The

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

1st Legions Infantry Division () is a tactical formation 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 ...

. Formed on February 20, 1919, partially of veterans of the

I Brigade of the Polish Legions Brigade I of the Polish Legions (, , ) was a unit of Austro-Hungarian Army, manned by Poles under Austrian occupation, part of the Polish Legions in World War I, existing from 1914 to 1917. History The First Brigade was formed on December 19, 1 ...

, the unit saw extensive action during the Polish-Soviet War and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Regarded by the soldiers of 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 ...

as the ''Iron Division'', it distinguished itself in 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 ...

History

The 1st Legions Infantry Division tracks its origins to the 1919 establishment of the Polish state and was disbanded in 1944. After a 70-year-long hiatus, the Division has been revived in the wake of the 2020s Polish rearmament.

1919–1944

As one of the most experienced and best equipped Polish divisions, it fought in many of the most notable battles of the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1919 and 1920. Among them was the operation of liberation 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 ...

and

Battle of Dyneburg 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 Red ...

Daugavpils Daugavpils (see also other names) is a state city in southeastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city derives its name. The parts of the city to the north of the river belong to the historical Latvian region ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

(as part of Rydz-Śmigły's Third Army and under his personal command, although the actual commanding officer was

Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski Michał () is a Polish and Sorbian form of Michael and may refer to: * Michał Bajor (born 1957), Polish actor and musician * Michał Chylinski (born 1986), Polish basketball player * Michał Drzymała (1857–1937), Polish rebel * Michał Hel ...

). During the Kiev offensive of spring of 1920, the division formed the core of ''

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 ...

'' and took part in the battle of

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

(April 25), capturing the city of

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

itself (May 7). After the Polish withdrawal, the unit took part in heavy retreat battles and shielded the retreat of the rest of the Polish forces. After several clashes with the

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 ...

, the division broke off and reached the area of the

Wieprz The Wieprz (, ; ) is a river in central-eastern Poland, and a tributary of the Vistula. It is the country's ninth longest river, with a total length of 349 km and a catchment area of 10,497 km2, all within Poland. Its course near the to ...

River, from where it started the counter-offensive during the Battle of Warsaw (see

Battle of Dęblin and Mińsk Mazowiecki The Battle of Dęblin and Mińsk Mazowiecki took place on August 16–18, 1920 during the Polish–Soviet War. It resulted in the victory of the Polish Army (see Battle of Warsaw (1920)), commanded by Józef Piłsudski, General Edward Śmigły-R ...

). On the second day of the Polish offensive, August 16, the division managed to outflank the Bolshevik Mozyr Group by a forced march of over 56 kilometres. After that the division, commanded by

Stefan Dąb-Biernacki Stefan Dąb-Biernacki (7 January 1890 – 9 February 1959) was a general of the army during the Second Polish Republic. He served as a major general in the Polish Armed Forces (Second Polish Republic, Polish Army in overall command of Prusy Army ...

, was attached to the Second Army and took part in the second biggest battle of the war, the

Battle of the Niemen River The Battle of the Niemen River was the second-largest battle of the Polish–Soviet War. It took place near the middle Neman River between the cities of Suwałki, Grodno and Białystok. After suffering almost complete defeat in the Battle of ...

. During the battle, the unit formed the core of the ''Wilno Group'' and took part in a successful outflanking manoeuvre of the Bolshevik forces centered on the city of

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

. After that the division was moved to the rear and took part in shielding the border with

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

during

Lucjan Żeligowski Lucjan Żeligowski (; 17 October 1865 – 9 July 1947) was a Polish 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 Mutiny and a ...

's forming of the Central Lithuanian Republic (see

Żeligowski's Mutiny Żeligowski's Mutiny (, also , ) was a Polish false flag operation led by General Lucjan Żeligowski in October 1920, which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Central Lithuania. Józef Piłsudski, the Chief of State of Poland, surreptit ...

). After the war, the division was partially demobilized and stationed in

as an

en cadre A cadre (, , ) is the complement of commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers of a military unit responsible for training the rest of the unit. The cadre may be the permanent skeleton establishment of a unit, around which the full unit ca ...

divisional core. 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 division consisted of three infantry regiments (1st, 5th, and 6th; all garrisoned in Wilno), and other units, such as light and heavy artillery regiments, a company of cyclists, military engineers, and a mounted squadron. Before the outbreak of

, the division, commanded by General

Wincenty Kowalski Wincenty Kowalski (1892–1984) was a Polish military commander and a general of the Polish Army. A veteran of both World War I and World War II, he fought in all the inter-war conflicts of Poland. During the Invasion of Poland of 1939 he commande ...

, was partially mobilized in March 1939. As a part of the '' Wyszków

'' it was to shield the northern approaches of

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 ...

from the German assault from

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

. After the outbreak of the

, the division became fully mobilized and on 4 September 1939, it made contact with enemy troops in the forests around

Długosiodło Długosiodło is a village in Wyszków County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Długosiodło. It lies approximately north-east of Wyszków and north-east of Warsaw ...

. On 7 September it took part in heavy fighting near

Pułtusk Pułtusk () is a town in Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it has a population of 19,224 as of 2023. Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in length), it is a po ...

, but was outnumbered 3 to 1 and ordered to retreat southwards to defend 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 .Kamieńczyk and Wyszków. Reinforced by 98th Heavy Artillery Detachment and 61st Light Artillery Detachment, the division successfully repelled a German assault near

Brańszczyk Brańszczyk is a village in Wyszków County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Brańszczyk. It lies approximately north-east of Wyszków and north-east of Warsaw ...

, after which it began delaying actions while retreating towards

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 ...

. On 11 September that town was seized by German units and had to be retaken by force during heavy street fighting in the dark. From there, General Wincenty Kowalski planned a counter-assault of his division. In what became known as 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 ...

, on 13 September, the division started an all-out assault on German positions in nearby villages. After heavy fighting, the division broke through the third line of German defences in the villages of Lipiny, Debowiec, Wola Wodyńska, and Oleśnica. It finally broke through the German lines at Jagodno, but also suffered heavy casualties and lost most of its artillery and logistical support. Dispersed units crossed the German lines and joined several different Polish units, some of them formed ad hoc. The biggest group was rallied by the division commander but now numbered only three infantry companies out of an original three regiments. These troops broke through the forests near

Radzyń Podlaski Radzyń Podlaski is a town in eastern Poland, about north of Lublin, with 15,808 inhabitants (2017). The town has been part of the Lublin Voivodeship since 1999, previously it was part of the Biała Podlaska Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the c ...

to reach the units of Gen.

and on 22 September took part in the successful

Battle of Falków A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

against parts of the German 8th Infantry Division. Shortly afterward the division effectively ceased to exist.

Order of Battle

Polish 1st Legions Infantry Regiment First Legions Infantry Regiment of Józef Piłsudski () was an infantry regiment of the Polish Army in 1914-1939. Named after Józef Piłsudski, in the Second Polish Republic it was stationed in the city of Wilno. First Legions Infantry Regiment ...

– Col. Kazimierz Burczak * Polish 5th Legions Infantry Regiment – Lt.Col. Kazimierz Bąbiński * Polish 6th Legions Infantry Regiment – Col. Stanisław Engel * Polish 1st Legions Light Artillery Regiment – Lt. Col. Mieczysław Podlewski * 1st Heavy Artillery Detachment – Maj. Władysław Świderski * 1st Battalion of Engineers – Capt. Tadeusz Wejtko * 1st Motorized AA Battery – 1st Lieut. Stefan Osostowicz * Telephone company – Capt. Mika (?) * Organic cavalry squadron – Maj. Bronisław Kulik * 31st company of taczanka HMG – 1st Lieut. Stanisław Kasprzyk * 31st Bicycle company – 1st Lieut. Jerzy Niemcewicz * tabors and services

2022 – present

As a reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine of 2022, the Polish

Ministry of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

decided to revive the unit. On 9 January 2023 Minister of National Defense

Mariusz Błaszczak Mariusz Błaszczak (; born 19 September 1969) is a Polish politician, historian, local government representative and civil servant. A member of the Sejm continuously since 2007 and a prominent figure of the Law and Justice party, he held variou ...

announced that the 1st Legions Infantry Division will be revived as an addition to the 16th Mechanized Division, stationed in Warmia-Masuria and 18th Mechanized Division, stationed in

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

. The 1DPLeg will be the fifth mechanized division of the Polish Armed Forces. The headquarters of the revived 1DPLeg are 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 ...

Mission

The 1st Legions Infantry Division is tasked to complement the defence of the

Belarus–Poland border The Belarusian–Polish border is the state border between the Republic of Poland (EU member) and the Republic of Belarus ( Union State). It has a total length of , or

alongside the 16th Mechanised Division and the 18th Infantry Division. Polish

Defence Minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

stated that the formation is to "saturate" eastern Poland. As an organised military formation, the 1st Legions Infantry Division is also tasked to support the Department for Civil Protection and Crisis Management in case of emergency.

Organisation

The 1st Legions Infantry Division is to include a total of four Mechanised Brigades. Each of the Division's four Mechanised Brigades comprises four Mechanised Battalions and one Artillery Battalion. The division will be the largest Polish formation and equipped with Polish and South Korean equipment. As of 2023/24 the 1st Legions Infantry Division consists of the following units: * 1st Legions Infantry Division "

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 ...

", in

** 1st Command Battalion, in Ciechanów ** 1st Legions Armoured Brigade, in Czerwony Bór *** Command Battalion, in Czerwony Bór *** 1st Legions Tank Battalion, in Czerwony Bór *** 2nd Legions Tank Battalion, in Siemiatycze-Czartajew ** 2nd Legions Mechanised Brigade, in

Brodnica Brodnica () is a town in northern Poland with 28,574 inhabitants . It is the seat of Brodnica County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The nearby Brodnica Landscape Park, a protected area, gets its name from Brodnica. History The first r ...

*** Command Battalion, in Brodnica *** 1st Legions Mechanised Battalion, in Brodnica ** 3rd Legions Mechanised Brigade, in

Ślubowo Ślubowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Sońsk, within Ciechanów County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately south of Sońsk, south-east of Ciechanów, and north of Warsaw Warsaw, off ...

*** Command Battalion, in Ślubowo *** 1st Legions Mechanised Battalion, in Ślubowo ** 1st Legions Motorised Brigade, in

Kolno Kolno is a town in northeastern Poland, located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, about northeast of Warsaw. It is the seat of Kolno County, and the seat of the smaller administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Kolno, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Gmin ...

*** Command Battalion, in Kolno *** 1st Legions Motorised Battalion, in Kolno *** 2nd Legions Motorised Battalion, in Grajewo ** 1st Legions Artillery Brigade, in

Iława Iława (; ) is a town in northern Poland with 32,276 inhabitants (2010). It is the capital of Iława County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The town is located in the Iławskie Lake District, on the longest lake in Poland – Jeziorak.

*** Command Battery, in Iława ** 1st Legions Anti-Tank Regiment, in Wielbark (forming) *** Command Company, in Wielbark ** 1st Legions Anti-Aircraft Regiment, in

Ostrołęka Ostrołęka (; ) is a small city in northeastern Poland on the Narew river, about northeast of Warsaw, with a population of 51,012 (2021) and an area of . It is the capital of both Ostrołęka County and Ostrołęka City County in the Masovian V ...

*** Command Battery, in Ostrołęka *** 1st Legions Anti-Aircraft Squadron, in Ostrołęka ** 3rd Legions Sapper Regiment, in

Chełmno Chełmno (; older ; , formerly also ) is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 18,915 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of the Chełmno County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Due to its regional importance ...

*** Command Company, in Chełmno *** Legions Sapper Battalion, in Chełmno ** 1st Legions Logistics Regiment (forming) *** Command Company ** 1st Legions Reconnaissance Battalion, in

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

** 1st Legions Signal Battalion, in Ciechanów ** 1st Legions Chemical Battalion, in Brodnica ** 1st Division Training Center, in Czerwony Bór ** 2nd Division Training Center, in Ślubowo

Equipment

The 1st Legions Infantry Division does not deploy Soviet equipment. The Mechanized Brigades are equipped with

K2 Black Panther K2 Black Panther () is a South Korean List of main battle tanks by generation#Fourth Generation, fourth-generation main battle tank (MBT), designed by the Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. The tank's design bega ...

and M1A2 Abrams SEP V3

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...

s; the artillery units are equipped with

K9 Thunder The K9 Thunder is a South Korean 155 mm self-propelled howitzer designed and developed by the Agency for Defense Development and private corporations including Dongmyeong Heavy Industries, Kia Heavy Industry, Poongsan Corporation, and Samsun ...

and

AHS Krab The AHS Krab ( Polish for crab) is a 155 mm NATO-compatible self-propelled tracked gun-howitzer designed in Poland by Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW), by combining a modified South Korean K9 Thunder chassis with a British BAE Systems AS-90M Braveh ...

howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

s. The co-presence of M1 Abrams and K2 Black Panther main battle tanks is a departure from the equipment of both the 16th Mechanized Division, which relies on Korean tanks, and the 18th Mechanized Division, which is equipped with M1 Abrams. The formation will also have the Gladius unmanned aerial reconnaissance and strike systems.

Bibliography

*Seidner, Stanley S. ''Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland'', New York, 1978. *Lech Wyszczelski: Wojsko Polskie w latach 1918-1921. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Neriton, 2006 *Zdzisław Jagiełło: Piechota Wojska Polskiego 1918-1939. Warszawa: Bellona, 2007

Notes

{{Reflist 01st Legions Military units and formations established in 1919 1st Legions 1st Legions Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 Military units and formations established in 2023