1st Mountain Brigade was a unit of the Polish Army during the interbellum period, which took part in the Polish September Campaign. Commanded by Colonel Janusz Galadyk, it was part of Operational Group "Bielsko" of the Army Kraków. It consisted mostly of units of the Border Defence Corps (KOP), sent to southwestern Poland from Eastern Borderlands. Created on July 7, 1939, its task was to defend southern wing of the Army, in the section between Żywiec

Zywiec

Żywiec is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants . Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship....

 and Rabka.

On September 1, the Brigade was attacked by four German divisions - 2nd Panzer, 4th Light, 3rd Mountain and 7th I.D. In bitter fights around Wegierska Gorka

Wegierska Górka

Węgierska Górka is a village in Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Węgierska Górka. It lies approximately south-west of Żywiec and south of the regional capital Katowice...

, the Berezwecz Battalion of KOP was destroyed and the following night Colonel Galadyk ordered his men to leave the valley of the Sola

Sola

Sola is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren. The old municipality of Håland was divided into Sola and Madla in 1930....

 river, as the neighboring Polish 21. Mountain Infantry Division had also been destroyed and further defence of the area was impossible. During retreat towards Wadowice

Wadowice

Wadowice is a town in southern Poland, 50 km from Kraków with 19,200 inhabitants , situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Plateau...

, the Brigade fought several skirmishes with the advancing Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

. It was helped for a while by the 10th Cavalry Brigade under Colonel Stanisław Maczek, its task was to halt the Germans, who wanted to gain control over the Zakopane

Zakopane

Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...

 - Kraków

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

 road.

On September 4, German XXII Army Corps beat a Border Defence Corps Battalion in Mszana Dolna

Mszana Dolna

Mszana Dolna is a town in Limanowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 7,431 inhabitants . Historically it was part of Galicia.- External links :* http://www.mszana-dolna.pl...

, but on the same day, KOP soldiers from Wilejka managed to beat the Germans at Pcim

Pcim

Pcim is a village in Myślenice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Pcim. It lies approximately south of Myślenice and south of the regional capital Kraków...

. Withdrawing northwards, the Brigade was finally overcome in the area of Bochnia

Bochnia

Bochnia is a town of 30,000 inhabitants on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately in halfway [] between Tarnów and the regional capital Kraków . Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Europe, built circa 1248...

, and it ceased to exist