4th Niemen Uhlan Regiment () 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 ...

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 ...

. It was garrisoned in the city of

Vilnius 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 it celebrated its day on 9 July, the anniversary of the 1920 Charge of Hrebionka.

Beginnings

In the spring of 1918, General Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki ordered the formation of 4th Uhlan Regiment, as part of

Polish I Corps in Russia 1st Polish Corps in Russia (; ) was a military formation formed on 24 July 1917 in Minsk from Polish and Lithuanian personnel serving in the Western and Northern Fronts of the Russian Army. In the chaotic period at the end of World War I on ...

. The idea was abandoned, to return in November 1918, when the regiment was formed in

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 ...

, with its squadrons scattered in towns of former

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

, such as

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 ...

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 ...

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

Włocławek Włocławek (; or ''Alt Lesle'', Yiddish: וולאָצלאַוועק, romanized: ''Vlatzlavek'') is a city in the Kuyavian–Pomeranian Voivodeship in central Poland along the Vistula River, bordered by the Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park ...

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 ...

, and

Konin Konin () is a city in central Poland, on the Warta River. It is the capital of Konin County and is located within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. In 2021 the population of the city was 71,427, making it the fourth-largest city in Greater Poland af ...

. The newly formed regiment continued the traditions of 4th Uhlan Regiment of Congress Poland.

Polish-Ukrainian and Polish–Soviet Wars

In January 1919, the regiment was sent to the area of

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 ...

, to fight in the Polish-Ukrainian War. On 10 May 1919, it was sent northwards, to

and then

Lida Lida is a city in Grodno Region, western Belarus, located west of Minsk. It serves as the administrative center of Lida District. As of 2025, it has a population of 103,262. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuanian name ''Ly ...

. It was the first Polish regiment to cross the

Niemen Neman, Nemunas or Niemen is a river in Europe that rises in central Belarus and flows through Lithuania then forms the northern border of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia's western exclave, which specifically follows its southern channel. It drains ...

river, after which it fought in

and Central Belarus. In the summer of 1920, the regiment was involved in heavy fighting with 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 ...

. Among others, it destroyed three Soviet infantry regiments in the Battle of Hrebionka (July 2, 1920), and then fought in the outskirts of

. Following the Polish victory in the

Battle of Warsaw (1920) The Battle of Warsaw (; , ), also known as the Miracle on the Vistula (), was a series of battles that resulted in a decisive Polish victory and complete disintegration of the Red Army in August 1920 during the Polish–Soviet War. After the ...

, it chased the retreating enemy, reaching the line of the

Berezina River The Berezina or Byarezina (, ; ) is a river in Belarus and a right tributary of the Dnieper. The river starts in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The length of the Berezina is . The width of the river is 15–20 m, the maximum is 60 m. The ba ...

Second Polish Republic

After the war, the regiment was sent to Wilno, to remain garrisoned in this city until 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 1927, it was officially named 4th Regiment of Niemen Uhlans, to emphasize the fact that it was the first unit to cross the Niemen and advance eastwards in 1919. Among soldiers who served in the regiment was Colonel

Zygmunt Szendzielarz Zygmunt Szendzielarz (12 March 1910 – 8 February 1951, nom de guerre "Łupaszka".) was the commander of the Polish 5th Wilno Brigade of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) and after the Second World War fought against the Red Army. The unit also co ...

, who commanded its 3rd Squadron.

1939 Invasion of Poland

In September 1939, the regiment commanded by Colonel Ludomir Wysocki belonged to Wilenska Cavalry Brigade. Mobilized on 23 August 1939, it was sent by rail from Wilno to central Poland, to join

Prusy Army The Prusy Army () was one of the Polish armies to fight during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Created in the summer of 1939 as the main reserve of the Commander in Chief, it was commanded by Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki. The word ''Prusy'' in the ...

. On September 2, the regiment detrained at

Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by #Etymology, alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the capital of Piotrków County and the second-largest city in the Łódź Voi ...

, and on the next day it concentrated in the forests near the village of Lubien. In the night of September 5/6, it was sent to the area of Sulejow, to prepare defensive positions along the

Pilica river The Pilica is a river in central Poland, and the longest left tributary of the Vistula river, with a length of 333 kilometres (8th longest). All 9,258 km2 of its basin area is in Poland.Przysucha Przysucha is a town in south-central Poland. Located in historic Lesser Poland, it is part of the Masovian Voivodeship, about southwest of Warsaw and west of Radom. It is the capital of Przysucha County, and the town 6,762 inhabitants (2004). ...

. On 8 September south of

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 ...

, 4th Regiment of Niemen Uhlans fought a bloody battle against advancing panzer units 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 ...

. The battle lasted several hours, and in the night, the regiment retreated towards Maciejowice. It then defended the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

crossing near

Magnuszew Magnuszew is a town in Kozienice County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Magnuszew. It located near the Vistula river and lies approximately north-west of Kozienice ...

, suffering heavy losses and losing its heavy weaponry. After crossing the Vistula, elements of the regiment concentrated along 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, where it was reorganized and merged with elements of the 13th Wilno Uhlan Regiment as well as 36th Infantry Division. The new unit, reinforced with a few tanks headed towards

Świdnik Świdnik () is a town in southeastern Poland with 40,186 inhabitants (2012), situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, southeast of the city of Lublin. It is the capital of Świdnik County. Świdnik belongs to the historic province of Lesser Poland, ...

. As part of improvised Cavalry Brigade of General

Władysław Anders Władysław Albert Anders (11 August 1892 – 12 May 1970) was a Polish military officer and politician, and prominent member of the Polish government-in-exile in London. Born in Krośniewice-Błonie, then part of the Russian Empire, he serv ...

, it fought its way southwards, trying to reach the Hungarian border. On 26 September, it managed to cross the

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 ...

–

highway, but was later halted by the

, and capitulated to the Germans on 27 September.

Commandants of the Regiment

* Colone Stanislaw Rawicz-Dziewulski (1918–1921) * Major Czeslaw Kozierowski (1921–1932) * Colonel Ludwik Schweizer (1932–1936) * Colonel Zdzislaw Chrzastowski (1936–1938) * Colonel Ludomir Wysocki (1938–1939)

Symbols of the Regiment

The 4th Regiment of Niemen Uhlans had two flags. The first one was funded by the residents of

Kujawy Kuyavia (; ), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three traditional parts: north-western (with t ...

, and handed to the soldiers in

in 1919. The second flag was funded by the residents of the lands of

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

and Ejszyszki, and presented to the soldiers by Marshall

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 Wilno, on 14 April 1922. The fate of both flags is unknown. On 13 December 1921, Polish military authorities accepted the regimental badge. Its shape was similar to 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, ...

Cross, with a Polish eagle superimposed on it. The cross had the date 11 XI 1918, number 4 and letter U. The badge was designed by Witold Lada-Zablocki and manufactured by Teodor Filipski from Wilno. The traditions of the regiment were continued by the of Colonel Jan Kozietulski.

Sources

* Kazimierz Satora: Opowieści wrześniowych sztandarów. Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy Pax, 1990.