Kraków Cavalry Brigade (') was a unit of 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 ...

, created on April 1, 1937. Its headquarters were located in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, but some units were stationed in other places: Krakowska BK w 1938

3rd Silesian Uhlan Regiment The 3rd Silesian Uhlan Regiment (Polish language, Polish: 3 Pułk Ułanów Śląskich, 3 puł) was a cavalry regiment of the Polish Land Forces in the Second Polish Republic and later an armoured regiment of the Polish Armed Forces in the West. Its ...

, in

Tarnowskie Góry Tarnowskie Góry (; ; ) is a city in Silesia, southern Poland, located in the Silesian Highlands near Katowice and seat city of Tarnowskie Góry County Located in the north of the Metropolis GZM, a megalopolis (city type), megalopolis, the great ...

* 8th Uhlan Regiment of Duke Jozef Poniatowski, in Kraków * 5th Mounted Rifles Regiment, in

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...

and after 1938 in

Dębica Dębica (; ''Dembitz'') is a town in southeastern Poland with 44,692 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the capital of Dębica County. Since 1999 it has been situated in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it had previously been in the Tarnów Voiv ...

* 5th Mounted Artillery Regiment, in

Oświęcim Oświęcim (; ; ; ) is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, situated southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (''Wisła'') and Soła rivers. Oświęcim dates back to the 12th century, when it was an im ...

During the

Polish September Campaign The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet ...

, the Brigade, under General Zygmunt Piasecki, was part of Armia Kraków, defending the area between Zabkowice and

Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship. However, Częstochowa is historically part of Lesser Poland, not Si ...

. In the first days of September 1939, its defence lines were broken by the

10th Army (Wehrmacht) The 10th Army () was a World War II field army of the (Germany). A new 10th Army was activated in 1943 in response to the Allied invasion of Italy. It saw action notably in late 1943 and early 1944 along the " Winter Line" at the Battle of S ...

, with one of its regiments overwhelmed. This opened the way for the German advance on Warsaw.Zaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., The battle took place around

Zawiercie Zawiercie () () is a town in southern Poland located in the Silesian Voivodeship with 49,334 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland near the source of the Warta River. The town lies near the historical region of Sil ...

and Woźniki, and after the defeat, the Poles withdrew towards the line of the Nida River and to the towns of

Miechów Miechów is a town in Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, about north of Kraków. It is the capital of Miechów County. Population is 11,852 (2004). Miechów lies on the Miechówka river, along European route E77. The area of the town is , a ...

and

Pińczów Pińczów is a town in southern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 40 km south of Kielce. It is the capital of Pińczów County. The population is 10,946 (2018). Pińczów belongs to the historical region of Lesser Poland (Polish: ...

. The Poles were continuously chased and attacked by German 2nd Light Division. On September 10, the Division crossed the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

near

Baranów Sandomierski Baranów Sandomierski is a small town in southern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodship, Tarnobrzeg County on the Vistula River, with 1,420 inhabitants as of December 2021. Baranów lies near the Vistula river, along ...

. Then, it fought 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

, in the area of

Biłgoraj Biłgoraj (, ''Bilgoray'', ) is a town in south-eastern Poland with 25,838 inhabitants as of December 2021. Since 1999 it has been situated in Lublin Voivodeship; it was previously located in Zamość Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is located sou ...

and Tarnogród. Surrounded by the enemy, it capitulated together with remnants of the Army Kraków.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krakow Cavalry Brigade Military units and formations established in 1937 Military units and formations of Poland in World War II Polish Cavalry Brigades Military units and formations disestablished in 1939 Kraków in World War II

See also

References