Poland, September 1939 - Translation work!

[Mansal D]

Hello Feldgrau members,

Can anyone help me with the following texts? Thank you all in advance! (From Drescher "Warschau und Modlin")

1. Verteidigungsvorbereitungen Pg.225 – 226

Nachdem der Befehlshaber der Verteidigung Warschaus, General Czuma, die Bürger der Hauptstadt am 7.September aufgerufen hatte, ihrer gewohnten Arbeit wieder nachzugehen und ihm damit bei der Verteidigung zu helfen, wandte er sich am 8.September mit einem Tagesbefehl an die Soldaten der Besatzung Warschaus. Auch dieser Befehl, der noch am gleichen Tage vor der Truppe verlesen wurde, liess die unbedingte Entschlossenheit zur Verteidigung Warschaus erkennen, da er unmissverständlich mit den Worten schloss:

“Soldaten! Wir haben eine Stellung bezogen, aus der e skein Zurück mehr gibt. Der Feind kann jetzt nur eine Antwort bekommen: ‘Genug! Keinen Schritt Weiter!’ Und wir haben nur eine Meldung zu machen: “Der Befehl des Obersten Führers wird ausgeführt.”

Befehle von General Rommel ergingen an diesem Tage jedoch noch nicht, weil er, in der Frühe des 8.September nach Warschau gekommen, erst gegen mittag den Oberbefehl über die Verteidigung Warschaus und Modlins ubernahm und die Vorbereitungen zur Verteidigung der Stadt vor einem evtl. deutschen Panzerangriff bereits von General Czuma eingeleitet waren.

2.Verteidigungsabschnitte und Verteidigungskraefte Pg.226 – 228
Befehlshaber des Verteidigungsabschnitte Warschaus-West war am 8.September Oberst Janowski (Vgl. Anmerkung (105) auf S.394).

Eine in seinem Befehlsbereich von General Czuma und Oberst i.G. Porwit in den fruehen Vormittagstunden des 8.September begonnene Inspektion der vordersten Verteidigungsstellungen ergab, dass seine Vorbereitungen in zufriedenstellender Weise getroffen worden waren. Die Panzerabwehrgeschuetze waren, wenn hier und da auch einige geringfuegige Aenderungen vorgenommen warden mussten, vortrefflich getarnt, die in die Stadt einmuendenden Strassen mit Truppen gut besetzt und der Raum zwischen ihnen mit Feldwachen gesichert.

In der – wie sich spaeter zeigen sollte – durchaus begruendeten Annahme, dass die auf Warschau angesetzten deutschen Panzereinheiten aus suedwestlicher bzw.westlicher Richtung kommen und hierbei die nach Warschau fuehrenden grossen Chauseen, die Krakauer bzw.die Posener Chausee, benutzen wuerden, waren die Verteidigungstellungen insbesondere an den von diesen Chaussen nach Warschau hineinfuehrenden Strassen, der Grojecka – bzw. Wolska-strasse, angelegt worden. Als besonders gefaehrdet galten dabei die westlichen Vororte Ochota und Wola, ebenso aber auch der im Sueden gelegene Stadtteil Mokotow.

Die Verteidigung der westlichen Stadtbezirke Wola und Ochota hatte das Verteidigungskommando Warschau vornehmlich folgenden, auch von Panzerabwehreinheiten und Panzern unterstuetzten Infanterie- und Artillerieregimentern uebetragen:

- I can read the units...

Im einzelnen waren die Verteidigungsabschnitte vor Beginn des deutschen Panzerangriffe wie folgt gegliedert und besetzt:

[Howard]

Hi Mansal,

here's the first half, will try to do the rest later.


After the Commander of the defence of Warsaw, General Czuma, had called on the capital's citizens on 7 September to return to their usual work and in this way help him with the defence, on 8 September he turned to the soldiers of the Warsaw garrison with an order of the day. This order too, which was read out to the troops on the same day, made clear the absolute resolve to defend Warsaw, as it finished with the unambiguous words:

"Soldiers! We have occupied a position, from which there is no retreat. The enemy can now only get one answer: "Enough! Not a step further!" And we have only one report to make: "The orders of the Supreme Commander will be carried out."

On this day no orders from General Rommel had yet been issued because, having arrived in Warsaw in the early hours of 8 September, only took over the supreme command of the defence of Warsaw and Modlin around midday and the preparations to defend the city against a possible German panzer attack had already been started by General Czuma.

[Mansal D]

Brilliant, thanks! I look forward to the rest.

Best regards, Mansal

[Richard Hargreaves]

Drescher, Warschau und Modlin is a very useful volume indeed - hundreds of pages of top Polenfeldzug documents and first-hand accounts.

If we all translate a line at a time, maybe we can help Mansal out.

Im einzelnen waren die Verteidigungsabschnitte vor Beginn des deutschen Panzerangriffe wie folgt gegliedert und besetzt:

As for the specific details, the defensive sectors were split up and occupied as follows before the German panzer attack began:

dict.cc, a copy of First Class Übersetzer (cheap and surprisingly good, though not infallible, especially with numerous subordinate clauses... and the Germans just love numerous subordinate clauses...) and a good grasp of a foreign language are your friends (although I did translate the above without recourse to any computerised assistance)... and if they fail you, there's always the help of the Feldgrau community.

[Howard]

Hi Mansal,

here goes with part 2.

With Richard's help, I think you've got it all

Defence sectors and defending forces pp.226 - 228 Commander of the Warsaw-West defence sector on 8 September was Colonel Janowski (cf. note (105) on p.394).

An inspection of the forward most defence positions in his sector begun by General Czuma and Colonel of the General Staff Porwit in the early morning of 8 September revealed that preparations had been carried out most satisfactorily. The anti-tank guns were, even if here and there a few minor changes had to be made, excellently camouflaged, the streets leading into the city well occupied by troops and the space between the pickets secured.

In the - as it would later prove - well-founded assumption that the German armoured units would approach Warsaw from a south-westerly or westerly direction and thus use the major avenues leading to the city, aleja Krakowska and aleja Poznanska, defence positions were sited in particular along the roads, ulica Grojecka and ulica Wolska, which lead from these avenues into Warsaw. The western suburbs of Ochota and Wola were in especial danger, as was also the southern district of Mokotow.

The Defence Command of Warsaw had entrusted the defence of the southern districts of the city, Wola and Ochota, to the following infantry and artillery regiments in particular, supported by anti-tank units and tanks:

[Mansal D]

Thanks again Howard and Richard!

[Mansal D]

Nach dem Kriegstagebuch der 4.PzDiv Pg.241-242 (excerpts)
1712 Uhr: eher war es leider nicht moeglich, da auch der Grund bei Raszyn neue Verzoegerung brachte, ergingen Funkbefehle an alle zum Antreten. Sofort setzte sich rechte Einmarschgruppe in Bewegung, an allen Fahrzeugen waren ploetzlich Hakenkreuzfahnen erschienen “um sich gegenseitig in Warschau zu erkennen.”

Den Marsch begleitete weit vorn der Div.Kdr. unmittelbar hinter ihm der Kommandierende General. Schon sah sich alles stolz und siegesbewusst im Inneren von Warschau, als voellig unerwartet an den Stadtraendern bei und westlich des Flugplatzes von Mokotow und aus den Gaerten im Suedteil von Ochota starkes M.G. – und (242) Infanteriefeuer den Truppen entgegenschlug. Ausserdem stiessen die vordersten Panzer auf der Grojecka strasse auf eine stark verteidigte Barrikade aus Strassenbahnwagen, Sandsaecken usw.

….

1744 Uhr: erging durch Funk der Befehl zum Einstellen des Vorgehens. Wie sich nachtraeglich herausstellte, hatte linke Gef.Gruppe den Stadtrand zu dieser Zeit noch garnicht erreicht.

Wer die Schuld dafuer traegt, dass nicht nur die Division um 2010 Uhr ein besonders anerkennendes Glueckwunschtelegramm “zur Eroberung von Warschau” vom Armeebefehlshaber erhielt, sondern dass sogar noch frueher der deutsche Rundfunk meldete, dass 1715 eine deutsche Panzer-Div. Warschau erobert habe, ist nicht geklaert. Die Division hat, so gern sie es getan haette, eine derartige Meldung nicht weitergegeben.

[Howard]

This should help a bit

From 4.PzDiv war diary Pg.241-242 (excerpts)

17.12: unfortunately it was not possible earlier, since the ground around Raszyn brought new delays, radio orders went out to everyone to assemble. Immediately ofort setzte sich rechte Einmarschgruppe in Bewegung, swastika flags suddenly appeared on all vehicles "so that everyone would recognise one other in Warsaw."

The Divisional commander was at the head and right behind him the commanding general. Everything already looked proud and confident of victory inside Warsaw, when totally unexpectedly on the edges of the town near and west of the Mokotow airfield and from the gardens in the southern district of Ochota heavy machine gun and infantry fire engulfed the troops. Then the leading tanks on ulica Grojecka hit a strongly defended barricade made of tram cars, sandbags etc.

17.44: the order to stop the operations was radioed. As was learned later, the lefthand combat group had at this time not yet reached the edge of the city.

It is not clear who was responsible for the Division receiving a particualry fulsome congratulatory telegram from the Army Commander at 20.10 "for conquering Warsaw" nor for German radio announcing even earlier that at 17.15 a German Panzer division had captured Warsaw. The Division had not forwarded such a message, much as it would have liked to.

[Howard]

Hi mansal,

thought i'd post the next part here in case anyone wants to see

Inspection of the Wola and Ochota positions Pg.229

In the afternoon of 8 September - units of the German 4.Pz.Div had by this time already destroyed 5 tanks from a tank company sent out from Warsaw on reconnaisance in Raszyn and Pruszkow and taken Okecie-Wlochy between 14.00 and 15.00 - General Czuma and Colonel Porwit inspected the defensive positions in Wola and Ochota.

Aleja Poznanska, which opens into ulica Wolska was, as ita ppeared, choked by the stream of refugees flooding into Warsaw from the West and the rearguards of the Lodz Army retreating to the capital by an unbreaking succession of civilian vehicles and columns of baggage

When the two officers had nevertheless made their way to the district of Blonie, they were informed that German tanks, now only about 1.5 km from Blonie, were on their way to Warsaw.

Returning to Wola, General Czuma then ordered immediate combat readiness and the forwarding of the report he had received at Blonie to Defence Command in Warsaw.

Then the positions in Ochota were closely inspected and above all the forward barricades in ulica Grojecka. The stream of refugees was not so strong on aleja Krakowska as on aleja Poznanska.

Here too most were civilian vehicles, including many haycarts laden with grain from this year's harvest.

[Richard Hargreaves]

Make sure he gives you co-authorship at this rate, Howard.

[Mansal D]

Make sure he gives you co-authorship at this rate, Howard.

I always hear about how boring translation is. I hope he enjoys it, but he is a huge help whatever the case!

[Richard Hargreaves]

It's tedious work if it's convoluted stuff, but there are Eureka moments when you find a nugget or crack a tough sentence.

A typical cycle for me is to gather material/research/translate for 18 months, a couple of months of note making and then about a year of actual writing. Only around half way through the first part of cycle right now.

[Howard]

Interesting thought there Richard

I actually find translation quite relaxing but perhaps that indicates that I'm nuts

[Mansal D]

I think here on Feldgrau we're all a bit nuts so you fit right in.

[Howard]

You said it