6th Legions Infantry Regiment of Józef Piłsudski (Polish: 6 Pulk Piechoty Legionow Jozefa Pilsudskiego, 6 pp Leg.) was an infantry regiment of the Polish Legions and the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

. It existed from 1915 until 1939. Garrisoned in the city of

Wilno Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, it was part of the 1st Legions Infantry Division.

World War I

The regiment was formed upon the order of the Command of Polish Legions, on July 27, 1915, in

Rozprza Rozprza is a town in Piotrków County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Rozprza. It lies approximately south of Piotrków Trybunalski and south of the regional capital ...

near

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 capital of Piotrków County and the second-largest city in the Łódź Voi ...

. On September 10, 1915, the regiment headed to

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

, as part of the 3rd Brigade. In the autumn of that year, it fought in the area of Maniewicze and Kostiuchnowka, and during the Brusilov Offensive (July 1916) defended the so-called Polish Hill in Volhynia. In July 1917, after the

Oath crisis The Oath crisis (; German language, German: ''Eidkrise'') was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions in World War I, Polish Legions. Initially supporting the Central P ...

, the regiment was dissolved.

Polish – Soviet War

The 6th Legions Infantry Regiment was re-created in early 1919 in

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...

. On January 9, 1919, it was sent to the

Polish–Ukrainian War The Polish–Ukrainian War, from November 1918 to July 1919, was a conflict between the Second Polish Republic and Ukrainian forces (both the West Ukrainian People's Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic). The conflict had its roots in ...

in former

Austrian Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, also known as Austrian Galicia or colloquially Austrian Poland, was a constituent possession of the Habsburg monarchy in the historical region of Galicia in Eastern Europe. The crown land was established ...

, to defend the strategic rail line between

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

and

Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

. In April 1919 it was moved to

Lida Lida is a city in Grodno Region, western Belarus, located west of Minsk. It serves as the administrative center of Lida District. As of 2025, it has a population of 103,262. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuanian name ''Ly ...

and then

. The regiment fought in the

Battle of Daugavpils The Battle of Daugavpils, or Battle of Dyneburg, or Operation Winter was the final battle during the Polish–Soviet War of 1919. A joint Polish and Latvian force, operating under Polish Staff orders known as "Operation Winter", attacked the Re ...

, and in spring 1920, it became part of the army group sent to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

for the Kiev offensive. During Polish retreat in early summer 1920, the regiment suffered heavy losses. It fought in the Polish counterattack of August 1920, reaching Lida on September 27. On December 3, 1920, in Molodeczno,

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...

decorated the flag of the regiment with Silver Cross of the

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...

. Following the order of Polish Ministry of Military Affairs of 1930, the regiment was regarded as a reinforced unit (with app. 500 soldiers more than a regular infantry regiment), mobilized in the first wave.

1939 Invasion of Poland

During the September Campaign, the regiment was part of the 1st Legions Infantry Division, which belonged to

Operational Group Operational Group (, GO) was the highest level type of tactical division of the Polish Army at various points in the 20th century, mainly during the Second World War. Polish-Bolshevik War (1919-1921) Operational groups first appeared in the Polis ...

Wyszków. On September 8, the flag of the regiment, together with other symbols, was transported to

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, and deposited at the Józef Piłsudski Museum in

Belweder Belweder (; from the Italian ''belvedere'', "beautiful view") is a neoclassical palace in Warsaw, Poland. Erected in 1660 and remodelled in the early 1800s, it is one of several official residences used by Polish presidents as well as a state ...

. The regiment was mobilized on August 24–27, 1939, and concentrated in Wilno. On September 1, 1939, it took the defensive positions along the

Narew The Narew (; ; or ) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided h ...

river, near the town of

Różan Różan is a town in Mazovian Voivodeship, northeastern Poland, on the river Narew. National roads National road 60 (Poland), 60 and National road 60 (Poland), 61 intersect in the town. History In the late Middle Ages, Różan emerged as an impo ...

. 6th Legions Infantry Regiment of Józef Piłsudski clashed for the first time with the advancing

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

on September 9, near Wyszków. The regiment was then ordered to retreat towards the

Bug river The Bug or Western Bug is a major river in Central Europe that flows through Belarus (border), Poland, and Ukraine, with a total length of .Kałuszyn Kałuszyn is a town in Poland, seat of the Gmina Kałuszyn (commune) in Mińsk County in Masovian Voivodeship. History In the Middle Ages, a filial church of the Catholic parish in Grębków was built. In 1472, it was upgraded to a parish chur ...

(see Battle of Kałuszyn ). Polish losses were heavy, and the enemy captured wounded commandant of the regiment, Colonel Stanislaw Engel. In the night of September 13/14, the regiment clashed with SS Leibstandarte Deutschland in the village of Wola Wodynska. After a fierce clash, the survivors decided to march southwards. On September 18, it entered

Parczew Parczew is a town in eastern Poland, with a population of 10,281 (2006). It is the capital of Parczew County in the Lublin Voivodeship. Parczew historically belongs to Lesser Poland (''Małopolska'') region. The town lies 60 kilometers north o ...

, and two days later,

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

, to join forces with elements of

Kraków Army Kraków Army () was one of the List of Polish armies, Polish armies which took part in the Invasion of Poland (1939), Polish Defensive War of 1939. It was officially created on March 23, 1939 as the main pivot of Polish defence. It was commanded by ...

. On September 22, the Germans sent a mission to the Poles, urging them to capitulate. German offer was refused, and the regiment continued its march to the Hungarian border. In the morning of September 24, combined Polish forces attacked German positions in

Suchowola Suchowola (; , ''Suchavolja'') is a town in north-eastern Poland in Sokółka County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, located on both banks of the Olszanka River. Its population is 2,196 (2017). History Suchowola was founded in the 16th century and ...

. On the next day, after a clash near the village of Podklasztor, the regiment finally surrendered. On November 11, 1966, the

Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent Occupation ...

honored the 6th Legions Infantry Regiment of Józef Piłsudski for extreme bravery of its soldiers during the 1939 campaign. According to estimates, the regiment lost 130 soldiers and officers KIA, with at least 250 WIA.

Commandants

* Major Witold Scibor-Rylski (28 VII – 2 X 1915), * Major Mieczyslaw Norwid-Neugebauer (6 X 1915 – 11 VII 1917), * Colonel Witold Scibor-Rylski (28 VII – 20 VIII 1917), * Colonel Boleslaw Popowicz (8 V 1919 – 15 VIII 1920), * Colonel Stanislaw Jozef Kozicki (16 VIII 1920 – 17 VIII 1927), * Colonel Stefan Leon Biestek (17 VIII 1927 – 12 XI 1935), * Colonel

Zygmunt Berling Zygmunt Henryk Berling (27 April 1896 – 11 July 1980) was a Polish general and politician. He fought for the independence of Poland in the early 20th century. Berling was a co-founder and commander of the First Polish Army (1944–1945), First ...

(13 XI 1935 – 2 IV 1937), * Colonel Stanislaw Engel (3 IV 1937 – 12 IX 1939), * Colonel Jan Kasztelowicz (since 12 IX 1939),

Symbols

The badge, approved on December 13, 1921, featured a cross with Jagiellonian Eagle, the date 28 VII 1915 and the inscription 6 PP LP. Furthermore, it presented the names of battles: KOSTIUCHNOWKA, GÓRA POLAKÓW KAMIENIUCHA KUKLE – KOPNE.

Sources