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Once the Soviets had occupied Poland, the French and the British realized there was nothing they could do for Poland on short notice and plans for a long-term victory were devised instead. The French forces, that had advanced tentatively into the Saar region in early September, retreated behind the Maginot Line upon the Polish defeat on 4 October.
On the first day of fighting, the Polish first and second lines of defense were overpowered and on 5 July the Polish forces commenced a full and quick retreat along the entire front. The combat strength of the First Polish Army was reduced by 46% during the first week of fighting. The retreat soon turned into a chaotic and disorganized flight ...
The Soviet order of battle for the invasion of Poland in 1939 details the major combat units arrayed for the Soviet surprise attack on Poland on September 17, 1939. As a result of joining battle after the Germans had already launched their invasion, the Soviets, prepared for battle in secrecy, met comparatively limited resistance.
About 65,000 Polish troops were killed in the fighting (and roughly 3,000 prisoners of war were executed [123] [124]: 121 ), with 420,000 others being captured by the Germans and 240,000 more by the Soviets (for a total of 660,000 prisoners).
Polish defense of Sarny against the Soviets begins. [60] Presidential proclamation of Ignacy Mościcki in Kuty. [60] Rydz-Śmigły instructs Polish units in eastern Poland to avoid combat with the Red Army as far as possible and to withdraw towards the national frontiers with Romania and Hungary. [26]: 126f.
According to the Soviet law, all residents of the annexed area, dubbed by the Soviets as citizens of former Poland, [167] automatically acquired Soviet citizenship. However, actual conferral of citizenship still required the individual's consent and the residents were strongly pressured for such consent. [146]
The Polish military formations available in the eastern part of the country were ordered by the high command, who were then at the Romanian border, [18] to avoid engaging the Soviets, [35] but some fighting between Soviet and Polish units did take place (such as the Battle of Szack fought by the Border Protection Corps). [37]
The Soviets moved to safeguard their claims in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. [3] [4] During the Red Army's rapid advance, about 6,000–7,000 Polish soldiers died in the fighting, [5] Official Soviet estimate for the number of POWs taken during th campaign was 190,584 and is treated as reliable by some historians. [6]