The Heroic Polish Cavalry
Brad Grissom
A view I may have quoted before, from Janusz Piekalkiewicz, The Cavalry
of World War II (Stein and Day, 1980):
The Polish Army failed to match up to its attackers in either numbers or
equipment. The bulk of the Polish cavalry -- over 20,000 men -- was
spread out conventionally in the last days of August along the entire
1,500km length of the border between Poland and Germany. The Polish Army
was under the command of 53-year-old Marshal Edward Rydz-Smigly, who was
renowned as a crack shot.
At noon on September 1, in the so-called Polish Corridor, the German
20th Motorized Division was making its way from the west towards
Chojnice. At about 2PM, battle was raging between the German vanguard
and the Polish 18th Uhlan Regiment of the "Pomorska" Cavalry Brigade,
along the railway line from Chojnice to Naklo. The Uhlans received the
order to counter-attack to enable their own infantry to retreat. In
woodland near the village of Krojanty, the horsemen arranged themeselves
in open formation. It was late afternnon when the 1st Squadron of the
18th Uhlan Regiment emerged on the wing of the German columns. When the
regiment's adjutant, Captain Godlewski, heard the order to attack, he
queried whether it might not be better for the cavalry to dismount before
attacking. "Young man," answered the regimental commander, Colonel
Mastalerz, "I'm quite aware what it is like to carry out an impossible
order."
At about 5PM Major Malecki raised his sabre and at this signal, the
cavalry launched its assault -- the first cavalry charge of World War II.
Even before leaving the wood, they came under machine-gun fire from the
German vanguard. The chain of riders put their horses into a trot, then
a gallop -- moving swiftly forward and away from the open field with its
sparse cover. Bowed low over the the necks of their horses, they charged
with their heavy cavalry sabres held at arm's length. The first dead and
wounded fell from their horses. Despite this, the impetus of the charge
built up, the more so after the 2nd Squadron joined the attackers. A broad
wave of cavalry, consisting of around 250 men, tore over the open field,
sabres glinting in the sun; the German infantry, caught off guard, tried
to save itself by pulling back. Suddenly, round a bend in the highway,
a long column of tanks and motorized troops appeared. At first, in the
heat of battle, it went unnoticed by the Uhlans. The Poles were then hit
by a hail of fire from the armoured cars, and before they were even able
to turn their horses, the carnage began. Horses crashed heavily to the
ground, while others bolted, dragging their riders with them by the
stirrups. Figures in khaki uniforms fell from their saddles. A faint
bugle call was to be heard, to the accompaniment of the anguished groans
of wounded men. Here and there, isolated groups of riders stormed over
the field, and dark heaps lay strewn over the road. Riderless horses raced
over the fields, their stirrups swinging loosely and their reins awry.
Captain Swiesciak, who had led the charge, plunged to the ground with his
horse, and the regimental commander, Colonel Mastalerz, was himself killed
as he hurried to his help with a few Uhlans. In the space of a few moments,
half the Uhlans had been hit.
With this cavalry charge at Krojanty on September 1, 1939, was born the
legend of the Polish cavalry, armed only with sabres, challenging the
German Panzers. But in fairness, it must be said that the Polish Uhlans
were not bent on suicide, nor was it in any way a deliberate move on
their part to launch a direct attack on tanks, Later in the war, needless
to say, there were several other cavalry attacks on German infantry which
led the Germans to call in tank reinforcements; what is more, there were
some cases of Polish cavalry being attacked by tanks. But the for Uhlans
at Krojanty, the only chance of survival was to attempt a breakneck
manoeuvre as quickly as possible, in order to get past the enemy column.
They had not expected the German armoured column to arrive on the field
of battle, and when it did, they were completely surprised. From now on,
the Polish cavalry forces had met their match.
(pp. 7-8; Torkel Franzen first brought this book to my attention.)
--brad
Brad Grissom
By the way, the most viscerally exciting cavalry charge in a movie that
I have ever seen occurs in -The Lighthorsemen- (1987). Australian
mounted infantry charge entrenched German-Turk positions at Beersheba
late in the first World War, and take the town after surviving artillery
and machine-gun fire. Check it out if you ever get a chance.
brad
Jim Farrell
>A view I may have quoted before, from Janusz Piekalkiewicz, The Cavalry
>of World War II (Stein and Day, 1980):
(snip)
Very satisfactory in most respects. One might question his observation
about the infantry being "in the vanguard" since mechanized tactics usually
try to conserve manpower by pointing with armor. Still, it is all quite
possible, no tactical plan ever surviving beyond the first contact with the
enemy.
Leaving us with the conclusion, from this cite, that The Heroic Polish
Cavalry charged advanced elements of an armored (tank) force, perhaps
knowing the tanks were around the bend, perhaps not.
And of course leaving us also with a with a wail from the West demanding,
"How the hell would Piekalkiewcz know?"
73s
Jim