Stanisław Szostak (14 January 1898 – 11 February 1961) was a
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...
of the Polish Armoured Corps.
He was born in
Berazino, today's
Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
, the son of Władysław and Maria Nieciejowska of Hrynica. He was injured in a car accident and died in 1961. He is buried at
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is since 1852 the first (and only) London cemetery to be Crown Estate, Crown property, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington a ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
Russian Revolution and interwar Poland

In 1917, having graduated with distinction (Gold Medal), Stanisław Szostak was enrolled as an officer cadet (junker) in the Nikolayevskoye School of Engineers in
Petrograd
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
, Russia.
Following the unsuccessful counter-revolutionary
Junker mutiny of 29 October 1917 he was imprisoned in the
Fortress of Peter and Paul in Petrograd. On 18 December 1917, after his release was negotiated by the Polish Military Committee in Petrograd, Stanisław Szostak joined the Junkers company of the 1st Knights Legion of the
1st Polish Corps. Later, he served with the Officer Cadet Legion within the 1st Corps until 6 June 1918. At the beginning of his tour of service, in January 1918 he took part in the capture of the
Bobrujsk fortress occupied by the Bolshevik forces.
After the dissolution of the 1st Corps was admitted to study at the
Politechnika Warzawska. He, nonetheless, chose to interrupt the studies on 18 December 1918, volunteering to serve with the Bialystok Rifle Regiment of the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Division commanded by General
Jan Rzadkowski – first as a private he commanding a section, subsequently as a corporal in charge of a platoon. During the Polish-Soviet war of 1919–21 he fought on the Lithuanian-Belarusian Front in the regimental technical support company and remained with the regiment until 20 May 1920.
From 25 May to 18 August 1920 he was an officer cadet at Infantry Officers School in
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
. After completing the course he was assigned to serve with the reserve battalion of the 56 Wielkopolski Infantry Regiment as a platoon
commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
. On 15 December 1920 Stanislaw Szostak was promoted to the rank of a second lieutenant. On 3 May 1922 he was verified as a lieutenant with seniority from 1 June 1919 in the corps of Infantry Officers. In June of that year he was appointed to be the adjutant of the Second Battalion of 56th Wielkopolski Infantry Regiment.
Early in 1924 Lt Szostak joined the Central Tank School of the
1st Tank Regiment, which was equipped with French
Renault FT
The Renault FT (frequently referred to in post-World War I literature as the FT-17, FT17, or similar) is a French light tank that was among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history. The FT was the first production tank to h ...
tanks, and from August 1925 he commanded a platoon of the 7th Tank Company. From 1928 to 1931 he commanded 6th, 7th, and then 4th company of tanks. On 19 March 1928 he was promoted to the rank of a captain (seniority from 1 January 1928). From June 1931 to April 1938 he took up training responsibilities. First, from June 1931 to April 1934 he lectured at the Training Centre of Tanks and Armoured Cars in Warsaw. Then, in the years 1935 to 1938 he was the head of the Training Department at the headquarters of the Armoured Corps attached to the Ministry of Military Affairs in Warsaw.
On 19 March 1937 he was promoted to the rank of major of the Armour Corps. From April 1938 Major Szostak was a deputy commander of the 7th Armoured Battalion in Grodno. Shortly before the invasion of Poland by Germany, in August 1939 Major Szostak became the commander of the mobilised
32nd Reconnaissance Armoured Unit consisting of 3 squadrons with 13
TKS tankettes and 8
type 34-II armoured cars.
[Wz34 – II- Polish Armoured Car – I Type 34 – II armoured cars]
World War II in Poland
After the outbreak of
World War II in Europe, Major Szostak and the 32nd Reconnaissance Armoured Unit under his command took part in the battles of
Grajewo
Grajewo (; ) is a town in north-eastern Poland with 21,499 inhabitants (2016). It is the capital of Grajewo County within the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is located within the historic region of Masovia, near the border with Podlachia and Masuria.
H ...
and
Szczuczyn
Szczuczyn (; ) is a town in Grajewo County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. As of 2004, it has a population of 3,602.
History
The town is located in the north-eastern outskirts of Mazovia, which has been part of Poland since the establishment of ...
. The unit covered the withdrawal of the
Podlaska Cavalry Brigade. On 12 September he took part in the battle for Kita. By 16 September he lost all his armour but fought the invading Soviets in
Grodno
Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...
and organised defence of the town of Giby. On 24 September, with the remainder of his men Major Szostak crossed the Lithuanian border and was interned.
Until July 1940 he was in the internment camps of Calvary, Kurszany and Fort V in
Kaunas
Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
. After the invasion of Lithuania by the Soviet Union he was transferred to Kozielsk II, and later to the camp in Griazowiec. He was released pursuant to the signature to the
Sikorski–Mayski Agreement of 30 July.
Polish Armed Forces in exile (WWII)

On 25 August Major Szostak joined the so-called "
Anders Army", a Polish corps that was being organised in the Soviet Union. On 7 September 1941 he was appointed to be a commanding officer of the 5th Tank Battalion of the 5th Wilno Infantry Division. He was given the command of the Polish Armoured Forces in the Soviet Union on 20 September and remained in this post until the evacuation to
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
on 28 March 1942. Until 23 January 1942 Major Szostak was also in charge of the Army Transport Service. From 3 April to 14 May he was in charge of the Armoured Forces and Transport Service on the staff of
gen. Boruta Spiechowicz (troops evacuated to Iran.) On 15 May he moved from
Teheran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District. With a population of around 9.8 million in the city as of 2025, ...
to
Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
, where on 1 June he arrived at the Polish Army camp in
Gedera
Gedera, or less commonly known as Gdera (), is a town in the southern part of the Shfela region in the Central District of Israel founded in 1884. It is south of Rehovot.
In , it had a population of .
History
Gedera is in the Book of C ...
. Here he became a deputy commander of a tank battalion at the Organisation Centre of the Tank Forces of the
Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...
in the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
. In August he commanded the 4th tank Battalion. From November 1942 Major Szostak was put in charge of the
Tank Training Centre and then Training Centre for Transport and Armoured Units. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel from 3 May 1943. From April 1944 he commanded the Reserve Armoured Troops Centre of the 2nd Polish Corps.
Colonel Zebrowski on page 491 of his monograph writes:
From 15 September 1944 Lt Col. Szostak commanded the 7th Armoured Regiment. From January 1945 to January 1946 he was commander of the
Armoured Forces Training Centre
Armoured Forces Training Centre - Armoured Forces Training Centre of the Polish Armed Forces in the West, Polish Forces in the West.
In December 1944 Gen Władysław Anders, Anders ordered formation of the Armoured Forces Training Centre in Italy ...
, then the Inspector of Motor Transport Training of the Base of the 2nd Corps.
After World War II
In summer of 1946 Lt Col. Szostak came to Britain. In May 1947 he joined the
Polish Resettlement Corps. During the two-year contract he was in command of Foxley I, and then Barons Cross camp near Leominster. After his release from the army, he settled with his family in London. In 1954 he remained faithful to President
Zaleski, of the
Polish government-in-exile
The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent Occupation ...
. He was a member of the Polish Combatants Association, and Circle No 120 (2nd Corps Headquarters).
Promotions
* 2nd Lieutenant – 15 December 1920
* Lieutenant – 3 May 1922 seniority from 1 June 1919
* Captain – 19 March 1928 seniority from 1 January 1928
* Major – 19 March 1937
* Lieutenant Colonel – 3 May 1943
* Colonel – 19 March 1961 seniority January 1961
Decorations

;Polish:
* Gold
Cross of Merit with Swords
* Gold
Cross of Merit
* Silver Cross of Merit
*
Medal of Independence
* Army Medal (twice)
;British:
* 1939–1945 Star
* Africa Star
* Italy Star
* Defence Medal
* War Medal 1939–1945
;French:
*
Inter-Alliee Medaille de la Victoire 1914–1918
References
Bibliography
* A. Suchcitz, M. Wroński: ''Barwa Pułku 7 Pancernego- zarys monograficzny''.Wydawnictwo Instytutu Tarnogórskiego. Tarnowskie Góry 2002
*Zbigniew Lalak: ''Broń pancerna w PSZ 1939–1945''. Pegaz-Bis: O.K. Media Warsawa 2004
* Marian Żebrowski – ''"Zarys historii polskiej broni pancernej 1918–1947"''. Zarząd Zrzeszenia Kół Oddz .Broni Pancernej. Londyn 1971
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szostak, Stanislaw
1898 births
1961 deaths
People from Byerazino
People from Igumensky Uyezd
Polish Army officers
Polish military personnel in the Imperial Russian Army of World War I
Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War
Polish military personnel of World War II
Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom