Unidentified Polish colour from a Legion Regiment.

[ths]

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?

[ths]

Hi
I am a little surprised, none of the Polish specialists can help a little further on the subject?
Nobody here, who knows something on Legion and Polish colours 1919-1920?
Where then to ask?
Any Polish forums?
I have already tried Odkrywca without success.

[ths]

Colour of 58.pp.

From Poland I have received a kind answer about the colour in question.
The date of the photo given in http://www.wceo.wp.mil.pl/plik/file/...www%281%29.pdf
is wrong.
The photo shows the colour of 85 Pułk Strzelców Wileńskich(85th Infantry Regiment from Wilno).
This colour was presented by the citizens of Vilno to the regiment on 29. Sept. 1919.
On 19. April 1922 the colour was decorated with Virtuti Militari, the blue-black band which you can see on the photo. The decorating with Virtuti Militari was done in Wilno at Lukiski Square by Marshall J. Piłsudski.
So the correct regiment, date and place of the photo is: 58.pp. on 19. April 1922 – or later - in Vilno.

[StefanM]

Great link thanks for posting

Are there any books on the history of Polish colour flags?

[ths]

I do not know of any Polish books written on all the Polish infantry flags 1918-1921 or at all. To me, it is rather surprising. One has to find pictures of the flags in old books, regimental histories and so on.
One would think something had been published by the Army Museum in Warsaw, but I have never been able to find such a publication.
On the cavalry standards a very fine and well illustrated book has been published recently.