Polski Korpus Posiłkowy

Polish Reinforcement Corps



In April 1917 the Polish units under the AOK were transferred to the command of the OHL to form the basis of the Polske Siły Zbrojne (Polnische Wehrmacht). In July 1917, parts of the I and III Brigades refused to take the German oath and the units were interned in Szczypiornia and Benjaminowo. The remaining II Brigade was transferred back under AOK command and formed the basis of the previously planned corps (Polski Korpus Posiłkowy) - originally planned to be 2 divisions in size.


Units
II Legion Brigade (Colonel Józef Haller)
*2 Infantry Regiment (Lt. Col. Żymierski)
*3 Infantry Regiment Infantry (Lieutenant Colonel Józef Zajec)
Artillery Regiment (Major Włodzimierz Zagórski)
Supplementary Measures (Colonel Władysław Sikorski)


431 officers and 7135 soldiers.


On the night of February 15-16, 1918, the corps units fought their way across the front at Rarancze and joined the II Polish Corps in Russia.


Commander
Colonel Zygmunt Zieliński

The oath motto was approved by the Provisional Council of State of the Kingdom of Poland at its meeting on July 3, 1917. Its text read as follows:


I swear to the Lord God Almighty,
that I will faithfully and honestly serve my Homeland - the Kingdom of Poland
and my future King
on land and sea and in every other place
,
that in the present war I will faithfully
keep the brotherhood of arms with the armies of Germany and Austria-Hungary
and the countries allied with them,
that I will obey my superiors and commanders,
the orders and regulations given to me will be obeyed
and in general behave in such a way,
that I may live and die as a brave and righteous Polish soldier.
So help me Lord God!