Police Cavalrymen in Defence of Warsaw During the Bolshevik Offensive of 1920

Forces responsible for internal security in Poland include the Police. However, shortly after regaining independence in 1918, the officers of the newly created State Police (Act of 24 July 1919) played an important role not only in ensuring internal security, but also in critical moments in defending the independence of their homeland. A mounted police squadron taking part in the defence of Warsaw in August 1920 provided the “Zegrze” group command with precise, reliable, and thus extremely valuable information about the enemy army movements. Thanks to the knowledge of the planned directions of attack, the military commanders were able to make appropriate decisions that would make it impossible for the Bolsheviks to achieve the assumed military goals.