Wileńska Cavalry Brigade ( pl, Wileńska Brygada Kawalerii) was a unit of the Polish Army, created on 1 April 1937 out of the 3rd Independent Cavalry Brigade. Its headquarters were stationed in

Wilno Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

(Vilnius), with some regiments garrisoned in the neighboring towns. In late 1930s it consisted of these units: *

4th Niemen Uhlan Regiment 4th Niemen Uhlan Regiment ( pl, 4 Pulk Ulanów Zaniemenskich, 4 pul.) was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the Second Polish Republic. It was garrisoned in the city of Vilnius, and it celebrated its day on 9 July, the anniversary of the 1920 ...

, stationed in Wilno *

13th Wilno Uhlan Regiment The 13th Wilno Uhlan Regiment ( pl, 13 Pułk Ułanów Wileńskich) was a unit of the Polish army during the interwar period and the Polish Defence War of 1939. Origins The ancestral units to the regiment were created mainly as means of defending ...

, stationed in

Nowa Wilejka Naujoji Vilnia is an Elderships of Lithuania, eldership in eastern Vilnius, Lithuania situated along the banks of the Vilnia River. According to the 2011 census, the municipality had a population of 31,933. This figure grew to 36,507 in 2021, whe ...

23rd Grodno Uhlan Regiment 23rd Grodno Uhlan Regiment (Polish language, Polish: 23 Pułk Ułanów Grodzieńskich, 23 p.ul.) was a uhlan regiment of the Polish Army in the Second Polish Republic. Formed in 1920, it fought both in the Polish–Soviet War and the Invasion of P ...

, stationed in

Postawy Pastavy ( be, Паставы, lt, Pastovys, russian: Поставы, pl, Postawy) is a city in the Vitebsk Region of Belarus, an administrative center of Pastavy District. Location Pastavy is located on the river Myadelki. Postavy Air Base i ...

* 3rd Mounted Artillery Regiment, stationed in Podbrodzie * 7th Pioneers Squadron, stationed in Wilno * 3rd Communications Squadron, stationed in Wilno

Polish September Campaign

The brigade, under Colonel

Konstanty Drucki-Lubecki Konstanty may refer to: given name: * Konstanty Adam Czartoryski (1777–1866), Polish prince, Brigadier General * Konstanty Andrzej Kulka (born 1947), Polish violinist, recording artist, and professor * Konstanty Borzęcki (1826–1876), partic ...

, was part of the Prusy Army and on the night of 31 August /1 September 1939, it unloaded from trains at stations of Rogów and

Koluszki Koluszki is a town, and a major railway junction, in central Poland, in Łódź Voivodeship, about 20 km east of Łódź with a population of 12,776 (2020). The junction in Koluszki serves trains that go from Warsaw to Łódź, Wrocław, Cz� ...

, near

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

. In the following days, it defended Piotrków Trybunalski, then, together with other units, it crossed the

Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...

. On 8 September, the 4th Regiment of Niemen Uhlans was attacked by parts of the German 1st Light Division of General

Friedrich-Wilhelm von Loeper Friedrich-Wilhelm von Loeper (3 August 1888 – 7 October 1983) was a German general (Generalleutnant) in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded several divisions. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He was marri ...

. The Poles destroyed five tanks, but had to withdraw, due to the enemy's heavy pressure. Soon afterwards, the whole Brigade, losing its heavy equipment as a result of several skirmishes with 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 previous ...

, ceased to exist and got scattered. Several soldiers drowned in the Vistula, also the Poles left a lot of equipment on the eastern bank of the river. At the same time, the 23rd Regiment of Grodno Uhlans was cut from the rest of the brigade and withdrew to the Swietokrzyskie Mountains. On 10 September, the brigade was planned to concentrate in a forest near

Łaskarzew Łaskarzew is a town in Garwolin County ( from Garwolin), Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,948 inhabitants (2004). It is located on the Promnik river, which is a tributary of the Vistula, near the ''Garwolin Forests'', on the border of histo ...

, but the only unit that showed up was the 4th Regiment of Niemen Uhlans. The Poles headed towards

Lubartów Lubartów () is a town in eastern Poland, with 23,000 inhabitants (2004), situated in Lublin Voivodeship. It is the capital of Lubartów County and the Lubartów Commune. Historically it belongs to Lesser Poland. Lubartów was established in 154 ...

, joining other units of the Prusy Army. Then it became part of the Operational Cavalry Group of General

Władysław Anders ) , birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders , birth_date = , birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = London, England, United Kingdom , serviceyears ...

and tried to break through to

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, after fighting in the Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski.

Polish September Campaign

See also