What is the formal name of the Polish-Russian calvary?

Answer 1

1. Samodzielna Warzawska Brygada Kawalerii

The 1. Samodzielna Warzawska Brygada Kawalerii -was a cavalry brigade fighting on the side of the Soviet Union as part of the 1. Armia WP, the 1st Polish People's Army.

Poland still used mounted troops during the early part of WW2. After release from Russian prisoner of war camps, the Poles still fought as an exiled Army and were armed by the British and US. The lancer units transitioned into armored units.

Origin of Lancers

The Lancer soldier dates back many years but it was the Polish Lancers who became most famous for using this type of cavalry soldier during the Napoleonic Wars(1798-1815). The Polish Lancer uniform and the "Chapka" hat (or czapka, shapka, or tschapka)became the identifier for a lancer soldier. The coat had two rows of buttons with a turned back front of facing colors. The Chapka was a skull cap that had a crown that rose to a square top (Polish jokes aside, it is odd that the Polish could design a square hat). This same pattern uniform & cap were worn by the British 17th Lancers during the "Charge of the Light Brigade" in 1850's Crimean War.

Another item introduced by the Polish lancers were the Red/White banner(guidon) attached to the end of their lance. A squadron of lancers riding in a trot with fluttering guidons made for a spectacular sight in parade or in battle.

Napoleon liked the light cavalry units so much that he created other similar units that had similar names:

Lithuanian Tartars were a light cavlary armed with a lance and wore a light jacket and turban of Lithuania. They were attached to the Polish Lancer regiment.

Eclaireurs were another light cavalry unit that wore the typical French uniform and a cylindrical shako.

WordsThe Polish word for lancer is "Ulanow".

Germany - The German term was "uhlan".

Baron von Richthofen(aka "the red baron") was a member of the 1st Uhlan Regiment before the joined the Air Force and became the highest ranking ace of WW1.

Russia - As far as I know, there was no special term for lancer but just a translation of the term.

Custermen

References:Red Death, Soviet Mountain, Naval, NKVD, and Allied Divisions and Brigades 1941-1945 by Charles Sharp, Volume VII in the series Soviet Order of Battle World War II - An Organizational History of the Major Combat Units of the Soviet Army, George F. Nafziger 1995.

"Military Uniforms of the World in Color" by Kannick

Links:Polish Cavalry in WW2:

http://www.chakoten.dk/polryt07.HTML