The 1st Armoured Corps (comparable in size to an armoured division of western armies of the same period) completed its formation in September 1944 and was then subordinated to the supreme command of the Polish forces that had been established by the U.S.S.R. on the eastern front.

The corps supported Polish 2nd Army[1] attacks in the direction of Dresden starting on April 16, 1945.

The corps had almost reached Dresden when it was recalled on April 22 to counter-attack German units attacking at Bautzen.

From 4 to 11 May 1945, the corps took part in the Prague Offensive, a major Soviet operation that forced the surrender of German Army Group Center.

Unlike the wartime unit, the second formation was an actual corps in structure, commanding two divisions.