Operational Group


Operational Group was the highest level of tactical division of the Polish Army before and during World War II and the invasion of Poland. It was corps-sized, although various Operational Groups varied in size. Operational groups first appeared in Polish tactical scheme during the Polish-Bolshevik War, most probably under the influence of French Military Mission to Poland. After the war they were dissolved.
Prior to World War II, the operational groups were recreated. Initially, in March 1939, they consisted only of staffs formed around existing corps commands. According to the Polish mobilization scheme, they were to become mobile reserves of the Polish armies and other major strategic-scale units. One of such groups, the Kutno Operational Group, was planned but never created. Also, in the autumn of 1938, the Independent Operational Group Silesia was created with the purpose of capturing Zaolzie from Czechoslovakia.
Some groups were formed during the final mobilization of late August 1939, others were formed during the war as strategic considerations necessitated. Most were attached to armies, several however were independent.
  1. Independent Operational Group "Polesie" under gen. Franciszek Kleeberg. Created around September 9th-11th.
  2. Independent Operational Group "Narew" under gen. Czesław Młot-Fijałkowski. Created on March 23
  3. Operational Group "Wyszków" under gen. Wincenty Kowalski. Created on September 1.
  4. Operational Group "Grodno" under gen. Józef Olszyna-Wilczyński. Created in early September; disbanded on September 10 before the battle of Grodno begun; most units moved towards Lwów.
  1. Cavalry Operational Group Abraham under Roman Abraham
  2. Cavalry Operational Group Anders under gen. Władysław Anders
  3. Cavalry Operational Group No.1
  4. Cavalry Operational Group No.2
  1. Operational Group "Bielsko"" under gen. Mieczysław Boruta-Spiechowicz
  2. Operational Group "Czersk" under gen. Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki
  3. Operational Group "Koło" under gen. Edmund Knoll-Kownacki
  4. Operational Group "Piotrków" under gen. Wiktor Thommée
  5. Southern Operational Group under gen. Stanisław Skwarczyński
  6. Northern Operational Group under gen. Jan Kruszewski
  7. Operational Group "Sieradz" under gen. Franciszek Dindorf-Ankowicz
  8. Operational Group "Śląsk" under gen. Jan Jagmin-Sadowski
  9. Eastern Operational Group under gen. Mikołaj Bołtuć
In addition, during the invasion of Poland in 1939, several other corps-sized units were formed or improvised. All of them were named after their commanding officers:
  1. Operational Group Dreszer under Rudolf Dreszer
  2. Operational Group Orlik-Łukoski under Kazimierz Orlik-Łukoski
  3. Operational Group Grzmot-Skotnicki under Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki
  4. Operational Group Kareszewicz-Tokarzewski under Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski
  5. Operational Group Zaulauf under Juliusz Zulauf
There were also several operational groups created by the Polish People's Army after the war in the years 1946-1947.