One of the first engagements of the Polish Army in France, commemorated on Warsaw's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Key Facts
- Date
- July 25, 1918
- Prisoners captured
- 120 soldiers
- Heavy machine guns seized
- 12 guns
- 1st Polish Rifle Division strength
- 10,000 soldiers
- Commanding general
- General Józef Haller
- French decree creating Polish Army
- June 4, 1917
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the February Revolution of 1917, which removed Russia as a major Allied power, France authorized the formation of the Polish Army in France. By June 1918, the 1st Polish Rifle Division had assembled 10,000 soldiers, many of them Polish emigrants from the United States and Brazil, and Polish regiments were deployed to the Champagne front in July 1918.
On July 25, 1918, the 1st Chevau-léger Regiment of the Polish Army in France attacked German Empire positions near Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand in the Marne department. The assault resulted in the capture of 120 prisoners and 12 heavy machine guns, marking one of the first significant combat actions by Polish forces within the French Army during World War I.
Shortly after the battle, three Polish Chevau-léger regiments were consolidated into the 1st Rifle Division, which then guarded the French-German front from Rambervillers to Raon-l'Étape. Following the Armistice of November 11, 1918, the division was redeployed to Poland in 1919, where it participated in the Polish–Soviet War and the Polish–Ukrainian War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Józef Haller.
Side B
1 belligerent