7th Legions Infantry Regiment (

Polish language Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In a ...

: 7 Pulk Piechoty Legionow, 7 pp Leg.) was an infantry regiment 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 ...

. It existed from 1918 until 1939. Garrisoned first in

Ostrów Mazowiecka Ostrów Mazowiecka is a town in eastern Poland with 23,486 inhabitants (2004). Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Ostrołęka Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Ostrów Mazowiecka County. History Ostr ...

and then in

Chełm Chełm (; uk, Холм, Kholm; german: Cholm; yi, כעלם, Khelm) is a city in southeastern Poland with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some ...

, it was part of the 3rd Legions Infantry Division. The regiment was formed on May 1, 1918, in the centers of

Polska Siła Zbrojna The Polish Armed Forces ( pl, Polska Siła Zbrojna, German: ''Polnische Wehrmacht)'' was a military formation created during World War I.David G. Williamson (2011), Poland Betrayed: The Nazi-Soviet Invasions of 1939' Stackpole Books, page 3. It ...

and

Zegrze Zegrze is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Serock, within Legionowo County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Serock, north-east of Legionowo, and north of Warsaw. The village ...

. The new unit, which at that time was called 1st Infantry Regiment consisted of three infantry battalions and a company of machine guns. In November 1918, its soldiers disarmed German garrisons of

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 ...

, Ostrów Mazowiecka and Malkinia. In early February 1919, the regiment was renamed the 7th Legions Infantry Regiment, to fight 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 (' ...

. In the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...

, the 7th Legions Infantry Regiment was stationed in the garrison of

, as part of the 3rd Legions Infantry Division. On September 24, 1933, during a special ceremony attended by President

Ignacy Mościcki Ignacy Mościcki (; 1 December 18672 October 1946) was a Polish chemist and politician who was the country's president from 1926 to 1939. He was the longest serving president in Polish history. Mościcki was the President of Poland when Germany ...

and General

Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski (; 9 June 1885, Gąbin – 31 August 1962 London) was a Polish physician,Waclaw Jedrzejewicz ''Piłsudski: A Life for Poland'' Hippocrene, 1982 Page 246 general, freemason and politician who served as Minister of I ...

, a monument dedicated to the soldiers of the regiment killed in the wars of 1918–1920 was unveiled in Chełm.

Commandants

* Colonel Karol Udalowski (1 V 1918 – 16 III 1920) * Colonel Zdzislaw Mackowski (since 17 VII 1920) * Colonel Michal Micewicz * Colonel Mieczyslaw Wieckowski (XI 1925 – † 13 V 1926) * Colonel Stanislaw Borowiec (X 1926 – VI 1930) * Colonel Stanislaw Dabek (VI 1930–1937) * Colonel Wladyslaw Muzyka

Symbols

On September 22, 1921, in Podbrodzie, the anniversary of the

Battle of Brzostowica The Battle of Brzostowica took place on 20–25 September 1920, during the Polish-Soviet War. Polish 3rd Legions Infantry Division, commanded by General Leon Berbecki, clashed with units of the Soviet 15th Army (General August Kork). The Batt ...

, Colonel

Władysław Bończa-Uzdowski Wladyslaw Boncza-Uzdowski (August 23, 1887 – March 21, 1957) was a General brygady of the Polish Army and sports activist, general manager of the Polish Football Association. Boncza-Uzdowski was born in the village of Podborcze near Chełm, Rus ...

handed the flag to the regiment. It was funded by the Association of Landowners of the Land of

, and the ceremony was attended by Bishop Wladyslaw Bandurski. The badge, approved in 1928, was in the shape of the cross, with the 1916 Eagle of the Polish Legions and the initials ''7 PPL''.

Sources

* Kazimierz Satora: Opowieści wrześniowych sztandarów. Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy Pax, 1990 * Zdzisław Jagiełło: Piechota Wojska Polskiego 1918–1939. Warszawa: Bellona, 2007

Commandants

Symbols

Sources

See also