Brigade III of the Polish Legions ( pl, III Brygada Legionów Polskich, de-AT, Brigade III der Polnischen Legion, hu, A Lengyel Légió III. Dandárja) was a unit of the Austro-Hungarian Army, manned by Austrian Poles. It was formed in 1915, existed till 1917, and was a part of the Polish Legions in World War I.

History

The Third Brigade was formed on 8 May 1915, as part of the Polish Legions in World War I. The Brigade commanders included: Zygmunt Zieliński (April 1915 - September 1915), Wiktor Grzesicki (September 1915 - July 1916), Stanisław Szeptycki (July 1916 - October 1916), and

Bolesław Roja Brigadier General Bolesław Jerzy Roja (4 April 1876 − 27 May 1940) was an officer of the Polish Legions in World War I, a general, and a politician in the Second Polish Republic, recipient of some of the highest Polish military awards includin ...

(?). In 1917 the III Brigade together with the I Brigade followed Józef Piłsudski during the

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 ...

, refusing to swear the oath, and was disbanded.

Battles

Major battles fought by the Third Brigade included: *

battle of Jastków The Battle of Jastków was a World War I battle that took place July 31–August 3, 1915, near the village of Jastków, then part of the Russian Empire. It was a major clash between the Russian Army and the Austro-Hungarian Polish Legions (pri ...

(31 July to 3 August 1915) * Battle of Kostiuchnówka (4 to 6 July 1916)

Organization

The Third Brigade comprised 2 infantry regiments (the 4th, 5th and the 6th periodically served in it), a cavalry regiment (the 3rd), artillery battalions, and support units.

References

Military units and formations established in 1915 Military units and formations disestablished in 1917 Polish Legions infantry brigades of Austria-Hungary 1915 establishments in Austria-Hungary 1915 establishments in Poland {{mil-unit-stub