The following is a standard order of battle of the Polish cavalry brigade in 1939.
Chain of command
+ Polish Cavalry Brigade - chain of command Sub-unit C/O squadron-sized platoon-sized smaller units commanding officerStaff and headquarters deputy commanding officerchief military judgechaplain chief of staff operational officerintelligence officer military police platoon chief communications officer communication squadron chief commander of the tabors tabor's workshop2 commands of march columns 3 columns each quartermaster transport officerarmament officerchief steward officerchief doctorchief veterinarian artillery park unitsteward park unitmedical platoonveterinary platoon Headquarters commander staff squadron Commander's units bicycle squadron (recce/liaison)engineering squadron HMG platoon cavalry regiment3 or 4 in each brigade regiment commander line squadrons - 4 in each regiment cavalry platoon - 3 in each squadron 3 sections (6 soldiers each)LMG section (5 soldiers)squadron commanders troop LMG sectionadministration unit HMG squadronmaintenance squadron 3 HMG platoons 4 HMG each AT platoonbicycle platooncommunications platoon engineering squad Mounted Artillery Unit (DAK) DAK commander munitions supply column 75 mm artillery battery3 or 4 guns each communications platoon Organic Armoured Unit commander tankette squadronarmoured car squadron Organic Rifle Battalion Rifles battalion
Composition and armament
The following is a list of all equipment, armament, men and means of transport in use by a cavalry regiment and a cavalry brigade of the Polish Army, as of 1939. The figures for brigades are based on official Polish Army instructions prepared in late 1930s. The numbers in brackets give the figures for a four-regiment brigade, as opposed to the standard three-regiment one. The figures for the regiments are given after the actual mobilisation report of September 1, 1939, of the 25th Greater Polish Uhlans Regiment. Note that the numbers for other units may vary, mostly due to different mobilisation schedules and other problems.
+ sPolish Cavalry Brigade and Regiment - equipment Regiment Brigade General officers 36 232 (373) privates and NCOs 838 5 911 (6 911) horses Cavalry horses Pack horses Cart-horses Total 61643221920 5 194 (6 291) Vehicles cars 1 65 (66) motorcycles 1 field kitchens 6 tabor carts 86 chaplains cart 1 4 taczanka wz.28 or wz.36 13 bicycles 36 Armament Vis pistols 133 wz. 34 sabres 616 lances 108 rifles Mannlicher 1888, Kbk wz. 1929, Kb wz. 98a, Mosin wz. 91/98/25, Kbk wz. 91/98/23 or Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 740 5000 7,92 mm karabin ppanc. wz 35 AT rifle 12 51 (64) rkm Browning wz. 28 LMG 18 89 (107) Maxim 08/15 and lkm wz. 08/18 MGs 10 (12) Ckm wz.30 HMG 12 52 (64) Organic artillery grenade launchers wz. 1930 and wz. 1936 9 (9)81mm mortar wz. 31 2 75 mm Armata 75 mm wz.02/26 field gun 12 (16) 40 mm armata plot. wz. 36 AA gun 2 (2) 37 mm Armata ppanc. wz. 36 AT gun 4 14 (18) Organic armoured unit wz. 34 or wz.29 armoured car 8 reconnaissance tankette TKS or TK-3 13
Polish cavalry brigades in 1939
Cavalry Kraków Cavalry Brigade (Kraków) - under Brigadier General Zygmunt Piasecki Kresowa Cavalry Brigade (Brody) - under Colonel Stefan Hanka-Kulesza Mazowiecka Cavalry Brigade (Warsaw) under Colonel Jan Karcz Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade (Baranowicze) under Brigadier General Władysław Anders Podlaska Cavalry Brigade (Białystok) under Brigadier General Ludwik Kmicic-Skrzyński Podolska Cavalry Brigade (Stanisławów) under Colonel Leon Strzelecki Pomeranian Cavalry Brigade (Bydgoszcz) under Colonel Adam Zakrzewski Suwalska Cavalry Brigade (Suwałki) under Brigadier General Zygmunt Podhorski Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade (Poznań) under Brigadier General Roman Abraham Wileńska Cavalry Brigade (Wilno) under Colonel Konstanty Drucki-Lubecki Wołyńska Cavalry Brigade (Równe) under Colonel Julian Filipowicz
Armoured-Motorised Brigades Different armament and structure 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade (Poland) (Rzeszów) - dowódca: płk dypl. Stanisław Maczek Warszawska Brygada Pancerno-Motorowa (Warsaw) - dowódca: płk dypl. Stefan Rowecki
See also Polish cavalry Polish Armed Forces Polish Defensive War of 1939
References