Chapter 185: Kraków

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Compared to the deep-seated inferiority complex of the navy, the majority of Germany’s army generals at this moment were filled with a vengeful desire to wash away their previous shame. They firmly believed that they had not been defeated in the First World War, but had been sold out by a few traitorous politicians.

So this time, the war in Poland gave them a chance for revenge—a chance different from the armed entry into the Rhineland; a chance different from the annexation of Czechoslovakia and Austria; a chance different from accepting the surrender of Hungary.

“Boom!” A 150mm field howitzer let out a roar. Several German artillerymen covered their ears and watched the dazzling flames spew from the muzzle. They began to clean the bore, used a simple lever mechanism to load the next shell, and then the gunner closed the breechblock and fired the cannon again. With another “boom,” another shell roared toward its target.

Not far away, another 150mm cannon also belched a cloud of thick smoke. The blast of air made a small tree of some unknown species sway back and forth. Next to this artillery position was a small Polish town. A few children in the town were leaning over a wall, watching the German soldiers busily loading ammunition and adjusting the angle of the cannons, so as to slaughter the soldiers of their own country faster and more accurately.

On the streets of the small town were parked a row of Mercedes trucks and off-road vehicles. There were even a few armored command vehicles belonging to different units. But what was most popular with the children in the town were the two beautiful grey-green Panther tanks. From time to time, children would gather around the tanks and cheer, as if the loss of their country and its fall had nothing to do with them.

Here was the general headquarters of the German Army Group D, the frontline command center of General Model. The commander of the 1st Panzer Corps, Major General Guderian, was at this moment standing before Model, explaining his army’s operational plan north of Kraków.

“General,” Guderian said, pointing to the huge war zone map hanging behind him. “My 1st Panzer Division is continuing its offensive northward from the north of Kraków. The objective is to cut the supply lines to the rear of the already chaotic Polish Carpathian Army.”

He pointed in another direction and said, “In addition, the 3rd SS Panzer Division is swinging around to the east of Kraków to completely encircle the city and cut Poland’s southern transportation lines.”

“How is the execution?” Model asked softly after looking at the map. He was a kind and amiable superior, and his speech was always gentle and refined. He had given Guderian almost independent authority, only restraining this favored general of the Führer when absolutely necessary.

“The 3rd SS Panzer Division has encountered stubborn resistance here, here, and here. But due to a lack of ammunition, the Polish defenders are gradually giving up their defensive lines,” Guderian replied, pointing at the map. “Please forgive my decision, but valuable armored forces should not be used for street fighting within the city. This is the experience from the Spanish Civil War. That is a place better suited for sniper teams and grenadiers.”

“You are right, General Guderian,” Model said with a nod, handing a report to Guderian. “Here is an order from the Army High Command. They want you to continue your attack to the north, but the order is to attack only to your troops’ current position.”

“Sir! If my troops stop now, the Poles will have a chance to reorganize their defenses! When we attack again, we will have to pay a much heavier price than we would now!”

“That’s why I’m going to let you continue the attack,” Model said, pointing to the vast area behind Kraków. “If you can maintain your current offensive speed, you can break into the Polish heartland before the routed Polish troops arrive.”

“Instead of attacking the Carpathian Army to the east, we go straight north? You mean… to coordinate with our forces in the center to eliminate the Polish Łódź Army?” Guderian’s eyes lit up. If he were to abandon his initial campaign objective and instead go to fight the more elite Łódź Army, it would undoubtedly bring him greater military glory.

“Yes, I have slightly modified Army Group D’s attack mission. Your army will take over the original attack direction of the 5th Infantry Corps, and the original eastward mission will be completed by the 5th Infantry Corps,” Model said with a nod.

Next to a collapsed building in Kraków, in the middle of a pile of rubble, a German machine gun nest was slaughtering the opposing Polish army. The MG42 machine gun made its characteristic sound, like cloth being torn to shreds, and a long, pale red tongue of flame shot from its muzzle.

“Ammo! Quick, reload!” the machine gunner shouted. As he shouted, two infantrymen poked their heads out and fired desperately in the direction of the enemy with their G43 rifles. Two Polish infantrymen who had tried to charge were cut down at the corner of a wall. Kraków was the headquarters of the Polish Kraków Army Group, and it was also the only stronghold in the entire army group that was still putting up an organized resistance against the Germans.

The machine gun’s ammunition was reloaded, and the Polish army opposite had retreated. The battlefield returned to a state of relative calm. A German medic, wearing a white vest with a red cross painted on it, ran hunched over into the middle of the battlefield, checked the bodies of several Polish soldiers, and then ran back to his own side’s position.

Out of a remnant of chivalry and respect for international law, both sides still tried to avoid attacking medics. Therefore, the medics could treat the wounded on both sides in a relatively relaxed environment. Many Polish prisoners survived because of this. But the fate that awaited them was not much better: they were sent to concentration camps to work until they died.

Sometimes, the German soldiers on the front lines were a little embarrassed to bully the Polish soldiers opposite them. These brave soldiers were losing their young lives due to the huge gap in weaponry. While German snipers and machine gunners were slaughtering the Polish defenders by the hundreds and thousands, all the Poles could do was to slowly return fire with their old-fashioned rifles.

If one included new weapons and equipment such as rocket launchers and mortars, the German army surpassed the Poles in every aspect of firepower. Therefore, the stubbornly resisting Polish defenders could be described with another phrase: “the struggles of a dying man.”

The German Do-217 was the largest active-service bomber the air force could field at the moment. This terrifying bomber could carry 4,000 kilograms of bombs from an airfield 1,000 kilometers away to its target. And when these planes flew in swarms over a city, they could often directly paralyze its operations.

Right now, 40 Do-217 bombers were circling over Kraków. They calmly dropped their bombs, blowing any visible targets to pieces. The Polish defenders had lost their airfields and the surrounding highways. All that was left was a large number of infantry huddled in the city, stubbornly resisting the German attack.

A large building collapsed with a roar. A bomber’s payload had destroyed the building’s load-bearing parts. Accompanied by flying debris and rubble, this ancient building, which had stood for hundreds of years, became a pile of ruins. A few pitiful Poles, before the dust had even settled, rushed over crying, wanting to find their property or their relatives.

Two German infantrymen with old Mauser 98K rifles were slowly searching their way through the ruins. They were responsible for clearing this area of buildings, so their tactical vests were hung with numerous hand grenades. They advanced cautiously, afraid of making any sound that would attract the attention of the surrounding enemy.

Suddenly, a Polish officer with a submachine gun rushed out from around the corner of a wall. He tripped on the rubble and stumbled. The two searching German soldiers certainly weren’t going to miss such an opportunity. One of them raised his rifle and pulled the trigger.

“Crack!” A single shot. The bullet passed through the Polish officer’s chest. The force threw him backward. His finger subconsciously pulled the trigger of his submachine gun, firing a few bullets into the corner and kicking up a cloud of dust.

After working the bolt, the two German soldiers stopped their advance and shouted at the corner, “Come out! I know someone is there! If you don’t come out, I’ll throw a grenade!”

“Don’t shoot! We surrender!” After a few seconds, a Polish soldier came out with his weapon held high in both hands and said to the two German infantrymen who were watching him coldly, “Please don’t shoot! I’m putting my gun on the ground.”

As he spoke, one after another, Polish soldiers stood up behind him. Their expressions were dejected, and their clothes were in tatters, but their number was surprisingly large. A rough count showed more than thirty.

“We’re out of ammunition! Please don’t worry,” the first Polish soldier said. “Don’t kill us.” As he finished speaking, several of the Polish prisoners around him also nodded. “Please, don’t kill us!” “My God, help us!”

The resistance in this district soon ended. Due to a lack of ammunition and medical treatment, approximately 4,150 Polish defenders surrendered to the German Wehrmacht. These Polish soldiers were very dejected, weeping because they could not repel the invaders of their motherland. But they still could not fight against German planes and tanks with rifles that had no bullets. This was a contest of technology and national strength, and had nothing to do with individual bravery.

That afternoon, the Kraków Army Group Command issued a ceasefire and surrender order to the entire army. Subsequently, it sent an open telegram to Warsaw. The telegram was very brief: “Our army has resisted to the last moment. In a few minutes, I will surrender.”

This was probably the only mission the Polish defenders had been able to complete in the last two days. About an hour later, the commander of the Kraków Army Group handed over his military flag and ceremonial sword to the commander of the German 17th Infantry Division, completing a brief surrender ceremony and officially kicking off the prelude to the complete collapse of the southern Polish front.

And on this very night, Guderian’s troops, having bypassed the battle for Kraków, advanced a full 55 kilometers to the north. Facing the routed Polish defenses, they achieved the fastest advance speed in history, which was roughly equivalent to their normal speed during a large-scale march in peacetime.