1er régiment de chevau-légers lanciers polonais de la Garde impériale

"These people only know how to fight !"
"You are worthy of my Old Guard
I proclaim you my bravest cavalry !"
- Napoleon

They were limitlessly confident in Emperor's genius.
"We could have been asked to conquer the moon,
and we'd have responded with Forward, march !"
- Officer Zaluski

"Forward , you sons of dogs ,
the Emperor is looking at you !"
- Kozietulski at Somosierra, 1808

Forward ! They went out and f****ng showed what they got attitude.
For the charge at Somosierra they were admitted to the Old Guard.
"From then on they were a legendary regiment." (- Col. John Elting)

"It was at Wagram that the Polish lighthorsemen
... had a bloody encounter with an enemy regiment
of lancers. With their sabers they overwhelmed
their opponents and then seized their lances, for
the lance was the favorite weapon of the Poles."
- Charles Parquin

"Major Skarzynski performed prodigies of valor.
Snatching a lance from a Cossack , he created a
void around him by knocking over the fugitives
in his path and running the rest through with
his lance." - Henri Lachoque

One of the Polish lancers lost his headwear in a skirmish .
Jerzmanowski ordered him to go back and retrieve it
to prevent the enemy from claiming any trophy taken
from this regiment. It was unusual order since many
French troops panicked before Cossacks and left
behind their wounded, weapons, not to mention
headwears.

There was unwritten law to not maneuver in front of enemy's cavalry - too often it ended up in a disaster. Only very few regiments attained the perfection of changing formation at gallop without losing its order. At Reichenbach despite the fact they
were under heavy artillery fire, the Guard Lancers made half-turn and
crushed enemy's cavalry without losing its alignment.