Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade
Encyclopedia
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
Samodzielna Brygada Strzelców Karpackich, SBSK) was a Polish military unit formed in 1940 in French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
composed of the Polish soldiers exiled after the Invasion of Poland
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...
in 1939 as part of the Polish Army in France. It was commanded by General Stanisław Kopański.
The division fought with distinction in the North African theatre of World War II, notably during the Siege of Tobruk
Siege of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 240 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War...
. In 1942 it formed the backbone of the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division.
History
In December 1939 Polish commander-in-chief Gen. Władysław Sikorski decided that a Polish unit in the French territory of LevantLevant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
be created. On 12 April 1940 the brigade was officially formed in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, with Col Kopański as its commander. The main base of the brigade was established in Homs
Homs
Homs , previously known as Emesa , is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is above sea level and is located north of Damascus...
and the new unit instantly entered the ranks of the French Armée du Levant
Army of the Levant
The Army of the Levant identifies the armed forces of France and then Vichy France which occupied, and were in part recruited from, a portion of the "Levant" during the interwar period and early World War II.-Origins:...
. As a unit specializing in mountain warfare, the brigade was thought of as a Polish addition to Allied plans for landings in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. It was modelled after the standard French mountain infantry brigade, with two infantry regiments (of two battalions each), artillery regiment, reconnaissance regiment (mounted and motorized), signals, engineers and a staff. Although new recruits arrived on a daily basis (mostly evacuated from Poland through Romania, Hungary, Greece and Yugoslavia), the brigade did not reach the planned numbers of 208 officers and 6840 soldiers and NCO's.
After its capitulation and the annulment of all France's pacts with Poland
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...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the commander of the Armée du Levant General Eugène Mittelhauser decided to support the new Vichy government
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
of Philippe Pétain
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
while the Poles were ordered by Sikorski to leave French territory. On 30 June 1940 the brigade defected to British controlled Palestine, where it joined the British forces stationed there. Initially composed of 319 officers and 3,437 soldiers, it was soon reinforced to roughly 5,000 men. Among the distinctive features of the unit was a high morale of the soldiers, all of whom were volunteers. In addition, roughly 25% were well educated, a thing uncommon in European armies of the time.
Based in Latrun
Latrun
Latrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley in Israel overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
, the brigade was equipped with British weapons, reinforced and trained. In October 1940 it was moved to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, where it undertook garrison duties. Among other tasks it guarded Prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
s and prepared the fortification of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. However, as Poland was still formally at peace with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, it could not have been sent to the front. On 12 January 1941 the reorganization along the British regulations ended and the unit was renamed to Polish Independent Brigade Group. It was modelled after a British motorized infantry brigade and was then moved to the port of Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, from where it was to be transported to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. However, before the first of the detachments had been embarked on the ships, the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
ended as the Germans overran that country.
On 30 April 1941, during the offensive of Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
's Afrika Korps
Afrika Korps
The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
, the brigade was moved near to the front at the fort of Mersa Matruh, where it spent the next 10 weeks strengthening defensive positions. It was then withdrawn to the El Amiriya camp near Alexandria, and on 18 August 1941 the first convoy of the brigade's units left for besieged Tobruk
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
. Transported in seven convoys, between 21 August and 28 August the brigade took over the westernmost perimeter of the allied defences and took part in what became known as the Siege of Tobruk
Siege of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 240 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War...
. Overnight on 9 December, during Eighth Army's Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader was a military operation by the British Eighth Army between 18 November–30 December 1941. The operation successfully relieved the 1941 Siege of Tobruk....
which was to raise the siege, the Polish brigade seized the strategically important Madauar Hill, town of Acroma
Acroma
Acroma is an alternative rock band formed in Salt Lake City, Utah. The band consists of Jeremy Stanley , Brian Christensen , Tom Collins , and Joshua Zirbel . The band released a three-song demo and was signed by Universal Records in 2002...
and broke through to the British 8th Army, thus ending the siege. Due to their impact on the battle, the Polish soldiers were awarded with a prestigious title of the Tobruk Rats by their Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n comrades in arms.
On 13 December the Carpathian Uhlan Regiment was detached while the remainder of the brigade was attached to the XIII Corps
XIII Corps (United Kingdom)
XIII Corps was a British infantry corps during World War I and World War II.-World War I:XIII Corps was formed in France on 15 November 1915 under Lieutenant-General Walter Congreve to be part of Fourth Army. It was first seriously engaged during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. On the First day on...
of the Eighth Army and took part in the attack on the Axis Gazala defensive line on 15 December. Rommel made a fighting withdrawal to defensive positions around El Agheila
El Agheila
El Agheila is a coastal city at the bottom of the Gulf of Sidra in far western Cyrenaica, Libya. In 1988 it was placed in Ajdabiya District; between 1995 and 2001 the district name is not known; however, it was again placed into Ajdabiya District in 2001...
but a counterattack by him on 21 January 1942 led to the armies once more facing each other at the Gazala position by early February. On 17 March 1942 the brigade was withdrawn from the front to the El Amiriya camp and then back to Palestine. There it was joined by the Polish forces of General Władysław Anders evacuated from the USSR and was reformed into the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division. The brigade officially ceased to exist on 3 May 1942.
Throughout its existence it lost 156 killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
(including 127 in the Siege of Tobruk), 15 missing in action and 467 wounded.
1941-1942
The intended number of men at arms was 348 officers and 5326 soldiers and NCOs. However, the brigade did not reach it prior to being sent into battle. Each infantry battalionBattalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
was composed of four rifle companies, each in turn composed of three rifle platoons and staff company (signals, AA, mortars, engineers and recce). The artillery initially composed of a mixture of French equipment and British Ordnance QF 18 pounder
Ordnance QF 18 pounder
The Ordnance QF 18 pounder, or simply 18-pounder Gun, was the standard British Army field gun of the World War I era. It formed the backbone of the Royal Field Artillery during the war, and was produced in large numbers. It was also used by British and Commonwealth Forces in all the main theatres,...
guns. By June 1941 all pieces of artillery were replaced with Ordnance QF 25 pounder
Ordnance QF 25 pounder
The Ordnance QF 25 pounder, or more simply, 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was introduced into service just before World War II, during which it served as the major British field gun/howitzer. It was considered by many to be the best field artillery piece of the war, combining high rates of fire with a...
. Despite the uniformity in equipping the artillery sub-units, they received the traditional Polish names of "Light Artillery", "Heavy Artillery" and "Mounted Artillery". Around that time also the anti-tank battalion was created, with four batteries, each consisting of four pieces of artillery.
- HQ (Gen. Stanisław Kopański)
- Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Jerzy Zaremba, later Maj. Henryk Piątkowski
- commanding officer of infantry Col. Walenty Peszek
- quartermaster, military post office, military police, topography, services
- 1st Battalion of Carpathian Rifles (Lt.Col. Stanisław Kopeć)
- 2nd Battalion of Carpathian Rifles (Maj. Antoni Michalik, then Maj. Jerzy Brzósko)
- 3rd Battalion of Carpathian Rifles (Lt.Col. Józef Sokol)
- Carpathian Artillery Regiment (Lt.Col. Stanisław Gliwicz)
- 1st Light Artillery Battalion (Maj. Juliusz Możdżeń)
- 2nd Heavy Artillery Battalion (Maj. Franciszek Kikal)
- 3rd Mounted Artillery Battalion (Lt.Col. Emil Sikorski)
- Carpathian Anti-tank Artillery Battalion (Lt.Col. Antoni Cieszkowski)
- Carpathian Uhlans Regiment (Maj. Władysław Bobiński)
- Services:
- sappers, signals