Polish 2nd Legions Infantry Division (''2. Dywizja Piechoty Legionów'') was a tactical 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 str ...

between the World Wars. Formed on February 21, 1919, in the towns of Zegrze and Jablonna near

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 official ...

, and composed mostly of veterans of the

Polish Legions in World War I The Polish Legions ( pl, Legiony Polskie) was a name of the Polish military force (the first active Polish army in generations) established in August 1914 in Galicia soon after World War I erupted between the opposing alliances of the Triple Ente ...

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

Invasion of Poland 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 ...

. During the Polish-Bolshevik War the division was commanded by

Henryk Minkiewicz Henryk Minkiewicz (19 January 1880 – 9 April 1940) was a Polish socialist politician and a general of the Polish Army. Former commander of the Border Defence Corps, he was among the Polish officers murdered in the Katyń massacre.; ; ; ; ; ; ...

and Michal Zymierski. In a later stage, it took part in the Battle of Niemen as part of the Third Army. 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 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...

, the unit's headquarters were stationed in

Kielce Kielce (, yi, קעלץ, Keltz) is a city in southern Poland, and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the ba ...

, with some regiments in the garrisons of

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; la, Sandomiria) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (as of 2017), situated on the Vistula River in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Provi ...

and Jarosław. During that time its commanders included General

Aleksander Narbutt-Łuczyński Aleksander Narbutt-Łuczyński (February 28, 1890 – July 20 or 25, 1977) was a Polish lawyer and military officer, a brigadier general of the Polish Army and a veteran of both the Polish-Bolshevik War and World War II. During the German- ...

(1921 - 1930), General Juliusz Zulauf (1930 - 1938) and Colonel Edward Dojan-Surówka (1938 - Sept. 8 1939). In 1921 - 1939, the division's headquarters was garrisoned in Kielce. Its 2nd Legions' Infantry Regiment was located in Sandomierz, 3rd Legions' Infantry Regiment was located in Jaroslaw, 4th Legions' Infantry Regiment was stationed in Kielce. Other subunits, such as 2nd Light Artillery Regiment, were scattered in different towns of northern

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...

Invasion of Poland

During the

, 2nd Legions Infantry Division was a reserve unit of Army Łódź. Commanded by Colonel Edward Dojan-Surówka, it detrained at Łask and took positions near Zelów. On September 2, 1939, it was sent to Belchatow, and its elements fought in the Battle of Borowa Góra. In the night of September 8/9, 1939, Colonel Dojan-Surowka suffered a nervous breakdown and abandoned his soldiers. He was replaced by Colonel Antoni Staich. Later, the division took part in the Battle of Wola Cyrusowa, and finally, fought in the Battle of Modlin, capitulating on September 29, 1939. A number of its soldiers were killed by the Germans in the Massacre in Zakroczym.

Operation Tempest

The division was recreated in the spring of 1944 by the

Home Army The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II, resistance movement in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed i ...

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 (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975–1 ...

Area, as Second Legions Home Army Infantry Division ''Pogon''. With over 3000 soldiers, and commanded by Colonel Antoni Żółkiewski, it fought in

Operation Tempest file:Akcja_burza_1944.png, 210px, right Operation Tempest ( pl, akcja „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 ...

(summer 1944). The division was dissolved in January 1945.

Sources

* Tadeusz Jurga: Wojsko Polskie : krótki informator historyczny o Wojsku Polskim w latach II wojny światowej. 7, Regularne jednostki Wojska Polskiego w 1939 : organizacja, działania bojowe, uzbrojenie, metryki związków operacyjnych, dywizji i brygad. Warszawa : Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej 1975

Invasion of Poland

Operation Tempest

Sources

See also