25th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

: 25 Pułk Ułanów Wielkopolskich, 25 puł) was a

Polish cavalry The Polish cavalry ( pl, jazda, kawaleria, konnica) can trace its origins back to the days of medieval cavalry knights. Poland is mostly a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment. The knights and heav ...

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 stre ...

in the Second Polish Republic. Formed in 1920, it fought both in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921) * russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...

and the 1939

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 ...

. In 1924–1939, the regiment was garrisoned in the town of Pruzany (current

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

), and belonged to

Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade (Polish: ''Nowogródzka Brygada Kawalerii'') was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the Second Polish Republic, interbellum period. It was created on April 1, 1937, out of the Baranowicze Cavalry Brigade. Its headquart ...

The history of the unit dates back to mid-July 1920, when the 115th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment was formed out of reserve squadrons of the 15th and 16th Poznań Uhlan Regiments, and 2nd Mounted Rifles Regiment from

Pińczów Pińczów is a town in southern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 40 km south of Kielce. It is the capital of Pińczów County. Population is 12,304 (2005). Pińczów belongs to the historic Polish province of Lesser Poland, a ...

. On July 29, 1920, the new unit, with 473 sabres, was sent to the Polish–Soviet frontline near

Łomża Łomża (), in English known as Lomza, is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately 150 kilometers (90 miles) to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship ...

, where it protected the Narew crossings, and immediately clashed with Soviet cavalry. On August 8, the regiment joined the 8th Cavalry Brigade, fighting near

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 ...

and

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 was ...

. It completed its mission in late October 1920, near

Korosten Korosten ( uk, Ко́ростень, ; historically also ''Iskorosten'' ) is a historic city and a large transport hub in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh River. Korosten serves as the administrative c ...

. By that time, the regiment shrank to only 250 sabres. During the 1939

, the regiment was part of

. On September 23, 1939, the unit carried out a famous charge in the Battle of Krasnobród. The uhlans managed to push 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 previo ...

out of the town of

Krasnobród Krasnobród (; uk, Краснобруд, Krasnobrud) is a small town in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. It is located near the Roztocze National Park and Krasnobród Landscape Park. The Wieprz River flows through the town. Points of interest includ ...

, capturing the staff of German 8th Infantry Division. The regiment was finally destroyed on September 27 near Wladypol (current Ukraine), and its survivors crossed the Hungarian border, to continue fighting in the West. In recognition of the bravery of its soldiers, the 25th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment was awarded the

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King St ...

. On January 5, 1945 in the town of

Maglie Maglie (Salentino: ; Griko: , translit. ; la, Mallae) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. History The Maglie area was settled as early as the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age, and before ...

, Italy, the ''25th Armoured-Motorized Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment'' was formed, as part of the

5th Kresowa Infantry Division The Polish 5th Kresowa Infantry Division ( pl, 5 Kresowa Dywizja Piechoty) was an infantry division of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. Formed in March 1943, it fought in the Italian Campaign as part of Lieutenant gener ...

. The regiment did not fight in any battles, and was formally dissolved on May 5, 1947.

Commandants

* Colonel Maciej Mielzynski (1920), * Colonel Erazm Stablewski (1920), * Rotmistrz Witold Radecki-Mikulicz (1920–1921), * Colonel Roland Bogusz (1921–1922), * Colonel Aleksander Zelio (1922–1923), * Colonel Wlodzimierz Tyszkiewicz (1923–1924), * Colonel Anatol Jasienski (1924–1925), * Colonel Spirydion Koiszewski (1925–1932), * Colonel Witold Dzierzykraj-Morawski (1932–1937), * Colonel Bogdan Stachlewski (1937–1939), * Colonel Wilhelm Lewicki (1945), * Colonel Edward Milewski (1945–1947).

Symbols

The flag of the regiment was handed during a ceremony which took place on April 29, 1923 in

Nowogrodek Novogrudok ( be, Навагрудак, Navahrudak; lt, Naugardukas; pl, Nowogródek; russian: Новогрудок, Novogrudok; yi, נאַוואַראַדאָק, Novhardok, Navaradok) is a town in the Grodno Region, Belarus. In the Middle A ...

. It accompanied the uhlans during the 1939 campaign, and was buried on September 28, 1939 in a forest near Wola Sudkowska (current

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

). The badge, accepted in 1925, was in the shape of a silver eagle, holding a brass shield with a Maltese cross.

Sources

* Piotr Bauer: Zarys historii wojennej pułków polskich w kampanii wrześniowej. 17 Pułk Ułanów Wielkopolskich. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza "Ajaks", 1994 * Henryk Smaczny: Księga kawalerii polskiej 1914–1947: rodowody, barwa, broń. Warszawa: TESCO, 1989 Cavalry regiments of Poland Military units and formations established in 1920 1920 establishments in Poland Military units and formations disestablished in 1939 Military units and formations of Poland in World War II Polesie Voivodeship