Battle of Wizna

E524229

The Battle of Wizna was a 1939 World War II engagement in northeastern Poland, often dubbed the "Polish Thermopylae" for the vastly outnumbered Polish defenders’ stubborn resistance against advancing German forces.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Battle of Wizna canonical 2
Schlacht bei Wizna 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf battle ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Polish Thermopylae ⓘ
attackingForce German Army ⓘ
casualties heavy Polish casualties ⓘ
significant German casualties relative to expectations ⓘ
commanderOfAttackers Heinz Guderian ⓘ
commanderOfDefenders Brykalski ⓘ
Władysław Raginis ⓘ
commemoratedBy annual ceremonies in Poland ⓘ
monuments near Wizna ⓘ
conflict World War II ⓘ
country Poland ⓘ
defendingForce Polish Army ⓘ
endDate 1939-09-10 ⓘ
followedBy German advance toward Brest and further east ⓘ
fortifications Wizna fortified line ⓘ
bunkers and field fortifications ⓘ
front Eastern Front of World War II (1939 campaign) ⓘ
hasHeroicFigure Władysław Raginis ⓘ
hasParticipant 10th Panzer Division (Germany) ⓘ
3rd Army (Germany) ⓘ
linked to: German 3rd Army

Polish 18th Infantry Division elements ⓘ
inPopularCulture referenced in songs and literature about Polish resistance ⓘ
legacy subject of Polish national remembrance ⓘ
symbol of Polish resistance ⓘ
location Wizna ⓘ
northeastern Poland ⓘ
memorialType war memorial ⓘ
nicknameOrigin compared to Battle of Thermopylae ⓘ
notableFor disproportionate forces ⓘ
heroic last stand ⓘ
stubborn Polish resistance ⓘ
partOf Invasion of Poland ⓘ
precededBy initial German invasion of Poland on 1939-09-01 ⓘ
primaryObjectiveOfAttackers break Polish defensive line near Wizna ⓘ
primaryObjectiveOfDefenders delay German advance ⓘ
RaginisFate committed suicide rather than surrender his position ⓘ
result German victory ⓘ
startDate 1939-09-07 ⓘ
strategicEffect temporary delay of German advance ⓘ
strengthOfAttackers heavy artillery units ⓘ
over 40,000 soldiers ⓘ
several hundred tanks ⓘ
strengthOfDefenders approximately 700 soldiers ⓘ
tacticalOutcome Polish defensive line overrun ⓘ
theater European theatre of World War II ⓘ
year 1939 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Überfall auf Polen → hasPart → Schlacht bei Wizna ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Wizna