11th Legions Infantry Regiment of Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz (Polish: 11 Pułk Ułanów Legionowych im. Marszałka Edwarda Śmigłego-Rydza, 11 puł) was a cavalry 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 ...

, which existed in 1918–1939. It fought in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

and the

Invasion of Poland 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 Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

. In the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

, the regiment was garrisoned in

Ciechanów Ciechanów is a city in north-central Poland, seat of the Ciechanów County in the Masovian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, it has a population of 43,495. A city with almost a thousand years of history, recorded in 1065, Ciechanów is one of ...

, and in 1939, belonged to

Mazowiecka Cavalry Brigade The Masovian Cavalry Brigade () was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period, which took part in the Polish September Campaign. It was created on April 1, 1937, out of the former 1st Cavalry Brigade. Its headquarters were in War ...

Beginnings

In early November 1918 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 ...

, a group of officers of the dissolved ''1st Legions Uhlan Regiment'' formed the so-called ''Squadron of

Rotmistrz Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A is typically in charge of a s ...

Jablonski''. On November 17, the squadron, divided into three platoons, left its barracks at Rakowce near Kraków, and traveled by train to

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 ...

, where it merged with a local cavalry unit. The regiment then takes part in the Battle of Przemyśl (1918), with its elements entering

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 late January 1919, the regiment was sent to

Kraśnik Kraśnik is a town in southeastern Poland with 35,602 inhabitants (2012), situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, historic Lesser Poland. It is the seat of Kraśnik County. The town of Kraśnik as it is known today was created in 1975, after the mer ...

for rest. In March, it was sent to

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: ...

, where it the so-called

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 ...

Squadron and Jędrzejów Squadron were merged with it. On February 19, 1919, Polish headquarters officially tasked

Mariusz Zaruski Mariusz Zaruski (18 January 1867 – 8 April 1941) was a brigadier-general in the Polish Army, a pioneer of Polish sports yachting, an outstanding climber of the winter and caves of Tatra Mountains. He was a photographer, painter, poet and writ ...

with forming the regiment. Zaruski gathered cavalry squadrons from Kraśnik, Pińczów and Kielce. All concentrated in Pińczów. On March 16, 1919, Rotmistrz Antoni Jablonski was named first commandant of the regiment, and on April 7, 1919, following the order of

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 ...

, the regiment was sent by rail to

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 ...

. Uhlans of the 11th regiment captured Wilno on April 20, 1919, after heavy fighting against the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. Two days later, the regiment marched towards

Landwarów Lentvaris (; ) is a city in eastern Lithuania, 9 km east of Trakai. It is a transportation hub, as several road and rail routes cross here. Lake Lentvaris is nearby. History The town is situated in ethnographically Baltic Lithuanian ...

, to cover the Polish–Lithuanian demarcation line. In August 1919, the regiment fought against the Soviets in

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. On August 20, together with ''1st

Chevau-léger ''Chevau-légers'' ( from French ''cheval''—horse—and ''léger''—light) was a generic French name for light cavalry and medium cavalry. Their history began in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the heavy cavalry forces of the ...

Regiment'', it captured Glebokie. By late August, it covered the line of the

Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

, repelling several Soviet counterattacks and remaining there until spring 1920. In May 1920, Soviet counteroffensive in Belarus began. Outnumbered and outgunned Polish units were forced to retreat. On June 20, the regiment was loaded on a train at the rail station of Dukszty, and via Wilno-Baranowicze-Brzesc-Kowel traveled to Rowne, reaching its destination on June 21. In

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 ...

, Polish uhlans faced the assault of

1st Cavalry Army __NOTOC__ The 1st Cavalry Army (), or ''Konarmia'' (Кона́рмия, "Horsearmy"), was a prominent Red Army military formation that served in the Russian Civil War and Polish–Soviet War, Polish-Soviet War. History Formation On 17 Novem ...

, commanded by

Semyon Budyonny Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny ( rus, Семён Миха́йлович Будённый, Semyon Mikháylovich Budyonnyy, p=sʲɪˈmʲɵn mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ bʊˈdʲɵnːɨj, a=ru-Simeon Budyonniy.ogg; – 26 October 1973) was a Russian and ...

. The regiment defended the line of the

Horyn River The Horyn or Haryn (, ; , ; ; ) is a tributary of the Pripyat, which flows through Ukraine and Belarus. The Horyn is long, and has a drainage basin of .Korzec on July 1. In mid-July it retreated westwards, fighting the enemy. On August 1, 1920, it clashed with Soviet cavalry near Mikolajow. For the remaining part of the

, the regiment fought in eastern part of 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 ...

, defending the approaches to Lwów, and Galician oil fields in the area of

Drohobycz Drohobych ( ; ; ) is a city in the south of Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. In 1939–1941 and 1944–1959 it was ...

, Bobrka and Boryslaw. On September 7, 1920, as part of First Cavalry Brigade, it began to advance eastwards, fighting in

Podolia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

. On October 22, 1920, Major Antoni Jablonski died in a hospital in Lwów.

Second Polish Republic

On November 25, 1920, the regiment was sent to the barracks at

Czortków Chortkiv (, ; ; ) is a city in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Chortkiv Raion, housing the district's local administration buildings. Chortkiv hosts the administration of Chortkiv urban hrom ...

, where it remained until June 1921. On June 12, 1921, the regiment was loaded on a train and headed to its new garrison in

. Its three squadrons were sent to nearby

Przasnysz Przasnysz () is a town in north-central Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodship, about north of Warsaw and about south of Olsztyn, it is the capital of Przasnysz County. It has 18,093 inhabitants (2004). It was one of the most important towns ...

, since there was not enough space at former

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

barracks in Ciechanów.

1939 Invasion of Poland

The regiment was mobilized on August 24, 1939, to join

. On September 1, it manned a defensive line between Ciechanów and Przasnysz. Forced to retreat, it fought the

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 ...

in several locations, including the

Battle of Kałuszyn The Battle of Kałuszyn, took place between 11 and 12 September 1939 around the town of Kałuszyn near Mińsk Mazowiecki in Poland. It was part of the invasion of Poland at the start of World War II between forces of the Polish Army and the invadi ...

, in which it joined forces with 6th Legions Infantry Regiment. By September 24, it found itself near

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 ...

, and its elements fought until September 27. In 1944, the

Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...

of District

Siedlce Siedlce () ( ) is a city in the Masovian Voivodeship in eastern Poland with 77,354 inhabitants (). The city is situated between two small rivers, the Muchawka and the Helenka, and lies along the European route E30, around east of Warsaw. It is ...

–

Węgrów Węgrów (; ) is a town in eastern Poland with 12,796 inhabitants (2013), capital of Węgrów County in the Masovian Voivodeship. History First mentioned in historical records in 1414, Węgrów received its city charter in 1441. Between 16th ...

recreated the 11th Regiment for

Operation Tempest file:Akcja_burza_1944.png, 210px, right Operation Tempest or Operation Burza (, sometimes referred to in English as "Operation Storm") was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II against occupying German forces by the Polish Home Arm ...

Commandants

* Major Mariusz Zaruski (1919–1920) * Rotmistrz Edward Kleszczynski (1920) * Major Antoni Jablonski (1920) * Rotmistrz Edward Kleszczynski (1920–1921) * Major Ludwik Kmicic-Skrzynski (X 1921–X 1924) * Colonel Sergiusz Zahorski (XI 1924–1926) * Colonel Marian Mochnacki (1926–1927) * Tomasz Dobrzamski (1927–1928) * Colonel Konstanty Tatar-Ablamowicz (1928–1930) * Colonel Piotr Glogowski (1930–1933) * Colonel Stanislaw Klepacz (1933–1938) * Colonel Wladyslaw Màczewski (1938–1939)

Symbols

The regiment received its flag on October 5, 1919, during a ceremony in Wilno. The flag was funded by the residents of Wilno, and it presented

Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn ''Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn'' (, , , ) is a prominent Christian icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by the faithful in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Lithuania. The painting was historically displayed above the Vilnius city g ...

on one side, and symbols of Poland and Lithuania on the other. On March 22, 1922, names of locations of the battles were added to the flag: Kowalewszczyzna, Nowe Kruki, PeresΠawka, Szczelno, Tyszki, Perebrodzie, Rowne, Mikolajow, Ruzdwiany, Jampol, Nowa Sieniawka. Regimental badge was in the shape of a silver cross, with dates 1809 1914 1918 1919 on its wings. On May 28, 1937, Ministry of Military Affairs named the regiment after Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz. The regiment had its own zurawiejka: "Half civilian, half military, this is the Legions eleventh regiment. They are carelessly sleeping on the border, the uhlans from Ciechanów".

Sources