Kaniów Riflemen Mural in Białobrzegi
The mural on the club building of the 9th Command Support Brigade commemorates General Wiktor Thommée – the unit’s patron – and the soldiers of the 28th Kaniów Rifles Regiment. It was created by students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw under the supervision of Dr hab. Sylwester Piędziejewski, and was officially unveiled on 7 June 2022, when the brigade received its colours.
The regiment’s name refers to the Battle of Kaniów, fought on 11 May 1918. Polish soldiers of the II Corps refused to lay down their arms when the Germans demanded it, and fought. After many hours of resistance, faced with the enemy’s superior strength and running out of ammunition, they were forced to surrender.
The 28th Kaniów Rifles Regiment was formed in 1919. It later fought in Masovia, among other places, during the Polish-Soviet War. General Wiktor Thommée, who took command of the regiment in 1920, was associated with it and in September 1939 became famous as commander of the defence of the Modlin Fortress. The mural links the history of the regiment and the general with the present-day military tradition of Białobrzegi.
