Charge at Krojanty

The charge at Krojanty, battle at Krojanty,the riding of Krojanty or skirmish of Krojanty was a cavalry charge that occurred during the Invasion of Poland in the Second World War. It took place on the evening of September 1, 1939, near the Pomeranian village of Krojanty. Polish soldiers advanced east along the former Prussian Eastern Railway to railroad crossroads 7 kilometres from the town of Chojnice (Konitz) where elements of the Polish cavalry charged and dispersed a German infantry battalion. Machine gun fire from German armoured cars that appeared from a nearby forest forced the Poles to retreat. However, the attack successfully delayed the German advance, allowing the Polish 1st Rifle battalion and Czersk Operational Group to withdraw safely.

Happening on the first day of the war, it was one of its first clashes, and part of the larger Battle of Tuchola Forest. The incident became notable as reporters visiting the site soon after saw the dead bodies of horses and cavalrymen which led to false reports of Polish cavalry attacking German tanks. Nazi propaganda took advantage of this, suggesting that the Poles attacked intentionally, believing that the Germans still had the dummy tanks the Versailles treaty restrictions had permitted them. The scene of Polish cavalry charging the Panzers with their lances has become a modern-day myth.

Krojanty

Krojanty [krɔˈjantɨ] (Kashubian: Krojantë, German: Krojanten) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Chojnice, within Chojnice County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies near the Tuchola Forest, approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) north-east of Chojnice and 97 km (60 mi) south-west of the regional capital Gdańsk. The village has a population of 461.

On 1 September 1939, it was the site of the Skirmish of Krojanty which became a propaganda myth of Polish cavalry attacking German tanks.

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Coordinates: 53°43′32″N 17°37′55″E / 53.72556°N 17.63194°E / 53.72556; 17.63194

Krojanty railway station

Krojanty is a PKP railway station in Krojanty (Pomeranian Voivodeship), Poland.

Lines crossing the station

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