Polish I Corps in Russia

The corps was formed at the initiative of the Chief Polish Military Committee (Naczelny Polski Komitet Wojskowy), a Polish faction in the revolutionary and split Russian Empire military. Its goal was to defend Poles inhabiting parts of Poland under Russian partitions and support the formation of independent Poland.

In the immediate aftermath of the February Revolution, the Russian Provisional Government's obvious weakness, its half-hearted declaration of the right of nations to self-determination and Germany's promises of autonomy in occupied Poland stirred up long suppressed nationalist feelings among ethnic Poles living within the Russian Empire since the partitions of Poland. Roughly 700,000 of them were serving in the Russian military by 1917 and they began forming a Polish army to fight for a "united and free Poland" with the assent of the Provisional Government and general Lavr Kornilov of the Russian Army. In August, the newly formed Chief Polish Military Committee (Naczelny Polski Komitet Wojskowy), a Polish faction in the revolutionary and split Russian Empire, led by Władysław Raczkiewicz, appointed Dowbor-Muśnicki Commissar of the Petrograd Military District and on August 23 (Old Style) he was appointed commander of the newly formed Polish 1st Corps in Russia, being formed in Russia as part of the Entente forces, serving under the Russian Provisional Government in exchange for its support for some form of Polish autonomy or independence.

The reorganization process was complicated by the October Revolution of 1917, which brought Bolsheviks to power, but Dowbor-Muśnicki was able to take advantage of the new government's weakness and general anarchy and, by mid-January 1918, had organised his forces into:

• 1st Polish Rifle Division (from the former Polish Rifle Division),
• 2nd Polish Rifle Division,
• 3rd Polish Rifle Division,
• Lancer Division,
• in addition to Officers' (later Knights') Legion.[2]

At that time the I Corps numbered almost 30,000 men, although the number would fall to 23,500 over the coming months.

At first, after the fall of the Provisional Government, Dowbor-Muśnicki declared that his corps is neutral towards the Russian factions, and its intent is to join the Entente forces to fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary.[2] Soon, however, it became apparent that this was an unreasonable plan, as the Entente forces in the area were weak, and out of two dominant forces — the German Ober Ost forces, and Russian Bolsheviks - the Bolsheviks were much more hostile towards the Polish forces.

On 25 January [O.S. 12 January] 1918, Dowbor-Muśnicki refused an order by the Soviet government to disband the Corps, which quickly led to clashes with the newly formed Red Army and Red Latvian riflemen under Jukums Vācietis. After sporadic fighting in late January, on January 31 Dowbor-Muśnicki's Corps had to retreat from Minsk to Babruysk. On February 2, the Corps started sieging the fortress in Babruysk, still held by a Red Army garrison of 7,000. During this siege, the Knight's Legion distinguished itself and the fortress fell on 11 March. However, the German army forced the Polish forces to give over the fortress.[2]

After the temporary breakdown of the Brest-Litovsk peace negotiations on February 10, the Corps also received a status of auxiliary unit from the Germans and joined the German offensive against the Bolsheviks on February 18, and Minsk was taken on 21 February. After a week, on 28 February, the Polish agreed to work with Germans and thus occupied 6 Belarusian districts in the triangle of Mogilev-Zhlobin-Slutsk, with their headquarters at Babruysk. This strategic disposition cut Bolshevik communications between Petrograd and Ukraine.[2]

After the signing of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty, which gave all of Poland and Belarus to Germany, Dowbor-Muśnicki's corps remained in Belarus for 3 months, regrouping and performing police duties under German occupation authorities. On May 21, 1918, Dowbor-Muśnicki after acknowledging the Regency Council signed an agreement with the Germans, under which the Corps agreed to be disarmed and disbanded, after which, anyhow, the units retreated to Poland, forming the core of the Polish military, which proved decisive later that year during the formation of the Polish Army.[2] Soldiers who remained in Russia mostly joined the Polish II Corps in Russia (primarily the 4th Rifle Division).

There were numerous Lithuanian soldiers in the Corps.[1] In the Summer of 1917, the Lithuanians noted in their letters that in the different regiments there were many Lithuanians:

• 1st Regiment - 500 Lithuanians
• 2nd Regiment - more than 400 Lithuanians

The 3rd and 4th Regiments also had many Lithuanians in their ranks, with the zapasnam Regiment having 1,000 Lithuanians in it.[1]

• 1st-4th Polish Rifle Regiments (February 1917);
• 1st Artillery Brigade;
• Engineer Company[3]

• 5th–8th Polish Rifle Regiments (February 1917);
• 2nd Artillery Brigade;
• Engineer Company[3]

• 9th–12th Polish Rifle Regiments;
• 3rd Artillery Brigade;
• Engineer Company[3]

• 1st Lancer Regiment (created on 15 September 1917)
• 2nd Lancer Regiment (created on 20 November 1917)
• 3rd Lancer Regiment (created on 14 November 1917)
• 1st Horse Artillery Battalion (3 mounted batteries);
• Mounted Engineer Squadron[3]