1st Cavalry Division (Polish)
| 1st Cavalry Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1919–1929 |
| Country | Poland |
| Branch | Land forces |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Engagements | Polish-Bolshevik War: Koziatyn – Wołodarka – Koziatyn – Brody – Komarow |
The Polish 1st Cavalry Division (Polish: 1 Dywizja Jazdy, later 1 Dywizja Kawalerii) was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed in 1919, partially of veterans of the Polish Legions, the unit saw extensive action during the Polish-Bolshevik War.
The unit was formed in 1919, compromising of six regiments, each of those with a distinct own history and made up of World War I veterans who had served in the Austrian, French, German and Russian armies. As such, the division was made up from a distinct variety of soldiers with different equipment and training. On top of this, its soldiers had fought during the first world war in opposing armies. The 1st Cavalry Division was in this fact a prime example of the new Polish Army, which was composed in a very similar way of soldiers with completely different militaristic backgrounds but the common goal of defending their newly reestablished country.
The division took part in the operation which resulted in the battle of Koziatyn and the capture of Kiev in late April and early May 1920, then under the command of Jan Romer.
After this, the unit fought in the battle of Wołodarka, where it faced the Russian Konarmia, led by Semyon Budyonny, who had served as a corporal under Aleksander Karnicki, now the 1st Cavalry Divisions commander, in the Imperial Russian Army. The division managed to stop a Russian breakthrough in this battle on 29 May, despite being outnumbered six to one. However, this success could not permanently stop the advance of the Russian forces towards the Polish rear and the division had to retreat.
The division fought the Konarmia again in early June, around Koziatyn, before the Russian cavalry was called to attack Kiev. In another engagement between those two cavalry forces on 10 June, between Zhitomir and Koziatyn, the Konarmia's advance was again halted but the need for more troops on the northern front forced the Poles to retreat eventually.
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