Battle of Bukowiec
The Battle of Bukowiec was fought on September 3, 1939 near the village of Bukowiec in Poland.[1][2] The 16th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment under the command of Lt. Col. Julian Arnoldt-Russocki, supported by the 2nd battery of the 11th horse artillery squadron under the command of Capt. Janusz Pasturak went up against the Wehrmacht 3rd Panzer Division supported by a unit of the 23rd Motorized Infantry Regiment and seventeen Luftwaffe bombers.
| Battle of Bukowiec | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
 Poland | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg |
Julian Arnoldt-Russocki Janusz Pasturak | ||||
| Units involved | |||||
| 23rd Motorized Infantry Regiment | 2nd battery of the 11th horse artillery squadron | ||||
Prelude
On September 3 at At 5:00 the 16th Greater Poland Uhlans Regiment, despite significant shortages in manpower and armament, sets off towards Poledno - Gruczno. The commander of the regiment, Lt. Col. Arnoldt-Russocki, receives an order to "Insure the retreating brigade towards the town of Bukowiec. To break away from the enemy not earlier than at 12:00". On the way, about 2 km from Bukowiec, in the town of Bramka, he encounters the 2nd battery of the 11th horse artillery squadron under the command of Capt. Janusz Pasturczak. After a short conversation, the captain himself suggested joint actions so that, as he writes in his memoirs, "not to stand idle while others are fighting".
The battle
The 16th Regiment takes up positions along the railroad tracks, awaiting an enemy attack. Sends a reconnaissance that reports a large (about 100 vehicles) group of Wehrmacht tanks in Polskie Łąki (about 3 km from the battle site). The 2nd battery of the 11th DAC took its place at the rail-road crossing in front of the German troops. Immediately after receiving the report, the first vehicles appeared on the horizon. The first attack is repulsed and the 3rd DP loses 15 tanks. The 2nd battery of the 11th Dak, which destroyed almost half of the enemy units, is of great merit. The second attack is more massive; German air force is approaching bombing Poles. Losses are growing at an alarming rate. The Polish army is losing both radio stations. After 12 o'clock Lt. Arnoldt-Russocki orders his withdrawal from the battlefield.
Aftermath
In the area of the village of Bukowiec and in the vicinity on September 3, 1939, 131 soldiers from the 16th Regiment of Greater Poland Lancers died in the fight against the Nazi invaders. As of 2008 one Polish solider who fought in the battle was alive and may still be in 2021. This article was translated from Polish Wikipedia.