Polska Siła Zbrojna

The Polish Armed Forces ( pl.: Polska Sila Zbrojna ) was a federation of the reign of the Kingdom of Poland, which was subordinate to the German army from 1917 to 1918. The core of the units were former members of the Polish Legions.

History

On September 19, 1916, the Polish Legions had passed into the Polish Auxiliary Corps. This corps - formally belonging to the reign of King Empire - should be subordinated to the Supreme Command of the German Reich. The ally Austria - Hungary, in whose army the legions were formerly incorporated under represented the Association of leadership by the German Government General of Warsaw.

On July 9, 1917, came to Eidkrise in which large portions of the auxiliary corps - Józef Piłsudski under influence - refused to swear allegiance to the forces of the Central Powers. Then thousands of Legionaries were interned or downgraded. Austria loyalty soldiers were transferred to an association designated also as Polish Auxiliary Corps.

The 1,100 legionaries ( above all from the I. and III. Legion Brigade ), who had made ​​the required oath and which originated in the territories of Poland, belonging to the German or formerly Russian territory (and thus also owned their nationalities), were in the newly formed Polish army incorporated. Until April 1918, the Association was expanded to 2,700 soldiers. Until then, the troops were mainly designed to form the nucleus of a future Polish Army under German leadership. Some of combat forces denied the association until the end of the war.

After the Regency Council had declared independence from the German Reich on October 7, 1918, he took over a few days later the command of the Polish Armed Forces. Thus, a feared uprising of Polska Organizacja Wojskowa should be prevented. On October 12, the members of the association took an oath to the regency. After the transition of command to the Council, the number increased to 9,000 soldiers. Also formerly in the POW camps in Szczypiorno and Beniaminów interned at Nieporęt legionnaires, who had refused the oath of 9 July 1917 now signed up to the Polish army. In November, the Polish army was incorporated into the newly formed Polish Army.

Commander in chief of the Polish army was on their list of the Warsaw Governor-General Hans von Beseler. De facto ruled over operations of the Infantry General Felix von Barth. Polish officers ( chief of staff ) were General Tadeusz Rozwadowski and Colonel Marian Januszajtis - Żegota, former commander of the First Legion Brigade.

The term "Polish Army " as the name for the Polish army remained in the German language until World War II.

655467
de