conflict 23rd infantry division 
Silesian German ( Silesian German : ' or ') or Lower Silesian is a nearly extinct German dialect spoken in Silesia . It is part of the East Central German language area with some West Slavic influences . Variations of the dialect until 1945 were spoken by about seven million people . After ___MASK79___ , local communist authorities forbade the use of the language , after the expulsion of the Germans the province of Silesia was incorporated into southwestern Poland , with small portions in northeastern Czech Republic and in eastern Germany , and Silesian German continued to be spoken only by individual families expelled to the remaining territory of Germany and in cultural gatherings mainly in West Germany . Most descendents of the Silesian Germans expelled to West and East Germany no longer learned the dialect , and the cultural gatherings were less and less frequented . Upper Silesia ( Silesian : " Grny lnsk " ; Silesian German : " Oberschläsing ") is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia . Since the 9th century , Upper Silesia has been part of ( chronologically ) Greater Moravia , the Duchy of Bohemia , the Piast Kingdom of Poland , again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire , as well as of the Habsburg Monarchy from 1526 . In 1742 the bulk of Upper Silesia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia , and in 1871 it became part of the German Empire . After the Second ___MASK25___ it became part of the Republic of Poland , in 1945 . The 23rd Upper Silesian Infantry Division ( Polish : 23 . Gornoslaska Dywizja Piechoty ) was a unit of the Polish Army in the interwar period ( 1921 - 1939 ) . Created in 1921 , its headquarters were stationed in Upper Silesian town of Tarnowskie Góry . Also , some other units were located in garrisons across the Polish part of Upper Silesia : in Katowice - 73rd Infantry Regiment , in Tarnowskie Gory - 11th Infantry Regiment , in Chorzów , Rybnik and Wielkie Hajduki - 75th Infantry Regiment , in ory and Bdzin - 23rd Light Artillery Regiment . In October 1938 the Division , under General Jan Jagmin - Sadowski , participated in the annexation of Zaolzie . A year later , in September 1939 , it took part in the Polish September Campaign . Commanded by Colonel Wladyslaw Powierza , it was part of Operational Group `` Silesia '' / `` Jagmin '' of the Army Kraków , under General Antoni Szylling . On September 1 and 2 , the unit defended the so - called Fortified Area of Silesia , then it was ordered to support the 55th I . D . , which was fighting around Wyry and Kobiór . After several skirmishes with German 28th I . D . , the Poles withdrew towards the Nida River . Between September 4 and 20 , the Division retreated eastwards , repelling German attacks and beating the enemy in Bigoraj . On September 19 , the Division joined units attacking Tomaszów Lubelski , but these efforts were fruitless . It fought until the capitulation of Army Kraków , September 20 .