Polish Lancers vs German Armor
Mike Oborski
Mike
Steven Zaloga and Victor Madej in "The Polish Campaign 1939"
(Hippocrene Books, 1991) writing of the events of 1st September
1939...
In the early evening, an incident occurred which has shaped the
popular image of the September campaign more than any other. The 18th
Lancer Regiment and a company of tankettes of the 81st Armored Troop
were holding the northernmost Polish positions near Chojnice while the
remainder of the Pomorska Cavalry Brigade withdrew southward from
Brusy. Day-long fighting with the German 20th Motorized Infantry
Division had caused severe losses, but attempts by the regimental
commander to obtain permission to withdraw to more favorable defensive
positions across the Brda were denied. In the late afternoon, the
regimental commander, Colonel Kazimierz Mastelarz, decided to mount
half his force, amounting to two depleted line squadrons, and attempt
to swing around the German infantry positions and hit them from the
rear. None of the tankettes were taken as they were in poor mechanical
shape. Around 1900, the two squadrons located a German infantry
battalion in a forest clearing. Having the advantage of surprise,
Mastelarz decided on a mounted sabre charge. Galloping out of the
forest the squadrons wiped out the German formation, but in the
meantime, several armored cars happened on the scene and began opening
fire on the mounted troops with automatic cannon gire. About twenty
troopers, including the regimental commander, were killed before the
squadrom could withdraw behind a nearby hillock. Italian war
correspondents who visited the scene the following day, were told that
the troopers had been killed while charging tanks. The story, more
embellished with every telling, became a continual source of German
propoganda.
Tales of a Polish cavalry charge against tanks are still bekieved
today, even by military historians. In fact, Polish cavalry troops
were quite familiar with tanks and armored cars, since each cavalry
brigade had an armored troop attached to it. The occasional encounters
between mounted troops and German armored vehicles usually resulted in
the Poles trying to escape such a hopeless skirmish in order to deal
with them by using anti-tank rifles from dismounted positions.
Although the mythical cavalry charge is widely remembered, it has long
since been forgotten that, on the evening of 1sr September 1939, one
German motorized infantry division was on the verge of retreating
"before intense cavalry pressure." This intense pressure was applied
by the 18th Lancers, which had already lost 40% of its strength in the
day's fighting, and was only a tenth the size of the opponent.
tsb...@aol.com (TSBench) wrote:
>I am in a discussion on another newsgroup concerning the story of Polish
>cavalry attacking German armor while on horseback.
>
>I mentioned that this is a myth, and now I am being asked to give a
>citation.
>I know this group has discussed this numerous times, so could somebody
>please
>give me some information or references on this non-event.
>
>Thanks and regards,
>TSB
>Bill Walker...Producer and Cohost of The Shooting Bench radio
>program....General Manager, WDIS-Radio, Norfolk, Massachusetts.
>
>
===============================================
Cllr Mike Oborski
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland
con...@oboofcom.demon.co.uk
http://polcon.tripod.com/consul.html
===============================================
Mike Oborski
James A. Wolf
>I am in a discussion on another newsgroup concerning the story of Polish
>cavalry attacking German armor while on horseback.
>
>I mentioned that this is a myth, and now I am being asked to give a
>citation.
Since someone else did discuss Poland, I can tell you that there was
at least one cavalry charge against tanks. By the Americans, against
the Japanese in the Philipenes.
TSBench
cavalry attacking German armor while on horseback.
I mentioned that this is a myth, and now I am being asked to give a
citation.
bekadubya
>I am in a discussion on another newsgroup concerning the story of Polish
>cavalry attacking German armor while on horseback.
>
==============================================
Go to this site for a detailed account of the <probable origin of the story
in question during the> Polish campaign:
Mike Oborski
>Since someone else did discuss Poland, I can tell you that there was
>at least one cavalry charge against tanks. By the Americans, against
>the Japanese in the Philipenes.
Actually I think the rearguard of the 26th Cavalry came under fire
from Japanes tanks on December 12th 1941 which is a little diiferent.
Anyone who is interested in the topiv should read "The Cavalry of
World War II" by Janusz Piekalkiewicz.
Regards,
Mike
Rock 307
proportion like the angle of mons it never happend
dr rock,s clinic