Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

Battle of the Bzura

Battle of the Bzura was a battle fought on 9 September 1939 at Kutno, in what is now Poland; it lasted 10 days. It was part of the 1939 Invasion of Poland. The recorded result: German victory; Destruction of the Poznań and Pomeranian Armies.

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Polish artillery in Battle of Bzura 1939 after an air attack. Polish Bofors AA gun and a bombed column of Polish Army. As published here, this photo is reversed - the sight corrector should be on the
Polish artillery in Battle of Bzura 1939 after an air attack. Polish Bofors AA gun and a bombed column of Polish Army. As published here, this photo is reversed - the sight corrector should be on the . Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought9 September 1939lasted 10 days
WhereKutno, Poland52.233N, 19.367E
OutcomeGerman victory; Destruction of the Poznań and Pomeranian Armies
BelligerentsNazi GermanyagainstSecond Polish Republic
Part of1939 Invasion of Poland1939

Where it sits in the 1939 Invasion of Poland

Battle of Wizna, 1939Battle of Łódź, 1939Battle of Cześniki, 1939Battle of Mikołów, 1939Battle of Pszczyna, 1939Battles of Parczew, Jabłoń and Milanów, 1939Battle of Westerplatte, 1939Defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig, 1939Battle of Mława, 1939Charge at Krojanty, 1939Defense of the Coast of Poland in the September Campaign, 1939Battle of Mokra, 1939Battle of the Border, 1939Battle of Chojnice, 1939Battle of Lasy Królewskie, 1939Battle of Węgierska Górka, 1939Battle of Grudziądz, 1939Battle of Jordanów, 1939Battle of Częstochowa, 1939Battle of Borowa Góra, 1939Defense of Katowice, 1939Battle of Piotrków Trybunalski, 1939Battle of Różan, 1939Battle of Tuchola Forest, 1939Battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, 1939Battle of Pułtusk, 1939Battle of Krasną, 1939Battle of Łomża, 1939Siege of Warsaw, 1939Battle of Radom, 1939Siege of Gdynia, 1939Defense of Ochota and Wola (1939), 1939Battle of Wola Cyrusowa, 1939Battle of Odrzywoł, 1939Battle of the Bzura, 1939Battle of Hel, 1939Battle of Kampinos Forest, 1939Battle of Kępa Oksywska, 1939Battle of Mrogą, 1939Trip to Wawrzyszew, 1939Battle of Przemyśl, 1939Battle of Kałuszyn, 1939Raid on Okęcie and Załuski, 1939Battle of Modlin, 1939Battle of Kobryń, 1939Battle of Jaworow, 1939Battle of Biłgorajem, 1939Battle of Wilno, 1939Battle of Wólka Węglowa, 1939Battle of Grodno, 1939Battle of Kamionka Strumiłowa, 1939Battle of Krasnobród, 1939Battle of Husynne, 1939Battle of Rawa Ruska, 1939Battle of Władypol, 1939Battle of Szack, 1939Battle of Wytyczno, 1939Battle of Kock, 193919391939Battle of the Bzura, 1939
59 placed engagements of the 1939 Invasion of Poland in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date9 September 1939
to 19 September 1939
PlaceKutno, Poland
52.233N, 19.367E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Strength12 infantry divisions; 5 armoured and motorized divisions; 425,000 soldiers8 infantry divisions; 2–4 cavalry brigades; 225,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses8,000 dead; 4,000 captured; 50 tanks; 100 cars; 20 artillery pieces18,000–20,000 dead; 32,000 wounded; 170,000 captured
Commanders
  • Tadeusz Kutrzeba
  • Władysław Bortnowski
  • Edmund Knoll-Kownacki
  • Mikołaj Bołtuć
  • Roman Abraham
  • Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki
Battle of the BzuraBattle of the BzuraBattle of Bzurą 1914Battle of MrogąSiege of PłockaBattle of ŁowiczBattle of DobraBattle of MrogąSiege of PłockaBattle of DobraWrocławPoznańBydgoszczInowrocław100 km52.233N, 19.367E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of the Bzura
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of the Bzura today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-06-01. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 125 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 98 to 150 m, 52 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 31% cropland, 26% built-up, 22% grassland.

cropland: 31%built-up: 26%grassland: 22%tree cover: 21%cropland 31%built-up 26%grassland 22%tree cover 21%
west to east, 10.0 km104 to 129 mnorth to south, 10.0 km103 to 148 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1939

Battle of the Bzura is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 469 in present-day Poland.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q165549, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Bzura, revision 1371163611, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.