October 6, 1939

Battle of Kock (1939)

Kleeberg's Independent Operational Group Polesie surrenders after Kock

Kleeberg's troops forced part of a German motorized division to retreat on 5 October — and surrendered the next morning because the ammunition, food and medical supplies were gone.

The surrender at the Jabłonowski Palace

The fighting around Kock ran 2–5 October 1939; 6 October is the date of the negotiated capitulation, which is a separate marker. General Franciszek Kleeberg formally surrendered the Independent Operational Group Polesie to German General Gustav von Wietersheim at the Jabłonowski Palace in Kock.

Polish and German representatives had negotiated terms and a ceasefire overnight. The laying down of arms began at about 10:00 a.m.

Roughly 17,000 Polish troops entered German captivity, including 1,255 officers and four generals.

Not defeated in the field

SGO Polesie was a composite force of regulars, reservists, volunteers, sailors and other regrouped units, facing the German XIV Motorized Corps with its 13th and 29th Motorized Infantry Divisions.

It had not been tactically annihilated. On 5 October it forced elements of the 13th Motorized Division to retreat; what ended the fight was exhausted ammunition, food and medical supplies with no prospect of relief.

Kleeberg concluded further bloodshed would be pointless and took personal responsibility in his final order.

The underground had already started

The surrender ended regular Polish Army operations in the 1939 defensive campaign — conventionally called the September Campaign, despite this October date.

It did not mark the beginning of underground resistance. The Service for Poland's Victory had been founded in besieged Warsaw on 27 September, while Kleeberg's force was still fighting.

Poland's internationally recognized government and armed forces continued abroad, so the capitulation did not legally end the Polish state or its part in the war.

Sources

Researched 24 Aug 2026 7 sources not yet audited

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What the sources leave uncertain

The battle proper is generally dated October 2–5. October 6 is the date of the negotiated surrender and laying down of arms, so saying simply that the 'battle ended' on October 6 obscures that distinction.
Descriptions such as 'the last battle' refer to the last major engagement by a regular Polish field formation; they should not be read as meaning that all armed Polish resistance everywhere ceased.