The charge at Krojanty, battle of Krojanty, the riding of Krojanty or skirmish of Krojanty was a Polish cavalry charge on the evening of 1 September 1939, the first day of the Second World War, near the Pomeranian village of Krojanty. It occurred at the start of the invasion of Poland and was part of the larger Battle of Tuchola Forest. Polish soldiers advanced east along the railway to a railroad crossroads 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the town of Chojnice, where elements of the Polish cavalry charged and dispersed a German infantry battalion. Machine gun fire from German armoured cars that appeared from a nearby forest forced the Poles to retreat. However, the attack delayed the German advance, allowing the Polish 1st Rifle Battalion and Czersk Operational Group to withdraw safely.
Monument at the battlefield
Kazimierz Mastalerz
Eugeniusz Świeściak
Polish uhlan with wz. 35 anti-tank rifle. Military instruction published in Warsaw in 1938.
The Battle of Tuchola Forest was one of the first battles of World War II, during the invasion of Poland. The battle occurred from 1 September to 5 September 1939 and resulted in a major German victory. Poor Polish command and control, as well as German numerical and tactical superiority, allowed the Germans to manage to cripple Poland's Armia Pomorze and, by breaking through the Polish Corridor, to connect mainland Germany with East Prussia.
German armored car Sd.Kfz.221 during the battle.
Polish prisoners of war escorted by german soldiers. Tuchola Forest. 1939.