In 1924, the eastern border of the Second Polish Republic was threatened by the activities of Soviet sabotage groups carrying out attacks and robberies.
KOP operations on the border of the Republic of Poland, photo: SG
On 21-21 of August 1924, during a meeting chaired by President Stanisław Wojciechowski, the Council of Ministers' political committee decided to establish a special military formation to protect the eastern border.
On 12th of September 1924, Maj. Gen. Władysław Sikorski issued an order to establish the Border Protection Corps - a special military formation to protect the Polish-Soviet border. The first KOP units appeared on the eastern border of the Republic of Poland as early as November 1924. As of 1st of December 1927, the Corps commanded by Maj. Gen. Henryk Minkiewicz consisted of: headquarters, 6 brigade commands, 2 half-brigade commands, 29 border battalions, 20 cavalry squadrons and a gendarmerie division. The number of personnel was approximately 25,000.
The most important task of the new formation, which it fulfilled in an exemplary manner in a short time, was to calm the situation on the eastern borders of the Republic of Poland, which were plagued by attacks by gangs coming from the territory of the Soviet Union. Other tasks of the KOP included guarding the inviolability of border signs and devices, preventing illegal transport and transfer of goods across the border, preventing illegal border crossings, combating smuggling and fiscal offences and offences within the scope of the provisions on the state borders, cooperating with military bodies in the field of state defense. After pacifying the border, the KOP began to carry out additional tasks for the local population. The main goal of these activities was to strengthen Polish statehood and attract and attach the inhabitants of the eastern provinces to Poland.
The social and educational activities of the KOP and gaining the sympathy of the population were successfully used to ensure border protection and security in the border zone. In this way, the economic development of the Kresy was supported, poverty was combated and the Kresy population was activated to raise their general standard of living and state awareness.
The KOP guardhouse crews helped residents fight the elements and their effects (fires, floods). Military kitchens in reserve units and guardhouses often fed rural children, doctors provided necessary assistance and care to the sick, and KOP veterinarians provided free assistance to farm animals. KOP guardhouses and subunits organized celebrations of national and religious holidays, as well as sports, educational and cultural events (amateur theater performances, traveling cinema screenings, joint listening to radio broadcasts). Due to the personnel needs of the formation, in 1926 the KOP Infantry Professional Non-Commissioned Officers School in Ostróg and the KOP Cavalry Professional Non-Commissioned Officers School in Niewirków were established. For the needs of the internal service, in 1925, the Gendarmerie Division was established within the KOP. From February 1925, the intelligence service operated within the formation, whose task was to conduct intelligence and counterintelligence and combat manifestations of anti-state political activity on the eastern border. The structure of the KOP intelligence consisted of the Independent Intelligence Department at the KOP Command and positions of intelligence officers at the KOP brigades and battalions.
After several years of functioning, the formation was thoroughly reorganized in 1929, which was preceded by a change of command staff. Maj. Gen. Henryk Minkiewicz was dismissed from the position of commander, and his place was taken by Brig. Gen. Stanisław Zosik-Tessaro. In 1930, the previous KOP Training Battalion was transformed into the Central School of NCOs of the KOP "Osowiec".
In October 1930, Colonel Jan Kaziemirz Kruszewski took over the position of KOP commander. The new commander led to another reorganization in the structures of KOP battalions – machine gun companies and reserve companies were created. The structure of the KOP "Osowiec" CSP was also reorganized once again. On April 30, 1938, due to the increased threat of war, the "W" mobilization plan came into effect. It assumed the reinforcement of KOP units while simultaneously separating from them a cadre of officers, non-commissioned officers and privates for the formation of reserve divisions. KOP units were to be partially recreated in the mobilization process and continue to serve on the border. As part of the general mobilization, the KOP was divided into commands and headquarters of two operational groups, three commands and headquarters of reserve infantry divisions, the command of a mountain brigade and headquarters of subsequent mountain brigades, twelve regimental commands, a cavalry regiment, 39 infantry battalions, a fortress battalion, an engineer battalion, seven cavalry squadrons for divisional cavalry, and two light artillery divisions. The number of KOP units stationed on the border was weakened. The recreated units had a small percentage of soldiers prepared for border service. They were also deprived of a significant part of their weapons and equipment.
In September 1939, the KOP command was taken over by Brig. Gen. Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann, and Brig. Gen. Jan Kazimierz Kruszewski, dismissed from his position, took command of the Operational Group.
During the September campaign, KOP units participated in the defense of the Polish coast from the very beginning. On the Hel Peninsula, the KOP "Hel" battalion organized the defense. Of particular importance in delaying the German advance was the defense of the fortifications near Węgierska Górka by the KOP "Berezwecz" battalion on September 2-3. The battles fought here went down in history as the Westerplatte of the South. On September 7 and 8, KOP units of the 36th Infantry Division fought heavy battles in the areas of Kazanów, Barak and Szydłowiec. The legend of the September campaign is the heroic defense of the fortifications near Wizna and Góra Strękowa on September 8 and 9 by 360 KOP soldiers under the command of Capt. Władysław Raginis. The heroic commander committed suicide, not wanting to surrender. In the East, on September 19-21, the 4th company of the KOP "Sarny" battalion of Capt. Emil Markiewicz bloodily defended field positions and bunkers in the Tynne area against the advancing Soviets. The KOP group of Brig. Gen. Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann fought a victorious battle with the Red Army at Szack (September 28-29). On October 1, after a heavy battle at Wytyczno, the group was disbanded, and the soldiers broke through to the units of Brig. Gen. Franciszek Kleeberg. After the end of operations in the defensive war of 1939, by decision of the Political Bureau of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), the NKVD murdered over 500 KOP soldiers as part of the Katyn massacre. 345 KOP soldiers arrested disappeared in the East. The names of 600 KOP soldiers who died in the defensive war of 1939 have been established.
Source:
text: Mariusz Telepko
photographs from the collections of Border Guard Lieutenant Piotr Waseńczuk and the National Digital Archives
Komentarze