During the Polish–Soviet War fought from February 1919 to October 1920 (ended by armistice on March 1921) between Soviet Russia and the Second Polish Republic – in the aftermath of World War I in Europe – the Polish order of battle included broad disposition of personnel, strength, organization, and command structure.[1][2]
In late 1920, the Polish Army had a total of 23 infantry divisions and nine cavalry brigades.[3] Each infantry division had two brigades, each one having three regiments.[3] Frequently, the infantry divisions were divided for specific tasks, with the resulting brigade-sized formations being called 'groups'.[3] Larger ad hoc formations of more than a single division were called operational groups (Grupa operacyjna) rather than corps.[3]
List of divisions
The numbering of the large infantry units in August 1920 was then as follows: 1st-18th Infantry Divisions, 1st and 2nd Lithuanian–Belarusian Divisions, the (21st) Mountain Division, the (22nd) Volunteer Division.
Legions Infantry Divisions
| Formation name | Date created | Date ceased to exist | Notable battle(s) | Polish name | Notes | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Legions Infantry Division | 21 February 1919 | 23 September 1939 | Niemen River | 1 Dywizja Piechoty Legionów | Formed from the 1st Brigade, Polish Legions. | |
| 2nd Legions Infantry Division | 21 February 1919 | 29 September 1939 | Niemen River | 2 Dywizja Piechoty Legionów | ||
| 3rd Legions Infantry Division | 12 April 1919 | 8-9 September 1939 | Brzostowica, Niemen River | 3 Dywizja Piechoty Legionów |
Infantry Divisions
| Formation name | Date created | Date ceased to exist | Notable battle(s) | Polish name | Notes | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Infantry Division | 16 April 1919 | 21 September 1939 | 4 Dywizja Piechoty | Later renamed 26th Infantry Division. | ||
| 5th Infantry Division | 4 April 1919 | September 1939 | 5 Dywizja Piechoty | |||
| 6th Infantry Division | 9 May 1919 | 20 September 1939 | 6 Dywizja Piechoty | |||
| 7th Infantry Division | 14 May 1919 | September 1939 | 7 Dywizja Piechoty | |||
| 8th Infantry Division | 9 May 1919 | September 1939 | 8 Dywizja Piechoty | |||
| 9th Infantry Division | 12 June 1919 | September 1939 | 9 Dywizja Piechoty | |||
| 10th Infantry Division | 2 June 1919 | September 1939 | 10 Dywizja Piechoty | Formerly 4th Rifle Division (Poland) and the 2nd Brigade, Polish Legions. | ||
| 11th Infantry Division | 16 September 1919 | 18 September 1939 | 11 Karpacka Dywizja Piechoty | Formed from the 2nd Rifle Division. | ||
| 12th Infantry Division | 1 September 1919 | September 1939 | 12 Dywizja Piechoty | Formed from the 6th Rifle Division. | ||
| 13th Infantry Division | 9 September 1919 | 28 September 1939 | 13 Kresowa Dywizja Piechoty | Formed from the 1st Rifle Division. | ||
| 14th Infantry Division | 10 December 1919 | September 1939 | 14 Wielkopolska Dywizja Piechoty | Formed from the 1st Greater Poland Rifle Division, which was formed on 22 January 1919. | ||
| 15th Infantry Division | 17 January 1920 | September 1939 | 15 Wielkopolska Dywizja Piechoty | Formed from the 2nd Greater Poland Rifle Division, which was formed in March 1919. | ||
| 16th Infantry Division | 5 March 1920 | 19 September 1939 | 16 Pomorska Dywizja Piechoty | Formed from the 4th Pomeranian Rifle Division, formed on 30 July 1919. | ||
| 17th Infantry Division | 1 February 1920 | September 1939 | 17 Wielkopolska Dywizja Piechoty | Formed from the 3rd Greater Poland Rifle Division, formed on 6 June 1919. | ||
| 18th Infantry Division | 23 January 1920 | 13 September 1939 | 18 Dywizja Piechoty | Formed from Haller's Blue Army. |
Lithuanian–Belarusian, Mountain and Volunteer Divisions
| Formation name | Date created | Date ceased to exist | Notable battle(s) | Polish name | Notes | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (19th) 1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division | 26 November 1918 | 12 October 1921 | Głębokie, Niemen River, Krwawy Bór | 1 Dywizja Litewsko-Białoruska | The division was renamed the 19th Infantry Division on 12 October 1921. | |
| (20th) 2nd Lithuanian–Belarusian Division | 21 October 1919 | 12 October 1921 | Głębokie, Niemen River | 2 Dywizja Litewsko-Białoruska | The division was created from elements of the 1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division. On 12 October 1921, the division was renamed the 20th Infantry Division. | |
| (21st) Mountain Infantry Division | 9 February 1920 | 16 September 1939 | 21 Dywizja Piechoty Górskiej | |||
| (22nd) Volunteer Division | 22 July 1920 | November 1920 | Dywizja Ochotnicza |
Mounted Division
| Formation name | Date created | Date ceased to exist | Notable battle(s) | Polish name | Notes | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Mounted Division | mid-July 1920 | 1924 | 1 Dywizja Jazdy | The division was renamed the 1st Cavalry Division in 1924. |
Formations
The following units and named commanders fought in the Polish–Soviet War on the Polish side.
Scythemen (Kosynierzy), 1920
Command of Polish Regiment during Polish–Soviet war
- Polish Military Organisation
- Polish Armed Forces (1917–1918)
- Polish I Corps in Russia
- 5th Rifle Division (Poland) Polish 5th Siberian Rifle Division (Polish: 5. Dywizja Strzelców Polskich; also known as the Siberian Division or Siberian Brigade)
- 1st Siberian Infantry Regiment under Franciszek Dindorf-Ankowicz; later renamed 82nd Siberian Infantry Regiment (Polish: 82. Syberyjski pułk piechoty).
- 2nd Siberian Infantry Regiment under Józef Werobej.
- Individual Units/Regiments:
- Polish Air Force
- Polish Navy
- Lwów Eaglets
- Voluntary Legion of Women
- 14th Infantry Regiment (Poland) (formed mostly of the former 90th Regiment of the Austro-Hungarian Army. 5th Company commanded by Antoni Chruściel)
- 36th Infantry Regiment (Poland) aka Infantry Regiment of the Academic Legion
- 49th Hutsul Rifle Regiment formerly 15th Infantry Rifle Regiment of General Haller's Blue Army. In September 1919 it was renamed to 40th Kresy Infantry Rifle Regiment and changed March 1920 to 49th Hutsul Rifle Regiment
- Free Cossack Brigade formerly the Red Army 3rd Don Cossack Cavalry Brigade led by yesaul Vadim Yakovlev
Order of battle in August 1920
At the time of the Battle of Warsaw (1920), the Polish Army was organised in 3 Fronts and 7 Armies, in this manner:[4]
- Northern Front (General Józef Haller):
- 1st Army (Major general Franciszek Latinik)
- 8th Infantry Division (Brigadier general Stanisław Burhardt-Bukacki)
- 10th Infantry Division (Lieutenant general Lucjan Żeligowski)
- 11th Infantry Division (Colonel Bolesław Jaźwiński)
- 15th Infantry Division (Brigadier general Władysław Jung)
- 1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division (Lieutenant general Władysław Bejnar)
- 2nd Army (Major general Bolesław Roja)
- 2nd Legions Infantry Division (Colonel Michał Żymierski)
- 4th Infantry Division (Colonel Stanisław Kaliszek)
- 5th Army (Major general Władysław Sikorski)
- 9th Infantry Division (Colonel Aleksander Narbutt-Łuczyński)
- 17th Infantry Division (Lieutenant general Aleksander Osiński)
- 18th Infantry Division (Lieutenant general Franciszek Krajowski)
- (22nd) Volunteer Division (Lieutenant colonel Adam Koc)
- 1st Army (Major general Franciszek Latinik)
- Central Front (Marshal Józef Piłsudski):
- Strike Group (Major general Edward Rydz-Śmigły)
- 1st Legions Infantry Division (Brigadier general Stefan Dąb-Biernacki)
- 3rd Legions Infantry Division (Lieutenant general Leon Berbecki)
- 4th Mounted Brigade (Colonel Gustaw Orlicz-Dreszer)
- 3rd Army (Major general Zygmunt Zieliński)
- 6th Infantry Division (Lieutenant general Mieczysław Linde)
- 7th Infantry Division (Lieutenant general Karol Schubert)
- Don Cossack Brigade (Colonel Alexander Salnikov)
- 4th Army (Major general Leonard Skierski)
- 14th Infantry Division (Lieutenant general Daniel Konarzewski)
- 16th Infantry Division (Major general Kazimierz Ładoś)
- (21st) Mountain Infantry Division (Colonel Andrzej Galica)
- Strike Group (Major general Edward Rydz-Śmigły)
- Southern Front (Lieutenant general Wacław Iwaszkiewicz):
- 6th Army (Major general Władysław Jędrzejewski)
- 1st Mounted Division (Colonel Juliusz Rómmel)
- 13th Infantry Division (Lieutenant general Stanisław Haller)
- Ukrainian People's Army (Symon Petliura, General Mykhailo Omelianovych-Pavlenko)[5]
- 1st Zaporozhian Infantry Division (Colonel Andrii Hulyi-Hulenko)
- 2nd Volhynian Division (General Oleksandr Zahroskyi)
- 3rd Iron Infantry Division (Colonel Oleksandr Udovychenko)
- 4th Kyiv Infantry Division (General Yuriy Tyutyunnyk)
- 5th Kherson Infantry Division (Colonel Andriy Dolud)
- 6th Sich Rifle Infantry Division (Colonel Marko Bezruchko)
- 1st Cavalry Division (General Ivan Omelianovych-Pavlenko)
- 6th Army (Major general Władysław Jędrzejewski)
Notes
- ↑ Gdański, Jarosław (2017). "Cossacks, Russians, and Ukrainians on the Polish side in the War of the 1920" [Kozacy, Rosjanie i Ukraińcy po stronie polskiej w wojnie 1920 r.]. Magazyn IOH. Inne Oblicza Historii.
- 1 2 Kołodziej, Piotr (2017). "Death Squadron of the Polish–Bolshevik War of 1920" [Huzarzy Śmierci w wojnie polsko-bolszewickiej 1920 r.]. Dzieje.pl. Muzeum Historii Polski.
- 1 2 3 4 Zaloga 2020, p. 30.
- ↑ Zaloga 2020, p. 33.
- ↑ Zaloga 2020, p. 35.
Bibliography
- Zaloga, Steven J. (2020). Cowper, Marcus (ed.). Warsaw 1920: The War for the Eastern Borderlands. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781472837295.
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