Page 318 - Il Mediterraneo quale elemento del Potere Marittimo - Atti 16-18 settembre 1996

304 J6ZEF W. DYSKJ\NT

categorized as Maritime Defence of the Coast (MOW) and Land Defence of the
Coast (LOW). Land Defence of the Coast included 2 maritime battalions of rifle-
men, 4 battalions of the Maritime Brigate of National Defence, and a Border Guard
sub-unit - altogether · 130 officers and 3 500 men. In subordinated structures,
Commander-in-Chief, Fleet had a transit-depot located in Gdansk in the district
of Westerplatte.
In turn, the River Flotilla (commanded by Captain Zajaczkowski) consisted
of 6 monitors, 3 river-gunboats, 24 armoured craft, l minelayer, 7 minesweepers
(total displacement 1585 standard tons) and S 3 to 55 auxiliary vessels (total di-
splacement 1900 standard tons). However, the formation possessed neither orga-
nic aviation nor riversid~ artillery; and, its anti-aircraft artillery consisted of.two
40 mm 8 km guns.
The commanding body of the Polish Navy was the N a val Board (Rear-Admiral
Jerzy Swirski was Chief of the Board), which was headquartered in W arsa w. The
structures subordinated to the Naval Board were also.the Naval College, Bydgoszcz,
the Main Depot of the Navy in Modlin, and the New Vessels Building Supervisory
Committee (Le Havre, France). In the spring of 1939, total number of the Navy's
personnel ammounted to 537 officers and 6184 NCO's and ratings.
It is that small navy about which the British historian Brian Tunstall wrote
..... Among all Alli ed Fleets, none of them acted in more difficult operational condi-
tions than the Polish Navy" ... and which, from the very beginning of the war, was
forced co conduce combat within two closed seas - that is the Baltic and che Medi-
terranean Sea - and the Atlantic Ocean, and which cook part in nearly all naval
operations of the Second World War (except those in che Pacific). Moreover, the
Polish Navy crossed the equator twice, which can be considered a major event in
its history.
In September 1939, we fought a defensive war against the German agressor.
The German Navy Task Force .. OsT·· consisting of 57 combat vessels (including
2 training battleships) and lO auxiliary vessels- ali sent to fight against Poland's
Navy- had a threefold superiority in the number of vessels and fivefold superiori-
ty in terms of tonnage; and, it should be noted that three of Poland·s most valuable
destroyers had left for British ports just before the outbreak of the war (the "Pe-
king" project). The Germans' superiority was enhanced by absolute domination
of the Luftwaffe in the air, which made it impossible for our ships to conduce of-
fensive combat and which caused considerable losses. Therefore, with an overwhel-
ming superiority of both the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine- the latter also set
up a block~de in the Danish Straits - one can consider a real tactical or even ope-
rational success the fact that 5 Polish submarines had been protected from destruc-
tion. 3 of them managed to getto Swedish ports where they were interned. However,
the submarines Wilk and O~el- the latter famous for her daring escape from the
tra p in the port of T alli n (Estonia) - managed to reach British ports despite a Ger-
man blockade of the Danish Straits.