Silvered badge on screw-back with maker mark. The badge is also numbered “1342”.

The 10th “Kaniowski” Light Artillery Regiment was a distinguished unit of the Polish Army in the interwar period. Stationed in Łódź, it formed part of the 10th Infantry Division within the 4th Artillery Group.

The regiment’s origins went back to July 1919, when it was created from elements of the 4th Rifle Division under General Żeligowski. Its first battalion was ready for service that autumn, while a second was equipped with French artillery transferred from Przemyśl. In 1922 the regiment received the honorary title “Kaniowski,” and in 1931 it was reorganized and renamed as light artillery in line with the new military doctrine.

The unit maintained close ties with the city of Łódź. On 26 May 1938, President Ignacy Mościcki presented the regiment with a ceremonial colour funded by local citizens. The standard bore the motto “Honour and Fatherland,” battle dates such as “Łódź 1919” and “Sokal 1920,” and images including the Madonna of Tum, Saint Barbara, and the city’s coat of arms. The regimental badge, approved in 1927, was a Maltese cross with black and green enamel, crossed cannons, and the “Kaniowski” cross at its center.

During the September Campaign of 1939, the regiment fought as part of Army Łódź, supporting infantry in battles around Sieradz, Ostrzeszów, and along the Prosną and Wartą rivers. Despite a determined defense, it suffered heavy losses during the retreat. Some batteries were destroyed or captured, while other remnants reached Warsaw, where they took part in the city’s final defense before its capitulation.

By the end of September 1939, the regiment had effectively ceased to exist, its surviving soldiers dispersed or taken prisoner after weeks of intense fighting.