Brigade I of the Polish Legions ( pl, I Brygada Legionów Polskich, de-AT, Brigade I der Polnischen Legion, hu, A Lengyel Légió I. Dandárja) was a unit of

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

, manned by Poles under Austrian occupation, part of the

Polish Legions in World War I The Polish Legions ( pl, Legiony Polskie) was a name of the Polish military force (the first active Polish army in generations) established in August 1914 in Galicia soon after World War I erupted between the opposing alliances of the Triple Ente ...

, existing from 1914 to 1917.The Austro-Hungarian Forces in World War I (1): 1914-16
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History

The First Brigade was formed on December 19, 1914, as part of the

. Until October 1916 the First Brigade was commanded by

Józef Piłsudski ), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania) , death_date = , death_place = Warsaw, Poland , constituency = , party = None (formerly PPS) , spouse = , children = Wan ...

, thereafter by Marian Żegota-Januszajtis. The First Brigade and the Third Brigade were disbanded after the 1917

Oath Crisis The Oath crisis ( pl, Kryzys przysięgowy) was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions. Initially supporting the Central Powers against Imperial Russia, Piłsudski ...

. The March of the First Brigade was one of the best-known songs of the Polish Legions.

Combat

Major battles fought by the First Brigade included: *

battle of Łowczówek Battle of Łowczówek was a battle during World War I, fought on 22–25 December 1914 at Łowczówek, between the Brigade I of the Polish Legions, First Brigade of the Polish Legions, fighting for Austria-Hungary, and troops of Imperial Russia. ...

(December 22–25, 1914) * battle of Konary (May 16–25, 1915) * battle of Jastków (July 30 – August 3, 1915) * battle of Kamionka (August 4–7, 1915) *

battle of Kostiuchnówka The Battle of Kostiuchnówka was a World War I battle that took place July 4–6, 1916, near the village of Kostiuchnówka (Kostyukhnivka) and the Styr River in the Volhynia region of modern Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. It was a ...

(July 4–6, 1916)

Organization

The First Brigade comprised 3 infantry regiments (the 1st, 5th and 7th), a cavalry regiment (the 1st), artillery battalions, and support units.

Composition

The First Brigade consisted mostly of young soldiers of intelligentsia origin from

Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...

. Unlike regular military units characterised by military drill, relations between First Brigade soldiers and officers were collegial. The unit was inspired by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

ic-era ideas and the Polish uprisings, especially the

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

of 1863. Another characteristic of the First Brigade was its total devotion to commander

Józef Piłsudski ), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania) , death_date = , death_place = Warsaw, Poland , constituency = , party = None (formerly PPS) , spouse = , children = Wan ...

, seen as the only military, moral and political authority by his soldiers. Many writers, painters and other personalities of cultural life, served in the First Brigade. They include

Wacław Sieroszewski Wacław Kajetan Sieroszewski (24 August 1858 – 20 April 1945) was a Polish writer, Polish Socialist Party activist, and soldier in the World War I-era Polish Legions (decorated with the Virtuti Militari). For activities subversive of the Rus ...

, Andrzej Strug, Gustaw Daniłowski,

Włodzimierz Tetmajer Włodzimierz Tetmajer (December 31, 1861 in Harklowa – December 26, 1923 in Kraków) was a Polish painter with works in collections of the Warsaw National Museum and Kraków. Biography Włodzimierz Tetmajer was born in Harklowa near Krako ...

Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski (24 February 1885 in Rzeszów – 8 August 1944 in Warsaw) was a Polish journalist and novelist. Between 1933–1939 he was a secretary general of the prestigious Polish Academy of Literature (''Polska Akademia Literat ...

References

Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1917 Polish Legions infantry brigades of Austria-Hungary 1914 establishments in Poland {{mil-unit-stub