Battle of the Bzura

Battle of the Bzura
	Part of Invasion of Poland, World War II
	; Polish cavalry brigade "Wielkopolska" during the battle
Date	9–19 September 1939
Location	Near Kutno, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland52°14′00″N 19°22′00″E / 52.23333°N 19.36667°E
Result	German victory Destruction of the Poznań and Pomeranian Armies;
Belligerents
Germany	Poland
Commanders and leaders
Gerd von Rundstedt ; Johannes Blaskowitz ; Walther von Reichenau ; Günther von Kluge ; Wilhelm Ulex ; Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb ; Erich Hoepner	Tadeusz Kutrzeba ; Władysław Bortnowski ; Edmund Knoll-Kownacki ; Mikołaj Bołtuć ; Roman Abraham ; Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki †; Franciszek Wład †; Leon Strzelecki
Strength
12 infantry divisions ; 5 armoured and motorized divisions ; 425,000 soldiers	8 infantry divisions ; 2–4 cavalry brigades ; 225,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
8,000 dead ; 4,000 captured ; 50 tanks ; 100 cars ; 20 artillery pieces	18,000–20,000 dead; 32,000 wounded ; 170,000 captured

The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was both the largest battle and Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.

The battle took place west of Warsaw, near the Bzura River. It began as a Polish counter-offensive, which gained initial success, but the Germans outflanked the Polish forces with a concentrated counter-attack. That weakened Polish forces, and the Poznań and Pomorze Armies were destroyed. Western Poland was now under German occupation.^: 65–70

The battle has been described as "the bloodiest and most bitter battle of the entire Polish campaign". Winston Churchill called the battle an "ever-glorious struggle".