Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade (Polish: ''Wielkopolska Brygada Kawalerii'') was a cavalry 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 stre ...

in the interbellum period. It was created on April 1, 1937 out of the Cavalry Brigade "Poznań". Its headquarters were stationed in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

and the brigade consisted of these units: Wielkopolska BK w 1938

16th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment 16th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment of General Gustaw Orlicz-Dreszer (Polish language: 16 Pulk Ulanow Wielkopolskich im. gen. dyw. Gustawa Orlicz-Dreszera, 16 p.ul.) was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the Second Polish Republic. In the interbel ...

15th Poznań Uhlans Regiment 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious num ...

, stationed in Poznań, * 17th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment of King

Bolesław Chrobry Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to: In people: * Boleslaw (given name) In geography: * Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland * Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland * Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, ...

, stationed in

Leszno Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, it ...

* 7th Greater Poland Mounted Rifles Regiment, stationed in Biedrusko, * 7th Greater Poland Mounted Artillery Regiment, stationed in Poznań, * 3rd Squadron of Pioneers, stationed in Poznań, * 7th Squadron of Communications, stationed in Poznań.

Polish September Campaign

The Brigade, under General Roman Abraham, was part of the

Poznań Army Army Poznań ( pl, Armia Poznań) led by Major General Tadeusz Kutrzeba was one of the Polish Armies during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Tasks Flanked by Armia Pomorze to the north and Łódź Army to the south, the Army was to provide f ...

. On the first day of the

Polish September Campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week af ...

, its forces counterattacked 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 previo ...

in the area of Leszno and

Rawicz Rawicz (; german: Rawitsch) is a town in west-central Poland with 21,398 inhabitants as of 2004. It is situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship (since 1999); previously it was in Leszno Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Rawicz ...

, together with the 25th Infantry Division. On September 2, 1939, parts of the Brigade broke into German territory, attacking Fraustadt and destroying a column of German vehicles. In the following days, the Brigade, together with the whole Poznań Army, withdrew eastwards from Greater Poland. On September 8, 1939, the cavalrymen covered the eastern wing of the Army during the outbreak of the

Battle of the Bzura The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was the largest Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.''The Second World War: An Illustrated History '', Putnam, 1975, Google Print snippet ...

.Zaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., In the night of September 9–10, 1939, the Brigade attacked the enemy, with initial successes of the 17th Regiment of Greater Poland Uhlans and the 15th Regiment of Poznań Uhlans. However, soon afterwards German defense stiffened and the Brigade halted. On September 11, together with the 11th Infantry Division, the Brigade attacked Głowno, facing German 24th I.D. under General Friedrich Olbricht. As Polish momentum weakened, on September 13 the Brigade was ordered to withdraw across the

Bzura The Bzura is a river in central Poland, a tributary of the Vistula river (in Wyszogród), with a length of 173 kilometres and a basin area of 7,764 km2.Brochow, continuously fighting the German 4th Mountain Division of General

Georg-Hans Reinhardt Georg-Hans Reinhardt (1 March 1887 – 23 November 1963) was a German general and war criminal during World War II. He commanded the 3rd Panzer Army from 1941 to 1944, and Army Group Centre in 1944 and 1945, reaching the rank of colonel general ...

. Skirmishes lasted until September 16, when the Brigade retreated into the

Kampinos Forest Kampinos Forest () is a large forest complex located in Masovian Voivodeship, west of Warsaw in Poland. It covers a part of the ancient valley of the Vistula basin, between the Vistula and the Bzura rivers. Once a forest covering 670 km2 ...

. There, together with the

Pomeranian Cavalry Brigade Pomeranian Cavalry Brigade (Polish: ''Pomorska Brygada Kawalerii'') was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. It was created on April 1, 1937 out of the Cavalry Brigade "Bydgoszcz". Its headquarters were stationed in Bydgoszc ...

and Podolska Cavalry Brigade, it created the Joint Cavalry Brigade of General Abraham. On September 18, the unit fought off attack of German 29th Motorised Division of General

Joachim Lemelsen Joachim Lemelsen (28 September 1888 – 30 March 1954) was a German general during World War II who rose to army-level command. During Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, troops of the XLVII Motorized Corps under his ...

. Two days later it broke into besieged

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, where it capitulated on September 28, 1939.

References

{{reflist Polish Cavalry Brigades Military units and formations of Poland in World War II Military units and formations established in 1937

Polish September Campaign

See also

References