{{Short description, Poland army unit 25th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment (

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 ...

: 25 Pułk Ułanów Wielkopolskich, 25 puł) was a

Polish cavalry The Polish cavalry () can trace its origins back to the days of medieval cavalry knights. Poland is mostly a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment. The knights and heavy cavalry gradually evolved in ...

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 ...

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 ...

. Formed in 1920, it fought both 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 1939

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 1924–1939, the regiment was garrisoned in the town of Pruzany (current

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 ...

), and belonged to

Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade (Polish: ''Nowogródzka Brygada Kawalerii'') was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. It was created on April 1, 1937, out of the Baranowicze Cavalry Brigade. It took its name from Nowogródek tow ...

. The history of the unit dates back to mid-July 1920, when the 115th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment was formed out of reserve squadrons of the 15th and 16th Poznań Uhlan Regiments, and 2nd Mounted Rifles Regiment from

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: ...

. On July 29, 1920, the new unit, with 473 sabres, was sent to the Polish–Soviet frontline near

Łomża Łomża () is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Łomża County and has been the se ...

, where it protected the

Narew The Narew (; ; or ) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided h ...

crossings, and immediately clashed with Soviet cavalry. On August 8, the regiment joined the 8th Cavalry Brigade, fighting near

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

Mława Mława (; ''Mlave'') is a town in north-eastern Poland with 30,403 inhabitants in 2020. It is the capital of Mława County. It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship. During the invasion of Poland in 1939, the battle of Mława was fought to the ...

. It completed its mission in late October 1920, near

Korosten Korosten (, ), also historically known as Iskorosten (), is a historic city and a large transport hub in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh (Pripyat), Uzh River. Korosten serves as the Capital city, administrative center ...

. By that time, the regiment shrank to only 250 sabres. During the 1939

, the regiment was part of

. On September 23, 1939, the unit carried out a famous charge in the

Battle of Krasnobród 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 ...

. The uhlans managed to push 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 ...

out of the town of

Krasnobród Krasnobród () is a spa town in Zamość County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. It is located near the Roztocze National Park and Krasnobród Landscape Park. The Wieprz River flows through the town. Points of interest include an old church and a forme ...

, capturing the staff of German 8th Infantry Division. The regiment was finally destroyed on September 27 near Wladypol (current Ukraine), and its survivors crossed the Hungarian border, to continue fighting in the West. In recognition of the bravery of its soldiers, the 25th Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment was awarded the

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...

. On January 5, 1945 in the town of

Maglie Maglie (Salentino: ; Griko: , translit. ; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. History The Maglie area was settled as early as the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age, and before, as testifi ...

, Italy, the ''25th Armoured-Motorized Greater Poland Uhlan Regiment'' was formed, as part of the

5th Kresowa Infantry Division The Polish 5th Kresowa Infantry Division () was an infantry division of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. Formed in March 1943, it fought in the Italian Campaign as part of Lieutenant general Władysław Anders' Polish ...

. The regiment did not fight in any battles, and was formally dissolved on May 5, 1947.

Commandants

* Colonel Maciej Mielzynski (1920), * Colonel Erazm Stablewski (1920), * Rotmistrz Witold Radecki-Mikulicz (1920–1921), * Colonel Roland Bogusz (1921–1922), * Colonel Aleksander Zelio (1922–1923), * Colonel Wlodzimierz Tyszkiewicz (1923–1924), * Colonel Anatol Jasienski (1924–1925), * Colonel Spirydion Koiszewski (1925–1932), * Colonel Witold Dzierzykraj-Morawski (1932–1937), * Colonel Bogdan Stachlewski (1937–1939), * Colonel Wilhelm Lewicki (1945), * Colonel Edward Milewski (1945–1947).

Symbols

The flag of the regiment was handed during a ceremony which took place on April 29, 1923 in Nowogrodek. It accompanied the uhlans during the 1939 campaign, and was buried on September 28, 1939 in a forest near Wola Sudkowska (current

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). The badge, accepted in 1925, was in the shape of a silver eagle, holding a brass shield with a

Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...

Sources

* Piotr Bauer: Zarys historii wojennej pułków polskich w kampanii wrześniowej. 17 Pułk Ułanów Wielkopolskich. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza "Ajaks", 1994 * Henryk Smaczny: Księga kawalerii polskiej 1914–1947: rodowody, barwa, broń. Warszawa: TESCO, 1989 Cavalry regiments of Poland Military units and formations established in 1920 1920 establishments in Poland Military units and formations disestablished in 1939 Military units and formations of Poland in World War II Polesie Voivodeship