Warsaw Military District

The Warsaw Military District (Polish: Warszawski Okręg Wojskowy, WOW) was one of three military districts in Poland, the other two being the Pomeranian Military District and the Silesian Military District.[1] It was the regional executive body of the Ministry of National Defense of Poland in the capital of Warsaw in operational and defense matters and military administration existing from 1945 to 1998.[2]

District history

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After the end of World War II, six military districts were formed, and operating as of 1 August 1945, including the WOW. Months before in April, the Olsztyn was included in the district. In November 1945 the commander of the district was given the designation DOW I. In the autumn of 1945, the Faculty of the 2nd Division of Border Protection Forces (WOP) was formed at the Warsaw Military Command. The district, apart from administrative functions, also fulfilled the role of operational level command, subject to tactical relations and units stationed in its area.[3][4] In 1949, the district was renamed the Warsaw Military District (WOW). In 1954, after the liquidation of the Kraków Military District, the WOW extended its reach to many regions such as Lublin, Kielce, Kraków and Rzeszów. After the establishment of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact in 1955, the corps and part of the infantry division were disbanded. The remaining infantry divisions were transformed into mechanized divisions and were absorbed into the WOW. From the mid-1960s, in the event of a war on the basis of command and WOW units, the 4th Army was formed as part of the WOW. From April 1990, instead of the 4th General Army, based on the WOW, the 3 Mechanized Corps of the "W" time was created. At the end of 1998, as part of the reorganization of the military from military districts, the military district was disassembled and was primarily replaced through the Warsaw Garrison Command which was established three years prior.[5]

Organization

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1945

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The command had the following organizational structure in 1945:

1951

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The command had the following organizational structure in 1951:

1988

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The command had the following organizational structure in 1988:

  • 1st Mechanised Division in Legionowo
  • 3rd Pomeranian Mechanized Division in Lublin
  • 9rd Mechanized Division in Rzeszów
  • 5th Brigade of the Internal Defense Forces in Kraków
  • 6th Pomeranian Airborne Brigade in Kraków
  • 1st Artillery Brigade in Węgorzewo
  • 32nd Brigade of Operational-Tactic Missiles in Orzysz
  • 21st Field Technical Repair Database in Orneta
  • 80th Anti-tank Artillery Division in Suwałki
  • 2nd Sappers Brigade in Kazuń
  • 3rd Chemical Regiment in Biskupiec
  • 9th Communications Regiment in Białobrzegi
  • Command post of the WOPL WOW Commander in Białobrzegi
  • 15 Anti-aircraft Regiment in Gołdap
  • 34th Radioactive Battalion in Modlin
  • 14th Reconnaissance Battalion School in Giżycko
  • 48th Special Company in Kraków

1997

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The command had the following organizational structure in 1997:

Commanders

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Divisional General Czesław Waryszak

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Paxton, J. (2016-12-16). The Statesman's Year-Book 1988-89. ISBN 9780230271173.
  2. ^ "PRACA ZBIOROWA - WARSZAWSKI OKRĘG WOJSKOWY - HISTORIA I WSPÓŁCZESNOŚĆ :: Antykwariat internetowy - Skup i sprzedaż książek - antykwariat.waw.pl Antykwariaty".
  3. ^ Paweł Piotrowski, Śląski Okręg Wojskowy ... s. 44.
  4. ^ Jan Ławski, Czesław Żmuda, Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza ... s. 27, 28, 40.
  5. ^ Warszawski Okręg Wojskowy. Historia i współczesność, Bellona, Warsaw 1997.
  6. ^ Jurga, Tadeusz; Strzałkowski, Waldemar (1990). "Życiorysy dowódców jednostek polskich w wojnie obronnej" [Biographies of Polish commanders of units in a defensive war]. Obrona Polski 1939 [Polish Defence 1939] (in Polish). Warsaw: Instytut Wydawniczy Pax. ISBN 83-211-1096-7. OCLC 26445382.
  7. ^ "Parlamentarzyści - Pełny opis rekordu".
  8. ^ Michta, Andrew A. (1990). Red Eagle: The Army in Polish Politics, 1944 - 1988. ISBN 9780817988630.
  9. ^ Halloran, Richard (1981-12-15). "Polish Council Members Have Close Soviet Ties". The New York Times.
  10. ^ Zmarł gen. dyw. Adam Rębacz