Adam Józef Aleksander Epler (born 1 December 1891 in

Lwów Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

, Austrian Galicia; died 24 October 1965 in London) was a Colonel of Artillery of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stret ...

, posthumously promoted to

Generał brygady Generał brygady (, literally ''General of a brigade'', abbreviated gen. bryg.) is the lowest grade for generals in the Polish Army (both in the Land Forces and in the Polish Air Force). Depending on the context, it is equivalent to both the mode ...

. Epler had a wife Zofia (née Murczyńska) and son Zbigniew (1919 - 2010).

Biography

Epler was raised in an affluent family: his father Edward was a railroad engineer and deputy mayor of the city of Lwów. In 1909, he graduated from Classical Gymnasium in Chyrów, and began studies at

Lwów University The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...

. In 1912, Epler was drafted into the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

, serving at XI Artillery Brigade, and graduating from School of Reserve Officers. On 1 May 1915 he was promoted to Subcolonel (

podporucznik ''Podporuchik'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, потпоручник, potporučnik, cs, podporučík, pl, podporucznik, russian: подпору́чик, bg, подпоручик, sk, podporučík) is the most Junior officer in some Slavic armed forces, an ...

). During World War I, he fought on the Italian Front, and in 1918, he completed artillery course for officers, which took place at

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin and lmo, Trent; german: Trient ; cim, Tria; , ), also anglicized as Trent, is a city on the Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th centu ...

. After the collapse of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, Epler returned to former Austrian Galicia and joined the newly created Polish Army. In mid-November 1918, he was named commandant of an artillery battery of 1st Kraków Field Artillery Regiment. Together with the regiment, he fought in the

Polish–Ukrainian War The Polish–Ukrainian War, from November 1918 to July 1919, was a conflict between the Second Polish Republic and Ukrainian forces (both the West Ukrainian People's Republic and Ukrainian People's Republic). The conflict had its roots in ethn ...

and

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921) * russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...

. In 1920, he was transferred to 3rd Legion Field Artillery Regiment. After the Polish–Soviet War, Epler completed a military training course in

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

, and was promoted to major. In 1922–1929, he served as artillery officer in the garrison of

Zamość Zamość (; yi, זאמאשטש, Zamoshtsh; la, Zamoscia) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. ...

, where 3rd Legions Infantry Division was stationed. He was highly praised by General Stanisław Kwaśniewski, who at that time commanded the 3rd Division. On 4 December 1929 Epler was named commandant of 28th Field Artillery Regiment, which was stationed in Zajezierze near

Dęblin Dęblin is a town at the confluence of Vistula and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki and Puławy, which altogether has over 100 000 inhabitants. The population of ...

. He remained there until October 1935, and during his service at Zajezierze, he was popular among soldiers due to his organizational abilities. From October 1935 until the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

, Epler served in 20th Infantry Division in

Baranowicze Baranavichy ( ; be, Бара́навічы, Łacinka: , ; russian: Бара́новичи; yi, באַראַנאָוויטש; pl, Baranowicze) is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus, with a population (as of 2019) of 179,000. It is not ...

. In early September 1939, Epler took command of Reserve Center of 20th Infantry at

Słonim Slonim ( be, Сло́нім, russian: Сло́ним, lt, Slanimas, lv, Sloņima, pl, Słonim, yi, סלאָנים, ''Slonim'') is a city in Grodno Region, Belarus, capital of the Slonimski rajon. It is located at the junction of the Ščar ...

. In a matter of a few days, he managed to create the so-called

Kobryń Kobryn ( be, Кобрын; russian: Кобрин; pl, Kobryń; lt, Kobrynas; uk, Кобринь, Kobryn'; yi, קאָברין) is a city in the Brest Region of Belarus and the center of the Kobryn District. The city is located in the southwest ...

Group, with the strength of a regular infantry division. His unit, renamed into 60th Infantry Division, joined

Independent Operational Group Polesie Independent Operational Group Polesie (''Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Polesie'', SGO Polesie) was one of the Polish Army Corps (Operational Groups) that defended Poland during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. It was created on 11 September 1939 and ...

(General

Franciszek Kleeberg Franciszek Kleeberg (1 February 1888, in Tarnopol – 5 April 1941, near Dresden) was a Polish general. He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army before joining the Polish Legions in World War I and later the Polish Army. During the German Invasion ...

), and fought in the final battles of the September Campaign, including

Battle of Kock (1939) The Battle of Kock was the final battle in the invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War II in Europe. It took place between 2–5 October 1939, near the town of Kock, in Poland.Zaloga, S.J., 2002, Poland 1939, Oxford: Osprey Publishin ...

. On 6 October 1939 Epler was taken prisoner by the Germans, who allowed him to keep his officer's sabre. He was taken to a temporary camp at Dęblin, and then transferred to

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975–1 ...

. With help of local boy scouts, Epler managed to escape, and fled to Kraków, where he joined conspiratorial Organization of White Eagle, using the pseudonym Kobylański. To escape arrest, he decided to flee to Hungary. In December 1940 he reached

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, and after the war settled in London, where he died on 24 October 1965. Epler wrote the book ''Last Polish soldier of the 1939 campaign''. It was published first in 1942 in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, and reprinted in Poland in 1989. On 28 October 1994 President

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democratica ...

posthumously promoted him to

Awards

* Knight's Cross of the

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...

* Silver Cross of the

* Gold Cross of the

* Officer's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

Cross of Valour (Poland) The Cross of Valour ( pl, Krzyż Walecznych) is a Polish military decoration. It was first introduced by the Council of National Defense on 11 August 1920. It is awarded to an individual who "has demonstrated deeds of valour and courage on the fi ...

(four times) * Gold

Cross of Merit (Poland) The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was awa ...

(on 10 November 1938)

References

Sources

* Tadeusz Jurga: Obrona Polski 1939. Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy PAX, 1990, s. 765. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Epler, Adam 1891 births 1965 deaths Military personnel from Lviv People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom Polish generals Epler Polish people of World War I Polish people of the Polish–Ukrainian War Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish military personnel of World War II Knights of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland)

Biography

Awards

See also

References

Sources