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Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy order of battle

The following is the order of battle of the Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy, an integral part of the Polish Navy in the period between the world wars.

Staff and the headquarters

Initially subordinate to the Referee of the Riverine Fleet in the Ministry of Military Affairs in Warsaw, in 1932 it was separated as a semi-independent branch of the navy based in Pińsk. In 1939 the commander of the Riverine Flotilla was Cmdr. Witold Zajączkowski and his chief of staff was Cmdr. Władysław Szczekowski. Other members of the staff were:

Riverine Flotilla

Staff vessels

Combat groups

1st Combat Group

2nd Combat Group

3rd Combat Group

Support units

Mine and gas warfare detachment

Liaison unit

  • KM 14 liaison cutter
  • KM 15 liaison cutter
  • K 2 floating signals base (radio station)
  • P 3 motorboat
  • Two platoons of signal troops and recce squads

Base

  • KU 1 armed cutter
  • KU 2 armed cutter
  • KU 3 armed cutter
  • ORP Neptun tugboat
  • ORP Generał Sosnkowski hospital ship
  • K 12 floating munitions depot
  • K 13 floating munitions depot
  • K 14 floating fuel depot
  • K 15 floating fuel depot
  • K 25 floating fuel depot
  • K 17 canteen
  • K 19 floating service and repair vessel
  • K 7 frogmen support vessel
  • K 9 floating barracks
  • K 30 floating barracks

Riverine Air Escadrille

  • K 4 barrack vessel
  • P 4 motorboat
  • Nr. 7 speed-boat
  • Three R-17W seaplanes (mobilized separately)

Pińsk naval base

  • ORP Kiliński tugboat
  • P 1 motorboat
  • P 2 motorboat
  • Fifteen service vessels of various types
  • AA platoon
  • Signals platoon
  • Administrative service platoon

War-time reorganization

On September 15, 1939, the Riverine Flotilla received orders from the commanding officer of the Independent Operational Group Polesie, Gen. Franciszek Kleeberg. Because of a possible breakthrough of the German forces in the northern sector of the front, the orders for the Flotilla were to prepare a defence of a 200 kilometres long front along the Prypeć river. The forces were to be divided into 8 semi-independent task forces, each defending a separate part of the river. However, a particularly dry and sunny summer resulted in shallow waters preventing many ships from reaching their area of operations. In addition, the Soviet invasion of September 17, 1939, made the plans obsolete.

Janów Group

Kaczanowicze Group

Horodyszcze Group

Lemieszewicze Group

  • K 2 signals boat
  • 2 × liaison cutters (?)
  • 2 × liaison platoons

Mosty Wolańskie Group

Przewóz Łachewski Group

Nyrcza Group

Sytnica Group

See also