Page 317 - Il Mediterraneo quale elemento del Potere Marittimo - Atti 16-18 settembre 1996

COMBAT ACTIONS OF THE POLISH NAVY VESSELS IN
THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA DURING THE SECOND WORLD W AR

)6ZEF W~ DYSKANT

The Polish Navy (PMW) was formeci with the re-birth of the state after 123
years of partitions, which took piace in November 1918. The Navy- formed ac-
corciing to Decree N° 155 issueci by the State's Leacier)ozefPilsuciski- was forceci
to cievelop without access to sea. lts first port, therefore, was Mocilin - a river
port situateci at the junction of'the Vistula anci the Bugo-Narew. Consequendy, its
first vessels were inland vessels armeci with fielci artillery anci machine weapons.
The maritime gateway of the Republic ofPolanci acquireci uncier the Versailles was
a 140 km strip of coast situateci near Gciansk and on Hel peninsula but without
the town ofGdansk, which the victorious Entente converteci into a FreeTown (Freie
Stacit). The coastal area was taken over by Polish authorities as late as February
1920. Therefore, the cievelopment of the Polish Navy was characterized by tremen-
dous ciifficulties causeci by the absence of shipbuilciing and military industry, naval
bases, and low budget investments resulting from a poor condition of'Polanci's eco-
nomy devastateci both ciuring the perioci of partitions and that of the First Worlci
War. In spite of that, within the 20-year perioci b~tween the two wars, Poland suc-
ceecieci in builciing a mociern port in Gdynia (formerly a fishing village), and through
procurement anci by constructing ships in domestic shipyards (then in the phase
of development), Poland managed to form a small - in terms of numerica! strength
- but well-trained navy. In the year 1939, Poland's Navy consisted of the two ope-
rational formations:
- · The Fleet baseci in two Baltic sea-ports i.e. Gdynia-Oksywie anci Hel;
The River Flotilla based a t Pinsk (in the region of Polesie) and designateci
far combat actions within the river Prypeé anci its tributaries (protection
of the State's eastern border).
The Fleet commanded by Rear-Admiral J6zef Unrug inclucied the following
assets: 4 ciestroyers, 5 submarines, l torpedo-boat, 2 gunboats, l minelayer, 6 mi-
nesweepers, and 2 training vessels (total displacement 16 625 standard tons) and
15 auxiliary vessels (total. ciisplacement 19 939 standarci tons). During combat at
sea, the above vessels were to be supporteci by 19 hydroplanes (older generation),.
3 aircraft, 12 coastal artillery pieces (152-75 mm) anci 14 anti-aircraft coastal artil-
lery guns (75 mm). The above forces (excluding the destroyers and the submarines
designateci for high-sea combat) plus ground formations were to defend the areas
pf Gciynia and Hel (the latter termed as the Fortified Area of Hel) and were