REPUBLIC OF POLAND
 


 
LANCE PENNONS FOR CAVALRY UNITS, 1920-45
 
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), and the brigade would also include an armored battalion, a mechanized reconnaissance battalion, a motorized field artillery 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

 

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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