POLSKI OFICER 10. BRYGADY KAWALERII 1939 [ŻYWICA]

Download Mirage Hobby PDF catalogueThe Polish 10th Cavalry Brigade (in short: 10th BK) was formed in 1921 as the 10th Cavalry Brigade, being one of the cavalry units of the Polish Army. In 1924 it was renamed the 10th Cavalry Brigade and included in the 4th Cavalry Division. In the same year, the brigade underwent a far-reaching reorganization, and the 10th horse artillery squadron and the 22nd and 24th lancer regiments were excluded from its composition. In 1930, the unit was fully independent and received its final name, i.e. 10th Cavalry Brigade. In 1937, the unit, as one of the few in the Second Polish Republic, began the process of reorganization and rearming with motorized and mechanized equipment, becoming the only fully motorized unit of the Polish Army at the beginning of the September campaign. It is worth adding that in October 1938, Colonel (later general) Stanisław Maczek became the commander of the unit, who led the Brigade in the September campaign. From the beginning of the campaign, the brigade fought in the south of Poland, acting as a retreat for the "Kraków" Army. On September 3, it entered the Battle of Jordanow, inflicting considerable losses on the German side in people and equipment. On September 7, she was sent to the region of Rzeszów, but in the face of the loss of the city, 10 BK successfully broke through to Jarosław, later reaching the region of Lviv. There, on September 14-17, she participated in the defense of the city. In the face of the USSR's aggression against Poland, the unit was ordered to break through to the so-called Romanian suburbs, and later to Hungary. On September 19, 1939, about 1,500 soldiers, including the commander (Col. Maczek) and the rest of the heavy equipment, were interned. It is worth adding that both the commanders and a large part of the soldiers managed to break out of the internment camps and get to France, where in 1940 they became part of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, on the basis of which in 1942 the 1st Armored Division was formed in Great Britain. .