Emilia Gierczak (February 25, 1925 – March 17, 1945) was a Polish soldier of the

Polish Armed Forces in the East The Polish Armed Forces in the East ( pl, Polskie Siły Zbrojne na Wschodzie), also called Polish Army in the USSR, were the Polish Armed Forces, Polish military forces established in the Soviet Union during World War II. Two armies were formed ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After being killed in combat, several streets and organisations were subsequently named after her in Poland.

Career

Emilia Gierczak was born in 1920 to Jozef and Leontyna Gierczak. They named her after national heroine

Emilia Plater Countess Emilia Broel-Plater ( lt, Emilija Pliaterytė; 13 November 1806 – 23 December 1831) was a Polish-Lithuanian (adjective), Polish–Lithuanian szlachta, noblewoman and revolutionary from the lands of the partitions of Poland, partitione ...

. After the start of the

, and the invasion of the eastern states of Poland by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, Gierczak and her family were deported to

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies o ...

, where she began working in a bakery. Both Gierczak and her father were inducted into the army. Gierzak trained at the Infantry Officers School in

Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census ...

, Russia. She was then posted as a second lieutenant to the "Emilia Plater" Independent Women's Battalion attached to the

Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

in 1943. While fighting at

Kołobrzeg Kołobrzeg ( ; csb, Kòlbrzég; german: Kolberg, ), ; csb, Kòlbrzég , is a port city in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-western Poland with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast o ...

West Pomeranian Voivodeship The West Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as the West Pomerania Province, is a voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals 22 892.48 km² (8,838.84 sq mi), and in 2021, it was i ...

, on March 17, 1945, Gierczak was ordered to take a defended building. Rather than waiting till nightfall, she decided to take it during the day so no one would think of her as weak. She issued orders to her troops, but they were pinned down. While moving up to the front to encourage her soldiers, she was shot in the forehead and died instantly. Upon the death of their commanding officer, the troops sought to avenge her, and took the building.

Legacy

She was awarded the Cross of Valour. Several roads in Poland have been named after Gierczak, as well as schools and other organisations. The last letter Gierczak wrote to her mother is on display at the

Museum of Polish Arms The Museum of Polish Arms ( pl, Muzeum Oręża Polskiego) is a museum in Kołobrzeg, Poland. Its main feature is a collection of militaria related to the military of Poland from the early Middle Ages to the present. In addition to its military co ...

in Kołobrzeg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gierczak, Emilia 1925 births 1945 deaths Polish Army officers Women soldiers Polish military personnel killed in World War II