1st Mechanised Division (Poland)

Former Polish military formation November 2011 November 2011 1st Warsaw Mechanised Division pl 1 Warszawska Dywizja Zmechanizowana Odznaka 1 WDP.jpg 1955-2011 Poland mechanized infantry Legionowo Warsaw Tadeusz Kościuszko The 1st "Warsaw" Mechanised Division (pl 1 Warszawska Dywizja Zmechanizowana) was a mechanized infantry formation of the Polish Land Forces that existed from 1955 until September 1, 2011. During this entire stretch, the division was headquartered in Legionowo. The unit stood down in 2011 as a result of reorganizations in the Polish Army. The division was formed in 1955 on the basis of the 1st Infantry Division of the Polish People's Army. This precursor division had existed since 1943 and saw service on the Eastern Front of the Second World War as a Soviet-controlled allied formation, part of the Polish Armed Forces in the East. Structure The 1955 reorganization equipped the division with armored personnel carriers and medium tanks. The division was initially structured and quartered as: Division Headquarters and 37th Headquarters Company - Legionowo 1st Mechanised Infantry Regiment - Legionowo 2nd Mechanised Infantry Regiment - Skierniewice 3rd Mechanised Infantry Regiment - Ciechanów 33rd Medium Tank Regiment - Zambrów 1st Howitzer Artillery Regiment - Garwolin 4th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion - Skierniewice 5th Rocket Artillery Battalion - Legionowo 14th Reconnaissance Battalion - Zambrów 42nd Motor Transport Battalion - Legionowo 53rd Medical Battalion - Skierniewice 96th Sapper Company - Legionowo 110th Signal Company - Legionowo After the fall of communism in Poland, the units of the army were organized to reflect NATO practice. Thus, by 2009, the division was structured and quartered as: Division Headquarters and 1st Headquarters Battalion - Legionowo 1st "Warsaw" Armoured Brigade - Warsaw 3rd Legion Mechanised Infantry Brigade - Lublin 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade - Rzeszówsee :pl:21 Brygada Strzelców Podhalańskich 1st Artillery Regiment - Ciechanów 15th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment - Gołdap 1st Reconnaissance Battalion - Siedlce 15th Sapper Battalion - Orzysz 1st Supply Battalion - Legionowo 1st Maintenance Battalion - Łomża 1st Chemical Company - Siedlce The division provided cadres for rotations V and IX for the Polish component of Multi-National Division Central South. Notably, under the 2009 organization, the units of the division were geographically further from one another than the original deployments of 1955. For most of this time, the division was subordinated to the Warsaw Military District. As part of ongoing reorganization of the Polish Army, the 1st Mechanised Division stood down on September 1, 2011. References Sources Jerzy Kajetanowicz, Wojsko Polskie w Układzie Warszawskim 1955-1985, 7 November 2009. On-line here This article is based on the Polish Wikipedia article of the same name as it existed on October 30, 2011. Category:Mechanised divisions of Poland Category:Military units and formations established in 1955 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 2011 Category:1955 establishments in Poland Category:Military units and formations of Poland in the Iraq War