Viktor Lomidze, also known by his

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

name of Wiktor Łomidze-Wachtang, was a

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

military officer. After the Bolshevik take-over of his country in early 1920s he emigrated to Poland, where he joined 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 stre ...

and then the Polish Navy. Between 1935 and 1939 he was the commanding officer (in the rank of Captain) of ORP ''Jaskółka'', a Polish minesweeper and minelayer. Later on he became the deputy commander of the ORP ''Gryf''. At the outbreak of the Polish Defensive War of 1939, on September 1, with other Polish warships, ''Gryf'' left the naval base at

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...

for the Operation Rurka, a failed attempt to lay a minefield at the entrances to the

Gdańsk Bay Gdańsk Bay or the Gulf of Gdańsk ( pl, Zatoka Gdańska; csb, Gduńskô Hôwinga; russian: Гданьская бухта, Gdan'skaja bukhta, and german: Danziger Bucht) is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent por ...

. After boarding

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

s from a floating depot, the flotilla headed for

Hel Peninsula Hel Peninsula (; pl, Mierzeja Helska, Półwysep Helski; csb, Hélskô Sztremlëzna; german: Halbinsel Hela or ''Putziger Nehrung'') is a sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is l ...

, assisted by ORP ''Wicher'' and several smaller vessels (among them Łomidze's former ship ''Jaskółka''). En route she was attacked by a squadron of 33 German

Ju 87B The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Cond ...

dive bombers and hit with several bombs. Although the damages were minor, the ship lost 22 sailors, including its captain Lt.Cmdr. Stefan Kwiatkowski in what became known as the battle of the Gdańsk Bay. Kwiatkowski's deputy, Capt. Wiktor Łomidze decided to throw all defused naval mines in the waters for fear of explosion and headed for Hel naval base. There it was decided to use the ship as a floating anti-air artillery battery guarding the harbour. During the final days of the Polish defence of

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

, Łomidze, along with several other naval officers, crossed the Baltic on a small fishing cutter. They reached the port of

Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an important ice-f ...

, from where Łomidze got to Sweden and then to the United Kingdom. There he applied to the Polish Navy being reconstructed there by the Polish Government in Exile. Although he was admitted, he was also held responsible for the decision to throw away the mines back in September 1939, a decision that successfully crippled the Polish defensive operations in the Baltic Sea. Because of that, and despite Łomidze's pleas, he was never again given a command over any Polish vessel. Instead he spent the remainder of World War II at various staff duties. He finished his career in the rank of Commander.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lomidze, Viktor Polish Army officers Military personnel from Georgia (country) People of World War II from Georgia (country) Emigrants from Georgia (country) to Poland Polish Navy officers