Juliusz Zulauf (August 20, 1891 – May 21, 1943) was a

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 stre ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

(''generał brygady''). A recipient 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 ...

'', he fought with distinction during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the Polish-Ukrainian War, the Polish-Soviet War, and the

1939 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 afte ...

. Juliusz Zulauf was born in Lwów, then the capital of

Austro-Hungarian 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 ...

Galicia. In 1910, after graduating from a local gymnasium, he joined the Lwów University of Science and Technology. There, at the age of 18, he joined the

Związek Walki Czynnej The Union of Active Struggle ( pl, Związek Walki Czynnej, ZWC), also translated as ''Union for Active Struggle'' and ''Union for Active Resistance'',Thus rendered in Richard M. Watt, ''Bitter Glory: Poland and Its Fate, 1918 to 1939'', p. 37. W ...

and the

Związek Strzelecki The Polish Riflemen's Association known as ''Związek Strzelecki'' (or more commonly, in the plural form as ''Związki Strzeleckie'') formed in great numbers prior to World War I. One of the better known associations called "Strzelec" (Riflemen's ...

. After the outbreak of

The Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, on September 1, 1914, he joined the Polish Legions. In 1915 he was promoted to first lieutenant and then to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He commanded a company of infantry in the 2nd Legions Infantry Regiment and then in 5th Infantry Regiment. Wounded in July 1916, during the battle of Opłowa he was taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

by the Russians. However, Zulauf managed to escape from captivity and cross the front lines to rejoin the Polish Legions. After the

Oath Crisis The Oath crisis ( pl, Kryzys przysięgowy) was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions. Initially supporting the Central Powers against Imperial Russia, Piłsudski ...

of 1917 he 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 ...

. After Poland was reestablished in 1918, Juliusz Zulauf returned to his hometown, where he joined the

and took part in the defence of Lwów during the Polish-Ukrainian War. On May 11, 1919, he was given the command of the Polish 4th Legions Infantry Regiment and took part in the opening stages of the Polish-Bolshevik War. Heavily wounded in August of that year, he quickly recovered. However, he did not reassume his former post and instead became the commanding officer of the

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

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 ...

on October 1 of that year. After the cease fire agreement, on March 23, 1921, he became a peacetime commander of the 28th ''Kaniów Rifles'' Infantry Regiment and, since September 28 of that year, commanding officer of the 19th Infantry Regiment. Promoted to colonel in 1923, between 1926 and 1927 Zulauf commanded the 3rd Infantry Regiment, only to be promoted to the commander of infantry of the 5th Infantry Division. He held that post until April 1930, when he was promoted to commanding officer of the prestigious

Polish 2nd Legions Infantry Division Polish 2nd Legions Infantry Division (''2. Dywizja Piechoty Legionów'') was a tactical unit of the Polish Army between the World Wars. Formed on February 21, 1919, in the towns of Zegrze and Jablonna near Warsaw, and composed mostly of veterans of ...

stationed in

Kielce Kielce (, yi, קעלץ, Keltz) is a city in southern Poland, and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the bank ...

. For his service on January 1, 1932, he was promoted to the rank of

. From 1937 on, he commanded the Lwów-based 5th Infantry Division and with that unit he was active during 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 ...

. After heavy fighting, his division was reduced to only one regiment, but managed to break through to

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

and took part in the defence of the Polish capital as part of the

Warszawa Army The Warszawa Army ( pl, Armia Warszawa) was one of the Polish armies to take part in the Polish Defensive War of 1939. Created on 8 September, eight days after the invasion begun, it was an improvised formation charged with the defence of the Polis ...

. From September 14, Zulauf commanded the eastern perimeter of Warsaw's defences, in the city's easternmost district,

Praga Praga is a district of Warsaw, Poland. It is on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter. History The historical Praga was a small settlement located at ...

. After

's capitulation (September 28), Zulauf was taken

by the Germans. He died May 21, 1943 at Oflag VIIA in Murnau. His daughter Irena has donated many of Zulauf's personal belongings to the

municipal museum.

Honours and awards

* Gold Cross of the

, also awarded the Silver Cross * Commander'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 ...

, also awarded the Officer's Cross *

Cross of Independence Cross of Independence ( pl, Krzyż Niepodległości) was second highest Polish military decorations between World Wars I and II. It was awarded to individuals who had fought actively for the independence of Poland, and was released in three cl ...

* Cross of Valour - four times * Gold Cross of Merit

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zulauf, Juliusz 1891 births 1943 deaths Military personnel from Lviv People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish Austro-Hungarians Polish generals Polish legionnaires (World War I) Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Polish military personnel of World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Independence Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Polish prisoners of war Polish people of German descent