Władysław Dobrowolski (2 January 1896 – 25 February 1969) was a Polish fencer and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete, Major 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 stre ...

in the defence of Warsaw, imprisoned during World War II. During the interwar period, he won a bronze medal in the team

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

event at the 1932 Summer Olympics. As a young man, active in independence movement, Dobrowolski was a member of the

Polish Military Organization 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 ...

. He fought in the Polish-Soviet War and in 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 ...

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 decorated in Stalinist Poland.Monitor Polski (24 February 1947)
Uchwaly Prezydium Krajowej Rady Narodowej.
Dziennik Urzędowy Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, No. 25. Warszawa.

Honours and awards

* Silver Cross of 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 St ...

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 * Silver Cross of Merit

References

External links

* 1896 births 1969 deaths People from Będzin Polish male fencers Polish male sprinters Olympic fencers of Poland Olympic athletes of Poland Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1932 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Poland Olympic medalists in fencing Polish Military Organisation members Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Independence Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Silver Cross of Merit (Poland) Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics People from Piotrków Governorate Sportspeople from Silesian Voivodeship 19th-century Polish people 20th-century Polish people {{Poland-fencing-bio-stub