Józef Rudolf Kustroń (16 October 1892 in Stryj – 16 September 1939 in the village of Ulazow, during the

Polish September Campaign 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 af ...

) was a

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 ...

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 ...

in the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...

, commandant of the 21st Mountain Infantry Division.

Early life

Kustroń spent his childhood in the southern town of

Nowy Sącz Nowy Sącz (; hu, Újszandec; yi, Tzanz, צאַנז; sk, Nový Sonč; german: Neu-Sandez) is a city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County as a separate administrative unit. It has ...

, where his family had settled. In high school, he was an active member of youth organizations fighting for Poland’s independence (see

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...

), such as the ZET Youth Association. In 1910 he began studying law and philosophy at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, and two years later joined the

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

Riflemen's Association 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

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 ...

, Kustron joined the Polish Legions, and was promoted to platoon commander in the Second Infantry Regiment of the Legions. On 29 October 1914 he was wounded during the Battle of Molotkowo and, after recuperating, was promoted to

porucznik Porucznik (Por.) is a rank of the Polish Army, roughly equivalent to the military rank of the First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank o ...

(lieutenant). Transferred to the 4th Infantry Regiment, he fought against the Russians in the area of

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

, and in

Volhynia Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. Th ...

, and was promoted 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 ...

. 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 ...

, Kustron was demoted by the Austrians, and moved to an infantry regiment of 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 ...

. From 1917, he was an active member of the

Polish Military Organisation The Polish Military Organisation, PMO ( pl, Polska Organizacja Wojskowa, POW) was a secret military organization which formed during World War I (1914-1918). Józef Piłsudski founded the group in August 1914; it adopted the name ''POW'' in Novem ...

, and in late autumn of 1918, he participated in the disarmament of Austrian troops in Kraków. After Poland regained independence in late 1918, Kustroń worked for the Ministry of Military Affairs. During the Polish-Soviet War, he oversaw military rail transportation from July 1920 and, three years later, he was awarded 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 ...

order.

Between the wars

In the inter-war period, Kustroń served in several infantry units. He was deputy of the 42nd Infantry Regiment in

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...

, then commander of the 55th Infantry Regiment in

Leszno Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, it ...

. During the May Coup, he supported

Józef Piłsudski ), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania) , death_date = , death_place = Warsaw, Poland , constituency = , party = None (formerly PPS) , spouse = , children = Wan ...

, and prevented his regiment from going 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 ...

to fight for the lawful president. In the late 1930s, he commanded the Pomeranian 16th Infantry Division from

Grudziądz Grudziądz ( la, Graudentum, Graudentium, german: Graudenz) is a city in northern Poland, with 92,552 inhabitants (2021). Located on the Vistula River, it lies within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the fourth-largest city in its prov ...

and, in 1935, he was appointed commander of the 21st Mountain Infantry Division from

Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...

. With this unit, he took part in the annexation of

Zaolzie Trans-Olza ( pl, Zaolzie, ; cs, Záolží, ''Záolší''; german: Olsa-Gebiet; Cieszyn Silesian: ''Zaolzi''), also known as Trans-Olza Silesia (Polish: ''Śląsk Zaolziański''), is a territory in the Czech Republic, which was disputed betwee ...

(Cesky Tesin) in 1938 (see

Independent Operational Group Silesia Independent Operational Group Silesia (Polish: Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Śląsk, SGO Śląsk) was an Operational Group of the Polish Army, created in September 1938 to annex Trans-Olza (Zaolzie) from Czechoslovakia. History The Group was co ...

) and was promoted to brigadier general in March 1939.

Second World War

During the

, Kustroń's division was part of the Kraków Army, and was engaged in heavy fighting with the advancing

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

from the first day of the war. After several battles and skirmishes, the division, retreating east, found itself near the town of

Oleszyce Oleszyce ( uk, Олешичі, ''Oleshychi'') is a small town in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,089 inhabitants (02.06.2009). History The history of Oleszyce dates back to the early 15th century, when the village belonged to Poland's ...

on 16 September. Trying to break through German lines and reach

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 ...

, the Poles fought a battle with Wehrmacht’s 45th Infantry Division. Kustroń was killed at around 2 p.m. He was buried on the battlefield, and in 1953, his remains were moved to Nowy Sącz. He was the first Polish general to die in the invasion, and the second general officer casualty of the campaign overall; the first was

Wilhelm Fritz von Roettig Wilhelm Fritz von Roettig (25 July 1888 – 10 September 1939) was a Nazi Germany, German general in the Waffen-SS who participated in the Invasion of Poland (1939), invasion of Poland. He was the first general to be Killed in action, killed in Wor ...

Honours and awards

* Knight's Cross of the

, previously awarded the Gold Cross and the Silver Cross * 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 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 – three times * Gold Cross of Merit – twice * Commemorative Medal for War 1918–1921 * Regained Independence Medal of the Decade * Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of the Crown of Romania *

Order of the White Eagle (Poland) The Order of the White Eagle ( pl, Order Orła Białego) is Poland's highest order awarded to both civilians and the military for their merits. It was officially instituted on 1 November 1705 by Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and Elect ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kustron, Jozef 1892 births 1939 deaths People from Stryi Polish generals Polish Military Organisation members Association of the Polish Youth "Zet" members Polish legionnaires (World War I) Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Polish people of World War I Polish military personnel killed in World War II Jagiellonian University alumni Knights of the Virtuti Militari Officers 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) Officers of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)