Key Facts
- Dates
- 18–20 June 1940
- Polish force strength
- 10,508 soldiers and officers
- Duration
- 3 days
- Key location
- Near French-Swiss border, Charmauvillers area
- Commemoration
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 18 June, Polish units engaged advancing German forces, who captured Maiche with two reinforced infantry battalions supported by artillery. Polish officers debated evacuation to Switzerland or retreat southward. Overnight, units repositioned along a new frontline. On 19 June, German forces seized Damprichard and Saint-Hippolyte before pushing toward Trevillers. Polish casualties mounted, and French allies withdrew in disarray, leaving the Poles without support.
01 / The Origins
During the broader German invasion of France in June 1940, the Polish 2nd Rifle Division—one of several Polish units fighting in France after the fall of Poland in 1939—was assigned to defend the Clos du Doubs region near the French-Swiss border. Their task was to block all roads leading to Switzerland, preventing a German breakthrough into neutral Swiss territory as Wehrmacht forces advanced rapidly through France.
03 / The Outcome
Faced with heavy losses and the collapse of French resistance, the Polish 2nd Rifle Division crossed into Switzerland on the night of 19–20 June 1940, where they were interned. In December 1942, Swiss Army headquarters under General Henri Guisan incorporated the Polish division into Swiss defensive planning against a potential German invasion, reflecting continued military value attributed to the interned force.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Bronislaw Prugar-Ketling, Aleksander Gembal, Stanislaw Bien.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.