Polish military uniforms - collar markings

Hello, This a photograph of my grandfather. From the information that I know about him, He fought in the Polish-Soviet army in WW2 as a cavalry soldier. Any help with identifying his rank from this photograph or any other info would be very appreciated.

:)

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Rather impossible. Probably a private or another low rank.

I apologise for the bad quality of the photograph because I only have 1 photo of him in uniform which is this one and its unfortunately been lost in my family's collection. But I appreciate the response and its further insight of what happened to my grandfather during the war.

Don`t, coz it is not your fault. Besides, the photo isn`t bad quality for the time it was taken. What matters here is the distance which makes it impossible to see the details and black and white colour.

@JulianSki

If I see correctly, there is one "stripe" on his shoulders, which implies that at the moment of taking this photo he was a private first class. But at the same time, maybe I don't see correctly :)

Do you know in what year the photo was taken, by chance?

I thank your interest but it seems that I have solved my own mystery!
My rechecking of this thread had led me to try some hard researching of my own and while I was looking through family photographs I rediscovered these 2 photos. By seeing the rankings on his shoulders I have discovered that he held the rank of Podporucznik during his time in the war making him an officer! Though you didn't help directly, I thank you Pawian for re-sparking my interest in finding out my Grandfather's story. :)

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Amasing. There are a lot of mysterious chests in attics and basements which might contain precious artifacts.


Which we interpreted as stripes while in fact they are stars. :):)

Hello everybody. I have a photo of my grandmother's brother who served in the Polish army. The photo is not of the best quality, but some details can still be seen. The photo was taken around the 1930s. He was a cavalry soldier. Maybe somebody can tell me more information about his rank and medals. Any help would be appreciated.

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The medal looks like the Cross of Valour, introduced in 1920.

Hello there,
This is a photo I found at an antique store. It's a post card photo. No info written on the back, but the printed areas to write your address and letter are all in English. I'm wondering if this is an American volunteer in Haller's Blue Army during WW1? I see what looks like an infantry bugle on his cap. His collar felt-points are so intriguing. It's clear that they say "2" with some sort of design under them, but this is very different than the zig-zag embellishments I've seen in so many other photos. He is such a lovely young man. I'm trying to learn more about his rank and such so I can tell people more about him on my antique/vintage photo social media page. Any insight into his collar insignia, or anything else that stands out, please let me know! I'll be happy to credit whoever can assist. I cannot see any details on his shoulders to know if there are any stars on them. Hope someone can tell me more!!

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The collar also displays the bugle sign. Number 2 means the second infantry regiment.

Check this article and watch the attached video explaining the details of Haller`s army uniform. In Polish.

info.kanal6.pl/2021/09/22/blekitny-mundur/

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@pawian
Thank you! The bugles in the collar make so much sense. Maybe they are in some kind of dark background because I kept thinking they were just a fancy shape. Reminded me of upside-down mustaches 🤣. Appreciate the lead! I think this guy is so regal and proud. Absolutely love him.

Yes, very misleading indeed. It might be a custom thing. Soldiers, especially hardened veterans, often alter the insignia and designs on their uniforms to make them more individual.

Hi all, my great-grandfather (bottom left in photo) served in the Polish army sometime after WW1. Is there any experts that could give me any information from the photo?

Potentially rank or unit?

Thanks in advance.

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Hi all. I'm researching my great-grandfather's military service before and during WW2. I have some information that lists him as being a part of the 10th Uhlan Regiment. I also have some oral family history indicating he later joined the 1st Polish Armoured Division after escaping a POW camp and travelling to Scotland via Norway. Im not sure about the dates of the photos but i think one of them as from when he graduated a miliary academy before WW2 and the other others are during the war. Any help in determining his rank and unit would be greatly appreciated.

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The proper name is 10 Pułk Strzelców Konnych (10th Mounted Rifles Regiment), but it was indeed commonly referred to as "10 pułk ułanów". After the 1939 campaign, it was reconstituted in the West as an armoured regiment within the 1st Armoured Division under General Stanisław Maczek. In 1944-45, it fought in Normandy (Falaise-Chambois), Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. It was considered an elite armoured regiment: black berets, strong cavalry traditions, and a cohesive post-war veterans' community.

Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe (Central Military Archive) has a record of Konrad Wojtysiak, born 1910, rank: plutonowy (lance corporal) but if you need full personal service file with more detailed information, you have to contact them.

wbh.wp.mil.pl/pl/pages/kontakt-2018-08-28-9y1d/

In the photo you posted your great-granpa is wearing insignia of a kapral (corporal), so looks like he got promoted during his service in the 1st Armoured.

Also, try this...

polishexilesofww2.org/family-research

... if he was indeed with 1st Armoured (and it makes sense, considering he was with 10th Mounted Rifles before that), there should be detailed records available - it was a famous unit, very well documented. Good luck.

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Actually, Polish plutonowy is a higher rank than kapral but in the British army corporal is higher than lance corporal. The British equivalent of plutonowy would probably be sergeant. I read insignia in the photo in the Polish system but quite likely they used the British one in 1st Armoured.

@Torq

Thank you so much for you help. That has given me a bit to go on! I have contacted Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe so will see what they say. I also contacted the Polish Disclosures section of the British Ministry of Defence but they had no service records for him.

@Daneg

Not at all. Good luck!