The Seven Lancers of Belina, also called Belina’s Seven and The Seven Uhlans (Polish: Ulanska siodemka) was a name given to a mounted

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

group of the

Riflemen's Association The Polish Riflemen's Association known as ''Związek Strzelecki'' (or more commonly, in the plural form as ''Związki Strzeleckie'') formed in great numbers prior to World War I. One of the better known associations called "Strzelec" (Riflemen's ...

. On August 2, 1914, upon order of

Józef Piłsudski ), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania) , death_date = , death_place = Warsaw, Poland , constituency = , party = None (formerly PPS) , spouse = , children = Wan ...

, the seven uhlans crossed the border between Austrian Galicia and

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 ...

, on a mission to gather information about Russian forces in the area of

Miechów Miechów is a town in Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, about north of Kraków. It is the capital of Miechów County. Population is 11,852 (2004). Miechów lies on the Miechówka river, along European route E77. The area of the town is , ...

and Jędrzejów. Members of the group would later become elite of the cavalry forces of 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 ...

(see also

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 ...

). Belina’s Seven were named after

Władysław Belina-Prażmowski Władysław Zygmunt Belina-Prażmowski (3 May 1888 in Ruszkowiec – 13 October 1938 in Venice), was a Polish cavalryman, colonel and politician. He was a member of Związek Walki Czynnej since 1909, later Związek Strzelecki. Student of Lwów P ...

(

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Belina), who was in charge of the group. Other members included: *

Janusz Gluchowski Janusz () is a masculine Polish given name. It is also the shortened form of January and Januarius. People *Janusz Akermann (born 1957), Polish painter *Janusz Bardach, Polish gulag survivor and physician * Janusz Bielański, Roman Catholic pri ...

("Janusz"), * Antoni Jablonski ("Zdzislaw"), * Zygmunt Karwacki ("Boncza"), * Stefan Kulesza ("Hanka"), *

Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki (; 13 January 1894 – 19 September 1939) was a Polish military commander and a general of the Polish Army. During the invasion of Poland of 1939 he commanded the Czersk Operational Group and was among the highest ran ...

("Grzmot"), * ("Kmicic"). On August 3, 1914 after midnight, the group, armed with rifles and pistols, and equipped both with civilian clothing and uniforms, crossed the border in two horse-drawn

britzka A britzka (also spelled ''brichka'' or ''britska'') is a type of horse-drawn carriage. It was a long, spacious carriage with four wheels, as well as a folding top over the rear seat and a rear-facing front seat. Pulled by two horses, it had a pla ...

s (carriages). Their plan was to penetrate the area, destroy a Russian Army mobilization office in Jedrzejow, capture horses, and become a cavalry unit. In the morning, the seven men arrived at a manor house in Goszyce, which belonged to Zofia Zawiszanka, a member of Polish patriotic organizations and personal friend of Zygmunt Karwacki. After receiving food, they continued their journey towards Jedrzejow. To their surprise, Russian forces had abandoned the town, fearful of rumours of numerous Polish forces heading towards them. The leader of the group, Wladyslaw Prazmowski, came to the conclusion that the mission was accomplished and decided to return to Galicia, via

Słomniki Słomniki is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Kraków Voivodeship (1975–1998). Słomniki lies north of Kraków, among the hills of Lesser Poland Upland. On December 31, 2010, it ...

. Belina wanted to attack a Russian border guard outpost located in Słomniki, but after arriving there it turned out that Russian forces were too numerous. Polish rebels observed the enemy from a distance, and when the Russians had left Słomniki, they set out on their return journey. In the morning of August 4, 1914, Belina and his men reached the village of Prandocin. Suddenly they spotted a Russian mounted patrol. Belina, who underestimated enemy forces, ordered his men to attack with

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

s. The Russians, who were more numerous, but had no idea of the rebel strength, retreated towards

Skalbmierz Skalbmierz is a town in south eastern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in Kazimierza County. It has 1,326 inhabitants (2004). Skalbmierz has a long and rich history, the town belongs to the province of Lesser Poland. Skalbmierz receive ...

. In the village of Skrzeszowice, the rebels received horses, and on August 4 they returned to Galicia uninjured.

Sources

* Marek Lis, Ksawery Zalewski, Józef Myjak, Podpułkownik Antoni Jabłoński. Wydawnictwo PAIR Myjakpress, Sandomierz-Lipnik 2008, {{ISBN, 978-83-86436-89-7

Sources

See also