# Battle of the Bzura (1939)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1939-battle-of-the-bzura
Location: Bzura River
Categories: battle

The largest battle of the September Campaign saw Polish armies counter-attack west of Warsaw before being encircled and defeated. Within the broader Second Republic period: The Second Polish Republic built a state from three former partitions, weathered political crises and the May Coup, and developed its economy and culture before being threatened by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. At this point in the timeline (1939), the governing authority was Ignacy Mościcki (President of Poland). Chemist and inventor elected with Piłsudski's backing; interned in Romania in 1939 he transferred office to Raczkiewicz. Battle of the Bzura mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Battle of the Bzura mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed.

Ruler at the time: [Władysław Raczkiewicz](https://poland-history.com/rulers/wladyslaw-raczkiewicz)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Battle of the Bzura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bzura)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Battle of the Bzura](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Battle+of+the+Bzura)
- [Wikipedia — Second Polish Republic (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Polish_Republic)