Polish Land Forces
Encyclopedia
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.
of 1919-1922.
Initially, right after the First World War, Poland had five military districts (1918–1921):
After the fall of Poland, Polish soldiers began regrouping in what was to become the Polish Army in France
. Both the Polish Armed Forces in the West
and the Polish Armed Forces in the East
, as well as interior forces such as the Home Army had land forces during the Second World War.
However the army operational today has its roots in the surrogate force formed in support of Soviet interests during the establishment of the People's Republic of Poland
after the Second World War. Two Polish armies, the First Army (Poland)
and the Second Army fought with the Red Army
on the Eastern Front
. The formation of a Third Army was begun but not completed.
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The end of the war found the Polish Army in the midst of intense organisational development. Although the implementation of the Polish Front concept was abandoned, new tactical unit and troop types were created. As a result of mobilisation, troop numbers in May 1945 reached 370,000 soldiers, while in September 1945 440,000. Military district
s were organised in liberated areas. The districts exercised direct authority over the units stationed on the territory administered by them. Returning to the country, the Second Army was tasked with the protection of the western border of the state from Jelenia Gora
to Kamien Pomorski, and on the basis of its headquarters, the staff of the Poznan Military District was created at Poznań. The southern border, from Jelenia Gora to the Użok railway station (at the junction of the Polish, the Soviet and the Czechoslovak borders) was occupied by the First Army
. Its headquarters staff formed the basis of the Silesian Military District
.
In mid-1945, after the end of World War II
, the Polish Army, as part of the overall armed forces, the People's Army of Poland, was divided into six (later seven) districts. These were the Warsaw Military District, HQ in Warsaw, the Lublin Military District, HQ in Lublin, the Krakow Military District, HQ in Krakow, the Lodz Military District, HQ in Lodz, the Poznan Military District, HQ in Poznan, the Pomeranian Military District, HQ in Torun (formed from the staff of the shortlived LWP 1st Army Corps) and the Silesian Military District, HQ in Katowice, created in the fall of 1945. In 1949 this number was reduced to four Military Districts. They were the Pomeranian Military District
, HQ in Bydgoszcz, the Silesian Military District
, HQ in Wroclaw, the Warsaw Military District, HQ in Warsaw, and the Krakow Military District with its headquarters in Krakow. In November 1953, the Krakow Military District was dissolved and until 1992, Poland was divided into three Districts.
Following victory and the movement of Polish borders these troops and other Polish soldiers thought loyal to their Soviet overlords were built up into a force which was to form part of the Warsaw Pact
. Polish Army troops would have formed part of the second strategic echelon deployed for an attack on NATO's Allied Forces Central Europe
. A Polish Front headquarters was formed in 1958, along with three armies formed from 1955, the First Polish Army, the Second Army, and the Fourth Army, mobilisation-only headquarters that were to be formed within the three districts. The Polish Front headquarters was eventually deactivated in 1990, and the three army mobilisation scheme was likewise abandoned.
Polish land forces during the communist era also included troops dedicated to internal security
and control of the country's borders.
Until the fall of communism the army's prestige continued to fall, as it was used by the communist government to violently suppress several outbursts of protest, including the Poznań 1956 protests
, the Polish 1970 protests
, and protests during Martial law in Poland
in 1981-1982. Troops of the Silesian Military District
also took part in the suppressing of the 1968 democratisation process of Czechoslovakia, commonly known as the Prague Spring
.
The two districts facing Germany each controlled four divisions in 1990, which had been recently reorganised, in line with the late 1990s Soviet defensive doctrine, from a 3:1 mix of motor rifle : tank regiments into a 2:2 mix of motor rifle and tank regiments. The Warsaw Military District in the east controlled only the 1st Mechanised Division
. Two other mechanised divisions in that district had been disbanded in 1988. There was also the 6th Airborne Division and the 7th Sea Landing Division
, possibly intended to form part of a Warsaw Pact
attack on Denmark
, to open the Baltic straits to the North Sea and beyond. Strength counted 205,000 personnel of which 168,000 were conscripts.
Following the end of the Cold War the Polish Army was drastically reduced and reorganised. In 1992, the Krakow Military District was recreated. From nine divisions, the total was planned in 2001 to fall to four, plus six independent brigades. Since January 1, 1999, Poland has been divided into two military districts. These are the Pomeranian Military District
(Pomorski Okręg Wojskowy) with HQ in Bydgoszcz, covering northern Poland, and the Silesian Military District
(Śląski Okręg Wojskowy) with HQ in Wrocław, covering southern Poland. However on September 1, 2011 the 1st Warsaw Mechanised Division
was disbanded.
General
Edward Pietrzyk
served as commander of the Polish Land Forces from 2000 to September 2006. He was succeeded by General Waldemar Skrzypczak (2006-2009).
From the 1950s the Polish Land Forces have contributed troops to peacekeeping operations, initially the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission
in Korea
. Poland contributed troops to UNIFIL in Lebanon since 1982, but it was announced in April 2009 that Polish troops would withdraw completely by October 2009. Poland sent a divisional headquarters and a brigade to Iraq after the 2003 Iraq war. Poland sent ten rotations of troops, manning a significant portion of Multinational Division Central-South
. At its peak Poland had 2,500 soldiers in the south of the country. Poland deployed about ten attack and transport helicopters as part of its force in Iraq between 2004 and 2008. These helicopters formed the Independent Air Assault Group (:pl:Samodzielna Grupa Powietrzno-Szturmowa). The division was disbanded in 2008, though Polish advisory and training personnel, seemingly a Military Advisory Liaison Team (MALT) stayed until at least 2011 (see :pl:PKW Irak). One of the most recent missions was MINURCAT in Chad
and the Central African Republic
, where Poland despatched troops from 2007-2010. Among the deployed troops were two Reconnaissance
companies, a Military Gendarmerie
unit, a component of the 10th Logistics Brigade, elements of the 5th Military Engineers Regiment, and three Mil Mi-8
helicopters.
' Military Balance reported that the Polish Land Forces consisted of two corps headquarters (the 2nd Mechanised and MNC-NE), the 11th Armoured Cavalry Division
, three mechanised divisions (the 1st, 12th, and 16th), two airmobile brigades (6th and 25th), two reconnaissance regiments, two engineer brigades, two artillery brigades, and two attack helicopter regiments.
Independent Brigades
The Polish Land Forces operate mainly upgraded Soviet era equipment. However rapid modernization and downsizing of the Polish Land Forces is underway, replacing its extensive Soviet weaponry with fewer units of modern Western weaponry.
The Polish Land Forces operate some 900 MBTs, mainly composed of the PT-91 Twardy and the Leopard 2
, (Soviet T-72
are being withdrawn from service, only 379 will remain in storage until 2018). In addition there are over 1,600 IFV's and over 140 helicopters.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
's Armed Forces
Polish Armed Forces
Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej are the national defense forces of Poland...
. They currently contain some 65,000 active personnel and form many components of EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and NATO deployments around the world.
History
Poland's military history stretches back for hundreds of years (see List of Polish wars).1918-1939
When Poland regained independence in 1918, it recreated its military which participated in the Polish-Soviet WarPolish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
of 1919-1922.
Initially, right after the First World War, Poland had five military districts (1918–1921):
- Poznań Military District (Poznański Okręg Wojskowy), HQ in PoznańPoznanPoznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
- Kraków Military District (Krakowski Okręg Wojskowy), HQ in KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
- Łódź Military District (Łódzki Okręg Wojskowy), HQ in Łódź
- Warsaw Military District (Warszawski Okręg Wojskowy), HQ in Warszawa
- Lublin Military District (Lubelski Okręg Wojskowy), HQ in LublinLublinLublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
.
After the fall of Poland, Polish soldiers began regrouping in what was to become the Polish Army in France
Polish Army in France (1939-1940)
The Polish Army in France formed in France under the command of General Władysław Sikorski in late 1939, after the fall of Poland resulting from the Polish Defensive War...
. Both the Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...
and 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....
, as well as interior forces such as the Home Army had land forces during the Second World War.
However the army operational today has its roots in the surrogate force formed in support of Soviet interests during the establishment of the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
after the Second World War. Two Polish armies, the First Army (Poland)
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
and the Second Army fought with the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. The formation of a Third Army was begun but not completed.
After 1945
Military district
Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.Navies have also used...
s were organised in liberated areas. The districts exercised direct authority over the units stationed on the territory administered by them. Returning to the country, the Second Army was tasked with the protection of the western border of the state from Jelenia Gora
Jelenia Góra
----Jelenia Góra is a city in Lower Silesia, south-western Poland. The name of the city means "deer mountain" in Polish, Czech and German. It is close to the Krkonoše mountain range running along the Polish-Czech border – ski resorts such as Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba can be found...
to Kamien Pomorski, and on the basis of its headquarters, the staff of the Poznan Military District was created at Poznań. The southern border, from Jelenia Gora to the Użok railway station (at the junction of the Polish, the Soviet and the Czechoslovak borders) was occupied by the First Army
First Army (Poland)
In the history of the Polish Army there were a number of units named the First Army:* First Polish Army , created out of the Northern Front during the Polish-Bolshevist War...
. Its headquarters staff formed the basis of the Silesian Military District
Silesian Military District
Silesian Military District with its headquarters in Wrocław is one of two current military districts in Poland ....
.
In mid-1945, after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Polish Army, as part of the overall armed forces, the People's Army of Poland, was divided into six (later seven) districts. These were the Warsaw Military District, HQ in Warsaw, the Lublin Military District, HQ in Lublin, the Krakow Military District, HQ in Krakow, the Lodz Military District, HQ in Lodz, the Poznan Military District, HQ in Poznan, the Pomeranian Military District, HQ in Torun (formed from the staff of the shortlived LWP 1st Army Corps) and the Silesian Military District, HQ in Katowice, created in the fall of 1945. In 1949 this number was reduced to four Military Districts. They were the Pomeranian Military District
Pomeranian Military District
The Pomeranian Military District was a military district of the Polish Armed Forces from 1945 to 2011. Formally it was subordinate to the Minister of National Defence in the operational matters of defense and detached government administration...
, HQ in Bydgoszcz, the Silesian Military District
Silesian Military District
Silesian Military District with its headquarters in Wrocław is one of two current military districts in Poland ....
, HQ in Wroclaw, the Warsaw Military District, HQ in Warsaw, and the Krakow Military District with its headquarters in Krakow. In November 1953, the Krakow Military District was dissolved and until 1992, Poland was divided into three Districts.
Following victory and the movement of Polish borders these troops and other Polish soldiers thought loyal to their Soviet overlords were built up into a force which was to form part of the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
. Polish Army troops would have formed part of the second strategic echelon deployed for an attack on NATO's Allied Forces Central Europe
Allied Forces Central Europe
Joint Force Command Brunssum is the NATO military command based in Brunssum, Netherlands. JFC-B reports to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe based at Casteau, Belgium. It is one of three operational level commands in the NATO command structure, the others being Joint Force Command...
. A Polish Front headquarters was formed in 1958, along with three armies formed from 1955, the First Polish Army, the Second Army, and the Fourth Army, mobilisation-only headquarters that were to be formed within the three districts. The Polish Front headquarters was eventually deactivated in 1990, and the three army mobilisation scheme was likewise abandoned.
Polish land forces during the communist era also included troops dedicated to internal security
Territorial Defense Forces (Poland)
The Territorial Defense Forces was an armed force responsible for the internal security of Poland and separate from the Polish Army. The OTK existed from 1965 until 2008. As initially organized, OTK forces included both an "Internal Defense Army" and the "Border Defense Force"...
and control of the country's borders.
Until the fall of communism the army's prestige continued to fall, as it was used by the communist government to violently suppress several outbursts of protest, including the Poznań 1956 protests
Poznan 1956 protests
The Poznań 1956 protests, also known as Poznań 1956 uprising or Poznań June , were the first of several massive protests of the Polish people against the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland...
, the Polish 1970 protests
Polish 1970 protests
The Polish 1970 protests were protests that occurred in northern Poland in December 1970. The protests were sparked by a sudden increase of prices of food and other everyday items...
, and protests during Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
in 1981-1982. Troops of the Silesian Military District
Silesian Military District
Silesian Military District with its headquarters in Wrocław is one of two current military districts in Poland ....
also took part in the suppressing of the 1968 democratisation process of Czechoslovakia, commonly known as the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
.
The two districts facing Germany each controlled four divisions in 1990, which had been recently reorganised, in line with the late 1990s Soviet defensive doctrine, from a 3:1 mix of motor rifle : tank regiments into a 2:2 mix of motor rifle and tank regiments. The Warsaw Military District in the east controlled only the 1st Mechanised Division
1st Mechanised Division (Poland)
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...
. Two other mechanised divisions in that district had been disbanded in 1988. There was also the 6th Airborne Division and the 7th Sea Landing Division
7th Coastal Defense Brigade
The Polish 7th Pomeranian Coastal Defence Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Polish Army .It was formed in 2001 from the 7th Pomeranian Mechanized Brigade . Now it is a brigade of the 12th Mechanized Division based at Szczecin...
, possibly intended to form part of a Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
attack on Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, to open the Baltic straits to the North Sea and beyond. Strength counted 205,000 personnel of which 168,000 were conscripts.
Following the end of the Cold War the Polish Army was drastically reduced and reorganised. In 1992, the Krakow Military District was recreated. From nine divisions, the total was planned in 2001 to fall to four, plus six independent brigades. Since January 1, 1999, Poland has been divided into two military districts. These are the Pomeranian Military District
Pomeranian Military District
The Pomeranian Military District was a military district of the Polish Armed Forces from 1945 to 2011. Formally it was subordinate to the Minister of National Defence in the operational matters of defense and detached government administration...
(Pomorski Okręg Wojskowy) with HQ in Bydgoszcz, covering northern Poland, and the Silesian Military District
Silesian Military District
Silesian Military District with its headquarters in Wrocław is one of two current military districts in Poland ....
(Śląski Okręg Wojskowy) with HQ in Wrocław, covering southern Poland. However on September 1, 2011 the 1st Warsaw Mechanised Division
1st Mechanised Division (Poland)
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...
was disbanded.
General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Edward Pietrzyk
Edward Pietrzyk
Generał broni Edward Pietrzyk is a Polish military officer, diplomat and general in the Polish Army. A former commander-in-chief of the Polish Land Forces, he was appointed to be Poland's ambassador to Iraq in April 2007....
served as commander of the Polish Land Forces from 2000 to September 2006. He was succeeded by General Waldemar Skrzypczak (2006-2009).
From the 1950s the Polish Land Forces have contributed troops to peacekeeping operations, initially the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission
Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission
The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission was established by the Korean Armistice Agreement signed July 27, 1953, ending the Korean War...
in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. Poland contributed troops to UNIFIL in Lebanon since 1982, but it was announced in April 2009 that Polish troops would withdraw completely by October 2009. Poland sent a divisional headquarters and a brigade to Iraq after the 2003 Iraq war. Poland sent ten rotations of troops, manning a significant portion of Multinational Division Central-South
Multinational Division Central-South
Multinational Division Central-South , created in September 2003, and supported by NATO, was a part of the Multinational Force Iraq. Headquartered in Camp Echo, it was under Polish command until October 2008, when the last of Poland's troops were withdrawn. Polish contingent was its largest...
. At its peak Poland had 2,500 soldiers in the south of the country. Poland deployed about ten attack and transport helicopters as part of its force in Iraq between 2004 and 2008. These helicopters formed the Independent Air Assault Group (:pl:Samodzielna Grupa Powietrzno-Szturmowa). The division was disbanded in 2008, though Polish advisory and training personnel, seemingly a Military Advisory Liaison Team (MALT) stayed until at least 2011 (see :pl:PKW Irak). One of the most recent missions was MINURCAT in Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
and the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, where Poland despatched troops from 2007-2010. Among the deployed troops were two Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
companies, a Military Gendarmerie
Military Gendarmerie
The Military Gendarmerie is a military provost formation created in 1990 in Poland.-History:Polish military police traces its history to the communist era Military Internal Service , World War II-era Service for Protection of the Uprising , interwar-era military police in the Second Polish Republic,...
unit, a component of the 10th Logistics Brigade, elements of the 5th Military Engineers Regiment, and three Mil Mi-8
Mil Mi-8
The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....
helicopters.
Structure
In 2009 the International Institute for Strategic StudiesInternational Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British research institute in the area of international affairs. It describes itself as "the world’s leading authority on political-military conflict"...
' Military Balance reported that the Polish Land Forces consisted of two corps headquarters (the 2nd Mechanised and MNC-NE), the 11th Armoured Cavalry Division
11th Armoured Cavalry Division
- Bibliography :* Wiesław Chłopek, 11 Lubuska Dywizja Kawalerii Pancernej im. Króla Jana III Sobieskiego. Zarys dziejów, Wydawnictwo "Chroma", Żary 2005, wyd. I, ISBN 83-922412-3-1...
, three mechanised divisions (the 1st, 12th, and 16th), two airmobile brigades (6th and 25th), two reconnaissance regiments, two engineer brigades, two artillery brigades, and two attack helicopter regiments.
Formations
- Headquarters 2nd Mechanised Corps (see :pl:2 Korpus Zmechanizowany (III RP)) - Status unclear, may have disbanded.
- 11th Armoured Cavalry Division11th Armoured Cavalry Division- Bibliography :* Wiesław Chłopek, 11 Lubuska Dywizja Kawalerii Pancernej im. Króla Jana III Sobieskiego. Zarys dziejów, Wydawnictwo "Chroma", Żary 2005, wyd. I, ISBN 83-922412-3-1...
(ŻagańZaganZagan may refer to:*Zagan - a demon in the Ars Goetia*Żagań - a town in west Poland...
) - 12th Mechanised Division "Szczecin" (SzczecinSzczecinSzczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
)- 2nd LegionPolish 2nd Legions Infantry DivisionPolish 2nd Legions Infantry Division was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed on Febryary 21, 1919 in the town of Zegrze, as a second unit, composed mostly of veterans of the Polish Legions in World War I, the unit saw extensive action during the Polish-Bolshevik War...
Mechanized Brigade (Złocieniec-Budowo)(:pl:2 Brygada Zmechanizowana) - 7th "Pomeranian" Coastal Defence Brigade7th Coastal Defense BrigadeThe Polish 7th Pomeranian Coastal Defence Brigade is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Polish Army .It was formed in 2001 from the 7th Pomeranian Mechanized Brigade . Now it is a brigade of the 12th Mechanized Division based at Szczecin...
(Słupsk) - 12th Mechanised Brigade (Szczecin)
- 2nd Legion
- 16th "Pomeranian" Mechanised Division (ElblągElblagElbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...
)- 1st "Varsovian" Armoured Brigade (WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
) - 9th Armoured Cavalry Brigade (BraniewoBraniewoBraniewo is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 18,068 . It is the capital of Braniewo County...
) - 15th "Giżycka" Mechanized Brigade (GiżyckoGizyckoGiżycko is a town in northeastern Poland with 29,796 inhabitants . It is situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship , having previously been in the Suwałki Voivodeship . It is the seat of Giżycko County.-History:...
) - 20th "Bartoszycka" Mechanized Brigade (BartoszyceBartoszyceBartoszyce is a town on the Łyna River in northeastern Poland with 25,621 inhabitants . It is the capital of Bartoszyce County within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.-History:...
)
- 1st "Varsovian" Armoured Brigade (Warsaw
Independent Brigades
- 6th Airborne Brigade (KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
) - 21st Podhale RiflesPodhale riflesPodhale Rifles is the traditional name of the mountain infantry units of the Polish Army. Formed in 1918 out of volunteers of the region of Podhale, in 1919 the smaller detachments of Podhale Rifles were pressed into two mountain infantry divisions, the 21st Mountain Infantry and 22nd Mountain...
Brigade (RzeszowRzeszówRzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
) - 25th Air Cavalry Brigade (Tomaszów MazowieckiTomaszów MazowieckiTomaszów Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with 67,159 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , it was previously part of Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship...
) - 23rd "Silesian" Artillery brigade (Bolesławiec)
- 1st "Brzeska" Engineering Brigade (BrzegBrzegBrzeg is a town in southwestern Poland with 38,496 inhabitants , situated in Silesia in the Opole Voivodeship on the left bank of the Oder...
) - 2nd "Mazovian" Engineering Brigade (Kazuń NowyKazun NowyKazuń Nowy is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Czosnów, within Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is situated approximately north-west of Czosnów, south of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, and north-west of Warsaw.The village has an approximate...
) - 18th Reconnaissance Regiment18th Reconnaissance Regiment18th Reconnaissance Regiment of the Polish Land Forces is based in Białystok. Its heritage was the former 18th Territorial Defense Battalion and prior the former 18th Mechanized Brigade....
(Białystok)
Arms of Service
- Armored & Mechanized Forces (Wojska Pancerne i Zmechanizowane)
- Missile & Artillery Forces (Wojska Rakietowe i Artyleria)
- Air Defense Forces (Wojska Obrony Przeciwlotniczej)
- Air-mobile (Airborne forcesAirborne forcesAirborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
) Forces (Wojska Aeromobilne) - Engineer Forces (Wojska Inżynieryjne)
- Reconnaissance & Early Warning (Rozpoznanie i Wczesne Ostrzeganie)
- Signals & Information Technology Forces (Wojska Łączności i Informatyki)
- Chemical Forces (Wojska Chemiczne)
- Logistics (Logistyka)
Polish Land Forces Chart
Equipment
The Polish Land Forces operate some 900 MBTs, mainly composed of the PT-91 Twardy and the Leopard 2
Leopard 2
The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve...
, (Soviet T-72
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
are being withdrawn from service, only 379 will remain in storage until 2018). In addition there are over 1,600 IFV's and over 140 helicopters.
See also
- Czesław Piątas, one-time Chief of General Staff of the Polish Army
- Polish military awards and decorationsPolish military awards and decorationsThe following is a list of medals, awards and decorations in use in Poland. Most of them are awarded by the Polish Army, but some of them are civilian decorations that may be worn by the military personnel....
- Polish Armed Forces rank insigniaPolish Armed Forces rank insignia- Origins :Present Polish system of rank insignia is a direct descendant of various systems used in the past in the Polish Army. Some of the grades trace their name back to Middle Ages, for instance the rank of chorąży literally means a flag bearer...
- Polish Army MuseumPolish Army Museum-Newest Exhibition:The Polish Army Museum was not too long ago given the equipment of the lost soldiers from the Presidential Smolensk aircraft crash. The equipment includes the ID Passes, Portable radios, torches, holsters and much more and all in their original state.Museum of the Polish Army is...
- Scorpion aerobatic teamScorpion aerobatic teamGrupa Akrobacyjna Skorpion is an aerobatic demonstration team of the Aviation of Polish Land Forces, flying 4 Mil Mi-24 Helicopters, and one of very few helicopter aerobatic teams in the world...
(helicopters) - Polish Army oathsPolish Army oathsThe following is a list of the Polish military oaths, both historical and contemporary.-Contemporary:This oath is in current use in the Polish Armed Forces.PolishJa żołnierz Wojska Polskiego,Przysięgam,Służyć wiernie Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej,...
- List of Polish armoured fighting vehicles