Myth and Reality: Polish Cavalry in 1939

The 1939 invasion of Poland is generally seen as the beginning of the second world war. An enduring image of that battle is of Polish lancers bravely but hopelessly charging German tank formations, getting cut to pieces. But that story, like so many in the popular mindset, is false, and the true story is somewhat different, but no less interesting.
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[@mitchellmcdowell8546]

I worked with a man for 20 years, who was of Polish decent. His father was a Polish cavalry trooper who charged a German formation during the invasion. He struck down two German infantry soldiers before his horse was killed and he was captured. He was later handed over to the Russians but was eventually released and made his way to England where he was enlisted into the Polish 1st Division. He fought at Monte Cassino after which he received the Monte Cassino Cross. I was privileged to hold it in my hands....it was number 122. RIP Tony Pacyna.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

He must have been one of general Anders' men. The first Polish army formed in the USSR, the one was allowed to leave and join the British and temporarily erased from Soviet history. Later Soviets stripped him of Polish citizenship so he could never return.

[@bgarcia9920]

descent

[@bgarcia9920]

@@piotrmalewski8178 There was so called Pierwsza Armia Wojska Polskiego, the First Army of the Polish Military, that remained in the USSR and fought together with the Red Army against the Wehrmacht. Their first battle was at Lenino in October 1943. This Polish Army reached Berlin in May 1945.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

@@bgarcia9920 I was refering to the 'Polish Armed Forces in the USSR' that were formed earlier back in 1942 and actually consisted of both soldiers and civilians, including women and children. Back in in 1942 the USSR had supply difficulties and those people were seen by Soviet authorities as a potential threat. Thanks to Churchill and Sikorski-Majski deal, this 'army' was allowed to leave. They went to Iran where women, children and unable to fight were left behind, and the army went to train in Iraq. Later those units were reformed into 2nd Polish Corps and deployed in Italy and sent to fight at Monte Cassino. As for the First Army, they went to aid of Warsaw Uprising, for which their commander, general Berling was stripped of his command and degraded, as Soviets wanted Germans to do the dirty work work for them. Similar suspicions were drawn by many towards both Lenino and Monte Cassino deployments. As of nicer stories, The First Army achieved the last succesful cavalry charge in history, when 1st March 1945 at Borujsko cavalry was sent to charge enemy positions after tanks and infantry assaults had failed. Fortunately it was not a Pyrrhic massacre, but a smart move; cavalry used a ravine, dead tanks and smoke as cover and achieved complete surprise. German positions were overrun and captured. Only 7 out 220 horsemen were K.I.A., and 10 more were wounded.

[@simonbeaird7436]

All the Monte Cassino Crosses were numbered. Nos 14 to 749 were issued to the Headquarters staff of 2 Corps of the Polish Army in Italy. This means he probably served as an aide to one of the generals, perhaps General Anders himself.

[@nonamesplease6288]

I'd like to point out that the German army wasn't nearly as mechanized as the propaganda would lead you to believe. Certain panzer and elite formations were fully mechanized, but the majority of the German army's supplies and artillery moved with horsepower for the entire duration of the war. Most of the German infantry walked the long distances across Europe and the Soviet Union to get to the fight and mop up after the fast-moving panzer formations because the Germans lacked trucks. As a result, criticism of the Poles for still relying on horsepower seems pretty hypocritical, but the German propaganda machine needed to appear more impressive than it really was, especially in 1939.

[@nomdeguerre7265]

The myth of the 'Polish Calvary' finds interesting parallels in accounts of the massacre of Wehrmacht columns of horses pulling guns and wagons in their retreat across France following the Allied breakout from Normandy. Of course the Wehrmacht troops weren't charging, but withdrawing. But it still illustrates the common dependence of the Germans on horse drawn transportation, even in late 1944.

[@NVRAMboi]

@nonamesplease6288: Thank you. It needs to be said and repeated. The fascination with nazi mechanization/technology almost always drowns out that fact. Germany, as a nation and militarily, was not ready in Sept. of 1939 for such a massive undertaking of aggression. German resources were never sufficient for such delusional acquisition.

[@jonthinks6238]

I believe that the German army had 5 million horses during the war.

[@brittakriep2938]

Switzerland had up to 1972 6500 dragons/ Dragoner, and german mountain troops still have a company of mules ( and some Haflinger horses).

[@merpius]

I recall hearing that some German military despaired when they realized that the Western front forces were essentially entirely mechanized. Not only did it mean that the supplies would be more consistent and the fighting forces better rested, etc, but it also showed that those forces had plenty of fuel and a huge industrial base. All bad signs.

[@greenockscatman]

Any nation on the planet in 1939 would have collapsed fairly rapidly if caught between a simultaneous attack from the Soviets and Germans, horses or no horses. The poles put up as good of a fight as they could, under the circumstances.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Denmark managed to Fall by lunch time.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Denmark managed to Fall by lunch time.

[@Heike--]

Eh, maybe. Poland received assurances that France and Britain would shortly be on the way to take the pressure off, which was an utter betrayal which the Allies knew all along. They just wanted to get the war started and had no plans to help Poland at all. The Poles delayed their mobilization on Allied advice and at any rate were deployed too far forward to resist effectively. The German army was busy in Poland and a sharp drive by France towards Berlin would have met little resistance and there would have been a regime change coup. All ofWW2 could have been avoided nd Big H would have been known as a footnote instead of the man the entire 20th century revolved around. Everything that came before led up to him; everything that came after was because of him.

[@jadger1871]

The attack wasn't simultaneous though, the Soviets waited two and a half weeks after the Germans before launching their own attack. By that point, Warsaw had been under siege for 10 days and coordinated defence had all but collapsed. Much of the Polish army had already surrendered.

[@Ladypuppy510]

They jumped into deporting Jews pretty darn quickly though.

[@louis1952]

After graduation, I worked with a Polish engineer who had been in the cavalry during WW2. He had some amazing stories to tell and one of my great regrets in life is that I was too young to take notice and record his escapades. He was eventually captured by the Germans but escaped and managed to make his way to England via the Eastern Mediterranean. He was a real character and a fine engineer and mathematician. Much as he hated the Germans, his real contempt was for the Russians.

[@jakubw.2779]

Because we allways were exchanging punches with Russia. But like literally, always, since the beginning of time. With germans we had our ups and downs, of course partitions and consequent germanization and later wwII were immense impulses for most of us to think twice about our relations with germans, but with russia it was always hate and contempt, we hate them, they hate us, they're our mortal enemy, existentional threat, we're their salt in the eye, their reminder of their humiliation in 1920 and 1612. Even during communist rule we were a pain for them, because many times our governments wanted to be Independent from moscows instructions, at the same time ussr heavily exploited Poland during that time and mainly thanks to that we are where we are (econimicaly and socialy)... And we absolutely despise them for that

[@brunonikodemski2420]

Same with my father, a corporal-equivalent in the Polish army. He hated the Russians so much, that after his units were decimated by the Germans, he elected to go back towards Germany, ended up being captured, and forced to work as a slave laborer in Germany.

[@TheDiackon]

sounds like average polish guy, despiese germans but hate ruSSians. Nothing good comes form the east.

[@marcinhetna557]

@@louis1952 We Poles had better and worse times with Germans, but we can reason with them. Russia was always the enemy and only the enemy. Poland is part of western civilisation, just like Germany. Christianity from Rome, Latin as lingua franca, city squares and cathedrals, poets and merchants, kings, feudals, chivalry, free trade, democracy, capitalism. Russia is half asian barbaric empire. Influenced by Moongols and Byzantium at best. It is different world. With Germans we can be rivals or partners. With Russia - only foes. Unless they get civilised.

[@davidbarton6095]

The US didn't formally disband cavalry until 1947 as organized units. The last US cavalry charge was in the Philippines by a unit of scouts against the Japanese. Just saying, you use what's at hand, not what you'd like.

[@fabiogalletti8616]

Last proper action of a cavalry line unit doing a "textbook" charge I know was the Italian army Savoia Cavalleria at Izbushensky, russia - siberian infantry that was moving into position to attack, the Savoia cav. regiment charged with 2nd squadron (batallion size/100 horsemen) mounted, followed by an attack of 3rd sqdn dismounted and then 4th charging again on horses straight into the soviet line. It was an italian horsemen victory, a bit less for the italian horses.

[@DaniEles-rc7ij]

The US Calvary ran out of Indians to terrorize? or what?

[@jonthinks6238]

20 year veteran, you go with what you have.

[@LemonHead-sq5ws]

But the poles had years to prepare !! I think they were just lazy and lacked the guts to fight back

[@anthonyoer4778]

​@LemonHead-sq5ws that's a sour perception you have.

[@marcinlipecki562]

I am Polish by origin with military tradition in the family and interest in Polish military history. This is my little way to honor those who's efforts and sacrifice I owe my life to. I'm genuinely impressed by the level of detail and integrity of your research as well as moved by deep sense of respect permeating your work. Thank you.

[@forrestrobin2712]

About 20 years ago I was at a wedding in France. One of the guests was an elderly Pole. I’d heard this story, so I asked him. He laughed, and said "it’s nice story, but do you think we’re crazy ? No one would be stupid enough to charge panzers on horses!!" So that put that myth to bed for me. Incredibly brave people for sure, but definitely not stupid!

[@goldensilver793]

Franklin met Cashmier Pulaski, a Polish officer?, in france and evenually got him to join the revolution. He became one of Washington's generals. He was an equestrian and taught American troops to ride horses in battle. He is the father of the US calvary...

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@goldensilver793 Pulaski Day: An Updated the History Guy Episode kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXyok3WIacqeg7M

[@shawnr771]

After WW1, American pilots of Polish ancestry returned the favor by flying for the Polish Air Force during Polabd's War of Independence and trained the Polish Air Force in the interwar years. The units with younger pilots of course fought against the Luftwaffe and Soviet Air Force. A number of these pilots volunteered and fought with France against the Germans in 1940 before making their way to England to form Polish Squadrons of the RAF. Although today, Winston Churchhills quote "Never has so much, been owed to so few, by so many" is attributed to the entire RAF during the Battle of Britian. The speech was given about the RAF 303 squadron. Made up of Polish pilots. The squadron claimed the highest number of air to air kills of the 66 Allied fighter squadrons during the Battle of Britian even though they started 2 months late. Their crest is a round with 13 blue stars representing the American colonies and a series of Red vertical stripes.

[@goldensilver793]

@@shawnr771 In Illinois there is Cashmeir Pulaski day holiday... Apparently Chicago has the largest polish population in the US?

[@goldensilver793]

@@shawnr771 that's really cool info...

[@shawnr771]

@@goldensilver793 nice.

[@jaxdaggerthegreat]

The account of the Army's use of horses in Afghanistan is another story that deserves to be remembered.

[@greenflagracing7067]

in US usage, cavalry fought on horseback (carbines or pistols) dragoons and mounted infantry fought dismounted. but by the Civil War these distinctions were mostly gone and the dragoons and mounted infantry re reflagged as cavalry. the 12 special forces operators who rode horses in Afghanistan makes for an interesting story, but they were "horse" soldiers only in the literal sense.

[@dukecraig2402]

​@@greenflagracing7067 I guess if you were there you'd really shown 'em how it's done.

[@greenflagracing7067]

@@dukecraig2402 are you a special forces fanboy?

[@Ray-tg1sj]

​@@greenflagracing7067what history fan isn't?

[@brunozeigerts6379]

Wasn't that the story behind the movie 12 Strong?

[@halnywiatr]

In 1990 Dollar equivalents, the 1938 GDP of Germany was some $351 billion ; the 1938 GDP equivalent for Poland was $75 billion. (Soviet Union $359 billion) Additionally; post WWI Germany was essentially undamaged as the war was waged on foreign territory. Poland was not only razed by WWI, but the 1920 Polish Soviet War as well. The odds were heavily stacked against Poland.

[@metanoian965]

Good points. Poland also took control of Galicia in the South East after the German Austrians had left it as the poorest region in Europe for 123 years.

[@Nimrawid]

@@metanoian965 Lets not forget about the giant battles of WW1 over in Galicia. Its often overlooked but Przemyśl and Lwów for example were subjected to huge battle damage and were looted completely by the russians during WW1.

[@c_avee]

To me, it's disgusting how Germany refuses to repay its WW2 debts, I'm not so much surprised by Russia refusing, but Germany? I thought they said they were rich.. They also refused to pay in any other way (land, military equipment, etc) At the same time, it's also crazy to me how Poland built up it's Army just now so much that it's now stronger than Germany's. Poland did this while Germany was busy embargoing Poland, Hungary, and other countries resisting EU authoritarian rule. It's also funny but sad at the same time that the EU is embargoing these countries harder than they did Russia for their invasion on Ukraine

[@metanoian965]

@@c_avee German crimes are more than what they did in WWii to Polish People. Germ Crimes - looting, theft, and worse can be counted from the invasion and first partition of Poland, 18C. Reparations take on a different meaning. As for WW ii, Zydishers get eternal reparations so Germs consider that a good deal for Poland. - German atrocities committed against Polish prisoners of war - Wikipedia

[@skasteve6528]

I would view anything in Guderian's memoirs as being a dubious historical source. Like pretty much every military leader ever, the wins were due to his superior strategy, the losses were due to more senior leaders failing to see his genius.

[@JTA1961]

The horses also said neigh to that myth

[@Drewkas0]

…no doubt realized by a Gallup poll.

[@TheManWithThePsychoGun]

*slow clop* - I mean *clap*!

[@jon9021]

@@TheManWithThePsychoGunoh dear….🤣

[@rosssouthwell8678]

Did u miss something its not a myth it happened, small scale, if ur on foot in the open with a bolt action and their a 600 kilo horse's charging down on u and ur out side ur tanks having a cuppa ur f Ed

[@CAPSLOCKPUNDIT]

​@@Drewkas0Pole*

[@matteohetzy7599]

An Italian Cavalry regiment (Savoia Cavalleria) performed a quite famous cavalry charge in the Eastern Front at Izbushensky (winning the battle btw). About 700 horsemen against a numerically superior soviet rifle division 2500 soldiers strong (and that happened on 24 August 1942, so you are on time for tomorrow). Even more surprising was the Cavalry charge led by Amedeo Guillet in Italian East Africa against the Tanks of the British mechanized forces in the battle of Keru in January 1941. It was a desperate measure but the outcome was not a disaster, on the contrary it gained a limited success because it halted the british attack and allowed italian infantry to escape encirclement and retreat to the relative safety of the rocky hills where british mechanized forces were unable to follow and where they were able to keep fighting

[@gregd100]

Thank you for identifying this story as myth. This will help future generations understand the pervasiveness of propaganda, especially related to war.

[@Heike--]

CNBC and US media were repeatding harmful Nazi myths like this most recently a few years ago. They don't care.

[@petermorawski3430]

Pains me to hear the talk of Poland surrendering in 4 weeks after being attacked on all sides, while no mention is made of the combined might of British Empire and France collapsing in - wait for it - 4 weeks! This war should be over in 1939.

[@michaellynes3540]

In the Battle of Tuchola Forest, Polish soldiers advanced east along the railway to a railroad crossroads 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the town of Chojnice, where elements of the Polish cavalry charged and dispersed a German infantry battalion. Machine gun fire from German armoured cars that appeared from a nearby forest forced the Poles to retreat. Kazimierz Mastalerz, the commander who led the charge, was killed while trying to rescue Eugeniusz Świeściak, the commander of the 1st Squadron of the 18th Pomeranian Cavalry. This became known as the Charge at Krojanty. The same day, German war correspondents were brought to the battlefield, together with two journalists from Italy. They were shown the corpses of Polish cavalrymen and their horses as well as German tanks that had arrived at the place after the battle. One of the Italian correspondents, Indro Montanelli, wrote the bravery and heroism of Polish soldiers, who charged German tanks with sabres and lances. Although such a charge did not happen, and there were no tanks used during combat, the myth was used by German propaganda during the war.

[@jankowalski3220]

Thank you for demythologizing these myths. Cavalry in 1939 was a good solution for movement. She fought on foot. There were isolated cases when cavalry units saw a chance to break through. But not idiotic charges against tanks. The last great cavalry battles took place during the Polish-Bolshevik war of 1920/21. Komarów, Rokitna. Epic stuff.

[@robertklimczak5630]

DYWIZJA ZAZA

[@MichalKaczorowski]

In 1944 after the Normandy landings, German POWs were very surprised that the Allied divisions did not have ONE horse in their possession. The Germans relied on horse transport until the end of the war.

[@douglasstrother6584]

"Wo sind ihr Pferden?" "We have trucks!"

[@Statist0815]

@@douglasstrother6584 "Wo sind ihre Pferde?" 😉

[@douglasstrother6584]

@@Statist0815 Danke! It's been 30 years since I wrote in German.

[@metanoian965]

German machinery failed in Soviets. Stolen horses were vital. and were made into sausages.

[@KargoolElvalie]

My uncle was the captain of the last cavalry company of Norway as late as in 1976.

[@robdavidson4945]

My Dad was 14 years old in Scotland When many Polish Military including Polish Cavalry were temporarily based in the lowlands in County Angus Scotland. He stood on a hill and could see many campfires from there. This was also near ,by American standards, the Montrose air station where many UK pilots trained many of whom fought and died in the Battle of Britain. Dad also saw the Squadron 603 with Richard Hillary and "Stapme" Stapleton fly up his Glen eagle their wings then turned South to fight in the Battle of Britain. The pilots were friends of all the kids in the Glen because they took their days off and Holidays there. The "kids in the Glen" were mentioned in Richard Hillary's book "the Last Enemy". One of the kids is still alive at this time is my Uncle. The Poles And the Pilots both were heroes of the highest caliber. Thanks for the setting the story straight.

[@mikolajtrzeciecki1188]

Do you happen to mean the 303 Squadron?

[@robdavidson4945]

@@mikolajtrzeciecki1188 303 Squadron was all Polish and made a very good showing of themselves during the Battle of Britain. They as well as other Squadrons from all over the world trained in Montrose, Scotland. The Men (all very young) that my family met were mostly the 603 from the City of Edinburgh Squadron. You can read about the Squadron in the book Last Enemy by Hillary the pilot from South Africa. There's a movie about the 303 Squadron by the same name I believe. I haven't seen it yet.

[@martinmilco9683]

The mainly untrue legend of the WW2 Polish cavalry charge against German panzers and its persistent myth puts me in mind of a quote from the 1962 film, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". One of the characters, a newspaper editor, says, "When legend becomes fact, print the legend."

[@Heike--]

Journalists really are the enemy of the people. Literally repeating Big Brother's points from Orwell's 1984.

[@hipcat13]

My father was in the middle of this, although he fought the Russians. He said that they were newly issued Mausers (probably from the Czechs) and the attack happened so quickly they didn't have time to sight the new weapons in. Pinned down by a Russian machine gun position next to a stone wall, he told of bouncing rounds off the wall into the machine gun nest causing the Soviets to give up their position. He was later captured by the Soviets in Lithuania. I told my dad once that he should write a book about his experiences. He said there already is one: Night Never Ending by Eugenjusz Komorowski. This is also History That Deserves to be remembered, and a subject I'd like to see covered by The History Guy.

[@OsoBlanco17]

Great video! My Babci (grandmother in Polish) used to tell me stories about when the Germans invaded and my Dad who grew up in Poland after the war said he used to play with leftover ordinance with friends like they were firecrackers. Thank you for finally explaining the myth and you have more than earned my subscription.

[@andrewstrongman305]

KZbin censorship has become ridiculous. I'm a 56 year old Australian veteran. Images/videos showing the true reality of war are ESSENTIAL for civilians worldwide to understand that war is unimaginably brutal.

[@MrMysteriousDm]

KZbin wants to forget the past so it can repeat it

[@harleyschmydlapp704]

Great story! Proud to be an American of Polish ancestry.

[@charlesdavis1080]

Another story related to this is the Polish Blue Army. This was created in WW1 by recruiting captured Poles (from the Austro-Hungarian army) and polish immigrants from the US and Canada. They fought at the end of the war and were transported across Germany during the Armistice to fight in the wars against Ukraine and the Soviet Union. That's a story that needs to be remembered.

[@metanoian965]

Also. the history of the Polish Scouts and Guides during WW ii

[@themroc8231]

5:20 You mentioning the Pomeranian army conjured a hilarious image in my head.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@themroc8231 lol not the dog breed.

[@Paveway-chan]

Can ya' guess where the dog breed got its name from? :P

[@xoxo2008oxox]

You may laugh, but my ancestors are from Pomeranian-descent which is the area along the Bay of Pomerania of the Baltic Sea between the rivers Recknitz, Trebel, Tollense and Augraben in the west and Vistula in the east. And yes, I would mention such and get that look like "you came from little, cute, fuzzy, aggressive doggies?"

[@pickeljarsforhillary102]

Dachshund Division was the most feared. Poles were quickly disheartened by the bites to their ankles.

[@Heike--]

The different Polish armies had names like Vistula, etc. depending on where they were. Pomerania is a place. Not our fault if you're ignorant and know nothing about the world.

[@scorpion19142001]

Thanks!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you!

[@scorpion19142001]

Greetings from B.C., Canada. I thoroughly enjoy your stories. Could you tell me where you source your pictures from?

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

@@scorpion19142001 we use some istock. The rest are collected from the Public Domain.

[@hotel283]

I only saw a few horses in Afghan. Donkeys and mules were far more common. They could carry way more than horses and were much better handling rough terrain.

[@sharonrigs7999]

Donkeys and mules are far less skittish and don't spook the way horses do. They are also hardier and can survive on rougher feed

[@pattonmoore]

The Army used mules in Indochina for the same reasons.

[@williamdonnelly224]

Thanks for straightening this out.

[@halfabee]

I had a Polish uncle. Henryk Baranowski. He fought the Germans on horseback. When Poland surrendered he was transferred to the diplomatic Corps. He was sent to Chile. When the UK entered WW2 against Germany he caught a boat back to the UK. The ship was torpedoed off South Africa. He spent 48 hours in the water. Then rescued. Arrived in the UK and joined the RAF in the Polish unit. After WW2 was over he renovated houses in the east end of London. Then went into wall-to-wall carpets just at the correct time. Purchased a factory and installed carpet looms. Produced carpets for hotels etc. He set up the Henryk Baranowski Music School for the deaf in Poland. He did a lot for Poland. He died a multi-millionaire. He was my Godfather and Elsie his wife was my Godmother.

[@Charles-k9g5y]

JFK S father supported Hitler

[@jon9021]

Absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing, much appreciated!

[@scottabc72]

Thats an interesting sequence of events considering the UK declared war on Germany 2 days after Germany invaded and SA isnt really on the typical route between Chile and the UK, among other things

[@jon9021]

@@scottabc72 doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Could have been going to SA first for a number of reasons. A few minor date issues slightly off…so he must be a liar? I’m sure your family has dates and stories that are slightly off. Do you question them all??…dear lord..

[@scottabc72]

@@jon9021 Lies, exaggerations, faulty memories from decades ago? I have no idea but on a channel that takes history seriously its fair for others to raise questions. Such as why was a cavalry soldier (even an officer) qualified to join the diplomatic corps while also apparently being a pilot?

[@JesseOaks-ef9xn]

We should never forget that the Soviets invaded the East of Poland shortly after the Germans invaded the West. The Soviets and the American Communist party supported Germany's invasion of Poland.

[@Heike--]

And the French communist party. They supported the German invasion in 1940. Belgium had a railway strike in the middle of the invasion in support!

[@tomfilipiak3511]

My,4 relatives,were in the polish army,in 1939,they were captured,by the Russians,sent to Siberia,only 2 turned,Tomasz Lulek,was one of them,and use to sing the Polis anthem,at our family reunions!He hated the Russians,don’t blame him,plus the Russians,murdered,thousands of Polish officers,and others in the Katyn forest,research and you will find out the facts!Germany,and Russia,can not ever forget their evil!Thomas A.Filipiak!

[@jurgschupbach3059]

U are a Schwurbler from Facist Finland

[@Gala-yp8nx]

Which is partly why the American Communist Party lost almost all of its members. The last straw for American Communists was when the Soviets crushed the Hungarian Revolution, which was a democratic uprising against the Soviet puppet state of the Hungarian People's Republic.

[@anreoil]

Nor shall we forget that Poland was rightfully the part of Russia till 1918, when Western forces led by England and France, attacked Russia.

[@sc4rf4ce81]

Thank you so much for this , as a Pole , I've been trying to right this nonsense for years among my international friends 😂. Great job !!

[@grzegorzbrzeszcz6698]

‘Cavalry marches on horseback, fights on foot’. - This was the prevailing tactic in the Polish Army in 1939. The Germans made their propaganda film with horsemen in German (!) uniforms attacking the tanks because this is a tactic of wartime propaganda - to ridicule the enemy and show him as a fool. Unfortunately, similar things happened in the USA after WW2 when ‘Polish jokes’ were so popular.

[@witolddupa]

😄You misspelled your name. It's Grzegorz Brzęczyszczykiewicz 😄 Funniest scene in a great movie.Jak rozpętałem drugą wojnę światową

[@Larrymh07]

I think everyone needs to remember that Poland was able to fight for month against Nazi Germany AND the Soviet Union. France was able to fight for month with British and Belgium help on just one front. This at a time when France was a world power!

[@frankinski1444]

Poland was waiting for France and England to honor the mutual defense treaty in place. Never happened. And don't even get me started on the Potsdam Conference.

[@theliberalrepublican]

Let's also remember that Poland is flat as a billiard table, perfect territory for German mechanized warfare.

[@Larrymh07]

@@frankinski1444 After 1939, Poland's geographic position made it nearly impossible to save from Hitler and especially Stalin.

[@Larrymh07]

@@theliberalrepublican Yet, I stand by my facts.

[@jimyoung9262]

Yep. The terrain was tougher to defend and yet they did it for longer than the French. The poles were tough as nails. The french...make good pastries.

[@Sportserjeff]

Great video that emphasizes the bravery of a people fighting against overwhelming odds.

[@kentowakai1234]

German and Soviet propaganda stayed entrenched into the 1970s with Polock jokes. Thank you for helping dispel this lie.

[@rafalganowicz1939]

Thanks for video. I've been trying correct that myth for years. The Germans used a lot of horses during WW2. They weren't as mechanized as people believe.

[@robertklimczak5630]

The Germans finished the war mostly on their own feet.interesting fact. during the invasion of russia the germans arrested many carts with horses and drivers from poland. they were forced to be one of the elements of german logistics. the germans had too few trucks. even when they took trucks from conquered countries.

[@OstblockLatina]

2. Lubelska Brygada Obrony Terytorialnej (2nd Lublin Brigade of Territorial Defence Forces) still uses horses for patrolling Poland's eastern border. That area and terrain is basically wilderness and horses are very practical there. If you wonder how soldiers in the most modern kit look on horses, I recommend checking them out.

[@FeldwebelWolfenstool]

..in the mid-80's, there was a fella who worked in a newsprint mill in N.Ontario. He was an old guy who served in the Polish Cavalry at the start of WW2. I told him what a miracle it was that he survived. He agreed.

[@donalddodson7365]

Thank you Team THG! Hope this donation slips through the KZbin eWall of Shame.

[@bgarcia9920]

I knew a lieutenant of the Polish cavalry (ułani). He participated in a charge of the ułani at a German tank squad. He said that the ułani jumped from horses onto tanks and threw hand grenades into open hatches.

[@grzegorzswist]

Its a great irony that Germans made fun of Poles for using horses in war while Wehrmacht itself relied heavily on horses.

[@lizj5740]

According to Wikipedia - Horses in World War II - Germany used 2.75 million horses.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

@@grzegorzswist Calvary horses and draft animals are very different things....

[@scottl9660]

@@WALTERBROADDUS a horse is just as backward to a guy with a Studebaker truck as it is to a guy with a panzer 3

[@MrProsat]

Until you have -30 degrees, 18 inches of mud or no gas...

[@Gala-yp8nx]

And only the US and Britain were almost fully mechanized.

[@c_avee]

7TPS shredded Panzer I's and II's, but Poland and the allies thought the war would break out in 1940 and therefore didn't produce/purchase enough

[@johnshinn6274]

You have the best content on KZbin. If you’re getting strikes, I will at least comment to help support you.

[@PANCERNY87]

As far as I know, there were two cavalry raids against the Nazis. In both cases, the Germans failed because they felt confident and started grazing in open areas like cows. A cavalryman who sees something like this will not let it pass. In the first case it was an infantry battalion and a saber was used, in the second case it was a company of panzer grenadiers and a saber and grenades were used.

[@marvwatkins7029]

Lance knows that war history is indeed very popular. Always a good move.

[@Montrala]

This myth was teached in Polish schools during communism times, to tell kids how bad "capitalist Poland" was. It was also redone in Polish movies made during communist time.

[@LukeXMV]

It wasnt just the Nazi German propaganda. The illustrated books published in Germany in the 1980s still had this myth. And my German friends would tease me about it and how the Polish army was backward in 1939.

[@hashbrown1969]

I specially remember my textbooks mention of the poor Polish army who faced off against German panzer tanks with cavalry charges armed only with lances. Meant to set the scene of the massively tech advanced army of Germany. Even as an elementary student I was skeptical of this claim. Textbooks of Chicago suburbs of Illinois.

[@RetiredSailor60]

Good Friday morning History Guy and everyone watching

[@georgettewolf6743]

Bravo! All through World War II, Polish soldiers fought bravely, fiercely and effectively against Germany. I am most familiar with Poles who ended up being the UK’s most deadly fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain. A Polish destroyer was part of the Royal Navy force that sank the Bismarck, proudly signaling the Germans, “I am a Polish ship.” As you point out, what happened to the Poles wasn’t due to poor soldiery but poor leadership, something that also happened to the French, and initially to the USSR. For awhile, even the British had this problem, but Churchill fired as many laggards as he could once he became Prime Minister until he found leadership that could do the job. That’s what Lincoln had to do 80 odd years before during the American Civil War.

[@robertklimczak5630]

yes, bad leadership but also the general poverty of the country. This country was just trying to be a healthy country. After 123 non-existence and the world war. The port city of Gdynia was built, they started to make COP. These were supposed to be the engines of the country's development. COP was an investment that had just started.we've only existed for 19 years and we've already been attacked by two bandits

[@robertklimczak5630]

Polish cavalry in 1939 fought on foot, only horses were used as a means of fast transport. It happened that when trying to break through a closing encirclement or a flank attack, they encountered infantry, which ended in a massacre for the Germans. But when they encountered armored personnel carriers or tanks, the losses could be significant.against tanks and personnel carriers the cavalry had Ur anti-tank rifles and anti-tank guns licensed by Bofors.disadvantage of cavalry brigades, it turned out during the fights that the brigades did not have the appropriate strength and number of troops. Because of this they could not influence the strong German units for long, later cavalry brigades were combined into larger units

[@schlirf]

But God, what a CAV thing to do!

[@mhmt1453]

Being 58, I am quite familiar with “The World at War” (1973) documentaries. For most of my life, I actually believed the reports of the Polish cavalry charges, for at the time there was no internet, nor any concerted effort to confirm or disprove this or other battlefield tales. Certainly, the Poles were overwhelmed by German, then later, Soviet forces coming in from all four cardinal directions, and though ultimately in vain, I never thought their defense ill-planned or unprepared. Their air forces were largely destroyed on the ground, giving Germany decisive air superiority from the first days of the campaign. The Germans invaded from the north, west, and south, and when the Soviets invaded from the east, Polish forces had no reasonable position to fall back to. Even if they had comparable equipment to the Germans, the Poles were desperately surrounded with no help on the horizon from any of their allies. Thus, the notion of suicidal cavalry charges-ostensibly, to allow civilians or other units to escape-did not seem as ridiculous (or incredible) as many claimed, and so I had little reason to believe otherwise. Thank you for putting this apocryphal story to rest. One always has more to learn.

[@robertklimczak5630]

haha no, only the reserve planes were mostly destroyed. and I can assure you that there weren't many of them. the air units were already at other airports on the day the war broke out. they fought until the end, slowly losing planes. the rest flew to romania. where they intervened. we didn't have too many of those planes.

[@SteveSingsThings]

The source of mocking the Polish as being backwards was German and Soviet war propaganda. It worked. Before WW2 Warsaw was a vibrant intellectual and cultural center in Eastern Europe. Obviously a reflection of their fine people. Sadly ironic that the same cavalry with lineage back to the heroic winged Hussars who saved Europe is still maligned in history by a lie.

[@mariuszlech9173]

The true irony of fate and the laughter of history is that the Poles carried out the last cavalry charge in history in World War II, on March 1, 1945, the ''Charge at Borujskie''. 220 cavalrymen - Uhlans attacked the German 163rd Infantry Division. Earlier, two infantry assaults supported by artillery and tanks had collapsed. The Germans did not expect such a quick attack, burning buildings, smoke and a quick attack defeated the advanced points of resistance and opened the way to break through the German defense lines. Cavalry losses in the charge: 7 killed and ten wounded.

[@robertklimczak5630]

cavalry with tanks, let's not forget about this addition to this successful action

[@bgarcia9920]

The name of the decoration is "Virtuti Militari" pron. "veertootee meeleetaree".

[@rogergoodman8665]

When I was a little guy in the 70's, I would listen to my 4 uncles "war stories" with great delight and try and picture what I thought it was like then...At the time, I thought their story of the brave Polish Calvary charging heavily armed German tanks with lances and swords drawn as they stampeded through the Nazi lines while slashing at the tank turrets and the german heads sticking out was the "Greatest story ever told" When I found out the truth in high school it did not change my opinion of the Polish people. I have ALWAYS thought they were among the bravest people in all of Europe. When I hear horses running to this day, that story of the Polish Calvary is still the first thing I picture!!!

[@Why-D]

Due to the lack of roads in parts of Poland, the horses were even preferred to cars, as they were more mobile. And as they just had been in war, and had, as told the lack of finanical power, it was just not possible to improve it fast. And I think there was another issue, where a cavalry and a tank troop accidentaly faced each other on a road, and the cavalry charged through the suprised tank troop, to get into safety, what worked quite well. And also the Germans had still horses, and in the later part of the war, even more.

[@metanoian965]

Another history video here. The deliberate non development of occupied Polish lands for 123 years. Only German infrastructure in the West to benefit Germia. O as per German Tsarist serfdom in the East. German Austrian Galicia = abject poverty in Europe.

[@BasicDrumming]

I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

[@bert8373]

Also a great read:Poland 1939 Outbreak of the War by Roger Moorhouse

[@NVRAMboi]

Thank you Lance. Today, I hope that Poland remains a close and integral partner in NATO. To me, that nation (historically, like Israel) has every reason for arming themselves to the teeth - no matter how unpopular (globally) that might be.

[@74charger44]

My grandfather rode with the Polish calvary in WW2. Thanks for doing this.

[@gavinmclaren9416]

The Poles made many contributions to the Allied war effort after their country was overrun. The Poles started and arguably made the biggest contribution to decyphering the German Enigma machine and system. The Polish squadrons were key assets in the Battle of Britain, with 303 squadron having both the most claims and verified kills on German aircraft. The Poles contributed both infantry and armored divisions to 1st Canadian Army after D-Day, and were key to the Falise Gap battle. The Polish airborne gallantly jumped into the Arnheim battle, "A Bridge Too Far," when the 1st (British) Airborne were in desperate straits, and the Poles knew this was near-suicidal. There are more examples; these are just off the top of my head. The Poles punched above their weight consistently in WW2 and should not be remembered only for how their country was overrun by the combined strength of Germany and the USSR.

[@piotrgrzywnowicz601]

and also that the Manhattan Project was based on their work and the Hungarians, which is shamefully passed over in silence. The Lwów school of mathematics was one of the best in the world, these people were ahead of their country's possibilities by an era.

[@waveranger4974]

Fantastic as always! You have a gift, sir.

[@888Longball]

In Canada, Lord Strathcona's Horse Regiment still trains with horses, but does not use them in battle.

[@robertklimczak5630]

now on the border with Belarus in difficult terrain horses are sometimes still used

[@joshuabessire9169]

Germany:"Ha ha, look at this Polish Calvary!" Also Germany, "Who is this Mr Ford and General F'in Motors we're supposed to be saying hello to?"

[@Heike--]

The Germans didn't laugh at Poles for cavalry - WE did. Growing up all I heard was "Polack jokes"

[@scottb4579]

@@Heike-- My grandfather was polish and told Polack jokes all the time, lol. "How many Polacks does it take to screw in a light bulb" lol

[@Statist0815]

Opel was part of GM since 1927.

[@metanoian965]

@@Heike-- Do you know which tribe invented those jokes ? Do you understand why that eternal tribe who owns Hollywood and Press comics pushed those jokes ? The West was played for fools and took the bait.

[@forddon]

Meanwhille ...a little further south, Italian tanks were defeated by Haile Selassie's Ethiopian cavalry

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson.

[@GeorgeSemel]

Defeated but never Conquered. The Poles contributed to the victory in World War II everywhere they fought. Then there were the Polish Pilots, who were part of the very few that so many owed so much.

[@danieltaylor5231]

The show the Winged Hussars charging, And then The History Guy arrived!

[@awilson2385]

Poland has a long military tradition. The Polish Hussars were among the most elite, and feared, soldiers in the world at one time. And one of the world's oldest, continuously operating libraries is in Krakow. Fascinating country and people, with an amazing history.

[@Ammo08]

My uncle was US Army horse cavalry in the late 1930s. He trained at Fort Belvoir. His unit was scheduled to go to the Philippines, but the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He ended up in an armored reconnaissance unit in North Africa and eventually France.

[@mattgeorge90]

Excellent episode!

[@c.rutherford]

As an American kid the maps of the 3 partitions of Poland kinda angered me. It seemed so brutally unfair. And I'm not even Polish! Well maybe a tiny fraction. My grandma had a polish grandmother. So I suppose if African Americans can have their One Drop Rule, I could identify as Polish..... though I also have some German. No wonder I'm always fighting with myself

[@tmooremolines]

A quote from my grandfather: “Erich dorfer feldwerfer :sergent “ German panzer commander invasion of Poland”. “My father and Erich worked together at the paper mill in Kalamazoo Michigan. We all hunted and fished together for many years. He told us about the invasion of Poland and the day his Panzers encountered the Polish cavalry. They had used their machine guns to target the horses directly to stop the advance and then the soldiers. He said it was a horrible night sitting there listening to the horses and soldiers cry out”. I’ve heard the story told by my grandfather and great grandfather (28th Div. Mech recon troop WW2) and they both said that incident had lasting impact on Erich. Erich later was in the siege of Stalingrad and after they were encircled managed to slip through the Russians and eventually make it to the US.

[@paulbenedict1289]

Your granfather was very gullible to believe and repeat this nonsense. It is somewhat possible, but very unlikely, that an armored unit might ambush cavalry unit on horseback. After all, a cavalry unit is a bunch of man on horseback. Its commander would always have a screen of scouts around it and they are not gonna miss fking tanks. However the story about him slipping out of Stalingrad pocket, through Soviet lines, over 100 miles of Soviet controlled territory, in -30C degree weather and over another Soviet lines, catching up with withdrawing German army is a complete horse fertilizer. There are exactly ZERO documented cases of that happening.

[@jasonweaver6524]

Regardless of what this History Guru says, the Polish military failed miserably during the first week of war. Thereafter all the allegedly "heroic" battles were at best desperate skirmishes during the mop up phase. The German impression of Polish performance was: "At times, the Polish soldier had faught bravely, but his downfall was caused by the incompetence of his leadership".

[@robertklimczak5630]

the lack of modern communication made a difference in maneuver battles. the basic units, i.e. the infantry, were not very maneuverable. it was impossible to command well. especially since until recently they were only preparing to defend themselves against Russia, only planned the beginning of the defense, they did not have time Germany for the rest the french could fight well . but the french commander preferred command by liaisons on motorcycles . when the germans crossed the river marne they entered between two divisions which were changing their place of defense . the french armored unit did not manage to attack before the germans got stronger because of the liaisons . also the french tanks had very little ability to run further distances without refueling .......commanding units during maneuver warfare is essential. we had no radio communication due to lack of funds, but the French did because of faulty strategies. the development that there would be a maneuver warfare reached the commanders in France just at the time of the German attack

[@GeneralJackRipper]

In Shirer's _'Rise and Fall of the Third Reich'_ you can find a very stirring passage about Polish Cavalry fighting tanks in what may be the genesis of the myth.

[@gusloader123]

Good video THG. I have been one of the people that helped spread that account of the Polish Cavalry attacking Nazi armor/tanks, simply because I read about and saw still photos about it for decades. I respected the Polish Cavalry Lancers for being brave, but also, they seemed foolish to charge tanks. Glad that you made this video and cleared up some things. Goebbels and the Nazi propaganda machine was a well-oiled-machine. I for one, love horses (had mine for 20 some years, and my sister still has Her's) and wish we (The U.S.A.) still had a horse (real) cavalry. Horses can go were no jeep or Humvee or 4-wheel drive pick-up can go. Walk, trot, lope, hand gallop. Horses can live off the land in many places unlike motorized vehicles. Some members of the U.S. Border Patrol are still using horses. During WW1 and WW2 the U.S. Cavalry (such as the 10th & 11th Regiments) patrolled the U.S.A. - Mexico border. We really should do that again. P.S. I do not see a Pay-Pal link to you, only Patreon.

[@MisterFastbucks]

Polish soldiers and sailors performed admirably throughout WWII. Those that escaped that initial onslaught went on to fight heroically in the Battle of Britain, Falaise, Arnhem, and other places. Poles have a long memory and appear today unwilling to let their neighbors do the same thing again.

[@rogerdudra178]

I've herd about this calvary charge for many years and I always thought there was a different story.

[@definitelynotadam]

Poland has a special relationship with cavalry horses to this day.

[@lehcyfer]

1:40 - the uhlan on photo has Ur antitank rifle which could stop every german tank deployed in Poland. It sounds funny when your comment is about Polish antiquated cavalry units. The fact is that cavalry was the "ellite" of Polish army. It is true that it was an army of a poor country, but the cavalry was well equipped and had means to fight the tank units which is visible in the battle of Mokra

[@foundingfarther]

There's a timeline to the video. Later he talks about them integrating these rifles and lots of other upgrades later in the video.

[@AdamMPick]

The myth is still alive. In 2017 CNBC got called out by the polish embassy for perpetuating the myth. The Battle of Schoenfeld in 1945 saw a mounted charge by polish units, including using artillery horses, against prebuild defensive positions and dislodge the Germans, killing at least 500 men, while losing 147. The funny thing is that a previous attack using tanks failed. Sometimes you gotta go fast. It is considered the last sucessfull major cavallery charge in history. Nothing to do with the myth, just a neat cavallery charge factoid.

[@nomdeguerre7265]

Well it was CNBC.... They would seem more likely to credit, longer than others, a myth born of socialist (both 'National' and Marxist) propaganda. Communities tend to credit less critically sources with which they have ideological sympathy.

[@jonthinks6238]

We don't watch cnbc, because they are historicaly wrong.

[@Heike--]

Journalists really are the enemy of the people. They can't stop lying to us.

[@stevedowney3739]

great point. as we know if you tell a lie long enough it becomes truth. watch and see what happens with the 2020 big lie.

[@davidk7324]

Thank you for this.

[@glencrandall7051]

Thank you for sharing.🙂🙂

[@mikedearing6352]

Thanks for clearing some of that up, I'd been promoting myths about the horses, somewhere in the middle maybe more accurate like saying that the horses were in fact involved in combat with armoured units, but they were chased away by the tanks. I figured dismounted Calvary units might have small mortar / anti tank trailers, / wagons, and that would be a believable calvary vs tank victory, or Molotov cocktails couple be thrown from horseback, assuming they were able to get in throwing range before being machine gunned down, ie...a close quarter combat, in the woods maybe.

[@openminds8765]

Poland 🇵🇱 was screwed after the war when it was basically sacraficed to the the USSR with no say in the matter - embarrashing ❌

[@jimyoung9262]

Yeah, the Poles got the short straw coning and going.

[@dukecraig2402]

Maybe you should try blaming the USSR for being the way it was, they're the one's that held Europe hostage with the threat of war, it's not like Europe was intact at the time and had just got done with 6 years of peace. Most of Europe was blown up and everyone was exhausted from the biggest most destructive war in history, they didn't want the rest of it blown up, at the time there was enough to put back together including taking care of millions of displaced people, countless death camp survivors, getting services up and running so people weren't drinking out of puddles and carving up dead horses for food and infants wouldn't be dying of malnutrition, and you look at it like the world just "gave" Poland to the USSR, Europe was in the state it was in because of what happened with Poland in 1939 in the first place. You're not someone who'd just survived Germany's nightmare in Europe so you have no right to look down on the people who just wanted all of it to stop, instead of just keep going but against the Russian's instead.

[@lluisboschpascual4869]

Light cavalry was in fact rather effective against tank units. They could gallop between amd around tanks and hack their suporting infantry to pieces. Without infantry, tanks are sitting ducks to enemy artillery. The Polish problem was that they hardly had any artillery or logistics to move it quickly where needed

[@rabbi120348]

Poland is not making the same mistake this time -- it is massively upgrading its military in light of the Ukraine war, and also are one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine in its struggle against the Russians.

[@josephvisnovsky1462]

Based on how 21st century Russia's soldiers are ill trained and provisioned, i feel strongly that Polish lancers have a solid chance.

[@theblackhand6485]

Clearly Poland is awake. While the rest of the EU still sleeps!

[@ivonekowalczyk5823]

Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła!

[@dougearnest7590]

Preventing foreign invaders from entering is a good idea.

[@ricksaint2000]

Thank you History Guy

[@theblackhand6485]

@TheHistoryGuy: One of these days, rather this month August 2024, the factory of the world famous Dutch cookie named ‘Punselie’ located in the city of Gouda (like the cheese) will be closed forever. The cookie became famous due to almost every Airway had them on board to please their Vegantarian, Halal, no milk solids etc. consumers. Airways like KLM and I believe American Airways or Delta were handing them out. Their machinery of the 1960’s was outdated. Their landlord wants to build apartment on the location of the old bakery. A sad story. But a story that must be remembered.

[@statmonster]

This was a surprisingly informative video. Thanks.

[@washingtonradio]

If I remember correctly only the Royal Army ,other Commonwealth armies, units supported by the Royal Army, the US Army and supported units were the only fully motorized armies that fought in WWII. All other armies relied heavily on horse drawn supply columns.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Well........ Mules were very muched used on various fronts.

[@gavinmclaren9416]

"Royal Army" is an incorrect term, unlike Royal Navy or Royal Air Force. The correct term for the Army of the UK is the British Army. There are "Royal" units in the British Army such as RAMC, REME, etc. The commonwealth militaries of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are similarly named, with the second letter denoting the country in the name of the Navy and Air Force. However, while RCAF and RAN are correct for the Canadian Air Force and Austrailian Navy, there is no use of the word "Royal" in describing the Commonwealth Armies. They would be correctly called, for example, the Canadian Army. The above naming is true to this day, although the RoyalCandian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy were subsumed into the "Canadian Armed Forces" for about 40 years starting in 1968, but now returned to their original, and correct names. You are right in that the British Army's BEF in 1939 was fully mechanized. This ended abruptly at Dunkirk. The Allied armies from D-Day to the end of the war were almost completely mechanized, with the exception of the Airborne Corps of both the US and UK.

[@frankrosati6403]

Thank you. I had learned the true story a few years ago and am glad you are spreading the truth.

[@garysohn4307]

Excellent story

[@ChristopheDD]

My father in law was part of Polish Cavalry in 1939. He didn't told anything before being very near from the end of his life. He explained me that they had 75 canon from France WW 1 pulled by few horses. Armoured trains dropped them at a two days walking distance from the battle. They took amphetamines to keep awake and reach the enemy. They were hiding in the forest to shoot in the caterpillars of German tanks passing by in the fields. As the tanks were stopped and not destroyed, they were changing place immediately after shooting. He awakened at hospital with a shrapnel removed from his neck, nearly killing him.

[@dytiscusmarginalis8443]

hey guys! I can proudly (I guess) say that my greatgrandfather was an Ułan during 2ww. Wish I could post his pictures here coz he lookscool on the horse and with a sabre. He died before I was born and I don't know if he fought in battles (my family is weird and its hard to get informations from them). In the picture of his military ewidency book it is written: "Specjalizacja: Obsługa C.K.M. (plus some word I cannot decipher) Funkcja wojskowa "Celowniczy". It means "Specialisation Heavy Machine Gun operator, funcion: Assistant gunner". So his funcion in combat would be to operate machine gun even tho he was an Ułan, not fight as a cavalryman I think