Andrzej Marecki (2 September 1898 – 4 July 1943) was a Polish military officer. He was a colonel in 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 ...

, lecturer in tactics and member of the

Polish General Staff Polish General Staff, formally known as the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces (Polish: ''Sztab Generalny Wojska Polskiego'') is the highest professional body within the Polish Armed Forces. Organizationally, it is an integral part of the Min ...

during World War II. He died in the

controversial Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite ...

1943 Gibraltar B-24 crash The 1943 Gibraltar Liberator AL523 crash was an aircraft crash that resulted in the death of General Władysław Sikorski, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile. Sikorski's Liberator II ...

Biography

Andrzej Marecki was born on 2 September 1898. He participated in the

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 (' ...

of 1918–1921. In the years 1924–1926 he studied in the

Wyższa Szkoła Wojenna The National Defence University of Warsaw ( – AON) was the civil-military highest defense (military), defence academic institution in Poland, located in Warszawa–Rembertów. In 2016 it was succeeded by the War Studies University. The National ...

(Polish Military Academy). After graduating, from 1928 he was a lecturer in tactics at his ''alma mater''. In the years 1934–1936 he served with the . From February 1936 he was a

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

at the Polish diplomatic mission in Stockholm. In February 1939 he was attached to the

. Following Polish defeat after the German and Soviet

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 ...

, he made his way through Romania to France, where he joined the recreated Polish Army in France. He taught a Polish course at the

École Supérieure de Guerre The ''École supérieure de guerre'' ("Superior School of Warfare") was the most senior military education institute and staff college of the French Army, from 1876 until 1993, when it was merged into the inter-service ' (Joint Defense College), wh ...

, and later became a Polish liaison officer at the

French General Staff French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. In May 1940 he was attached once again to the Polish General Staff. He was also the first commandant of the Wyższa Szkoła Wojenna, temporarily recreated in the United Kingdom during wartime, and he was involved with the re-establishing of in the United Kingdom during that time frame. He died in the

on 4 July 1943. Sikorski was the

and

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

of the

Polish government in exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...

. The catastrophe, while officially classified as an accident, has led to several

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

that persist to this day, and often propose that the crash was an assassination, which has variously been blamed on the Soviets, British, Nazis or even a dissenting Polish faction.Roman Wapiński, ''Władysław Sikorski'', Polski Słownik Biograficzny, zeszyt 154 (T. XXXVII/3), 1997, p. 475 Stanczyk, Zbigniew L
"Tajemnica gen. Sikorskiego"
''Przegląd Polski Online'', 7 December 2002. Retrieved on 2 August 2005

Remembrance

As part of an investigation into the death of

Władysław Sikorski Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader. Prior to the First World War, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause for Polish ...

, one of the victims of the B-24 crash, which was undertaken in the 2000s by the

Institute of National Remembrance The Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation ( pl, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej – Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu, abbreviated IPN) is a Polish state resea ...

in Poland, the bodies of crash victims

Tadeusz Klimecki Tadeusz Klimecki (November 23, 1895July 4, 1943) – Brigadier General of the Polish Army, Chief of Polish General Staff. Early life and service in the Imperial and Royal Army Tadeusz Klimecki was born in Tarnów, Galicia, Austro-Hungarian Empi ...

, Andrzej Marecki, and were exhumed from their resting place in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, United Kingdom, on 3 December 2010. The remains were flown to Warsaw, and then taken to the Department of Forensic Medicine in Kraków for examination. On 9 December 2010, Tadeusz Klimecki and Andrzej Marecki were re-buried in the

Powązki Military Cemetery Powązki Military Cemetery (; pl, Cmentarz Wojskowy na Powązkach) is an old military cemetery located in the Żoliborz district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. The cemetery is often confused with the older Powązki Cemetery, known colloquiall ...

in Warsaw.

Awards

Marecki was a recipient of: *

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 ...

, 5th class *

Gold Cross of Merit 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 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marecki, Andrzej 1898 births 1943 deaths Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish military officers Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Polish military attachés Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Gibraltar Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1943

Biography

Remembrance

Awards

References

Further reading

External links