A colleague invited me last year to watch a WW II Battle of Bzura reconstruction. I’ve heard of such events but never imagined how this goes. The Battle of Bzura, fought between September 9 and September 19, 1939, was a significant early battle of World War II and the largest battle in the September Campaign during the German invasion of Poland. It took place along the Bzura River in Poland.

The event took place in Poland in a small city on the outskirts of Warsaw.  The whole event lasted for a couple of hours. The battle reconstruction itself for one hour. The entire time a narrator described what was going on the battlefield. You could have seen civilians fleeing the city, a fight between two enemy aircraft, followed by the cavalry and infantry attack on a village where the enemy forces took shelter in. The strike ended with a defeat.

The Battle of Bzura began as a Polish counter-offensive led by Generals Tadeusz Kutrzeba and Władysław Bortnowski. They aimed to strike a blow against the German Army Group South, which was advancing eastward after the invasion of Poland had begun on September 1, 1939. The Polish forces sought to exploit the thinning German lines and initially achieved some success, pushing the Germans back and causing considerable confusion in their ranks.

However, the Polish forces were operating in a difficult strategic situation, as they were outflanked by German forces from the north and south. The battle’s initial success was short-lived, as German reinforcements arrived and the Luftwaffe gained air superiority. This turned the tide against the Polish forces, who then found themselves encircled and under heavy attack.

Despite fierce resistance and heavy casualties on both sides, the Polish forces eventually had to retreat due to the overwhelming German numerical and technological superiority. The Battle of Bzura ended with a German victory, and its outcome played a crucial role in the defeat of Poland. The battle had significant consequences, as it resulted in substantial losses for the Polish Army and marked a critical point in the early stages of World War II.

The reconstrution was a tremendous spectacle with original uniforms, machinery, guns, pyrotechnics. At a closer look, it was, however, showing the cruelty of war. The participants were reconstruction societies from Poland, Germany, and Lithuania.