1st Mechanised Division (Poland)
Encyclopedia
The 1st "Warsaw" Mechanised Division was a mechanized infantry
formation of the Polish Land Forces
that existed from 1955 until September 1, 2011. During this entire period, the division was headquartered in Legionowo
. The unit stood down in 2011 as a result of reorganizations in the Polish Army.
The division was formed in 1955 on the basis of the 1st Infantry Division
of the Polish People's Army. This precursor division had existed since 1943 and saw service on the Eastern Front of the Second World War as a Soviet-controlled allied formation, part of the Polish Armed Forces in the East
.
After the fall of communism in Poland, the units of the army were organized to reflect NATO practice. Thus, by 2009, the division was structured and quartered as:
The division provided cadres for rotations V and IX for the Polish component of Multi-National Division Central South.
Notably, under the 2009 organization, the units of the division were geographically much farther from one another than the original deployments of 1955.
For most of this period, the division was subordinated to the Warsaw Military District. As part of ongoing reorganization of the Polish Army, the 1st Mechanised Division stood down on September 1, 2011.
This article is based on the Polish Wikipedia article of the same name as it existed on October 30, 2011.
Mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
formation of the Polish Land Forces
Polish Land Forces
The Polish Land Forces are a branch of Poland's Armed Forces. They currently contain some 65,000 active personnel and form many components of EU and NATO deployments around the world.-History:...
that existed from 1955 until September 1, 2011. During this entire period, the division was headquartered in Legionowo
Legionowo
Legionowo is a town in Masovia . According to the 2004 Census estimate the town has a total population of 50,759.Legionowo is located ca. 23 km to the north-east of the center of Warsaw and only 7 km to the south of Zegrze Reservoir , near the Warsaw-Gdańsk railroad and Warsaw-Suwałki...
. The unit stood down in 2011 as a result of reorganizations in the Polish Army.
The division was formed in 1955 on the basis of the 1st Infantry Division
Polish 1st Tadeusz Kosciuszko Infantry Division
The Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division was an infantry division in the Soviet-organized Polish armed forces formed in 1943 and named for the Polish and American revolutionary Tadeusz Kościuszko...
of the Polish People's Army. This precursor division had existed since 1943 and saw service on the Eastern Front of the Second World War as a Soviet-controlled allied formation, part of the Polish Armed Forces in the East
Polish Armed Forces in the East
Polish Armed Forces in the East refers to military units composed of Poles created in the Soviet Union at the time when the territory of Poland was occupied by both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in the Second World War....
.
Structure
The 1955 reorganization equipped the division with armored personnel carriers and medium tanks. The division was initially structured and quartered as:After the fall of communism in Poland, the units of the army were organized to reflect NATO practice. Thus, by 2009, the division was structured and quartered as:
The division provided cadres for rotations V and IX for the Polish component of Multi-National Division Central South.
Notably, under the 2009 organization, the units of the division were geographically much farther from one another than the original deployments of 1955.
For most of this period, the division was subordinated to the Warsaw Military District. As part of ongoing reorganization of the Polish Army, the 1st Mechanised Division stood down on September 1, 2011.
Sources
- Jerzy Kajetanowicz, Wojsko Polskie w Układzie Warszawskim 1955-1985, 7 November 2009. On-line here
This article is based on the Polish Wikipedia article of the same name as it existed on October 30, 2011.