The German Road to Białystok
On the morning of 1 September 1939, German forces commenced their attack on Poland, thus heralding the start of the Second World War. In the case of Białystok, the first few days passed off with relative calm. Luftwaffe bombings were limited to several sites of militarily significance, such as railway stations. At the same time there was also an intensification in the movement of Polish troops, although as of yet, the Wehrmacht’s (Heer) ground forces posed no direct threat to the city. The situation changed only in the second week of September, when German units began advancing ever closer to Białystok. The original plan to treat it as an open city was modified, with the decision made to resist the advancing Germans. The Polish defenders—mainly soldiers of the marching battalion of the 42nd Infantry Regiment—were under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Zygmunt Szafranowski, the head of the Białystok Military Draft District Command and at that time the highest-ranking officer who remained in the city. On 15 September, after several hours of fighting—primarily in the district of Wysoki Stoczek—Polish forces were forced to retreat eastwards, and the German occupation of Białystok began.
Except the Germans had not planned to come here…
However, the occupation of the city by the Wehrmacht stood in contradiction to the terms of the Ribbentrop–Molotov Pact. According to the provisions contained within the secret annexation, the city was meant to fall into the hands of the Soviets. However, following two weeks of fighting, the Red Army had still to commence its offensive, and German troops advancing deep into the territories of the Polish Republic could ill afford to halt their advance along the demarcation line established in August. By doing so, they would have given Polish forces time to withdraw, regroup, and ultimately to possibly launch a counteroffensive. Therefore, Białystok— as was the case with many other localities— was first occupied by the Germans despite officially finding itself inside the Soviet zone.
A single cry raced along the border,
September Ballad, Jacek Kaczmarski
And before it fell silent, the cannons boomed.
At hurricane speed,
The Red Army marched into battle.
Well, what is this new history?
Asked Europe, dumbfounded,
How can this be? It’s Molotov’s boys,
And Ribbentrop’s allies.
(…)
History will not forget those days,
When the old land froze in shock and dread.
And posterity will celebrate,
After the First, then Seventeenth.
Yes, and posterity will celebrate,
After the First — the Seventeenth
A Knife in the Back
On the morning of 17 September, the Soviet Union joined the aggression against Poland, with six hundred thousand Red Army soldiers crossing the eastern border of the Republic, shattering the last Polish hopes of preserving their freedom. Soviet forces pushed westwards, moving ever nearer to their German allies. Meanwhile, in the Kremlin fears arose as to whether Berlin would be so willing to pull out of territories that, under prior agreement, were meant to be taken over by the Soviets. One such “problematic” territory was apparently Białystok. The Germans, however, were fully aware that they held only temporary rule over the city. They called for the maintenance of normal “everyday functioning”, the efficient operation of council offices and shops. This did not in any way however, discourage them from the destruction and looting of Jewish businesses in Białystok, carrying out the torture and execution of Jewish residents— among the victims, a young local scout, Wacław Siedlecki. German rule lasted for barely a week, as on 22 September the city was to be officially handed over to the Soviets. But before such a transfer could take place…
In the humble abode of the Hetman
On 20 September Soviet commanders arrived in Białystok; the forces of whom, were at that time, laying siege to Grodno. In the capital of the pre-war Białystok Voivodeship, they were awaited by the city’s temporary overlords — Wehrmacht officers. Both sides proceeded to meet up at the most characteristic landmark in Białystok, Branicki Palace, which until 1939 served as the seat of the Voivodeship council office. During the talks, the two sides hammered out the principles that would govern the Wehrmacht’s withdrawal from the city, signalling the entry of the Red Army. It was decided that the official handover of Białystok would take place two days later. Occasionally one can come across accounts which suggest that discussions were centred not merely on Białystok, but other areas occupied by the Wehrmacht that had been earmarked for Soviet control.
The Final Act… for Now
On 22 September, a formal, solemn atmosphere hung over the whole of Białystok. Unfortunately, this time the Polish flag would not fly over the city, as it had for the past twenty years. Instead, in front of the Branicki Palace an official change of occupier took place: German and Soviet allies listened while their national anthems played, after which the flag of the Third Reich was lowered and the red banner of the Soviet Union hoisted in its place. Contrary to popular claims, no joint parade took place in Białystok like the one held, for instance, in Brest. There was only the sight of German units departing the city, riding down Lipowa Street, followed by Soviet troops who entered it— a sequence of events that might well have given the impression of a ceremonial march. This was how Białystok fell under Soviet control, a situation that remained until 27 June 1941, with the city once more being seized by the Germans