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Polish Cavalry squadron crossing a water source on April 29th, 1939, before the start of World War II in Europe. The exact location of the photograph is unknown, other than it being taken somewhere in Poland.
At the time of the German invasion in September 1939, cavalry units still formed no less than 10% of the Polish Army. These forces had served the country well in the Polish-Soviet war back in 1921, and continued to be available for service until 1948. However, the cavalry was no longer used as a front line charging unit in the Second World War. It was employed mainly as a mobile force using infantry tactics, with soldiers dismounting before combat.
Many reports of the time spread the myth of Polish horsemen charging German tanks in battle. However, these were proved to be false allegations. Cavalry units were indeed successful as part of the Polish Army in battles against Wehrmacht tanks (particularly the Vohynian Cavalry Brigade in the Battle of Mokra), but not in the sense of soldiers attacking tanks on horseback. Instead, riders dismounted and fought as standard infantry units.
The last Polish cavalry charge took place at the Battle of Schoenfeld in March 1945, when a Soviet-formed Polish cavalry unit succeeded in penetrating and overruning the German defensive positions.
Book suggestions ⤵️
📖 The Cavalry of World War II (Janusz Piekalkiewicz, 1979)
📖 The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War (Halik Kochanski, 2012)
