Kowalski then withdrew with his forces to the area between Wyszków and Kamieńczyk, and organized a successful defence of the line there. After repelling a German assault on Brańszczyk, his forces started to slowly move southwards while performing delaying actions and keeping the combat readiness almost intact. After the German forces seized the town of Kałuszyn thus cutting out Kowalski's men from the safe passage towards the Romanian Bridgehead, on 13 September the division broke through enemy lines and retook the city in what became known as the battle of Kałuszyn. Despite heavy losses on the Polish side, Wincenty Kowalski managed to yet again rally a large part of his forces and continued his move towards Włodawa, Lublin and Lwów. Near Chełm, on September 18 and 19th Kowalski's division (then reduced to merely a regiment after two weeks of constant fights against numerically and technically superior enemy) was reorganized and reinforced with an improvised detachment under Stanisław Tatar. From there the division proceeded towards Tomaszów Lubelski. After a successful break through German panzers on 21 September and the German 8th Infantry Division in the battle of Falków the following day, the division arrived to the battlefield of the Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski. Outnumbered, lacking artillery, supplies, food and reduced to not more than a regiment, the division's assault on Tarnawatka was stopped on 23 September and wounded General Kowalski was taken prisoner of war by the Germans.