Pierwsza Kompania Kadrowa w Oleandrach (1914)

The First Cadre Company ( pl, Pierwsza Kompania Kadrowa) was a Polish military formation created in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The company was founded by

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Naczelnik państwa, Chief of State (1918–1922) and Marshal of Poland, First Marshal of Second Polish Republic, Poland (from 1920). He was ...

on August 3, 1914 in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. It was the predecessor of the Polish Legions, and formed the core of the Polish Legions' First Brigade during

History

The First Cadre Company came into formation when 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 ...

and the

Polish Rifle Squads The Polish Rifle Squads () was a Polish pro-independence paramilitary organization, founded in 1911 by the Youth Independence Organization in the Austro-Hungarian sector of partitioned Poland. Among its founders were Norwid Neugebauer, Marian ...

were mobilized between July 29 and August 2 in 1914 by

. At 6pm on August 3, the First Cadre was formally created in the Oleandry district of

(just east of Jordan Park). On August 4 and 5, the Cadre underwent re-organization while the soldiers received short yet extensive training. Tadeusz Kasprzycki was appointed commander. The Cadre consisted of four platoons, each consisting of four groups of 10 soldiers each. The exact number of soldiers varies according to the source, but estimates generally put it at somewhere between 145 and 168 soldiers, which included the notable

The Seven Lancers of Belina 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 group of the Riflemen's Association. On August 2, 1914, upon order of Józef Piłsudski, the seve ...

. On August 6, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. At a quarter to three on the morning of that day, the First Cadre set out for the Austro-Hungarian — Russian border. It crossed into Tsarist Poland at the border village of Michałowice. On August 8, commander Kasprzycki was transferred to the General Command and replaced by . The first eight volunteers were accepted into the Cadre's ranks on the same day. On August 12, the First Cadre participated in the capture of Kielce in full battalion strength alongside the Second Company, led by , and the Third Company, led by Wacław Scaevola-Wieczorkiewicz. The First Cadre then attempted to break through the Russian lines and continue north. The objective was to capture Warsaw in hope of setting off an uprising in Tsarist Poland against the Russian authorities. However, the Russians checked the First Cadre just outside Kielce on August 13, which resulted in the Cadre's retreat from Kielce to Kraków. Between August 16 and August 27, the First Cadre was reorganized and transformed into the Polish Legions. It is difficult to set an exact date for the transformation — the Supreme National Committee called for the formation of the Polish Legions on August 16, Józef Piłsudski called for its formation on August 22, and the Austrian government officially agreed to its formation on August 27. All three dates can be found simultaneously representing both the disbandment of the First Cadre and the formation of the Polish Legions, depending on the source. However the First Cadre Company formed the core of the First Brigade of the Polish Legions by mid-December 1914.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Authority control Military units and formations established in 1914 Polish Legions in World War I 1914 establishments in Poland Austro-Hungarian Army Austro-Hungarian military-related lists

History

See also

References

Bibliography