Mikołaj Bołtuć (21 December 1893 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

– 22 September 1939 near Łomianki) was a brigadier-general of the Polish Army, commander of the IV Polish infantry Division during

World War II 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 opposing ...

. He was the son of Ignacy Bołtuć, Russian General of Polish descent, and Anna Bołtuciowa, née Łabuńska, of Rzeczyca.); yet another possibility. Bołtuć was enlisted in the Russian Kadet officers school in Omsk when he was seven. 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 ...

, Bołtuć served in the Tsarist Army. He fought with distinction in the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

in 1918. After the

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, he served as captain in the White Russian Army during the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

until the evacuation of Odessa in which he commanded the last leaving vessel. He returned to Poland and joined the Polish military. He commanded units near Kamieniec, Podolski and elsewhere. During the Soviet-Polish war of 1920, he commanded the unit ''Strzelcy Kaniowscy''. Bołtuć, still a captain, commanded the defence of

Zamość Zamość (; yi, זאמאשטש, Zamoshtsh; la, Zamoscia) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. ...

. Then he took Wyszków, the location of the puppet government organiced by the Bolsheviks. During the interwar period, he worked for the General Command and later held command functions in

Wilno Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

and

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

. His nomination to the rank of general was held back for several years, in part because of his anti-religious attitude and his reservations about Poland's military spending patterns. He was known for clarity of judgment and leadership skills. During

, he commanded an Operation Group, a unit short of an army, within the

Army Pomorze The Pomeranian Army ( pl, Armia Pomorze) was one of the List of Polish armies, Polish armies defending against the 1939 Invasion of Poland. It was officially created on March 23, 1939. Led by Generał dywizji, General dywizji Władysław Bortnowski, ...

, the only Polish unit that entered German territory (in East Prussia) for two days during the

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 ...

and withstood attacks of much larger German forces. The danger of being flanked forced Boltuc to withdraw to Modlin. When the Modlin Fortress could accept only his officers but not his soldiers, he let his soldiers be demobilised, but most refused to leave. He also encouraged volunteers to go with him to try to sneak through the German Siege of Warsaw. According to written family records, he said while he was leaving home before the war, "This is not the war we are going to win and I am not the kind of a soldier who would surrender". On the morning of 22 September, he was killed at the Battle of Łomianki from sniper fire while he was leading the charge. Most of his soldiers were buried at the Łomianki cemetery, near Warsaw. Boltuc's tomb, in a form of a field stone, is at 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 colloquial ...

, in Warsaw.

Sources

Monograph: Generał Mikołaj Bołtuć Wizerunek Żołnierza author: Bohdan Królikowski Nakładem Stawarzyszenia Katolików Wojskowych , Warszawa/Warsaw 1998. {{DEFAULTSORT:Boltuc, Mikolaj 1893 births 1939 deaths Military personnel from Omsk People from Saint Petersburg Governorate Polish generals Polish military personnel killed in World War II Russian military personnel of World War I Blue Army (Poland) personnel Deaths by firearm in Poland