The Constitution Day War: Poland, 3rd of May 1938-17th of May 1938

Poland has gone to war with its neighbour Galicia for the reclamation of its lost territories!

The War begins with strong advances in Krakow! The Galician Garrison struggle to get organised to resist the invasion, although the tanks of the 9th Legion pose a serious threat to the advancing Polish Divisions, they're somewhat negated by Polish aerial supremacy

The Polish airforce has a small collection of obsolete bombers. Obsolete or not, the Galicians curse the skies every time they can be seen or heard overhead

The disorganised divisions are removed from Krakows defence in an attempt to sortie across the Vistula to delay Polish Reinforcements. This makes little difference, as the 9th Legion fights on regardless

The head of the Galician Defence is Aleksander Litwinowicz. Having fought with the Polish Legions in the war, his defence was only half hearted. After the war he would retire with a full pension in Krakow and an honourary commission in the Krakow Division.

Unwilling to take a passive approach, his first move was to launch a general offensive across the Vistula in an attempt to breach the relatively weak Polish Centre. His hope was that this would draw reserves away from Krakow and Lwow so that a stronger defence may be organised.

Galician tankers keep a watchful eye on a street in the Krakow suburbs. The fighting now rages all around the northern perimeter of the city.

The defence of the city is largely based on the old Austrian fortifications that line the route between Vienna and Lwow. These forts are old, but the Polish guns bombarding them are from a similar time period. These defences would pose a major problem to the Polish attackers as, with Germany on one side and the Vistula on the other, there was no way to bypass them.

Another major obstacle (and objective) was the defences around the Kościuszko Mound. The capture of this position was seen as crucial for a quick ending to the war, as it would give Polish forces the high ground around all of Krakow and its surrounds.

Even for all the Austrian fortifications, the Galcians are paying a heavy price! For every Pole they kill, over four Galicians are killed in response!

And even for the ones they kill, more arrive to fill their places! here a group of replacement troops parade through Warsaw

As the sun rose on the 9th of May, just over a week since hostilities began, The President gives a rousing speech in Warsaw announcing a major victory

Lwow had fallen during the early hours of the morning! The Galician capital fell with barely a shot being fired as an overwhelming Polish attack across a broad front had forced the retreat of all major Galician formations. Karl Stephan was evacuated to Vienna, believing that the Austrians would come to his aid.

His hopes would go unanswered.

The lack of fighting allowed the city to escape the war largely undamaged, protecting its many cultural treasures and safeguarding its population from as much violence as possible

Even as Lwow fell General Prich refused to give up the offensive, directing the Divisions that where pushing on Lwow to swing west and reach the Austrian border at the Carpathians

The Galician retreat to the Carpathians was difficult. The old age, low speed and high maintenance of their armoured Vehicles made it difficult to outstrip the Polish attackers

And where they chose to fight the tanks ended up as steel coffins. Once Polish Artillery was given their co-ordinates it was a matter of minutes until the tanks where destroyed

Fighting in Krakow nears its finale as Galician forces begin to fall back on the city

Polish forces push ever harder toward the Carpathians, and the last Galician forces who could stop them are sent south away from the front (and anywhere of any importance)

An overview of the front reveals the precarious nature of the Galician position. Polish forces where now days or even hours away from splitting the nation in two, at which point they could totally bypass Galician divisions along the Vistula and fully surround Krakow

Another major issue for the defenders was that Polish Cavalry, seen as obsolete by many foreign observers, where able to cross terrain far quicker than any Galician troops. This made establishing a solid defensive line impossible, as more often than not they would be flanked by Cavalry almost immediately.

...and of course, if the Cavarly didn't get them, the Zubrs did

In Krakow the defence of the city is looking ever weaker. All attempts at an active defence have failed, and now all troops fall back to defend the city itself.

Krakows city streets are old, narrow and totally unsuited for combat. Neither side looks forward to fighting in these conditions

But on the eve of the battle the Krakow Division launches a daring assault to capture the Kosciusko mound!

The Krakow Division, with their 'emergency surplus' Weltkrieg era British helmets, engaged in close fighting atop the mound. Dozens of men where killed or wounded in the desperate battle.

Austrian troops defending the mound did so with antiquated Weltkrieg era equipment. Their defeat was inevitable, although many Poles later told of the strong defence that was put up by the mainly Ukrainian troops (the Poles having largely deserted at the imminent defeat of Galicia)

The fortress was ruined by the intense Polish assault, but that didn't change the fact that it was, at last, Polish

Once the battle was over and the mound secure, Polish troops could look down onto the city of Krakow itself. The city's surrender was now all but assured

Upon hearing of the capture of the Mound, Litwinowicz ordered a retreat across the Vistula so that the city, and his men, would be spared.

Once his final troops had left the city he declared Krakow an open city. Polish troops rapidly occupy it.

The most famous moment from the occupation is the riding of a Polish horseman up to the Courtyard of the Wawel castle where he climbed of the tower of its cathedral and, upon reaching the top, pulled down the Galician Flag and placed it back upside down so that it more appropriately matched its new (and old) owners

With the fighting done, Polish troops got to the very important task of getting to know the Women of Krakow as well as they could. This lucky man found himself a Motorbike, and my be unaware that he's one of the first Polish troops to enter the city in decades

With the fall of Krakow, the war is almost surely over. As the Government in Warsaw awaits the arrival of Polish Diplomats and Generals in the provisional Galician 'capital' to begin capitulation talks they look over the statistics. between 1000 and 2000 Poles died, but for that they took around 8 times as many Galicians. The Polish fighting man is surely amongst the best in the world!

Polish officers arrive in Stanislawow where their conditions for a cessation of hostilities is simple. Total and utter surrender of Galicia to Poland.

The Galicians are in no position to negotiate, and they quickly agree to the terms. The war is over, and Poland is victorious!

Poland is, at last, reunited with its stolen southern lands. Polands border now stretches all the way south to Romania (who remain locked in their own war with Bulgaria)

Our troops are sent to garrison the entire nation in case of an attack from either Austria or Germany, as well to assure the world that we have no designs beyond our own borders

The Governments popularity increases due to the successful prosecution of the war. We'll take it, if not now then when?

On the 17th of May President Paderewski arrives in Krakow to make a proclamation on the future of the Polish republic. He announces that:

'Anyone who wishes to return to Austria, or to travel to Ukraine or Romania or anywhere else will face no impediment from us. Nor, if they chose to stay, will they face any discrimination. But all must understand that this land is Poland, and Poland is indivisible!'

Poland's first step on the road to reunification was complete, long live the Polish Republic!