Celebrated on 15 August, Polish Army Day commemorates the Polish victory over Russian forces in the Battle of Warsaw in 1920.

 

Polish Army Day was first celebrated on 15 August in 1923 as a result of a decision of the then military affairs minister Lieut. Gen. Stanisław Szeptycki for honouring the victory of Polish soldiers in the Battle of Warsaw in 1920. Polish Army Day was celebrated in the years of the 2nd Polish Republic, and during the war in armed divisions of the underground state and abroad as well as in the Polish Army up until 1947. In the years after, the celebration was moved to 12 October in order to commemorate the participation of the Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division in the Battle of Lenino. After the democratic changes that took place in Poland in 1989, many groups called for a change in the date of Polish Army Day, proposing various dates such as 3 May as the birth of the Polish national army. After a vote in the Sejm, Polish Army Day has been celebrated on 15 August each year since 1992. [Source: Polish Ministry of Defence]