Brigade II of the Polish Legions ( pl, II Brygada Legionów Polskich, de-AT, Brigade II der Polnischen Legion, hu, A Lengyel Légió II. Dandárja), also known as the Iron (''Żelazna'', ''Eisen'', ''Vas'') or Carpathian (''Karpacka'', ''Karpaten'', ''Kárpát'') Brigade, a unit of

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 ...

, manned by Austrian Poles, part of the

Polish Legions in World War I The Polish Legions ( pl, Legiony Polskie) was a name of the Polish military force (the first active Polish army in generations) established in August 1914 in Galicia soon after World War I erupted between the opposing alliances of the Triple Ente ...

, that existed from 1914 or 1915 till 1918.The Austro-Hungarian Forces in World War I (1): 1914-16
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History

The unit was formed in mid-December 1914 (or March 1915, sources vary), as part of the

. The Brigade was first commanded by an Austrian officer, Ferdynand Küttner, and from 14 July 1916 by a Polish officer,

Józef Haller de Hallenburg Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...

. In 1917 most of the Brigade followed Haller and unlike the I Brigade and III Brigade, which followed

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 ...

, it swore an oath during the

Oath crisis The Oath crisis ( pl, Kryzys przysięgowy) was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions. Initially supporting the Central Powers against Imperial Russia, Piłsudsk ...

. It eventually formed the bulk of the

Polish Auxiliary Corps Polish Auxiliary Corps ( pl, Polski Korpus Posiłkowy, de-AT, Polnisches Hilfskorps, hu, Lengyel Segédhadtest) was the name of the Polish military formation in the Austro-Hungarian Army. Formed from the Polish Legions, it was created on 20 Sept ...

(although several sources indicated it remained a distinct unit, under the name of the Second Brigade, till March 1918). After the

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire), that ended Russia's ...

, the Brigade rebelled against the Austro-Hungarians, joining other Polish units and fighting for the cause of Polish independence. In March 1918 the Brigade was combined with the

Polish II Corps in Russia The Polish II Corps in Russia ( pl, II Korpus Polski w Rosji; russian: 2-й Польский корпус (Российская империя)) was a Polish military formation formed in revolutionary Russia in 1917. History The Corps was formed a ...

(of the former Russian Army, now also rebelling against the Russians). It was the only First World War Polish formation that fought against all three partitioners of Poland (Austria, Germany and Russia).

Battles

Major battles fought by the Second Brigade included: * Battle of Mołotków (29 October 1914) * Battle of Rafajlowa (23/24 January 1915) *

Charge of Rokitna The Charge of Rokitna ( pl, Szarża pod Rokitną) was a charge of a cavalry squadron of the 2nd Brigade of Polish Legions, fighting for the Austro-Hungarian Army. It took place on June 13, 1915 near the village of Rokytne, which at that time w ...

(13 June 1915) *

Battle of Kostiuchnówka The Battle of Kostiuchnówka was a World War I battle that took place July 4–6, 1916, near the village of Kostiuchnówka (Kostyukhnivka) and the Styr River in the Volhynia region of modern Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. It was ...

(4 to 6 July 1916) *

Battle of Rarańcza The Battle of Rarańcza was fought between Polish Legionnaires, and Austria-Hungary, from February 15 to 16, 1918, near Rarańcza in Bukovina, and ended with a Polish victory. Background The Brest-Litovsk Treaty, which was being negotiated o ...

(15/16 February, 1918) *

Battle of Kaniów Battle of Kaniv, or Battle of Kaniów took place during World War I on the night of 10–11 May 1918, near Kaniv, Ukraine ( uk, Канів, pl, Kaniów) between Polish and German army troops. The fighting pitted the Polish II Corps in Russia (in ...

(11 May 1918)

Organization

The Second Brigade comprised 3 infantry regiments (the 2nd, 3rd and, before it was moved to the III Brigade, 4th), a cavalry regiment (the 2nd), as well as support units (ex. an artillery battalion).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brigade 02 Of The Polish Legions Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 Polish Legions infantry brigades of Austria-Hungary 1914 establishments in Poland

History

Battles

Organization

Further reading

References

External links