List of Polish divisions in World War I
The following is a list of Polish brigade and division-sized military units during World War I and the subsequent Russian Civil War. See also list of military divisions. Official names are given in parentheses.
| Formed in Russia during World War I | Green |
|---|---|
| Formed in France during World War I (the Blue Army of Gen. Haller) | Blue |
| 1st Polish Rifle Division (1 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 1re Division Polonaise) Later 13th Infantry Division (Poland) | |
| Polish 2nd Rifle Division (2 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 2éme Division Polonaise) | |
| Polish 3rd Rifle Division (3 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 3éme Division Polonaise) | |
| Polish 4th Polish Rifle Division (4. Dywizja Strzelców Polskich)Later part of Haller's Blue army as 4th Division-renamed 10th Infantry Division (Poland) Col. Franciszek Zieliński | |
| Polish 5th Polish Rifle Division (5. Dywizja Strzelców Polskich)Later part of Haller's Blue army as 5th Division-renamed Polish 30th Infantry Division generals Piotr Szymanowski, Adam Sławoczyński, Tadeusz Bylewski | |
| 6th Polish Rifle Division (6 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 3éme Division Polonaise) | |
| 7th Polish Rifle Division (7 Dywizja Strzelców Polskich / 7éme Division Polonaise) | |
| Polish Instructive Division (Dywizja Instrukcyjna) |
Formed in Russia during the Russian Civil War
| Formation name | Date formed | Date formation ceased to exist | Unit's insignia | Locations served | Notable campaigns | Notes | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polish Legion in Finland | 24 April 1917 | 1 March 1918 | Finland | n/a | |||
| I Polish Corps in Russia | 24 July 1917 | 21 May 1918 |  | modern-day Belarus | German anti-Bolshevik campaign in spring 1918 | On May 21, 1918, the Corps' commander Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki after acknowledging the Regency Council signed an agreement with the Germans, under which the Corps agreed to be disarmed and disbanded. | |
| II Polish Corps in Russia | 21 December 1917 | 11 May 1918 |  | modern-day Ukraine | Battle of Kaniów | The corps was disbanded afterwards the battle of Kaniów, with most of its soldiers imprisoned by the Germans. | |
| III Polish Corps in Russia | Ukraine | ||||||
| 4th Polish Rifle Division | 24 August 1918 | 19 July 1919 |  | southern Russia | |||
| 5th Polish Rifle Division | 25 January 1919 | 20 January 1920 |  | Siberia | |||
| 1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division | 1919 | 1921 |  | ||||
| 2nd Lithuanian–Belarusian Division | July 1919 | 1920 | |||||
| Polish Light Brigade (Brygada Lekka) |
Formed by Austria-Hungary
| Formation name | Date formed | Date formation ceased to exist | Divisional insignia | Locations served | Notable battles | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Brigade, Polish Legions | 19 December 1914 | July 1917 |  | Eastern Front | Łowczówek, Konary, Jastków, Kostiuchnówka | |
| 2nd Brigade, Polish Legions | 8 May 1915 | 15 March 1918 (became the 5th Polish Rifle Division, part of the II Polish Corps in Russia) |  | Eastern Front | Battle of Britain, The Blitz | |
| 3rd Brigade, Polish Legions | 8 May 1915 | July 1917 | Eastern Front | Battle of Britain, The Blitz | ||
| Polish Auxiliary Corps | 20 September 1916 | 19 February 1918 (formed the basis of the Polnische Wehrmacht) | Eastern Front | Rarańcza, Kaniów (both against the Central Powers) |
Formed by German Empire
| Formation name | Date formed | Date formation ceased to exist | Locations served | Notable campaigns | Notes | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polnische Wehrmacht | 10 April 1917 | 11 November 1918 | N/A | N/A | The Oath crisis happened in July 1917, as a result of which it only remained as a rump unit. After the declaration of Polish independence of 11 November 1918, the units of the Polnische Wehrmacht became the basis of the Polish Army. |
References