Battle of Kock (1939) - Before The Battle

Before The Battle

The Polish battle plan was disorganized due to few officers being available. The Wehrmacht had destroyed the Polish reserve and forced it to withdraw. Having taken heavy losses, the Polish armies retreated to Kraków and the Vistula river. From there, they took the route from Warsaw to Sandomierz. From Sandomierz, they were able to move on to the Lublin area.

The eastern edge of the Vistula was defended by Lublin's weak army. The Polish forces were only camped in areas where they could cross the river easily, (in case of an attack). Other German forces advanced to the Vistula and went on towards Zamość and Włodzimierz Wołyński.

The Polish Army at Kraków and Małopolska suffered heavy losses, and did not reach the San river front. Therefore, they were unable to organize a proper defence. Field Marshal Rydz Śmigły was tasked with the defence of southern Poland. The commander of army area IX Brześć, General Franciszek Kleeberg, was responsible for the defence of the line from Pińsk to Brześć.