The history of the use of lancer units in the Polish army dates back to the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815) and the Congress Kingdom (1815-1831). At that time, lancers were perceived as a theoretically light cavalry unit, which, however, thanks to excellent training and the presence of a spear equipped with it, could also successfully carry out an attack on the battlefield. With the birth of the independent, Second Polish Republic, lancers were established in the Polish army, indirectly referring to the traditions of the 19th century. Units of this type played a significant role during the war with the Bolshevik onslaught of 1919-1921, especially in the Battle of Komarów in 1920. In the period 1921-1939, lancer regiments were perceived as some of the best in the Polish army - sometimes you can even find the term "elite". Shortly before the start of World War II (in 1937), the Polish cavalry was reorganized, including the lancer regiments, which were formed into cavalry brigades consisting of 3 or 4 regiments, and in this structure they entered the war in 1939. Before the start of the war, there were 27 lancer regiments in Poland, which most often showed themselves very well during the September campaign. It is worth adding that these were well-trained units, often with high or very high morale, which in 1939 used horses mainly for marches, and fought as swift units, using small arms or anti-tank weapons. Among the fairy tales, it can be argued that Polish lancers attacked tanks with sabers - this is nothing more than the fruit of German and Italian propaganda. One of the best examples of the effective use of lancers in the September campaign is the Battle of Kroyanty. Two lancer regiments were also part of the Volyn Cavalry Brigade, which fought at Mokra.
