Order of battle of the Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy explained

The following is the order of battle of the Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy, an integral part of the Polish Navy in the period between the world wars.

Staff and the headquarters

Initially subordinate to the Referee of the Riverine Fleet in the Ministry of Military Affairs in Warsaw, in 1932 it was separated as a semi-independent branch of the navy based in Pińsk. In 1939 the commander of the Riverine Flotilla was Cmdr. Witold Zajączkowski and his chief of staff was Cmdr. Władysław Szczekowski. Other members of the staff were:

Deputy commanding officer Cmdr. Henryk Eibel
Artillery officer Cmdr. Włodzimierz Kleszczyński
Technical officer Cmdr. Wacław Trzebiński
Signals officer Cmdr. Bronisław Witkowski
Intelligence officer Cmdr. Narcyz Małuszyński
Head surgeon Cmdr. Władysław Kozłowski
Chaplain Maj. rev. Henryk Antonowicz
Flags officer Cmdr. Janusz Marciniewski

Riverine Flotilla

Staff vessels

ORP Admirał Sierpinek command vessel (armed paddle steamer)
S 1 liaison motorboat
S 2 liaison motorboat
Nr. 5 speed-boat

Combat groups

1st Combat Group

ORP Kraków river monitor (Capt. Jerzy Wojciechowski)
ORP Wilno river monitor (Capt. Edmund Jodkowski)
ORP Zuchwała gunboat
ORP Zaradna gunboat
KU 16 (KU being an acronym of Kuter Uzbrojony, that is armed cutter in Polish; similar in shape and armament to later PT boats and PBRs)
KU 17 armed cutter
KU 18 armed cutter
KU 19 armed cutter
KU 21 armed cutter
K 20 barrack ship (krypa in Polish terminology)
ORP Generał Sikorski anti-air defence armed paddle steamer (Capt. Władysław Fidosz - name uncertain)
Nr. 1 speed-boat

2nd Combat Group

ORP Warszawa river monitor (Capt. Jan May)
ORP Horodyszcze river monitor (Capt. Andrzej Marzecki)
KU 22 armed cutter
KU 24 armed cutter
KU 25 armed cutter
KU 26 armed cutter
K 8 barrack ship
ORP Hetman Chodkiewicz anti-air defence armed paddle steamer (Capt. Edward Kulesza)
Nr. 2 speed-boat

3rd Combat Group

ORP Pińsk river monitor (Capt. Jan Kierkus)
ORP Toruń river monitor (Capt. Bolesław Parydzaj)
KU 7 armed cutter (reconnaissance)
KU 23 armed cutter (service)
KU 27 armed cutter
KU 28 armed cutter
KU 29 armed cutter
K 10 barrack ship
ORP Generał Szeptycki minelayer (armed paddle steamer)
Nr. 3 speed-boat

Support units

Mine and gas warfare detachment

ORP Mątwa minelayer, capable of gas warfare and supporting a troop of engineers
T 1, T 2 and T 3 T 5 class river minesweepers
T 4, T 5, T 6 and T 7 T 1 class river minesweepers

Liaison unit

KM 14 liaison cutter
KM 15 liaison cutter
K 2 floating signals base (radio station)
P 3 motorboat
Two platoons of signal troops and recce squads

Base

KU 1 armed cutter
KU 2 armed cutter
KU 3 armed cutter
ORP Neptun tugboat
ORP Generał Sosnkowski hospital ship
K 12 floating munitions depot
K 13 floating munitions depot
K 14 floating fuel depot
K 15 floating fuel depot
K 25 floating fuel depot
K 17 canteen
K 19 floating service and repair vessel
K 7 frogmen support vessel
K 9 floating barracks
K 30 floating barracks

Riverine Air Escadrille

K 4 barrack vessel
P 4 motorboat
Nr. 7 speed-boat
Three R-17W seaplanes (mobilized separately)

Pińsk naval base

ORP Kiliński tugboat
P 1 motorboat
P 2 motorboat
Fifteen service vessels of various types
AA platoon
Signals platoon
Administrative service platoon

War-time reorganization

On September 15, 1939, the Riverine Flotilla received orders from the commanding officer of the Independent Operational Group Polesie, Gen. Franciszek Kleeberg. Because of a possible breakthrough of the German forces in the northern sector of the front, the orders for the Flotilla were to prepare a defence of a 200 kilometres long front along the Prypeć river. The forces were to be divided into 8 semi-independent task forces, each defending a separate part of the river. However, a particularly dry and sunny summer resulted in shallow waters preventing many ships from reaching their area of operations. In addition, the Soviet invasion of September 17, 1939, made the plans obsolete.

Janów Group

2 × armed cutters
naval infantry platoon
1 × Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun

Kaczanowicze Group

ORP Kraków river monitor
ORP Zuchwała gunboat
2 × armed cutters

Horodyszcze Group

ORP Wilno monitor
ORP Zawzięta gunboat
ORP Zaradna gunboat
2 × minesweepers
rifle company

Lemieszewicze Group

K 2 signals boat
2 × liaison cutters (?)
2 × liaison platoons

Mosty Wolańskie Group

ORP Horodyszcze monitor
ORP Warszawa monitor
ORP Generał Sikorski AA ship
ORP Hetman Chodkiewicz AA ship
ORP Generał Sosnkowski hospital ship
2 × armed cutters

Przewóz Łachewski Group

ORP Pińsk monitor
ORP Toruń monitor
6 × armed cutters

Nyrcza Group

ORP Mątwa
2 × minesweepers

Sytnica Group

ORP Admirał Siercinek HQ ship