Zakroczym massacre

1939 murder of Polish soldiers by Nazi German troops

52°26′16″N 20°36′43″E / 52.437778°N 20.611944°E / 52.437778; 20.611944DateSeptember 28, 1939 (1939-09-28)

Attack type

War crime, massacreDeathsaround 600VictimsPolish soldiers and civiliansPerpetratorsPanzer Division Kempf

The Massacre in Zakroczym, Poland, took place on 28 September 1939 when, in spite of a cease-fire, soldiers of Panzerdivision Kempf stormed Polish positions at Zakroczym, where soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division were getting ready to surrender. Hundreds of Polish soldiers were murdered.^[1]^[2]^[3] The rest were beaten and abused. Many civilians were killed or wounded. German troops broke into houses, robbed them, set them on fire, and tossed hand grenades into the basements filled with scared civilians. Kazimierz Szczerbatko estimated, based on the testimony of the eyewitnesses, that the Germans killed around 500 soldiers and 100 civilians.

The massacre may have been revenge for the Battle of Mława, in which the Germans suffered 1,800 killed, 3,000 wounded and 1,000 missing. Additionally, Panzer Division Kempf lost 72 tanks despite using Polish civilians as human shields, forcing them to be chased in front of their tanks.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Kazimierz Szczerbatko: Zakroczym. Zakroczym: Urząd Gminy w Zakroczymiu, 1999. ISBN 83-912469-0-6.
^ Kazimierz Szczerbatko: Za życie oddane w ofierze. Zakroczym: Urząd Gminy w Zakroczymiu, 2002. ISBN 83-912469-5-7.
^ Szymon Datner: Zbrodnie Wehrmachtu na jeńcach wojennych w II wojnie światowej. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo MON, 1961.