The First Army was a

field army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...

of the Polish Army that existed during the Polish–Soviet War. In March 1920 the Headquarters of the Army decided to disband the Front HQs active until then and reform them into separate armies. The largest of Polish fronts, the so-called Lithuanian-Belarusian Front (otherwise known as the Northern Front) was split up onto three armies: the 1st, 4th and 7th. The new 1st Army was composed mostly of former Corps-sized operational groups of Generals Edward Rydz and Józef Lasocki. Initially the command of the new formation was given to Gen.

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 mo ...

, but eventually he took command of a new Northern Front while the 1st Army was given to Gen.

Stefan Majewski Stefan Majewski (born 31 January 1956) is a Polish former professional footballer and football manager. Club career Majewski was born in Bydgoszcz. He played for clubs such as Gwiazda Bydgoszcz, Zawisza Bydgoszcz, Legia Warsaw, 1. FC Kaisersl ...

. Initially it faced the Red Army's 15th Red Banner Army under Avgust Kork. The composition of the newly created army changed over time. At various times the units under Majewski's command included the 1st and 2nd Lithuanian–Belarusian Divisions, the

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

8th 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

10th 10 (ten) is the even natural number following 9 and preceding 11. Ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. It is the first double-digit number. The rea ...

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

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

and 17th Infantry Divisions, as well as 1st and 4th Air Groups and two cavalry brigades (the 1st and 4th). Also the post of commanding officer was occupied by a succession of generals. Majewski was succeeded by

Gustaw Zygadłowicz Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

(May - June 1920), then by

Jan Romer Jan Edward Romer (1869 in Lwów – 1934 in Warsaw) was a Polish general and military commander. Studied in Mödling and joined the Austro-Hungarian Army. During the First World War fought at the battle of Limanowa (1914) and battle of Gor ...

(June 23–28, 1920),

Mieczysław Kuliński Mieczysław () or Mečislovas (Lithuanian) is a Slavic name of Polish origin and consists of two parts: miecz "sword", and sław "glory, famous". Feminine form: Mieczysława. Alternate form: Mieszko. This name may refer to: People Mečislovas *M ...

(June 29–31, 1920),

Władysław Jędrzejewski Władysław Jędrzejewski (11 February 1863 - 1940) was a General of the Polish Army, who was probably murdered by the NKVD in Lwów, in March 1940. He fought in several conflicts, including World War I and the Invasion of Poland. Jędrzejewsk ...

(until August 6), Franciszek Latinik (until August 22),

Lucjan Żeligowski Lucjan Żeligowski (; 17 October 1865 – 9 July 1947) was a Polish-Lithuanian general, politician, military commander and veteran of World War I, the Polish-Soviet War and World War II. He is mostly remembered for his role in Żeligowski's M ...

(did not assume command) and finally Gen.

Aleksander Osiński Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

(from August 23 until September 1, 1920). The

chiefs of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the support ...

were Lt. Col.

Adam Nałęcz Nieniewski Colonel Adam Nieniewski (19 May 1886 – 25 April 1947) was a Polish military commander, an officer of the Polish Army and a veteran of World War I, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Lithuanian War and World War II. Biography Adam Nieniewski was b ...

(April and May 1920), Col.

Jan Kubin Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

(until June 1920) and Col.

Franciszek Kleeberg Franciszek Kleeberg (1 February 1888, in Tarnopol – 5 April 1941, near Dresden) was a Polish general. He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army before joining the Polish Legions in World War I and later the Polish Army. During the German Invasion ...

. Following the battle of Warsaw, the army took part in pursuit after the fleeing Russian forces and took part in the

Battle of the Niemen River The Battle of the Niemen River (sometimes referred to as the Second Battle of Grodno) was the second-greatest battle of the Polish–Soviet War. It took place near the middle Neman River between the cities of Suwałki, Grodno and Białystok. Af ...

. However, its forces were gradually reassigned to smaller formations and by the end of August 1920 the only division under its command was the 8th Infantry. By August 20 the unit reached the Orzyc River near

Krasnosielc Krasnosielc is a village in Maków County (Masovian Voivodeship), on the river Orzyc, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (''gmina'') called Gmina Krasnosielc. It lies approximately north of Maków Mazowiecki a ...

and was disbanded, with the 8th Division withdrawn to Lesser Poland for regrouping.

References

{{Reflist Polish armies Military units and formations established in 1920 Military units and formations disestablished in 1920 Military history of Poland 1920 disestablishments in Poland