View source for Modlin Army

{{Short description|Polish army; took part in the defence of Poland in 1939}}
[[Image:Poland1939 GermanPlanMap.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Dispositions of opposing forces, August 31, 1939, and the [[Fall Weiss (1939)|German plan of operation]]. Modlin army visible in the top central of the map.]]
'''Modlin Army''' ({{lang-pl|Armia Modlin}}) was one of the [[List of Polish armies|Polish armies]] that were part of the Polish defense against the German [[Invasion of Poland]]. After heavy casualties in the [[battle of Mława]] (September 1–3), the Army was forced to abandon its positions near Warsaw around September 10; eventually it took part in the [[battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki]] (September 21–26) and surrendered afterwards.

==Tasks==
Named after [[Fort Modlin]] (where its initial headquarters were located), it was officially created on March 23, 1939 with the task of defending the Polish capital of [[Warsaw]] and the city of [[Płock]] from the north. It took positions near the fortified lines along the border with [[East Prussia]] near [[Mława]], and was supposed to retreat in an organized fashion towards the second line of defense towards the [[Narew]] and [[Vistula]] rivers.

==Operational history==

[[Image:Poland2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Dispositions of opposing forces, September 14, 1939. Modlin army visible in the center of the map.]]
When the Germans invaded on September 1, not all of the planned fortifications had been completed; some of the Army's units (such as the [[Mazowiecka Cavalry Brigade]]) had arrived in their designated areas only by 30 August (and its area had only 3 out of 40 planned fortifications completed).

During the [[Battle of the Border]] (particularly the [[battle of Mława]] on September 1–3) the Army was pushed back by the [[3rd Army (Wehrmacht)|German Third Army]], towards the Narew and Bug rivers. It received reinforcements in the form of the [[Polish army order of battle in 1939#Operational Group Wyszków|Operational Group Wyszków]] under General [[Wincenty Kowalski]], but they were not sufficient to stop it from having to fall back. Eventually, around September 10, the Army abandoned its positions near Warsaw; some of the units (primarily the 20th Infantry Division) remained in the Warsaw area, joining the [[Warszawa Army]] taking part in the [[siege of Warsaw (1939)|final defense of Warsaw]]; others were pushed to the south east ([[Romanian Bridgehead]]) and took part in the [[Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski]] (September 21–26), after which most of them were forced to surrender.

==Organization==
[[Image:Poland1939 after 14 Sep.png|thumb|right|300px|Forces after 14 September with troop movements after this date]]
The army was commanded by brig. gen. [[Emil Krukowicz-Przedrzymirski]]; his chief of staff was col. [[Stanisław Grodzki]]. It consisted of 2 infantry divisions and 2 cavalry brigades. On a lower level of organization it had 28 infantry battalions, 37 cavalry squadrons, 180 artillery pieces, 12 anti-air artillery pieces, 1 armored train (nr 13, former "Generał Sosnkowski"<ref>{{in lang|pl}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20030405143749/http://www.geocities.com/pibwl/gspl.htm Polski pociąg pancerny nr 13 ("Generał Sosnkowski")]</ref>) and 28 planes.<ref>Stanley S.Seidner, ''Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland'', New York, 1978.</ref>

* [[Polish 8th Infantry Division|8th Infantry Division]] (''8 Dywizja Piechoty'') from [[Fort Modlin|Modlin]]
* [[Polish 20th Infantry Division|20th Infantry Division]] (''20 Dywizja Piechoty'') from [[Baranowicze]]
* [[Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade]] (''[[Nowogródek|Nowogródzka]] Brygada Kawalerii'')
* [[Mazowiecka Cavalry Brigade]] (''[[Masovia|Mazowiecka]] Brygada Kawalerii'')
* [[Warsaw National Defence Brigade]] (''Warszawska Brygada Obrony Narodowej'')

===Aviation of the Modlin Army===
* (''Pluton łącznikowy nr 11'')
* (''41. Eskadra Rozpoznawcza'')
* (''III/5. Dywizjon Myśliwski'')
**  [[Polish 152nd Fighter Escadrille]] (''152. Eskadra Myśliwska'')
* [[Polish 53rd Observation Escadrille]] (''53. Eskadra Obserwacyjna'')

==Notes==
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{in lang|pl}} [http://portalwiedzy.onet.pl/53777,,,,armie_i_samodzielne_grupy_operacyjne_wojska_polskiego_1939,haslo.html Armie i samodzielne grupy operacyjne Wojska Polskiego 1939] [[WIEM Encyklopedia]]
*{{in lang|pl}} [http://www.1939.pl/organizacja/polska/a_modlin.htm Armia "Modlin"]
*{{in lang|pl}} [http://www.schrony.website.pl/amod.htm ARMIA MODLIN] (with a map)

==Further reading==
*Tadeusz Jurga, Władysław Karbowski, ''Armia " Modlin" 1939'', Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1987

==External links==
*[http://www.schrony1939.fortyfikacje.pl/rzegno.htm Photos of some fortifications of Army Modlin]
*[http://kaczorek.easyisp.pl/pisz/fort/lidzw001.htm More photos]

{{Polish Armies 1939}}

[[Category:Military units and formations of Poland in World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1939]]
[[Category:Polish armies]]