since we are living during the 100th anniversary year of the great Polish-Bolshevik Russia war, then over the next months I am going to spend a number of posts on these Polish cavalry regiments.
I do not really have much on the Bolshevik Russia side, apart from some Russian very general material, so my entries will have to be generalized and rather more or less prejudiced in favor of my Polish horsemen.
The war of 1919-20 abounded in cavalry actions on both sides - note, there have been also Belarusian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Cossack, White Russian cavalry regiments and smaller units.
The Polish et al., troops on war footing were very colorful when comes to uniforms, horses, equipment and arms.
For example the Polish government had been buying American equipment left in Western Europe, but any equipment that they could get their hands on was purchased from near and farther removed allies and former allies.
One thing is certain that the Polish cavalry regiments of this war used lances and used them often in countless charges and raids they did during the period.
Saddles and other horse tack was as varied as the uniforms, from German, Russian, Austro-Hungarian to American (often called Mexican in Poland) types.
Welcome to the cavalry war after the Great War.
...
ad rem,
I will start with a number of art plates painted by by friend Krzysztof Komaniecki.
Krzysztof, living in Szczecin the WestPomeranian capital since 1945, has been painting, reconstructing and reenacting Polish cavalry (12th Podolian Uhlan cavalry regiment) from the period of 1914-139.
Krzysztof recently created a comics book retelling one of the many cavalry charges of the period - Rokitna-
They actually published first a black and white version and later on there color version of the comics has been released.
You can easily inquire about Krzysztof's art, perhaps come to acquire his original plate or a printed copy of one, and/or exchange ideas about the Polish cavalry of the period etc via his Facebook page: Komaniecki Art.
Valete
ps
at the present Belarus has been in upheaval, that is why in the sign of solidarity I am starting my posts with the badge worn by the soldiers of the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Division of the Polish army.
