Military unit of Poland
Military unit
The 37th Łęczyca Infantry Regiment of Polish Armed Forces, named after Prince Józef Poniatowski, was a military unit that traced its heritage to the 4th Infantry Regiment of the Duchy of Warsaw. Its origins date back to November 1918 in Przemyśl, and it officially became the 37th Infantry Regiment on 25 February 1919. From 1920 to 1937, it was known as the 37th Łęczyca Infantry Regiment.
During the Polish–Ukrainian War, the regiment fought to open the route to the besieged Lviv, capturing Horodok and later participating in the battles for Sambir, Drohobych, and Stanyslaviv, as well as actions along the Dniester and Zbruch rivers. In the Polish–Soviet War, it engaged in battles under Korosten, Koziatyn, and Żukowiec, and fought on the Berezina, Neman, and Bug rivers. The regiment also participated in the victorious battle of Baboszewo in August 1920 and later took part in heavy fighting near Rohatyn and Vyshnivets during the advance toward Lviv.
In the May Coup of 1926, the regiment supported Marshal Józef Piłsudski during the battles in Warsaw.
In 1939, during the September Campaign, the regiment was part of the Poznań Army and later Pomeranian Army. It fought through Wągrowiec, Inowrocław, and the Kutno area, reaching the battlefield near the Bzura river, where it fought until September 18. The remnants of the regiment crossed the Bzura river, moving through the Kampinos Forest to Warsaw. After the September Campaign, the regiment was disbanded.
Formation of the 37th Infantry Regiment and early combat.
After the collapse of Austria-Hungary on 28 October 1918, the Polish Liquidation Committee was formed in Kraków to organize Polish military and administrative structures in Galicia. On 1 November 1918, the Governing Council and Garrison Command were created in Przemyśl to begin organizing Polish military forces and administration. In the barracks of the former Austro-Hungarian 45th Infantry Regiment, scattered military units were gathered, forming the foundation for the 37th Infantry Regiment. The first commander of the regiment was Lieutenant Leon Kazubski, who had been released from a local prison on 3 November 1918. He became the commander of Polish forces and the garrison of Przemyśl on 5 November 1918.
By 7 November 1918, an infantry regiment was established in Przemyśl, which was renamed the 18th Rifle Regiment on November 9. The battalion commanders at that time were: 1st Battalion – Second Lieutenant Zając, 2nd Battalion – Second Lieutenant Dudziński, 3rd Battalion – Marian Doskowski. The regiment gained its first combat experience during clashes with Ukrainian forces from 9 to 11 November 1918 in the Zasań district of Przemyśl. On November 13, the regiment was renamed the 10th Infantry Regiment.
In November 1918, the regiment's reserve battalion, formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian 10th Infantry Regiment, was commanded by Captain Wilhelm Zwonarz, who was appointed as the temporary commander of the "Children of Przemyśl" 10th Infantry Regiment. On 30 November, Lieutenant Kazubski was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Adam Jaroszewski as the commander of the regiment.
Part of the regiment fought to open the road to the besieged Lviv as part of Colonel Michał Tokarzewski-Karaszewicz's group, while the rest engaged in combat near Nyzhankovychi, Siedliska, Medyka, and Khyriv. The regiment captured Stodółki, Uhry, Czerlany, and Velykyi Liubin. It also held Horodok and defended the Lviv-Przemyśl railway line from Ukrainian forces.
On 25 February 1919, the regiment was renamed the 37th Infantry Regiment. In the spring of 1919, the regiment captured Sambir and Drohobych and participated in the conquest of Stanyslaviv. From 13 to 16 June 1919, it defended crossings over the Dniester river.
From June 28, the regiment fought along the Zbruch river, and in July 1919, it was transferred to the Volhynian front, where it battled Ukrainian units. From August 5, the regiment took on a defensive role. On 3 April 1920, Major Józef Kuś became the commander of the 37th Infantry Regiment.
In December 1919, the regiment's reserve battalion was stationed in Łęczyca.
Participation in the Polish–Soviet War.
The regiment was part of the 4th Infantry Division, tasked with capturing the city of Korosten during the Polish offensive. The 37th Infantry Regiment secured the railway junction and other designated areas, then fortified its position, remaining in reserve until Kyiv was taken.
Due to the Soviet counteroffensive, the 1st and 3rd Battalions moved to the Berezina river on 21 May 1920, holding off Soviet attacks toward Minsk. The regiment inflicted significant losses in battles at Borowina and Zhukovets (26 May 1920). Until 7 June 1920, it fought along the Berezina, engaging in battles at Murava, Chernivtsi, and Wielki Stachów (3 June 1920). From there, the regiment marched through Zamosze, Zawidne, and Minsk to the Grodzianka station. A week later, it was transported to the Ratmirovicze station and subordinated to the commander of the 14th Infantry Division for planned operations near Bobruisk. However, these actions were canceled due to a breach in the front by the Bolsheviks, prompting a retreat on 7 July 1920.
Some units retreated to Miratycze via Minsk and the Neman river. After attempting to take Slonim, the 1st and 3rd Battalions withdrew west with the 4th Infantry Division. Under Captain Mieczysław Jus, the 3rd Battalion captured Kamyenyets and, after fierce fighting near Wierzchy, reached Stawy near the Bug river, reuniting with the 1st Battalion. The battalions soon separated again, with the 1st joining the 8th Infantry Brigade and the 3rd joining the 2nd Cavalry Brigade reserve. On 4 August 1920, the regiment achieved successes in pushing Bolsheviks across the Bug during the 4th Army’s counteroffensive. The regiment was then withdrawn to the Siedlce area.
The 2nd Battalion, under Lieutenant Beniamin Kotarba, had been detached from the regiment since 21 May 1920. Initially stationed in Korosten, it retreated to Koziatyn and later participated in an ultimately unsuccessful assault on Korets. Under pressure from the Soviets, particularly Semyon Budyonny's 1st Cavalry Army, the 2nd Battalion, acting as a rear guard, was encircled and destroyed. 10 officers and 374 soldiers were killed or captured. The remnants of the battalion regrouped in Siedlce on 22 July 1920 and later reorganized in Łęczyca and Kutno. On 13 August 1920, the battalion joined the 1st and 3rd Battalions in Góra Kalwaria.
While the Battle of Warsaw concluded with a decisive Polish victory and Polish forces pursued the retreating enemy, heavy fighting continued on the southern front near Lviv. To prevent a potential Soviet offensive, the 4th Infantry Division, including the 37th Regiment, was transferred to the Chodorów area. On 7 September 1920, the regiment engaged in intense battles with Soviet units threatening the Lviv–Chodorów railway line, capturing Knihynicze, Nowosielce, and Okrześnice. The next day, the regiment crossed the Stryi river, aiming to secure Rohatyn, which it achieved on 9 September 1920.
The regiment commemorated the Rohatyn battle, its first in the Polish–Soviet War where all battalions fought together, by designating September 9 as its regimental holiday. Over the following days, it continued defending Rohatyn from Soviet counterattacks. Reinforced with three marching companies on September 13, the regiment, as part of the 4th Infantry Division, pursued the enemy to Vyshnivets. On September 25, it was transported to Grodno as a reserve unit for the high command. Redirected by the 2nd Legion Infantry Division, the regiment moved via Grodno and Łomża to Ostrołęka on 12 November 1920. It served in border protection there until 28 April 1921, after which it returned to Kutno and Łęczyca.
Regiment in peacetime.
The regiment’s headquarters, staff, and battalions I and II were stationed in the Kutno area of Corps District IV, occupying the former Russian 4th Rifle Regiment’s barracks. The III Battalion was quartered in Łęczyca in a former monastery building. The barracks were cramped and lacked many basic facilities, including a sewage system, exercise grounds, proper storage, and a shooting range, which was only 100 meters long. In late 1921, the regiment's assignment changed, and it was incorporated into the 26th Infantry Division (alongside the 10th Infantry Regiment, 18th Infantry Regiment, and 26th Light Artillery Regiment), an arrangement that remained until the outbreak of World War II. Among the annual recruits, a significant percentage were illiterate, prompting the regiment to organize an educational program conducted by professional officers and non-commissioned officers. The regiment's holiday was initially celebrated on 9 September to commemorate the victory at Rohatyn, but from 1934, it was celebrated on May 26, marking the victorious battle at Żukowiec in 1920.
Amid social tensions, the regiment was stationed in Warsaw from October to December 1923 (at the former Russian warehouses in Powązki), performing guard duties.
A significant event in the regiment’s history was its participation in Marshal Józef Piłsudski's May Coup. Most of the regiment, commanded by Colonel Władysław Bortnowski, supported the Marshal. On the afternoon of 13 May 1926, battalions I and II arrived in Warsaw by train and engaged in combat with government forces in Mokotów and the city center. During the transport and at the unloading site, the units were bombarded by aviation. Nine soldiers died in the clashes: Sergeant Michał Łuc, Corporal Jan Iwan, Private First Class Jan Moskaluk, Private First Class Wacław Złotowski, and Privates Józef Cholewa, Lajzer Gutenberg, Leon Siermiński, Wilhelm Tom, and Szurek Kalman. Thirty-two soldiers were wounded.
Following the 1930 executive order by the Ministry of Military Affairs to the Infantry Department on peacetime infantry organization (PS 10-50), three types of infantry regiments were introduced into the Polish Armed Forces. The 37th Infantry Regiment was classified as a Type I ("normal") infantry regiment. It received approximately 610 recruits annually. Its personnel comprised 56 officers and 1,500 non-commissioned officers and soldiers. During winter, the regiment operated with a senior-year battalion, a training battalion, and a skeleton battalion, while in summer, it comprised a senior-year battalion and two conscript battalions. After the reorganization in 1930, the regiment also trained recruits for the Border Protection Corps.
Regimental symbols.
Standards.
A "banner committee" was formed by the residents of the Łęczyca Land, which obtained permission to name the regiment the 37th Łęczyca Infantry Regiment and funded a banner. The ceremony of its presentation took place on 23 May 1920. At that time, the regiment was in the field, so the banner was received by a delegation of officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates from the hands of the Minister of Military Affairs, General Józef Leśniewski. Until the regiment returned from the war, the banner was stored at the reserve battalion command. In 1921, on the regimental holiday, the banner was decorated with an insignia funded by the citizens of Kutno and the Kutno branch of the Red Cross, in the form of a silver ring with the Kutno coat of arms and an appropriate inscription. In July 1933, it was transferred to the Polish Army Museum.
On 26 June 1933, during a ceremony at the Piaski sports field in Kutno, President Ignacy Mościcki presented the regiment with a new banner, funded by the citizens of the Łęczyca Land. The banner's godparents were the Łódź Voivode Aleksander Hauke-Nowak and Mrs. Maria Pajdakowa, wife of the Łęczyca County Starosta Zygmunt Pajdak. On 28 January 1938, the regimental banner began to be officially referred to as the standard. During the Battle of the Bzura, near Iłów, the standard was handed over for safekeeping to a local farmer, and its whereabouts have remained unknown since then.
Commemorative insignia.
On 22 December 1928, the Minister of Military Affairs, Marshal Józef Piłsudski, approved the design and regulations for the commemorative insignia of the 37th Infantry Regiment. The insignia, measuring 43x43 mm, is in the shape of the Virtuti Militari Cross, with the arms enameled in navy blue. A shield with the coat of arms of Łęczyca Land is placed on the cross, inscribed with the initials "ZŁ". The shield is topped with a crown. The arms of the cross bear the regiment’s number and initials "37 PP", as well as its formation date "3 XI 1918". The officer's insignia is two-part, made from gilded and silver-plated tombac, and enameled. The designers of the insignia were Paweł Bobkowicz and Bronisław Grabski, both from Łódź. During the regimental holiday on 9 September 1931, the insignia was awarded to officers and allied units: the 10th Infantry Regiment, 18th Infantry Regiment, 4th Field Artillery Regiment, and 26th Field Artillery Regiment.
Soldiers of the regiment.
Soldiers of the 37th Infantry Regiment – victims of the Katyn Massacre.
Further details on the soldiers' biographies can be accessed through resources provided by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Katyn Museum.