Photo: Leonard Siemaszko, NAC.
This picture (found at http://www.wceo.wp.mil.pl/plik/file/...www%281%29.pdf ) is interesting – at least to me – as it shows an early infantry colour, before the colour pattern were regulated in 1919.
Very little seems to be known about the colours, which were carried during the 1919-1920 war, even if many or most later were to be sent to the Military Museum in Warsaw.
The photo shows J. Pilsudski with generals Jan Jacyna, Edward Rydz-Smigly, Stanislaw Szeptycki, Kazimierz Sosnkowski and Stefan Dab-Biernacki reviewing the troops in the Cathedral Square, Vilnius .
The date can be fixed exactly to 21-22 April 1919, as Pilsudski personally arrived to Vilnius in the afternoon of 21 April, after the city had been re-taken by the Poles.
The only infantry regiments taking part in the re-taking of Vilnius were all from the elite 2. DP.Leg. (2nd Infantry Legion Divison, later renamed as 1st Infantry Legion Divison.) commanded by General Edward Rydz-Śmigły.
The infantry units taking part were:
1 ppLeg (1st Legion Infantry Regiment.)
I,II/5 ppLeg (I and II Battalion of the 5th Legion Infantry Regiment.)
I/6 ppLeg (I Battalion of the 6th Legion Infantry Regiment.)
I only can find:
On 3 November 1922 the 1st Legion Infantry Regiment. was presented with a new regimental colour.
On 22 November 1922 the 6th Legion Infantry Regiment was presented with a new regimental colour.
On 3 December 1920 the regimental colours of the 5th Legion Infantry Regiment and the 6th Legion Infantry Regiment were both decorated with the Order of Virtuti Militari.
So all the regiments seem to have carried their own un-reglemented colours until they got their new, reglemented ones.
Personally I guess, the colour shown belongs to 1st Legion Infantry Regiment, as it was the only of the regiments taking part with all of its three battalions?
But how did it and the others look?
Were they perhaps old Legion colours?
Maybe some of the Polish readers can identify. to which regiment the shown colour belongs?
And perhaps also tell where to find more information and pictures of the un-reglemented colours carried 1919-1920?
Bookmarks