The 10th Motorise Division is one of the most famous units of the Polish Army during the Second World War. Officers, NCOs and motorcycle troops wore distinctive black leather jackers along with the German Style Stahlhelm giving them the nickname The Black Brigade. Commanded by General Maczek, the 10th were led into many defensive battles as German panzers swept into Poland in 1939. The Black Brigade were a unique unit that were being developed and trained by the Polish high command when the war erupted. The division was composed of infantry and artillery with supporting arms of engineers, artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, whilst also boasting tanks, tankettes and lorried infantry. The Black Brigade was a flexible and hard hitting force that fought German mechanized, armoured and mountain troops to a standstill on many occasions. The 10th Motorised Division fought so skilfully that rather than surrender, the escaped across the border to Hungary from whence their survivors went on to carry the fight to the Germans in France before forming the 1st Polish Armoured Division.