POLISH FORCES IN SCOTLAND
during and after World War Two
SPECIAL TOPICS
ORDERS OF BATTLE
Background Notes to the Tables
provides an early, incomplete picture in August 1940 of the Polish Army in Scotland. The Army was reforming south-east of Glasgow at this time.
The Order of Battle of the Polish Army in Scotland at the end of 1941/beginning 1942, some 18 months after the Polish troops arrived in Scotland highlights the development of the I Polish Corps.
In February 1942 the 1st Polish Armoured Division was created. This division developed into the most powerful formation possessed to date by the Polish Army. The table gives the Order of Battle of the 1st Armoured Division in September 1942. (see Table 5 below)
Polish Army in Scotland - Order of Battle, end 1942/beginning 1943. A command - HQ Home (Static) Forces now controlled the Army's training centres along with other units and establishments.
reflects the changed organization and establishment of the Armoured Division by the spring of 1944.
reflects the Order of Battle of the I Polish Corps in February 1945. With more manpower becoming available to the Polish Army in Scotland, this enabled the build up of the 4th Infantry Division; (a redesignation of the cadre Armoured Grenadier Division), the 16th Independent Tank Brigade and other units. There was also a large number of other units in Scotland under the control of HQ Polish Forces in Great Britain but these are notincluded in this table. See Table 7 below for details of these.
By the spring of 1945, besides the I Polish Corps, there were based in Scotland a significant number of units/establishments at the disposal of the Polish Ministry of Defence and the British War Office, under the command of Polish GHQ (except for administration) and the Polish Ministry of National Defence (except for administration). The table illustrates the variety and numbers of these units/establishments, most of which were located in Scotland.
indicates the Order of Battle of the brigade in June 1944. The Parachute Brigade figured early in the Army's Order of Battle and while it was located in Scotland for a considerable part of the war, it came under the direct control of the Polish C-in-C. It was intended that the formation be used in Poland but part of it was dropped near Arnhem in September 1944. The brigade was later to be a component of the occupation troops (BLA) in Germany along with the 1st Armoured Division. These two formations eventually returned to England and disbanded in 1947.
Additional Notes
The Orders of Battle presented here are restricted to Polish formations/units located in Scotland. The Orders of Battle of Polish Forces in other Theatres of War, for example, - in North Africa (the Carpathian Brigade), Italy (II Polish Corps) and the Middle East (III Polish Corps; later HQ Polish Forces in the Middle East) are not given nor are details of the Polish Home Army (AK) or the Polish People's Army (LWP) which fought on the Eastern Front.
Table 1
This table provides an early, incomplete picture in August 1940 of the Polish Army in Scotland. The Army was reforming south-east of Glasgow at this time.
The Polish Army in Scotland Order of Battle in early August 1940 (OB incomplete)
1st Rifle Bde (three battalions)
less one infantry battalion (north of Glasgow)
2nd Rifle Bde (three battalions) (brigade later formally redesignated 10th Armd Cav Bde)
less one infantry battalion (in Renfrewshire)
Canadian Cadre Rifle Bde (later 4th Cadre Rifle Brigade) [about one battalion in strength]
HQ Army Grouping
Tank, Engineers, Signals and A-A units of 1st and 2nd Rifle Brigades forming. Engineer, Signals, A-A Art, Medical and Tank Groups; Central Training Schools for Engineers and Signals, Officer Groups
Engineer Battalion
Renfrewshire
Miscellaneous
A further 1,100 men, mostly officers were based at Broughton
Table 2
The Order of Battle of the Polish Army in Scotland at the end of 1941/beginning 1942, some 18 months after the Polish troops arrived in Scotland highlights the development of the I Polish Corps.
The Polish Army in Scotland Order of Battle end 1941/beginning of 1942
HQ I Polish Corps
(The HQ of the Polish General Staff was located in London at the Rubens Hotel).
Corps Troops
Corps Service Units
1st Indep Rifle Bde;
10th Armd Cav Bde;
16th Tank Bde;
Training Bde
The winged wheel badge of
I Polish Corps
Corps Recce Btl;
Medium Art Rgt;
Medium AA Art Btl;
Machine Gun Btl;
Signals; Engineers;
and other minor units.
Medical Coy;
Ambulance Column;
Military Hospital No 2;
supply; workshop; and other minor units
1st Indep Para Bde
(The 1st Para Brigade was not part of the composition of the I Corps but was
subordinated directly to the C-in-C.)
Home (Static) Units
(not part of I Corps but based in Scotland)
Recruitment Centre No 1;
Ordnance and Medical Depots;
Military Hospital;
Officers' Holding Station
Other minor units and establishments including Polish Military Bureaux in Edinburgh, Perth, Perth and Dundee.
Other Establishments
The Polish Military Staff College
Armoured Train Battalion
(Four existed one of which was deployed in Scotland - the other three were stationed in England).
In February 1942 the 1st Polish Armoured Division was created. This division developed into the most powerful formation possessed to date by the Polish Army.
Order of Battle 1st Polish Armd Div on 16th September 1942
(see Table 5 below)
The formation sign of the Division
(to add)
HQ Div
8th Fd Court
(Cdr gen bryg S Maczek)
Division started to form on 25th February 1942
10th Armd Cav Bde
HQ Bde
10th Mtd Rifles Rgt
24th Lancers Rgt
14th Lancers Rgt
10th Dragoon Rgt
16th Tank Bde
1st Tank Rgt
2nd Tank Rgt
3rd Tank Rgt
16th Dragoon Rgt
Army Support Group
HQ Gp
1st Art Rgt mot
1st A-Tk Art Rgt
1st A-A Art Rgt
1st Rifle Btl (lorried)
Divisional units
1st Recce Rgt
1st, 2nd, 10th and 16th Sigs Sqns
10th and 11th Engineer Coys; 11th Engr Pk Coy
Traffic Movement Sqn
3rd Military Police Sqn
The badge of the 16th Tank Brigade, formerly the badge of the 1st Tank Regiment
Divisional Service Units
10th and 16th Transport Coys;
Transport Coy Army Support Group;
10th and 16th Workshop Coys; Div Workshop Coy; 6 Lt Aid Dtchmnts type 'B'; 6 Lt Aid Dtchmnts type 'C';Workshop Platoon AA-Art Rgt;
10th Fd Amb and 11th Fd Amb;
Div Hygiene Platoon
Table 4
Polish Army in Scotland - Order of Battle, A new command - HQ Home Forces now controlled the Army's training centres along with other units and establishments.
Order of Battle of the Polish Army in Scotland end 1942, beginning 1943
I Armoured Motorised Corps
(Badge of I Corps)
HQ Corps
Fd Court; HQ Company; one military police sqdn
Large Formations subordinated to I Corps
1st Armoured Division
1st Independent Rifle Bde
HQ Home (Static) Forces
Training centres for:- Infantry, artillery, armoured troops, signals, engineers and rear area services.
1st Fd Hosp; one medical depot; Recruitment Office No 1; Polish ATS Camp; Officers' Holding Station; one field cage; four military bureaux.
Corps Units
1st Medium Artillery Rgt;
one signals company;
one hvy AA-Art bty;
309th Army Co-operation Sqn (Polish Air Force)
(Badge of the 1st Indep Rifle Bde)
Centrally (London) controlled units located in Scotland
including, Field HQ C-in-C; Military Staff College and several other establishments. Four armoured train battalions
Corps Service Units
2nd Fd Hosp;
one ambulance column;
one ordnance depot and other minor units
1st Indep Para Bde
(at the disposition of the C-in-C )
This OB reflects the changed organization and establishment of the Polish Armoured Division by the Spring of 1944. The two armoured brigade structure had changed to one armoured brigade and an infantry brigade added. The Division was subordinated to 21st Army Group - 2nd Echelon.
1st Polish Armoured Division Order of Battle, Spring 1944
(Cdr gen bryg S Maczek)
HQ Div
HQ Sqn
1st Traffic Control Sqn
10th Mtd Rifle Rgt (recce)
8th Fd Ct
Fd Post Office
1st Reserve Tank Sqn
10th Armd Cav Bde
HQ Sqn
1st and 2nd Tank Rgts
24th Lancers and
10th Dragoons Rgt
3rd Rifle Bde
HQ Coy
Highland Rifle Btl
8th Rifle Btl
9th Rifle Btl
Indep MG Sqn
OC Divisional Artillery
HQ Unit
1st and 2nd Mot Art Rgts
1st A-Tk Rgt
1st Lt AA-Art Rgt
OC Divisional Engineers
10th and 11th Engr Coys
bridge pltn and park coy
1st Signals Btl
HQ Sqn
1st, 2nd, 3rd and 10th Sigs Sqns
Workshop Units
Wksp Coy 10th Armd Cav Bde
Wksp Coy 3rd Rifle Bde
Supply Units
3rd, 10th and 11th Supply Coys
lorried infantry coy
Medical Units
10th Lt Fd Amb and 11th Fd Amb
1st Fd Dressing Station
Fd Hyg Pltn
1st Ordnance Park
This table reflects the Order of Battle of the I Polish Corps in February 1945. With more manpower becoming available to the Polish Army in Scotland, this enabled the build up of the 4th Infantry Division; (a redesignation of the cadre Armoured Grenadier Division), the 16th Independent Tank Brigade and other units.
The emblem of HQ Polish Forces in Great Britain
There were also a large number of other units in Scotland under the control of HQ Polish Forces in Great Britain but these are not indicated.
Order of Battle I Polish Corps February 1945
HQ I Corps
vehicle coy
mil police sqdn
supply coy
4th Infantry Division
9th Lancers Rgt (recce)
1st Gren Bde
HQ and three grenadier battalions
2nd Rifle Bde
HQ and three rifle battalions
8th Inf Bde
HQ and three infantry battalions
one hvy MG battalion
16th Independent Armoured Bde
HQ 16th Indep Armd Bde
3rd Tk Rgt
14th Lancers Rgt
5th Tank Rgt
16th Dragoons Rgt
one sigs sqn (16th)
one light field ambulance
one supply coy
one workshop coy
one ordnance field park
Corps Units
signals btl
Szwolezerow (light horse) Rgt (cadre)
A-Tk rgt (cadre)
art survey rgt (cadre)
engr btl (cadre)
wksp coy (cadre)
Div Art
3rd Lt Art Rgt mot
two light artillery regiments
4th Lt AA Art Rgt
counter-fire mortar battery
Engineers
three engineer companies and one engineer park company
4th Sigs Btl
(to add)
The badge of the 16th Independent Armoured Brigade from April 1945
Forces at Corps level for 1st Armd Div
supply coy and elts of ordnance park 1st Pol Armd Div
Supply Units
Div Supply Coy and three supply companies
Medical Services
three field ambulance companies and two field dressing stations
Other units
Div Ord Park
one mil pol sqdn
Order of Battle of HQ Polish Forces in Great Britain and units under Polish GHQ, Ministry of National Defence and British War Office up to 18th April 1945 (excluding I Polish Corps and Parachute units)
The table illustrates the variety and numbers of Polish units/establishments outside of I Polish Corps, most of which were located in Scotland.
Note: most of the units/establishments in this OB were located in Scotland, a few were based in England.
HQ Polish Forces in Great Britain
TRAINING CENTRES:
Armd Fighting Vehicles and Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; Artillery; Engineers; Signals and Infantry
SUPPLY and TRANSPORT:
Supply units
MEDICAL:
three general hospitals; one motor ambulance convoy; one convalescent hospital; one rehabilitation centre; one casualty sorting centre; one centre for chronic invalids; one medical store depot; three casualty reception stations;
ORDNANCE:
ordnance dumps
WORKSHOPS:
one static sub workshop; one electrical and mechanical holding unit;
MILITARY POLICE:
one mil pol coy, one court martial and detention barracks, one mil pol depot and trg centre.
WELFARE:
one welfare coy, one theatre unit, one canteen stores, one family allowance bureau, one leave hostel, one service trg centre
RECRUITING AND DEPOT UNITS
POW Screening Camp, one recruiting and record office, one reception and transit camp, primary trg camps, home depot 2 Corps and 1st Armoured Division, one reinforcement and holding unit 4 Inf Div, one Air Force personnel transit camp.
Units at the Disposal of the Polish Ministry of National Defence and War Office
Ten guard companies (Note: some of these units were located in England)
Seven works companies
Units under the Command of Polish GHQ (except for administration)
Inspectorate of Training; Senior School of Military Science; Staff College; Special Admin Branch (cover for Intelligence School); Directorate of Transport; Communications course; Instit of Military Geography.
Note: Other military establishments/units were located in London
Units under Command of the Ministry of National Defence (except for administration)
Appeals tribunal, Accounts Office, Military Archives and Museum, Mil Works Section, Mil Govt Trg Centre, Tech Trg Group, Armoured Research Department, Central Publications Board, PW Section, Army Film Unit, Psychological Research Dept, Medical Research Dept.
This table indicates the Order of Battle of the brigade in June 1944. The Parachute Brigade figured early in the Army's Order of Battle and while it was located in Scotland for a considerable part of the war, it came under the direct control of the Polish C-in-C. It was intended that the formation be used in Poland but part of it was dropped near Arnhem (Driel) in September 1944. The brigade was later to be a component of the occupation troops (BLA) in Germany along with the 1st Polish Armoured Division. These two formations eventually returned to England and disbanded in 1947.
(Badge of the 1 Independent Parachute Brigade)
Order of Battle 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, June 1944
HQ
Various minor units including
two airborne LADs;
field court;
military police and welfare platoons
1st Parachute Rifle Btl
(each battalion consisted of a HQ Coy and three companies)
2nd Parachute Rifle Btl
3rd Parachute Rifle Btl
Airborne Lt Art Btl
(of two batteries)
Airborne A-Tk Art Btl (of three batteries)
Airborne Engineer Company
Airborne Signals Unit
Parachute Medical Company
Airborne Supply Company
Airborne Workshop Company
Parachute Reserve Centre
(Total strength including reserves about 3,100 men)
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Last modified 6 July 2025
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