Wilenska Cavalry Brigade ( pl, Wileńska Brygada Kawalerii) was a unit 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 ...

, 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, stationed in Wilno * 13th Wilno Uhlan Regiment, stationed in Nowa Wilejka * 23rd Grodno Uhlan Regiment, stationed in Postawy * 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, was part of the

Prusy Army The Prusy Army ( pl, Armia Prusy) was one of the Polish armies to fight during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Created in the summer of 1939 as the main reserve of the Commander in Chief, it was commanded by Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki. The word '' ...

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 Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by #Etymology, alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the second-largest city situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. Previously, it wa ...

, 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, 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 The Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski took place from 18 September to 20 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. It was the second largest battle

Polish September Campaign

See also