrenched union artillery. General Blunt then ordered another attack to made on Hindman's flank. This attack was also repulsed. Once again, the Confederates responded with a counter-attack that was also repulsed. By now however, darkness was falling and both sides decided that they had had enough for one day. Although General Hindman was still holding his position, his army was running dangerously low on ammunition. After receiving word that more union reinforcements were arriving on the battlefield, Hindman ordered his soldiers to retreat under the cover of darkness. The battle was now over. 

Epilogue

The Battle of Prairie Grove had lasted all day and costed both armies very dearly. Accounts for the number of casualties vary. But the Federals reported a total of 1,251 casualties while the Confederates reported suffering 1,317. Tactically the battle had ended in a draw (since the casualty rate was nearly even). However, the Confederate retreat gave the Union a strategic victory as it allowed them to keep control of the border between Missouri and Arkansas. It also caused many of Hindman's demoralized soldiers to desert his army.

For his valor during the Battle of Prairie Grove, LTC. John Charles Black would receive the Medal of Honor. After the war he would serve as a congressman from Illinois. General James Blunt would continue to command the Army of the Frontier and see further combat in more battles in both Arkansas and Missouri. Later in the war, General Samuel Curtis would return to command the Union Army (now called, the Army of the Border) and Blunt would serve as a division commander.

Eventually, the Battle of Prairie Grove passed into American history. Today, it is largely forgotten by the American public. In 1957, the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park was established by the state containing 707 acres. The Borden House (restored after the war) still stands on the battlefield as a silent testament to all the men who died on December 7, 1862. 

https://ozarkscivilwar.org/archives/342

https://pg.cast.uark.edu/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-battle-of-prairie-grove-arkansas-december-7-1862.129407/

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/prairie-grove

https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/thirty-seventh-illinois-infantry-15136/