On the Frontier

(Source)

Elżbieta Chlebek sat quietly, trying not to cry, as she watched her friend Jan Kołodziej load his small backpack with his meager collection of personal belongings.

"But why now, Jan? I thought you were finished with the Army when you left the reserve."

"No, it's why they call us reservists Elżbieta. We go in, do our initial training, then are released back to the civilian world. In case of a national emergency we knew that we could get called back to serve with the regular army. Which is what has happened. Do you think the threat from the Germans will go away peacefully?"

As the two students sat in Jan's small apartment near Jagiellonian University in Kraków, where they both attended school, both could hear the tramp of marching feet as another unit of the Polish Army headed to the west.

"Marshal Rydz-Śmigły announced mobilization a day ago, then cancelled it, why is it on again?" Elżbieta was rightly upset, as was Jan.

"According to one of my professors, the French convinced the Marshal to stop the mobilization, as they still think that this crisis can be solved by negotiations. Professor Kowalski thinks it a foolish move. The Germans have yet to be stopped by negotiation. I agree with him, I think this means war."

Elżbieta sighed then stood up and took Jan's hands in hers, "Promise me you won't do anything foolish out there."

Jan paused, then leaned in and kissed Elżbieta on the cheek, giving her hands a squeeze as he did so. "I will try Elżbieta, seriously, I have no wish to die at this point in time." then he smiled and said, "After all, I'm too handsome and life has so much promise."

Elżbieta looked at him for a moment then threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him full on the lips. When she released him her eyes were glistening, "You had better come back to me, Jan Kołodziej. I think I'm in love with you."

That confession, which for the first time that she could ever remember, left Jan speechless.

Unteroffizier Kurt Hartmann was checking on his squad, many of whom were green recruits. He stumbled over one man in the dark and hissed, "Who is that?"

"Von Lüttwitz, Herr Unteroffizier!" barked the young soldier.

"Keep your voice down you idiot, do you wish the Poles to shoot your ignorant Saxon ass before the war even begins?" Hartmann liked this kid, he was smart and attentive to his duties but, like the others, he was so green.

"Sorry Herr Unteroffizier. Is it time?" Von Lüttwitz whispered. The young man noticed that for some reason his rifle felt wet, then he realized that he was sweating. He was glad that his sergeant couldn't see him in the dim light, for Jürgen von Lüttwitz was absolutely terrified as he lay there in the dark, waiting for the order to cross the border into Poland.

The depot to the southwest of Kraków was mass confusion, Jan had been issued his equipment and rifle and still carried his small civilian backpack. The paper he held in his hand indicated that he was assigned to the 20th Land of Kraków Regiment, part of the Polish Army's 6th Division assigned to the Bielsko Operational Group, belonging to the Kraków Army. Now he just had to find someone from that unit.

"Excuse me Plutonowy,¹ can you tell me where the 20th is?"

The harried looking sergeant stopped and said, "Follow me Szeregowiec,² I'm with the 2nd battalion of that regiment." The man continued on, looking back at Jan to see if he was following. He was.

Jan fell in with a march column of other reservists, all apparently belonging to the 20th. He knew better than to ask too many questions, he was sure that the army would put him where he was supposed to be. During his reserve training he had learned early on to keep his mouth shut and to pay attention, easier to stay in the good graces of the sergeants that way.

Von Lüttwitz was slightly confused when Hartmann had the men up and moving well before the set time for the invasion. Wouldn't they be moving in under the cover of the artillery? Von Lüttwitz wondered what the sergeant was doing.

Then he could hear the movement of other men in the darkness, it sounded as if the entire battalion was on the move. As they moved, von Lüttwitz could hear the rustle of clothing and the clink of equipment, knowing that the Polish positions were only about three hundred meters to their front he had a vision of the Poles opening fire and cutting his unit to shreds before the war was even really started.

He didn't notice the sound of shells passing overhead, but when those shells hit, the resulting explosions drove some of the men to cover.

"On your feet you laggards, that artillery is well to your front. It's dropping on the Poles, just as promised!" von Lüttwitz heard his company commander, Hauptmann Bernhard shouting them on. He gripped his rifle all the harder as the men began to run towards the explosions of the German artillery.

As the long column of the 20th Infantry made its way towards the front, there were many stops and starts. Jan couldn't help notice that they were beginning to see a lot of people, civilians, heading towards the east.

Kapral³ Lewandowski, just ahead of Jan, shouted out to one older man heading east, "Dziadzio,⁴ where are you going? The Army is here to save you!"

The old man shook his head in disgust, "The niemcy⁵ are everywhere, like mice fleeing from a burning barn! Their flying machines fill the sky, they scream like a demon from Hell! You're all going to die foolish soldier boys, run while you can!"

Lewandowski shook his head, "Crazy old man, probably drunk on his ass!"

Jan wasn't so sure.

The flight of three Ju-87 Sturzkampfbomber (Stuka dive bombers) were looking for a strafing target, they had already expended their bombs on a Polish supply depot and were heading home. The flight leader's headphones crackled as one of his wingmen announced, "Polish column on the road to your left, vehicles and infantry."

Jan shook his head, his ears were ringing and the front of his coat was covered in blood. His corporal had been blown apart when the Germans strafed the road they were marching on. He himself was unhurt, though his rifle was shattered.

As he tried to stand up, he heard his sergeant growl, "Stay down boy, the Niemcy may return."

After a few long moments, the officers began getting the men up and moving again. Jan was still dazed and was holding the shattered pieces of his rifle, how was he supposed to fight now?

"Grab Lewandowski's rifle, he has no further use of it!" Plutonowy Zajac yelled at Jan again. "Move it boy, we need to get to the frontier before dark!"

Von Lüttwitz sat on the lip of the Polish trench, there were dead men everywhere. It made him sick to see them, but the dead horses bothered him more, what had they done to deserve such a brutal fate?

The artillery had done its job and done it well, resistance had been very light, though he doubted he would use such a term to Gefreiter Beck's mother and father. He had screamed in agony when the Polish rifleman had driven his bayonet into Beck's stomach. The Pole had been shot down almost immediately, but Beck had still died in agony before the Sanitäter⁶ could get to him.

Von Lüttwitz leaned over the trench and vomited. As he was doing so, Unteroffizier Hartmann came up behind him and patted Jürgen's back, "It gets worse boy, try and control yourself. We have to move on."

It was the morning of the 1st of September, 1939. Once again, Europe was at war.

¹ Sergeant (plutonowy)

² Private (szeregowiec)

³ Corporal (Kapral)

⁴ Grandpa (Dziadzio)

⁵ Germans (niemcy)

⁶ Medic (Sanitäter)