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Scisca said:

What Polish occupation of Czechoslovakia? No such thing has ever happened, you really are making up stuff and should stop doing it.

I thought we have been through this? Oh, well... not to provoke discussion, just stating facts for those, who're interested, not you specifically.

 


Operation "Zaolzie" (occupation of Teschen Silesia by Polish forces, Zaolzie is the Polish historical name of Eastern part of Teschen Silesia) in October-November 1938 in a few photos.

I’m using toponyms common in English consistently here, omitting diacritics. BTW do not be confused by German helmets on some Polish soldiers, certain Polish troops have used today’s stereotypical Nazi Stahlhelm’s instead of their common Adrian helmet.

 

Photose are compiled in sections that represent one specific location.

Teschen (October 1938), border town, Western, Czech, part of which known as Cesky Tesin (Czech Teschen) while Eastern, Polish, part is just Cieszyn.

1. Polish 7TPs, or Polish 7-ton, (Polish variant of Vickers 6-ton) from 3rd armored battalion (could be distinguished by European bison insigina on the turret, not seen on this photo) of Polish Army enters Cesky Tesin.

2. “Witajcie! Od dzis wiecznie razem!” (Welcome! Since today we’re together forever!), same place.

3. Polish trops replacing the name on railroad station from Cesky Tesin (Czech Teschen) to Cieszyn Zachodni (Western Teschen).

 

Komorni Lhotka (October 1938), a village in the same region just a bit westward from Teschen.

4. Polish troops near Komorni Lhotka’s “postovni urad” (post office), holding Czechoslovak coat of arms just replaced by Polish one.

Karvina (October 1938), border town, North from Teschen.

5. Polish troops enter the town of Karvina, under the newly erected sign of Polska Karwina (Polish Karvina). By the way this is one of main industrial centers of the Teschen Silesia, the main zone of conflict of Polish-Czechoslovak war in 1919-20 and many border conflcits since.

Bohumin (October 1938), moving northwards along Czech-Polish border, yet another border town.

6. Polish soldiers at Czechoslovak-German border post (Germany was bigger at the time, today it’s Czech-Polish border) near Palackeho bridge.

7. Polish and German soldier on raliroad bridge, same place.

Jorgov (November 1938), a village in modern-day Slovakia. Orava and Spis, two more regions that were in the center of Polish-Czechoslovak war.

8. Polish tankettes TK-3 in Jorgov during annexation of Spis.

9. Same troops in Spis, Jorgov. After occupation of Poland by German and Soviet troops these territories have been returned to Slovakia. But after the end of WW2 Orava and Spic again were occupied by Polish troops with many ethnic Germans eventually cleansed out of the territory, in 1958 these regions have been returned to Czechoslovakia once again.

 

Unknown location (October-November 1938)

10. Polish 10th mounted rifles regiment of 10th mechanized brigade is preparing to parade at the celebration of successfully finishing "Zaolzie" operation.

 

Unknown location (Spring 1939)

11. Hungarian and Polish soldiers welcome each other in occupied Czechoslovakia. After occupation of Czechoslovakia Slovakia has declared its independence (not without help of Germany). After that Hungary received carte-blanche to occupy Carpathian Ruthenia, which decalred its independence too just a day before. Khust (currently Ukraine) has been captured by 24th Hungarian border guard battalion and 12th mechanized battalion of Hungarian army in a mere days.

 

Warsaw (November 1938)

12. Polish Marshal Edward Rydz-Smigly welcomes German attache, generalmajor Bogislav von Studnitz (he was half-Polish iirc, ironically has been involved in the occupation of Poland), at the parade on the Independence Day in Warsaw, November 11th 1938, a month after successfully occupying Czechoslovakia. The parade featured the line of Teschen Poles marching on the streets.

 

 

 

Bigger fish ate smaller fish.