Defense of Hel, September 1, 1939: September 1-2, 1939

September 1, 1939

At 4:48, the Germans begin shelling Westerplatte from the battleship Schleswig-Holstein. At the same time, they attacked the Polish post office in Gdansk. The first arrests of civilians are also beginning. Until six o'clock, 20 Heinkel 111 aircraft attacked the naval aviation squadron base in Puck. The commander, Lieutenant Commander Edward Szystowski (the first Polish naval officer to die during World War II) and three other soldiers were mortally wounded. Planes and supply depots were not affected. In addition, during the raid, the port was destroyed and the target ship ORP lzak was attacked (aircraft attacks on this ship probably saved the squadron's aircraft from destruction). After the end of the attack, Lieutenant Commander Kazimierz Shalevich orders the evacuation of the detachment's aircraft and equipment to the Hel Peninsula by rail and the motor ship ORP Pomorzanin. At about six o'clock, German seaplanes attacked the mobilized passenger ship Jadwiga in the waters of the Gulf of Gdansk, and then made a reconnaissance flight over the port in Gdynia. On the way back, one of the cars fired at the tugboat "Zheglarts". At about 5 a.m., the submarines were ordered to enter the designated sectors.
The Polish ships remaining in the port were ordered to enter the harbor raid. Anti-aircraft artillery shoots down one German plane. The next target of the German air attack will be Hell Point, but the raid proved fruitless. The vessels headed to the port of Hel, which was to become the base of the operation. At about 18:00, the group was attacked by 33 Ju-87 aircraft from the 1st Luftwaffe Training Aviation Regiment. The commander of the ORP Vulture, Lieutenant Commander Stefan Kwiatkowski, was killed by shrapnel. His deputy, Navy Captain Viktor Lomidze, orders 300 (according to other sources, 290) unarmed naval mines lying on board to be thrown, fearing an explosion. This also makes it impossible to perform the "Tube" operation. After being towed to the military port in Hel, the armament is removed, and the crew is transferred to the anti-amphibious company. The Polish Post Office in Gdansk is due at 19:00. German ships are occupying a position blocking the Polish coast.
September 2, 1939
The ORP Wicher guarded the ships conducting Operation Rourke all night, as it had not received an order to suspend operations. Some sources say that he met enemy ships, including the cruiser Lepzig, but Commander Stefan de Walden decided not to attack in connection with the operation. At 5 a.m., he is ordered to enter the port, put out the boilers and unload the weapons. The vessel is supposed to be used as an anchor battery. At 13:00, German planes attack the gunboats, but change their target, attacking the unarmed ships Gdansk and Gdansk. Spiele im Zotabet online casino und gewinne.