World War II began on September 1, 1939, 4:45 am when Germany, without a declaration of war, invaded Poland. As German forces advanced, Polish forces withdrew from their forward bases of operation close to the Polish–German border to more established lines of defence to the east. Polish forces then withdrew to the southeast where they prepared for a long defence of the Romanian Bridgehead and awaited expected support and relief from France and the United Kingdom. Those two countries had pacts with Poland and had declared war on Germany on 3 September.
The Soviet Red Army's invasion of Eastern Poland on 17 September, in accordance with a secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, rendered the Polish plan of defence obsolete. Facing a second front, the Polish government concluded the defence of the Romanian Bridgehead was no longer feasible and ordered an emergency evacuation of all troops to neutral Romania. On 6 October German and Soviet forces gained full control over country, though Poland never formally surrendered.
In the aftermath of the invasion, a collective of underground resistance organizations formed the Polish Underground State within the territory of the former Polish state. Many of the military exiles that managed to escape Poland subsequently joined the Polish Armed Forces in the West, an armed force loyal to the Polish government in exile.
12 Podolian Lancers Regiment was fighting there from the very beginning, in very first hours of WW II
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Polish Cavalry soldier (ulan) uniform and equipment:
1. Field cap
2. Garrison cap
3. French helmet “Adrian” mod.1915
4. Uniform jacket mod.1936
5. Water bottle, mod.1915
6. ID Disc
7. Leather ammo pouches
8. Main belt
9. Gas mask, type RSC in metal canister
10. Bayonet sheet with leather frog
11. Entrenching shovel with leather carrier
12. Enlisted soldier boots with spears
13. Mess Tin
14. First Aid pouch
15. Enlisted soldier Saber, mod.1934
16. Calvary carbine mod. 1898 made by “Weapon Factory Radom”
17. Bayonet, mod.1924
18. Carbine Ammunition in clips and factory box
19. Utensils set
20. Bread bag mod.1933
Polish Cavalry officer uniform and equipment:
1. Garrison cap, mod.1935
2. Garrison cap, mod.1923
3. Garrison cap of Szwolezer Regiment
4. Field cap, mod.1937
5. Uniform jacket, mod.1936
6. Pistol "VIS" mod.1935, cal.9 mm made by “Weapon Factory Radom”
10. First Aid pouch
11. Officers belt
12. Pistol holster
13. Officers boots, tall with spears
14. Officers map case, type B
15. Binoculars in case
16. Pistol leather lanyard
17. Officers Saber mod.1921/23
Photo-compilation from different events:
In our impression we are using the best possible (beside originals) uniforms and gear reproduction. They are custom, hand made in Poland.
Please take a look on some of those:
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