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 horse-drawn 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.
 

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CAVALRY HEADQUARTERS & SEPARATE CAVALRY SQUADRONS
 

         

1st & 2nd LIGHT HORSE REGIMENTS  •  3rd LIGHT HORSE REGIMENT
 

         

1st LANCER REGIMENT  •  2nd LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

3rd LANCER REGIMENT  •  4th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

5th LANCER REGIMENT  •   6th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

7th LANCER REGIMENT  •  8th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

9th LANCER REGIMENT  •  10th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

11th LANCER REGIMENT  •  12th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

13th LANCER REGIMENT  •  14th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

15th LANCER REGIMENT  •  16th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

17th LANCER REGIMENT  •  18th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

19th LANCER REGIMENT  •  20th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

21st LANCER REGIMENT  •  22nd LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

23rd LANCER REGIMENT  •  24th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

25th LANCER REGIMENT  •  26th LANCER REGIMENT
 

 

27th LANCER REGIMENT
 

         

1st MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT  •  2nd MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

         

3rd MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT  •  4th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

         

5th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT  •  6th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

         

7th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT  •  8th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

         

9th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT  •  10th MOUNTED RIFLE REGIMENT
 

CAVALRY SQUADRONS  •  FRONTIER DEFENSE CORPS
 

         

HORSE & MOTORIZED ARTILLERY  •  MOUNTED & MOTORIZED PIONEERS
 

         

MOUNTED & MOTORIZED SIGNALS TROOPS  •  CAVALRY & MECHANIZED BRIGADE TRAINS
 

         

MECHANIZED RECONNAISSANCE BATTALIONS  •  MOTORIZED ANTITANK BATTALIONS
 

ARMORED BATTALIONS
 

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