Lech Wyszczelski (born 1942) is a Polish military historian and author of books on
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
an history of the 20th century. A retired
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
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 ...
and professor at various universities, he has written 36 books and 420 articles on military history, notably on the Polish-Bolshevik War and the pre-war Polish army.
He graduated from the Historical-Political Faculty of the
Dzerzhinsky Political-Military Academy in Warsaw
The Felix Dzerzhinsky Political-Military Academy ( pl, Wojskowa Akademia Polityczna im. Feliksa Dzierżyńskiego) – was a Soviet style military academy, established by the communist government, in the People's Republic of Poland. It operated i ...
in 1973 and received, in 1979, a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
there. In 1986, he received the
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...
at the Warsaw
Academy of General Staff
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
. In 1998, he received permanent (full) professorship from the
president of Poland
The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...
.
He currently holds a post at the
Academy of National Defence
The National Defence University of Warsaw ( – AON) was the civil-military highest defence academic institution in Poland, located in Warszawa–Rembertów. In 2016 it was succeeded by the War Studies University.
The National Defence University ...
in
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 ...
, the
Pułtusk
Pułtusk (pronounced ) is a town in northeast Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it had a population of about 19,000 . Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in ...
-based Wyższa Szkoła Humanistyczna im. A. Gieysztora, and
Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Sites
The Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Sites ( pl, Rada Ochrony Pamięci Walk i Męczeństwa) is a Polish government body charged with the preservation of historical sites of wartime persecution of the Polish nation. It was set ...
. In 2012, he received the Golden Medal for Long Service for 30 years of service in the Polish army.
Among the most notable of his books is a series of monographs on various operations of the Polish-Bolshevik War, including '' Kiev 1920'', '' Warsaw 1920'', ''Battle at the Outskirts of Warsaw; 13-25th of August 1920'' and '' The Undeclared War. Polish-Russian military activity of 1919''. Among the works of a wider scope are ''Polish Military Thought 1914-1939'', ''What Beck and Rydz Knew'', ''History of Military Thought'' and ''Piłsudski's Army''. He is also the author of a monograph on the civilian and military radio stations during the
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...