The Masovian Cavalry Brigade ( pl, Mazowiecka Brygada Kawalerii) was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

unit of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stret ...

in the

interbellum period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...

, which took part in the

Polish September Campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week after ...

. It was created on April 1, 1937, out of former 1st Cavalry Brigade. Its headquarters were in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, with other units stationed in towns around the capital: Mazowiecka BK w 1938

* 1st

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

Chevau-légers Regiment, garrisoned in Warsaw, * 7th Lublin Uhlan Regiment, stationed in

Mińsk Mazowiecki Mińsk Mazowiecki () "''Masovian Minsk''") is a town in eastern Poland with 40,999 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999) and is a part of the Warsaw Agglomeration. It is the capital of Mińsk County. Locate ...

, *

11th Legions Uhlan Regiment 11th Legions Infantry Regiment of Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz (Polish: 11 Pułk Ułanów Legionowych im. Marszałka Edwarda Śmigłego-Rydza, 11 puł) was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army, which existed in 1918–1939. It fought in the Polish–So ...

of Marshal Edward Smigly-Rydz, stationed in

Ciechanów Ciechanów is a city in north-central Poland. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Ciechanów Voivodeship. Since 1999, it has been situated in the Masovian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, it has a population of 43,495. History The se ...

* 4th Łęczyca Mounted Rifles Regiment, stationed in

Płock Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to the ...

, * 1st General

Józef Bem Józef Zachariasz Bem ( hu, Bem József, tr, Murat Pasha; March 14, 1794 – December 10, 1850) was a Polish engineer and general, an Ottoman pasha and a national hero of Poland and Hungary, and a figure intertwined with other European patriot ...

Mounted Artillery Regiment, stationed in Warsaw, * 1st Squadron of Pioneers, stationed in Warsaw, * 1st Squadron of Communication, stationed in Warsaw,

Polish September Campaign

The Brigade, under Colonel

Jan Karcz Jan Karcz (16 October 1892, in Modlica near Kraków – 25 January 1943, in Auschwitz) was a Polish Army Colonel, posthumously promoted to the rank of a Brigadier General. During the Second World War he was held and murdered in the Birkenau conce ...

, was part of the

Modlin Army Modlin Army ( pl, Armia Modlin) was one of the Polish armies that took part in the Polish world war 2 defence of 1939. After heavy casualties in the battle of Mława (September 1–3), the Army was forced to abandon its positions near Warsaw aroun ...

. On September 1, 1939, it defended positions around

Mława Mława (; yi, מלאווע ''Mlave'') is a town in north-east Poland with 30,403 inhabitants in 2020. It is the capital of Mława County. It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship. During the invasion of Poland in 1939, the battle of Mława wa ...

, on the right wing of Polish lines.Zaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., Facing the Poles was German 12th I.D, under Colonel

Ludwig von Leyen Ludwig may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ludwig (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Ludwig (surname), including a list of people * Ludwig Ahgren, or simply Ludwig, American YouTube live streamer and co ...

. Facing encirclement, the Brigade had to withdraw to the second line of defence, on the night of September 1/2. In the morning of September 2, the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

began a frontal attack and after several hours of heavy fights the Germans captured important Hill 190,5. The Poles tried to retake it, but their attacks failed. Later on, the Brigade retreated again, to the area of

Przasnysz Przasnysz (; yi, פראשניץ, russian: Прасныш) is a town in north-central Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodship, about 110 km north of Warsaw and about 115 km south of Olsztyn, it is the capital of Przasnysz County. It h ...

. This manoeuver opened right wing of the neighboring

Polish 20th Infantry Division 20th Infantry Division ( pl, 20. Dywizja Piechoty) was an infantry division of the Polish Army during the interbellum period, which took part in the Polish September Campaign. It was formed in 1920 from the reorganization of the 2nd Lithuanian-Bel ...

and on September 3, the Germans broke the lines. The Brigade was attacked by Armored Brigade "Kempf", under General

Werner Kempf Werner Kempf (9 March 1886 – 6 January 1964) was a general in the German Army rising to corps-level command during World War II. Kempf is best known for commanding the Army Detachment Kempf during the Battle of Kursk. Career Kempf joined the ...

, as well as German 1st Cavalry Brigade under Colonel

Kurt Feldt __NOTOC__ Kurt Feldt (22 November 1897 – 11 March 1970) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He was the German commander in the Battle of the Afsluitdij ...

. Soon afterwards the Poles, under pressure from the enemy, abandoned their positions. On September 4, 1939, the Brigade withdrew towards

Pułtusk Pułtusk (pronounced ) is a town in northeast Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it had a population of about 19,000 . Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in ...

. On that day it was absorbed by the

Polish 5th Infantry Division {{refimprove, date=October 2011 5th Lwów Infantry Division (Polish: ''5 Lwowska Dywizja Piechoty'') was a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period, with headquarters stationed in Lwów. It was created on May 20, 1919, during the Polish– ...

under General

Juliusz Zulauf Juliusz Zulauf (August 20, 1891 – May 21, 1943) was a Polish Army brigadier general (''generał brygady''). A recipient of the ''Virtuti Militari'', he fought with distinction during World War I, the Polish-Ukrainian War, the Polish-Soviet ...

, and ordered to defend the line of the

Narew The Narew (; be, Нараў, translit=Naraŭ; or ; Sudovian: ''Naura''; Old German: ''Nare''; uk, Нарва, translit=Narva) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland, which is also a tributary of the river Vis ...

river.
On September 7, the Brigade was ordered to withdraw across the

Bug River uk, Західний Буг be, Захо́дні Буг , name_etymology = , image = Wyszkow_Bug.jpg , image_size = 250 , image_caption = Bug River in the vicinity of Wyszków, Poland , map = Vi ...

, but for unknown reasons it changed order and moved to

Wyszków Wyszków (; yi, ווישקאָוו ''Vishkov'') is a town in eastern Poland with 26,500 inhabitants (2018). It is the capital of Wyszków County in Masovian Voivodeship. History The village of Wyszków was first documented in 1203. It was grant ...

, positioning itself on the line from Wyszków to

Serock Serock is a town at the north bank of the Zegrze lake in the Legionowo County, Masovian Voivodeship The Masovian Voivodeship, also known as the Mazovia Province ( pl, województwo mazowieckie ) is a voivodeship (province) in east-central P ...

. Then it withdrew to

Kałuszyn Kałuszyn is a town in Poland, seat of the Gmina Kałuszyn (commune) in Mińsk County in Masovian Voivodeship. History In the Middle Ages, a filial church of the Catholic parish in Grębków was built. In 1472, it was upgraded to a parish ...

and

, fighting the advancing German 11th I.D. of General

Max Bock Max Woldemar Gustav Eduard Bock (4 April 1885 – 29 April 1948) was a Baltic German politician and lawyer prominent in Estonia. Bock was born in Reval (later named Tallinn) on 4 April 1885 to Julius Bock, a medical doctor, and his wife Alice, '' ...

. In mid-September it covered activities of the

1st Legions Infantry Division Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division () 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-Bol ...

. During the several skirmishes, the Brigade suffered heavy losses. It capitulated on September 26, 1939.

References

{{reflist Military units and formations of Poland in World War II Polish Cavalry Brigades Military units and formations established in 1937 Military history of Poland during World War II Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939)

Polish September Campaign

See also

References