List of Polish divisions in World War I

Last updated

The following is a list of Polish brigade and division-sized military units during World War I and the subsequent Russian Civil War. See also list of military divisions. Official names are given in parentheses.

Contents

Key
Formed in Russia during World War IGreen
Formed in France during World War I (the Blue Army of Gen. Haller)Blue
  1st Polish Rifle Division  [ pl ] (1 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 1re Division Polonaise) Later 13th Infantry Division (Poland)
  Polish 2nd Rifle Division (2 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 2éme Division Polonaise)
  Polish 3rd Rifle Division (3 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 3éme Division Polonaise)
 Polish 4th Polish Rifle Division (4. Dywizja Strzelców Polskich)Later part of Haller's Blue army as 4th Division-renamed 10th Infantry Division (Poland)
Col. Franciszek Zieliński
 Polish 5th Polish Rifle Division (5. Dywizja Strzelców Polskich)Later part of Haller's Blue army as 5th Division-renamed Polish 30th Infantry Division
generals Piotr Szymanowski, Adam Sławoczyński, Tadeusz Bylewski
  6th Polish Rifle Division (6 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 3éme Division Polonaise)
  7th Polish Rifle Division (7 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 7éme Division Polonaise)
  Polish Instructive Division (Dywizja Instrukcyjna)

Formed in Russia during the Russian Civil War

Formation nameDate formedDate formation ceased to existUnit's insigniaLocations servedNotable campaignsNotesSource(s)
Polish Legion in Finland 24 April 19171 March 1918Finlandn/a
I Polish Corps in Russia 24 July 191721 May 1918 Odznaka I korpus w Rosji-removebg-preview.png modern-day BelarusGerman anti-Bolshevik campaign in spring 1918On May 21, 1918, the Corps' commander Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki after acknowledging the Regency Council signed an agreement with the Germans, under which the Corps agreed to be disarmed and disbanded.
II Polish Corps in Russia 21 December 191711 May 1918 Odznaka Zwiazku Kaniowczykow rewers mosiadz.jpg modern-day Ukraine Battle of Kaniów The corps was disbanded afterwards the battle of Kaniów, with most of its soldiers imprisoned by the Germans.
III Polish Corps in Russia Ukraine
4th Polish Rifle Division 24 August 191819 July 1919 Odznaka 4 Dywizji Zeligowskiego.jpg southern Russia
5th Polish Rifle Division 25 January 191920 January 1920 5odznaka 5 Dywizja Syberyjska.jpg Siberia
1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division 19191921 Odznaka Dywizji Litewsko-Bialoruskiej.jpg
2nd Lithuanian–Belarusian Division July 19191920
Polish Light Brigade (Brygada Lekka)

Formed by Austria-Hungary

Formation nameDate formedDate formation ceased to existDivisional insigniaLocations servedNotable battlesSource(s)
1st Brigade, Polish Legions 19 December 1914July 1917 Odznaka I Brygady Legionow rewers zelazo.jpg Eastern Front Łowczówek, Konary, Jastków, Kostiuchnówka
2nd Brigade, Polish Legions 8 May 191515 March 1918 (became the 5th Polish Rifle Division, part of the II Polish Corps in Russia) Odznaka II Brygady Legionow Polskich.jpg Eastern Front Battle of Britain, The Blitz
3rd Brigade, Polish Legions 8 May 1915July 1917 Eastern Front Battle of Britain, The Blitz
Polish Auxiliary Corps 20 September 191619 February 1918 (formed the basis of the Polnische Wehrmacht) Eastern Front Rarańcza, Kaniów (both against the Central Powers)

Formed by German Empire

Formation nameDate formedDate formation ceased to existLocations servedNotable campaignsNotesSource(s)
Polnische Wehrmacht 10 April 191711 November 1918N/AN/AThe Oath crisis happened in July 1917, as a result of which it only remained as a rump unit. After the declaration of Polish independence of 11 November 1918, the units of the Polnische Wehrmacht became the basis of the Polish Army.

References