Wilenska Cavalry Brigade

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Wilenska Cavalry Brigade (Polish: Wilenska Brygada Kawalerii) was a unit of the Polish Army, created on April 1, 1937 out of the 3rd Independent Cavalry Brigade. Its headquarters were stationed in Wilno, with some regiments garrisoned in the neighboring towns. In late 1930s it consisted of these units:

4th Regiment of Niemen Uhlans, stationed in Wilno,
13th Regiment of Wilno Uhlans, stationed in Nowa Wilejka,
23rd Regiment of Grodno Uhlans, stationed in Postawy,
3rd Regiment of Mounted Artillery, stationed in Podbrodzie,
7th Squadron of Pioneers, stationed in Wilno,
3rd Squadron of Communications, stationed in Wilno,

[edit] Polish September Campaign

The Brigade, under Colonel Konstanty Drucki-Lubecki, was part of the Prusy Army and on the night of August 31/September 1, 1939, it unloaded from trains at stations of Rogow and Koluszki, near Lodz. In the following days, it defended Piotrkow Trybunalski, then, together with other units, it crossed the Vistula. On September 8, the 4th Regiment of Niemen Uhlans was attacked by parts of the German 1st Light Division of General Friedrich Wilhelm von Loeper. The Poles destroyed five tanks, but had to withdraw, under strong pressure of the enemy. Soon afterwards, the whole Brigade, losing its heavy equipment as a result of several skirmishes with the Wehrmacht, ceased to exist and got scattered. Several soldiers drowned in the Vistula, also the Poles left a lot of equipment on the eastern bank of the river. At the same time, the 23rd Regiment of Grodno Uhlans was cut from the rest of the Brigade and withdrew to the Swietokrzyskie Mountains. On September 10, the Brigade was planned to concentrate in a forest near Laskarzew, but the only unit that showed up was the 4th Regiment of Niemen Uhlans. The Poles headed towards Lubartow, joining other units of the Prusy Army. Then it became part of the Operational Cavalry Group of General Wladyslaw Anders and tried to break through to Hungary, after fighting in the Battle of Tomaszow Lubelski.