Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division
Encyclopedia
Polish
1st Legions Infantry Division (1. Dywizja Piechoty Legionów) was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed on February 20, 1919, partially of veterans of the I Brigade of the Polish Legions
, the unit saw extensive action during the Polish-Bolshevik War and World War II
.
As one of the most experienced and best equipped Polish divisions, it fought in many of the most notable battles of the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1919 and 1920. Among them was the operation of liberation of Wilno and Battle of Dyneburg in Latvia
(as part of Rydz-Śmigły's 3rd Army and under his personal command, although the actual commanding officer was Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski). During the Kiev Offensive
of spring of 1920, the division formed the core of Rydz-Śmigły Operational Group
and took part in the battles of Zhytomir (April 25) and capturing the city of Kiev
itself (May 7).
After the Polish withdrawal, the unit took part in heavy retreat battles and shielded the retreat of the rest of the Polish forces. After several battles against the 1st Cavalry Army
, the division broke off and reached the area of the Wieprz River, from where it started the counter-offensive during the Battle of Warsaw
. On the second day of the Polish offensive, on August 16, the division managed to outflank the Bolshevik Mozyr Group by a forcible march of over 56 kilometres. After that the division, then commanded by Stefan Dąb-Biernacki
, was attached to the 2nd Army and took part in the second biggest battle of the war, the Battle of the Niemen River
. During the battle, the unit formed core of the Wilno Group and took part in a successful outflanking manoeuvre of the Bolshevik forces centered around the city of Grodno.
After that the division was moved to the rear and took part in shielding the border with Lithuania
during Lucjan Żeligowski
's forming of the Central Lithuanian Republic. After the war, the division was partially demobilized and stationed in Wilno as an en cadre
division core.
Before the outbreak of World War II
, the division was partially mobilized in March 1939. As a part of the Wyszków
Operational Group
it was to shield the northern approaches of Warsaw
from the German assault from East Prussia
. After the outbreak of the Polish Defensive War
, the division became fully mobilized and on September 4, 1939, it made contact with enemy troops in forests around Długosiodło. On September 7 it took part in heavy fights in the area of Pułtusk, but was outnumbered 3:1 and ordered to retreat southwards in order to defend the Bug River
river line between Kamieńczyk
and Wyszków
. Reinforced with 98th Heavy Artillery Detachment and 61st Light Artillery Detachment, the division successfully repelled a German assault near Brańszczyk, after which it started to perform delaying actions on her route towards Kałuszyn. On September 11 it turned out that the town was seized by German units and it had to be retaken by force during heavy night city fights.
From there, general Wincenty Kowalski
planned a counter-assault of his division. In what became known as the Battle of Kałuszyn, on September 13, the division started an all-out assault on German positions in villages nearby. After heavy fights the division broke through the third line of German defences in the villages of Lipiny, Debowiec, Wola Wodyńska and Oleśnica. It finally broke through the German lines at Jagodno, but also suffered heavy losses and lost most of its artillery and tabor
s. Dispersed units crossed the German lines and joined several different Polish units, some of them formed ad hoc. The biggest group was rallied by the division commander, but was composed of only three infantry companies out of initial three regiments. Through the forests near Radzyń Podlaski
the unit, only nominally a division, broke through to the units of Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki
and on September 22 took part in the successful Battle of Falków against the forces of the German 8th Infantry Division. However, shortly afterwards the division ceased to exist.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
1st Legions Infantry Division (1. Dywizja Piechoty Legionów) was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed on February 20, 1919, partially of veterans of the I Brigade of the Polish Legions
Polish Legions in World War I
Polish Legions was the name of Polish armed forces created in August 1914 in Galicia. Thanks to the efforts of KSSN and the Polish members of the Austrian parliament, the unit became an independent formation of the Austro-Hungarian Army...
, the unit saw extensive action during the Polish-Bolshevik War and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
As one of the most experienced and best equipped Polish divisions, it fought in many of the most notable battles of the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1919 and 1920. Among them was the operation of liberation of Wilno and Battle of Dyneburg in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
(as part of Rydz-Śmigły's 3rd Army and under his personal command, although the actual commanding officer was Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski). During the Kiev Offensive
Kiev Offensive
The 1920 Kiev Offensive , sometimes considered to have started the Soviet-Polish War, was an attempt by the newly re-emerged Poland, led by Józef Piłsudski, to seize central and eastern Ukraine, torn in the warring among various factions, both domestic and foreign, from Soviet control.The stated...
of spring of 1920, the division formed the core of Rydz-Śmigły Operational Group
Operational Group
Operational Group was the highest level of tactical division of the Polish Army before and during World War II and the Invasion of Poland. It was corps-sized, although various Operational Groups varied in size....
and took part in the battles of Zhytomir (April 25) and capturing the city of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
itself (May 7).
After the Polish withdrawal, the unit took part in heavy retreat battles and shielded the retreat of the rest of the Polish forces. After several battles against the 1st Cavalry Army
1st Cavalry Army
The 1st Cavalry Army was the most famous Red Army сavalry formation. It was also known as Budyonny's Cavalry Army or simply as Konarmia ....
, the division broke off and reached the area of the Wieprz River, from where it started the counter-offensive during the Battle of Warsaw
Battle of Warsaw (1920)
The Battle of Warsaw sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, was the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War. That war began soon after the end of World War I in 1918 and lasted until the Treaty of Riga resulted in the end of the hostilities between Poland and Russia in 1921.The...
. On the second day of the Polish offensive, on August 16, the division managed to outflank the Bolshevik Mozyr Group by a forcible march of over 56 kilometres. After that the division, then commanded by Stefan Dąb-Biernacki
Stefan Dab-Biernacki
Stefan Dąb-Biernacki was a Polish general.Members of the Polish Legions in World War I, fought in the Polish-Soviet War commanding regiments and later 1DPLeg...
, was attached to the 2nd Army and took part in the second biggest battle of the war, the Battle of the Niemen River
Battle of the Niemen River
The Battle of the Niemen River was the second-greatest battle of the Polish-Soviet War. It took place near the middle Neman River between the cities of Suwałki, Grodno and Białystok...
. During the battle, the unit formed core of the Wilno Group and took part in a successful outflanking manoeuvre of the Bolshevik forces centered around the city of Grodno.
After that the division was moved to the rear and took part in shielding the border with Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
during Lucjan Żeligowski
Lucjan Zeligowski
Lucjan Żeligowski , was a Polish general, and veteran of World War I, the Polish-Soviet War and World War II. He is mostly remembered for his role in Żeligowski's Mutiny and as head of a short-lived Republic of Central Lithuania.-Biography:...
's forming of the Central Lithuanian Republic. After the war, the division was partially demobilized and stationed in Wilno as an en cadre
En cadre
En cadre or cadre is a French expression originally denoting either the complement of commissioned officers of a regiment or the permanent skeleton establishment of a unit, around which the unit could be built if needed...
division core.
Before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the division was partially mobilized in March 1939. As a part of the Wyszków
Wyszków
Wyszków is a town in northeastern Poland with 26,500 inhabitants . It is the capital of Wyszków County . Wyszków is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Warsaw Voivodeship and Ostrołęka Voivodeship .-Description:The village of Wyszków was first documented in 1203. The town...
Operational Group
Operational Group
Operational Group was the highest level of tactical division of the Polish Army before and during World War II and the Invasion of Poland. It was corps-sized, although various Operational Groups varied in size....
it was to shield the northern approaches of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
from the German assault from East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. After the outbreak of the Polish Defensive War
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
, the division became fully mobilized and on September 4, 1939, it made contact with enemy troops in forests around Długosiodło. On September 7 it took part in heavy fights in the area of Pułtusk, but was outnumbered 3:1 and ordered to retreat southwards in order to defend the Bug River
Bug River
The Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
river line between Kamieńczyk
Kamienczyk
Kamieńczyk may refer to the following places in Poland:*Kamieńczyk, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Kamieńczyk, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship *Kamieńczyk, Sokołów County in Masovian Voivodeship...
and Wyszków
Wyszków
Wyszków is a town in northeastern Poland with 26,500 inhabitants . It is the capital of Wyszków County . Wyszków is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Warsaw Voivodeship and Ostrołęka Voivodeship .-Description:The village of Wyszków was first documented in 1203. The town...
. Reinforced with 98th Heavy Artillery Detachment and 61st Light Artillery Detachment, the division successfully repelled a German assault near Brańszczyk, after which it started to perform delaying actions on her route towards Kałuszyn. On September 11 it turned out that the town was seized by German units and it had to be retaken by force during heavy night city fights.
From there, general Wincenty Kowalski
Wincenty Kowalski
Wincenty Kowalski was a Polish military commander and a general of the Polish Army. A veteran of both the World War I and World War II, he fought in all the inter-war conflicts of Poland...
planned a counter-assault of his division. In what became known as the Battle of Kałuszyn, on September 13, the division started an all-out assault on German positions in villages nearby. After heavy fights the division broke through the third line of German defences in the villages of Lipiny, Debowiec, Wola Wodyńska and Oleśnica. It finally broke through the German lines at Jagodno, but also suffered heavy losses and lost most of its artillery and tabor
Wagon fort
A Laager, also known as a wagon fort, is a mobile fortification made of wagons arranged into a rectangle, a circle or other shape and possibly joined with each other, an improvised military camp....
s. Dispersed units crossed the German lines and joined several different Polish units, some of them formed ad hoc. The biggest group was rallied by the division commander, but was composed of only three infantry companies out of initial three regiments. Through the forests near Radzyń Podlaski
Radzyn Podlaski
Radzyń Podlaski is a town in eastern Poland, about 60 km north of Lublin, with 16,140 inhabitants . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Biała Podlaska Voivodeship . It is the capital of Radzyń Podlaski County.The town was founded in 1468. The most important landmark is the...
the unit, only nominally a division, broke through to the units of Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki
Stefan Dab-Biernacki
Stefan Dąb-Biernacki was a Polish general.Members of the Polish Legions in World War I, fought in the Polish-Soviet War commanding regiments and later 1DPLeg...
and on September 22 took part in the successful Battle of Falków against the forces of the German 8th Infantry Division. However, shortly afterwards the division ceased to exist.
OOB
- Polish 1st Legions Infantry Regiment - Col. Kazimierz Burczak
- Polish 5th Legions Infantry Regiment - Lt.Col. Kazimierz Bąbiński
- Polish 6th Legions Infantry Regiment - Col. Stanisław Engel
- Polish 1st Legions Light Artillery Regiment - Lt. Col. Mieczysław Podlewski
- 1st Heavy Artillery Detachment - Maj. Władysław Świderski
- 1st Battalion of Engineers - Capt. Tadeusz Wejtko
- 1st Motorized AA Battery - 1st Lieut. Stefan Osostowicz
- Telephone company - Capt. Mika (?)
- Organic cavalry squadron - Maj. Bronisław Kulik
- 31st company of taczanka HMGHMGHMG may refer to:* Heavy machine gun* Her Majesty's Government is the formal title for the British Government. If a the monarch is a king, the title changes to "His Majesty's Government"...
- 1st Lieut. Stanisław Kasprzyk - 31st Bicycle company - 1st Lieut. Jerzy Niemcewicz
- tabors and services