Is it true or false that Poland used cavalry against German tanks in World War II?

This rumor comes from the war communication of Italian war correspondent Giorgio Palada, which is widely circulated due to the tacit understanding between the two sides (Poles need to use this story to celebrate their fearless heroism against the invaders, while Germans need to use it to render the power of the Third Reich Liu Tie and the Blitzkrieg).

Among the anecdotes about the European battlefields in the early World War II, the desperate reunion of heroic Polish cavalry with spears and German tanks is one of the war scenes that people relish. It is usually said that when a cavalry brigade of the Polish army broke through, it did not understand the performance of the tank and launched a Don Quixote-style attack on the German tank with a spear. The Germans were surprised when they saw this scene, but they soon came to their senses. They mercilessly strafed the Polish army with tank guns and machine guns, and crushed the Polish army with heavy tracks. The battlefield duel imagined by Polish knights turned into a massacre with unequal strength, and Don Quixote's jokes were foolishly reproduced. The legend of "spear fighting tank" has been widely recognized by both sides in the war and has also been adopted in some serious historical documentaries. The film Rosner, which was filmed in Poland from 65438 to 0959 and reflected the life of cavalry, played an important role in promoting the spread of this story. However, the voice of opposition always exists. After the film "Rosner" was released, some surviving veterans who participated in the battle of that year publicly expressed different opinions and pointed out that this was not the case.

So what is the truth of history? Do Polish cavalry really think that the armor of the tank is just a disguise made of iron, which causes the flesh and blood of the war horse to collide with the steel body of the tank? We might as well turn the page of history again and enter that era of war.

The story of "spear fighting tank" comes from the battle of Croyanti's hoof in September 19. At that time, the Polish 18 Cavalry Corps attacked the junction of the German 2nd and 20th Motorized Divisions of the German 19 Armored Army led by guderian while covering the general retreat of Polish troops in Danzig Corridor. In the pursuit, the German armored forces stationed around arrived at the news and attacked the unprepared Polish cavalry on the plain. The fierce shooting of machine guns caused great damage to the unprotected Polish cavalry. Colonel Matraza, the head of the regiment, and the chief of staff of the regiment were killed on the spot. /kloc-more than 0/00 polish cavalry were killed, and the polish cavalry suffered heavy losses quickly retreated. The next day, the Italian war correspondent George Palada who came to interview saw the bodies and broken spears of Polish cavalry and war horses lying on the battlefield, and German tanks patrolled around the battlefield. According to an interview with German soldiers who participated in the battle, he published a famous communication, saying that German soldiers told them that Polish elite cavalry did not understand the performance of tanks and thought that tank armor was disguised with iron sheets. They attacked German tanks again and again with spears and suffered devastating blows. This report. In this way, the myth that "Polish cavalry charged German tanks with spears" spread.

Obviously, this Italian reporter's report contains some exaggerated elements, and some details are not in line with the actual situation at that time. First of all, it is unrealistic to say that Polish cavalry didn't know what a tank was and thought it was a camouflage made of tinplate. Tanks were born in World War I (the first time tanks were put into actual combat was the Battle of the Somme, 19 16), while the German blitzkrieg against Poland was 1939, with an interval of more than 20 years, so tanks can't be secret weapons. In addition, the Polish army is equipped with tanks. After all, the forces that Poland can use to resist aggression include 220 light tanks and 650 ultra-light tanks. It can be seen that it is completely exaggerated to say that the Polish army does not know what a tank is.

Secondly, not all Polish cavalry units charge with spears. Before World War II, Polish cavalry was no longer a hussars at the gates of Vienna in 1683, and spears disappeared from the standard equipment of Polish cavalry in 1934. A small number of preserved spears are mainly used for ceremonial ceremonies and flag hanging. At that time, the equipment of Polish cavalry was very different from that of World War I. At that time, there were more than 6 100 cavalry brigades in Poland. There are also 65 mechanized chariots, equipped with 89 emotional machine guns, 8 1 heavy machine guns, 66 anti-tank boats, 9 46 mm mortars, 2 8 1 mm mortars, 14 anti-tank guns, 12 75 mm guns and 2 40 mm anti-aircraft guns. The number of heavy weapons is not much different from that of infantry field troops. If the Polish cavalry really attacked the tanks with spears, it was because of the lack of weapons or the helplessness after the ammunition was exhausted, not because the Polish cavalry's thoughts were still stuck in the era when cavalry could do anything.

Through the review and analysis of the above history, we can see that it was possible for cavalry to attack tanks with spears at that time, but it should be in an emergency situation of insufficient weapons or ammunition, and it was a personal act, because spears were no longer standard equipment, and it was by no means like the legend, because they didn't know what tanks were, and they charged in formation. Then we can draw a conclusion that although the story of "spear versus tank" is not a pity, it is also due to the exaggerated reports of reporters and the misinformation of future generations that this unrecognizable situation has been caused today.

So why didn't Bode and the other two sides come out to clarify the truth of this battle for a long time? This should be attributed to a tacit understanding between the two sides: Poles need to use this story to celebrate their fearless heroism against the invaders, while Germans need to use it to highlight the power of the Third Reich Liu Tie and the Blitzkrieg. As time goes by, the truth is gradually lost, and more "evidence" is added to prove the truth of this legend. For example, in the history textbooks published in Europe and America, some photos of Polish cavalry mobilization before the German invasion showed spears (if you look closely, you will find that most of these spears were used to hang flags), so they were also marked as Polish cavalry preparing to fight against German tanks after the war broke out. In this way, the truth is getting farther and farther away from us, but we are also willing to accept such a story, because it carries a truth that we generally accept-the wheel of history will ruthlessly crush all those who stick to the rules. In fact, there are often legends in history, which are widely circulated because they conform to people's views or strongly prove a local truth. The real historical facts have been forgotten by people, and people no longer care about those facts because they are not wonderful and have no profound significance.