REPUBLIC OF POLAND

LANCE PENNONS FOR CAVALRY UNITS

1920-45

Notes

The interwar Polish Army included 40 regiments of cavalry, all armed in whole or in part with the lance. Each regiment had a distinctive lance pennon, which was also worn in miniature form as a collar patch on the uniform. There were additional distinctive pennons for certain other mounted branches of the army. The crimson/dark blue pennon for cavalry headquarters was also used by cavalry units with no regimental affiliation, such as separate cavalry squadrons of infantry divisions and the Remount Service. Cavalry squadrons of the Frontier Defense Corps had dark blue/green pennons.

Cavalry brigades were formed with two cavalry regiments, a battalion of horse artillery, plus mounted pioneers, mounted signals troops and a mounted supply train. In the mid-1930's, recognizing that horse cavalry was becoming increasingly vulnerable on the modern battlefield, the Polish Army drew up plans for the conversion of a number of cavalry brigades into mechanized brigades. The cavalry regiments were to be reorganized as motorized infantry (though retaining their cavalry titles), the support units were to be motorized, and the brigade would also include an armored battalion, a mechanized reconnaissance battalion and a motorized antitank battalion. Pennon-style collar patches were introduced for these last three units (triangular for armored battalions), and actual pennons probably existed as well. Only two or three cavalry brigades had been converted by the time of the German invasion in September 1939, and these had little effect on the outcome of the campaign.

After the fall of Poland a Polish Army in Exile was organized, first in France, then in Britain and the Middle East. Its units took on the identities of various regiments and corps of the interwar army, including the 10th Mounted Rifles and the 24th Lancers of the Polish 1st Armored Division in Britain. This division, which fought with great gallantry in Normandy, flew these and other pennons from the radio masts of its vehicles.

CAVALRY HEADQUARTERS & SEPARATE CAVALRY SQUADRONS
 

Left: 1st & 2nd LIGHT HORSE REGIMENTS     Right: 3rd LIGHT HORSE REGIMENT
 

Left: 1st LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 2nd LANCER REGIMENT
 

 Left: 3rd LANCER REGIMENT         Right: 4th LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 5th LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 6th LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 7th LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 8th LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 9th LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 10th LANCER REGIMENT
 

 Left: 11th LANCER REGIMENT         Right: 12th LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 13th LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 14th LANCER REGIMENT
 

  Left: 15th LANCER REGIMENT        Right: 16th LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 17th LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 18th LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 19th LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 20th LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 21st LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 22nd LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 23rd LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 24th LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 25th LANCER REGIMENT          Right: 26th LANCER REGIMENT
 

27th LANCER REGIMENT
 

Left: 1st MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT          Right: 2nd MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

 Left: 3rd MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT         Right: 4th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

Left: 5th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT          Right: 6th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

Left: 7th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT          Right: 8th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

Left: 9th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT          Right: 10th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

CAVALRY SQUADRONS, FRONTIER DEFENSE CORPS
 

Left: HORSE & MOTORIZED ARTILLERY         Right: MOUNTED & MOTORIZED PIONEERS
 

Left: MOUNTED & MOTORIZED SIGNALS TROOPS

Right: CAVALRY & MECHANIZED BRIGADE TRAINS
 

Left: MECHANIZED RECONNAISSANCE BATTALIONS (MECHANIZED BRIGADES)

Right: MOTORIZED ANTITANK BATTALIONS (MECHANIZED BRIGADES)
 

ARMORED BATTALIONS

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