The article discusses the strength and functioning of the quarter army (pol. wojsko kwarciane) between 1589–1591. At the time in question a large Tatar inva- sion was in progress, which resulted in the rapid enlargement of the entire Crown army. Huge tax increases were introduced due to the prospect of an offensive war against the Ottoman Empire. The rapidly expanding army did not receive its due pay, leading to the first army confederation (pol. konfederacja wojskowa) in his- tory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Consequently, there was a reduction of the quarter army.
The article discusses the functioning of the Mazovian Front within the anti-German front in 1919. The Mazovian Front played an important role in shielding Warsaw from an expected German attack from the Toruń–Mława line, which posed a threat for Greater Poland to be outflanked and Warsaw to be captured. Therefore, the High Command of the Polish Army directed initially four infantry divisions to northern Mazovia, and the main burden of defending the section stretching from the Augustów Canal to Aleksandrów Kujawski was taken over by Haller divisions and the 8th Infantry Division. In the High Command of the Polish Army it was expected that the units of the Mazovian Front would give the attacking Germans a battle on the Narew and Biebrza lines, while concentrating their power and resources in the Modlin–Pułtusk–Zegrze triangle. Due to the absence of natural barriers on the right bank of the Vistula River, the Polish command did not plan much resistance above Płock and Włocławek. As part of active defense, however, it took into account counterstrikes on the enemy's wings in the Grudziądz–Brodnica or Działdowo direction. These plans did not correspond to the limited capabilities of the forces opposing Germany, especially the smallness of them resulting from the fights in the east. Despite signing the Treaty of Versailles, German provocations aimed at dragging Poland into a state of open conflict continued – there were frequent incidents of trespassing the border, occupying Polish areas and locations, fire exchanges and mutual arrests on charges of espionage.
The article discusses the numbers and functioning of the wojsko kwarciane (Quartered Army) in the turbulent third interregnum and in the first year of the reign of Sigismund III. Thanks to the access to the previously unused fiscal and military materials, it was possible to determine the size of this army in individual quarters of the period of interest and the names of the captains. No less important aspect is the political context of the use of wojsko kwarciane in a situation of the election parliament being split and attempts made to weaken the position of the Grand Hetman of the Crown, Jan Zamoyski, and the subjecting of his prerogatives to a nationwide discussion.
