The 1st Grenadier Division (; ) was a Polish

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

formation raised in France during the

Phoney War The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germ ...

. The division was created as a part of the Polish Army in France following the

Invasion of Poland 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 aft ...

. The division fought in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

in 1940.

Formation

Due to the

Franco-Polish alliance The Franco-Polish Alliance was the military alliance between Poland and France that was active between the early 1920s and the outbreak of the Second World War. The initial agreements were signed in February 1921 and formally took effect in 1923 ...

, the formation of a Polish division in France began in early September 1939, shortly after the

. The French government gave over a military camp at

Coëtquidan Camp Coëtquidan (''Camp de Coëtquidan'') is a French military educational facility located in the Morbihan department of Brittany in France. It forms a part of the commune of Guer and covers an area of approximately 64 km². It comprises: ...

to the Polish military mission and permitted voluntary recruitment from the

Poles in France Poles in France form one of the largest Polish diaspora communities in Europe. Between 500,000 and one million people of Polish descent live in France, concentrated in the Nord-Pas de Calais region, in the metropolitan area of Lille, the coal-mini ...

, which were particularly numerous in the coal-producing regions of

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

. After the fall of Poland and the formation of the

Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...

, the newly appointed Polish commander-in-chief

Władysław Sikorski Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader. Prior to the First World War, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause for Polish ...

ordered the formation of the 1st Grenadier Division on 13 November 1939. Initially commanded by

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Stanisław Maczek Lieutenant General Stanisław Maczek (; 31 March 1892 – 11 December 1994) was a Polish tank commander of World War II, whose division was instrumental in the Allied liberation of France, closing the Falaise pocket, resulting in the destructio ...

, the division was taken over by Colonel Bolesław Bronisław Duch in January 1940. It was organized according to the French model and was equipped with French weapons and uniforms. Altogether, the formation numbered eventually about 13,000 enlisted soldiers, 2,600 NCOs and 580 officers of all grades, when it was sworn in by Gen. Sikorski on May 25, 1940, shortly before arriving at the front in

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...

Battle of France

At the end of April 1940, the division was moved to

Colombey-les-Belles Colombey-les-Belles () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department The following is a list of the 591 communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle depar ...

in Lorraine where it received its long-awaited heavy equipment and final training. On May 18, the formation was moved to the Sarre area and was part of the French 4th Army, . 1st Regiment under Colonel Lowczowski was assigned to defend the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force the ...

near Wittlesburg. Initially divided between the two units of the Corps, the French and the

Fortified Sector of the Sarre The Fortified Sector of the Sarre (''Secteur Fortifié de la Sarre'') was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line on either side of the Sarre river. The sector's defenses relied primarily on a system ...

, the division operated in a supporting role.

June 1940

The division first saw combat on 14 June 1940, when attacked by German forces. The following day the division was centred and successfully defended its positions. However, during the night the 52nd Division broke down and withdrew soon after it was attacked to

Dieuze Dieuze (; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. People Dieuze was the birthplace of: *Charles Hermite, mathematician * Edmond François Valentin About, novelist, publicist and journalist * Émile Friant, ...

. Fearing his corps being cut in two, the formation commander ordered the Poles to withdraw to the second line of defences. It withdrew to the area of Dieuze, where it covered the retreat of the French division throughout June 16. The following night it successfully disengaged itself and withdrew to the

Marne–Rhine Canal The Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Marne–Rhine Canal) is a canal in north-eastern France. It connects the river Marne and the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne in Vitry-le-François with the port of Strasbourg on the Rhine. The original objective ...

defensive line, where it covered the area around Lagarde. As a result of the two-day-long Battle of Lagarde, the division was heavily damaged but managed to hold its positions. However, the 52nd Division had been destroyed by 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 ...

and the corps' remainder was disbanded by its commanding officer. The 20th Army Corps' remnants, then composed mostly of the Polish division and a small detachment of the Fortified Sector of the Sarre, withdrew to the forests around

Baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game played at casinos. It is a comparing card game played between two hands, the "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: "player" (player has the higher score ...

. There it formed a perimeter defence in and around the town of Meriller. Not attacked directly, the 20th Army Corps was surrounded by the enemy on June 19. The Poles broke through to Neureville but were unable to continue their assault. On June 21, after receiving information of Franco-German capitulation talks, Gen.

Bronisław Duch Bronisław (feminine: Bronisława) is a Polish name of Slavic origin meaning ''broni'' (to protect, to defend) and ''sława'' (glory, fame). The name may refer to: People * Bronislava of Poland, a 13th-century nun who was beatified in 1839 * Bron ...

disbanded the unit and ordered his men to either flee to neutral

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

or to join the Polish forces in the United Kingdom. Many chose the latter option, including the general himself. Altogether, the division lost approximately 5,200 men during the

Composition

*1st Warsaw Grenadier Regiment *2nd

Wielkopolska Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city ...

Grenadier Regiment *3rd Silesian Grenadier Regiment *8th Uhlan Regiment *1st Wilno Light Artillery Regiment *1st Pomeranian Heavy Artillery Regiment *1st Modlin Engineer battalion *1st Gdańsk Signals battalion

Equipment

*12,000 rifles *336

light machine gun A light machine gun (LMG) is a light-weight machine gun designed to be operated by a single infantryman, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. LMGs firing cartridges of the same caliber as the other riflemen of the sam ...

s *176

heavy machine gun A heavy machine gun (HMG) is significantly larger than light machine gun, light, medium machine gun, medium or general-purpose machine guns. HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require weapon mount, mountin ...

s *27 ×

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...

*24 × mortars *54 ×

anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...

s *8 × anti-tank guns *36 ×

field gun A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ( field artille ...

s *24 ×

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s *560 automobiles and trucks *1,600 horse-drawn vehicles

References

{{Authority control 1st Grenadiers Military units and formations established in 1939 1st Grenadiers Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 1939 establishments in France