Enlistment for the Volunteer Army in the General District of the Polish Army No. IV Lodz in the Summer of 1920

Abstract

The subject of the article is the enlistment for the Volunteer Army in District General No. IV Lodz in the summer of 1920. It was run by the Regional Inspectorate of the Volunteer Army in Lodz (its commander was Colonel Michał Zienkiewicz), who cooperated in this regard with social organizations and local structures of political parties. This Inspectorate oversaw the conduct of agitation, recruitment and the process of forming volunteer troops. The Volunteer Army strengthened the Polish Army at the most difficult moment of the Polish-Bolshevik war, when the Red Army tried master the capital of Poland. Recruitment to the Volunteer Army in District General No. IV Lodz gave the Polish army almost 13,400. volunteers, including scouts – almost 14 thousand. Initially, military authorities was planned to create eight volunteer infantry regiments, but eventually were formed only two incompletely regiments (No. 229 and 231) and 21 independent companies consisting of volunteers. Apart from volunteer infantry units, was formed in Kalisz a volunteer 203 Uhlan Regiment, created by the Reserve Squadron of the 3^rd Uhlan Regiment. The recruitment to volunteer troops – given its short duration from July to September - was a success for the Polish military authorities, as the volunteers strengthened the regular army at a critical moment of the war. Also the society of the Lodz region has shown that in the most important moments for Poland it is capable of making great sacrifices in the name of defending the independence of the country.