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Polish Army () is the name applied to the military forces of Poland . The name is in use since early 19th Century , although it can be used to refer to earlier formations as well. Polish Armed Forces consist of the Army (Wojsko Lądowe), Navy (Marynarka) and Air Force (Lotnictwo) branches and are under the command of the Ministry of National Defense (Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej). HISTORY Kingdom of Poland The first Polish Army was created in the 10th Century Kingdom of Poland, under Piast dynasty. The prince's forces were composed of a group of armed men, usually mounted, named Drużyna . Their key role was the protection of the monarch and supporting the taxation effort. Their organisation was similar to other such armed units of other Slavic rulers, and were often of foreign origin. With time, the early Tribal Warrior s gave rise to Knight s and eventually, by 15th century, the whole Social Class of the Szlachta or Polish gentry. The Polish gentry formed a distinct element within the ancient tribal groupings. This is uncertain, however, as there is little documentation on the early history of Poland, or of the movements of the Slavonic people into what became the territory so designated. Around 14th century there was little difference between those called knights and those referred to as szlachta in Poland. Members of the szlachta had the personal obligation to defend the country ( Pospolite Ruszenie ), and thereby became the kingdom's privileged social class. It was them who were obliged to build and support castles as well as to keep peace and order on territory they were assigned. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ''Main article: Military Of The Commonwealth '' Commonwealth armies were commanded by four Hetman s. The armies comprised:
Some units of the Commonwealth used fairly unique tactics. These units included:
Army without country After Partitions Of Poland , during the period from 1795 until 1918 , Polish military was recreated several times in Poland during Uprising s like the January Uprising , and outside Poland like during Napoleon Bonaparte wars ( Polish Legions In Italy ) or Polish Legion s during First World War . The Kingdom Of Poland , ruled by the Russian Tsar with a certain degree of autonomy, had a separate Polish army in the years 1815 - 1830 . Large numbers of Poles also served in the armies of the partitioning powers, Russia , Austria-Hungary (before 1867 Austria) and Germany (before 1871 Prussia). However, these powers took care to spread Polish soldiers all over their armies and as a rule did not form predominantly Polish units. Second Polish Republic When Poland regained independence in 1918 , it recreated its military which participated in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1922 and in the Second World War 1939-1945. ''Main articles: Armia Krajowa (Home Army), Polish Contribution To World War II , List Of Polish Armies In WWII '' People's Republic Of Poland ''To be written'' Third Polish Republic
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