List of Polish divisions in World War I
Appearance
The following is a list of Polish brigade and division-sized military units during World War I and the subsequent Russian Civil War. See also list of military divisions. Official names are given in parentheses.
Formed in Russia during World War I | Green |
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Formed in France during World War I (the Blue Army of Gen. Haller) | Blue |
1st Polish Rifle Division (1 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 1re Division Polonaise) Later 13th Infantry Division (Poland) | |
Polish 2nd Rifle Division (2 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 2éme Division Polonaise) | |
Polish 3rd Rifle Division (3 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 3éme Division Polonaise) | |
Polish 4th Polish Rifle Division (4. Dywizja Strzelców Polskich)Later part of Haller's Blue army as 4th Division-renamed 10th Infantry Division (Poland) Col. Franciszek Zieliński | |
Polish 5th Polish Rifle Division (5. Dywizja Strzelców Polskich)Later part of Haller's Blue army as 5th Division-renamed Polish 30th Infantry Division generals Piotr Szymanowski, Adam Sławoczyński, Tadeusz Bylewski | |
6th Polish Rifle Division (6 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 3éme Division Polonaise) | |
7th Polish Rifle Division (7 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 7éme Division Polonaise) | |
Polish Instructive Division (Dywizja Instrukcyjna) |
Formed in Russia during the Russian Civil War
[edit]Formation name | Date formed | Date formation ceased to exist | Unit's insignia | Locations served | Notable campaigns | Notes | Source(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Polish Legion in Finland | 24 April 1917 | 1 March 1918 | Finland | n/a | |||
I Polish Corps in Russia | 24 July 1917 | 21 May 1918 | modern-day Belarus | German anti-Bolshevik campaign in spring 1918 | On May 21, 1918, the Corps' commander Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki after acknowledging the Regency Council signed an agreement with the Germans, under which the Corps agreed to be disarmed and disbanded. | ||
II Polish Corps in Russia | 21 December 1917 | 11 May 1918 | modern-day Ukraine | Battle of Kaniów | The corps was disbanded afterwards the battle of Kaniów, with most of its soldiers imprisoned by the Germans. | ||
III Polish Corps in Russia | Ukraine | ||||||
4th Polish Rifle Division | 24 August 1918 | 19 July 1919 | southern Russia | ||||
5th Polish Rifle Division | 25 January 1919 | 20 January 1920 | Siberia | ||||
1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division | 1919 | 1921 | |||||
2nd Lithuanian–Belarusian Division | July 1919 | 1920 | |||||
Polish Light Brigade (Brygada Lekka) |
Formed by Austria-Hungary
[edit]Formation name | Date formed | Date formation ceased to exist | Divisional insignia | Locations served | Notable battles | Source(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st Brigade, Polish Legions | 19 December 1914 | July 1917 | Eastern Front | Łowczówek, Konary, Jastków, Kostiuchnówka | ||
2nd Brigade, Polish Legions | 8 May 1915 | 15 March 1918 (became the 5th Polish Rifle Division, part of the II Polish Corps in Russia) | Eastern Front | Battle of Britain, The Blitz | ||
3rd Brigade, Polish Legions | 8 May 1915 | July 1917 | Eastern Front | Battle of Britain, The Blitz | ||
Polish Auxiliary Corps | 20 September 1916 | 19 February 1918 (formed the basis of the Polnische Wehrmacht) | Eastern Front | Rarańcza, Kaniów (both against the Central Powers) |
Formed by German Empire
[edit]Formation name | Date formed | Date formation ceased to exist | Locations served | Notable campaigns | Notes | Source(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Polnische Wehrmacht | 10 April 1917 | 11 November 1918 | N/A | N/A | The Oath crisis happened in July 1917, as a result of which it only remained as a rump unit. After the declaration of Polish independence of 11 November 1918, the units of the Polnische Wehrmacht became the basis of the Polish Army. |
References
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