First Legions Infantry Regiment of Józef Piłsudski ( pl, 1 Pulk Piechoty Legionow Jozefa Pilsudskiego; 1 pp Leg.) was an infantry regiment of the Polish Army in 1914-1939. Named after Józef Piłsudski, 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 ...

it was stationed in the city of Wilno. First Legions Infantry Regiment was the oldest of all regiments of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. Its traditions dated to the

First Cadre Company The First Cadre Company ( pl, Pierwsza Kompania Kadrowa) was a Polish military formation created in the Austro-Hungarian Army at the outbreak of World War I. The company was founded by Józef Piłsudski on August 3, 1914 in Kraków. It was the p ...

, which on August 6, 1914 marched from the Austrian Partition of Poland (

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

) into Russian-controlled

Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...

. Furthermore, it was based on the First Legions Regiment, part of Polish Legions in World War I, which existed from 1914 until 1917, and fought with distinction in the

Battle of Łowczówek Battle of Łowczówek was a battle during World War I, fought on 22–25 December 1914 at Łowczówek, between the Brigade I of the Polish Legions, First Brigade of the Polish Legions, fighting for Austria-Hungary, and troops of Imperial Russia. ...

, Battle of Tarłów and Battle of Kostiuchnówka.

Polish–Soviet War

The regiment was formed in November 1918 in Jabłonna and Radzymin near Warsaw. A few months later it joined fighting against the Red Army: in the area of Wilno and in eastern Polish territories (present-day Belarus). In winter of 1919/1920 it took part in the

Battle of Daugavpils The Battle of Daugavpils, or Battle of Dyneburg, was the final battle during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919. A joint Polish and Latvian force, operating under Polish Staff orders known as "Operation Winter", attacked the Red Army garrison in D ...

, and in spring 1920, it participated in the Polish

Kiev Offensive Kyiv offensive or Kiev offensive may refer to: * Kiev Offensive (1920), a campaign during the Polish–Soviet war * Kyiv offensive (2022) The Kyiv offensive was a theater in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It involved attacks by Russia a ...

. After a Soviet counteroffensive, the regiment, together with other Polish units had to retreat, fighting the Russian

1st Cavalry Army __NOTOC__ The 1st Cavalry Army (russian: Первая конная армия, Pervaya konnaya armiya) was a prominent Red Army military formation. It was also known as "Budyonny's Cavalry Army" or simply as ''Konarmia'' (Кона́рмия, "Horse ...

of Semyon Budyonny. In August 1920, after the Battle of Warsaw, the regiment freed Drohiczyn and then

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...

, beating the Red Army in the

Battle of Białystok The Battle of Białystok was a battle of the Polish–Soviet War that took place near and in Białystok, Poland, on August 22, 1920, between the 1st Legions Infantry Regiment and the remains of the Soviet Russian Red Army 16th Army group and ...

. It then fought in the Battle of Lida, ending its participation in the war in mid-October 1920. On December 3, 1920, Marshall Józef Piłsudski decorated the flag of the regiment with Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari.

Second Polish Republic

In the interwar period, the regiment was stationed in northeastern city of Wilno (now: Vilnius,

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

). Its holiday was celebrated on August 6, the anniversary of the First Cadre Company march to Congress Poland. In 1930, Polish Ministry of Military Affairs included the regiment into the Second Category, which meant that in case of armed conflict, it was to be mobilized as one of the first units. In comparison to other regiments, First Legions Infantry Regiment was stronger by app. 500 soldiers. The flag of the regiment was handed to it by Józef Piłsudski, on November 1, 1922. It was purchased by Polish residents of the town of

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.Kazimierz Burczak, was concentrated in forests between the Bug River and 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 ...

, as part of

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 ...

(General Wincenty Kowalski), Operational Group

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 ...

. In the night of September 4/5, 1939, the regiment marched towards

Różan Różan is a town in Mazovian Voivodeship, northeastern Poland, on the river Narew. National roads 60 and 61 intersect in the town. History In the late Middle Ages, Różan emerged as an important trade center of northeastern Mazovia. Enjoyi ...

, where it was engaged in first clashes with the advancing Wehrmacht. On September 5–6 it defended Polish positions near Pułtusk, and then retreated towards the Bug river. On September 8 it clashed with the enemy near Wyszków. Since there was the danger of encirclement, it had to retreat towards

Biała Podlaska Biała Podlaska ( la, Alba Ducalis) is a city in eastern Poland with 56,498 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is situated in the Lublin Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the capital of Biała Podlaska Voivodeship (1975–1998). ...

. On September 11, after the Germans had captured Kałuszyn, 1st Legions Infantry Division was surrounded by the Germans. After two days of bloody fighting, some Polish units managed to break through. On September 13–14 the regiment fought at Stoczek, then it advanced towards Trzciniec, to open the route to southern Poland. During this advance, the regiment suffered such heavy losses that it ceased to exist as a separate unit. Elements of the unit managed to reach the area of Chełm, and participated in fighting there, to capitulate on September 22–23.

Commandants of the Regiment

* Major

Leopold Lis-Kula Leopold Lis-Kula (nom de guerre Lis) was a Colonel of Infantry of the Polish Army, and recipient of the Virtuti Militari. Lis Kula was born on November 11, 1896, in the village of Kosina near Łańcut (Austrian Galicia), and died on March 7, 1919, ...

28 II - 7 III 1919 * Major Jan Kazimierz Kruszewski 12 III - 4 VIII 1919 * Major Władysław Dragat 5 VIII 1919 - 8 III 1920 * Colonel

Jan Kruszewski Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

8 III - 8 VII 1920 * Captain Zygmunt Wenda 16 VIII - 8 IX 1920 * Colonel Jan Kruszewski 8 IX 1920 - 14 IX 1926 * Colonel Michał Pakosz 14 IX 1926-28 III 1928 * Colonel

Bolesław Krzyżanowski Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to: In people: * Boleslaw (given name) In geography: *Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland *Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland *Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, Pol ...

28 III 1928 - 21 I 1930 * Colonel Zygmunt Wenda 21 I 1930 - 7 IV 1934 * Colonel

Aleksander Stawarz Aleksander StawarzW dziennikach personalnych M.S.Wojsk. z 1924, 1928 i 1932 r. jako datę urodzenia podano 7 lipca 1896 r. codename: Leśnik, Baca (7 August 1896, Nowy Targ - 28 January 1941, Auschwitz) was a Polish Army Colonel. In the First Wor ...

7 IV 1934 - ? * Colonel Kazimierz Burczak ? - 20 IX 1939 * Colonel Jan Kasztelowicz 20 - 23 IX 1939

Sources

* "Księga chwały piechoty": komitet redakcyjny pod przewodnictwem płk. dypl. Bronisława Prugara Ketlinga, Departament Piechoty MSWojsk, Warszawa 1937-1939. Reprint: Wydawnictwo Bellona Warszawa 1992 {{Authority control Military units and formations of Poland in World War II 1st Infantry Legions Regiment (Poland) Wilno Voivodeship (1926–1939) Military units and formations established in 1918 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939 Polish Legions in World War I

Polish–Soviet War

Second Polish Republic

Commandants of the Regiment

See also

Sources