Operational Group

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Operational Group (Polish: Grupa Operacyjna, abbreviated GO) was the highest level of tactical division of the Polish Army before and during World War II and the Polish Defensive War. It was corps-sized, although various Operational Groups varied in size.

They first appeared in Polish tactical scheme during the Polish-Bolshevik War, most probably under the influence of French Military Mission to Poland. After the war they were dissolved.

Prior to World War II, the operational groups were recreated. Initially, in March of 1939, they consisted only of staffs formed around existing corps commands. According to the Polish mobilization scheme, they were to become mobile reserves of the Polish armies and other major strategic-scale units.

All in all, until the final mobilization of late August of 1939, two types of operational groups were formed:

Independent Operational Groups

Independent Operational Group „Grodno” under gen. Józef Olszyna-Wilczyński
Independent Operational Group of Cavalry under gen. Władysław Anders
Independent Operational Group „Narew” under gen. Czesław Młot-Fijałkowski
Independent Operational Group „Polesie” under gen. Franciszek Kleeberg
Independent Operational Group „Wyszków” under gen. Wincenty Kowalski

Operational Groups as part of armies

Operational Group „Bielsko” under gen. Mieczysław Boruta-Spiechowicz (on September 3 renamed to Operational Group „Boruta”)
Operational Group „Czersk” under gen. Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki
Operational Group of Cavalry under Roman Abraham
Operational Group „Koło” under gen. Edmund Knoll-Kownacki (on September 6 renamed to Operational Group „Knoll-Kownacki”)
Operational Group „Piotrków” under gen. Wiktor Thommée (on September 6 renamed to Operational Group „Thommée”)
Southern Operational Group under gen. Stanisław Skwarczyński)
Northern Operational Group under gen. Jan Kruszewski
Operational Group „Sieradz” under gen. Franciszek Dindorf-Ankowicz
Operational Group „Śląsk” under gen. Jan Jagmin-Sadowski (on September 3 renamed to Operational Group „Jagmin”)
Eastern Operational Group under gen. Mikołaj Bołtuć (on September 9 renamed to Operational Group „Bołtuć”)

In addition, during the Polish Defensive War of 1939, several other corps-sized units were formed or improvised. All of them were named after their commanding officers: