Jan Mazurkiewicz
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Jan Mazurkiewicz,
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
: "Zagłoba", "Socha", "Sęp", "Radosław" (27 August 1896 – 4 May 1988) was a Polish military leader and
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
,
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 ...
of
Home Army The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) esta ...
and
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
of the Polish People's Army. Founder of the
Secret Military Organization Secret Military Organization, or Tajna Organizacja Wojskowa, TOW in Polish, was a clandestine military formation organized prior to World War II in the Second Polish Republic in the event Polish territory was occupied by foreign powers. The countr ...
(later merged with the Home Army), commander of
Kedyw ''Kedyw'' (, partial acronym of ''Kierownictwo Dywersji'' ("Directorate of Diversion") was a Polish World War II Home Army unit that conducted active and passive sabotage, propaganda and armed operations against Nazi German forces and collaborato ...
and the
Radosław Group Radosław Group ( pl, Zgrupowanie Radosław) was the codename of a group of Kedyw, a Polish World War II Armia Krajowa organization, units during World War II created shortly before the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. Organization The ''Radosła ...
during
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 ...
. After the war, he was a
political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...
of the
Stalinist Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory o ...
period (until 1956). From 1964 he was vice-president of
Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy The Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy ( pl, Związek Bojowników o Wolność i Demokrację, ZBoWiD) was an official Polish state-controlled veterans association in the People's Republic of Poland. Initially headed by Franciszek Jóźwi ...
.


Early life and World War I

Jan Mazurkiewicz was born in a craftsman's family in
Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
. He spent his childhood in
Zolochiv Zolochiv, ( ua, Золочів) may refer to the following places in Ukraine: * Zolochiv, Lviv Oblast, city in Lviv Oblast * Zolochiv, Kharkiv Oblast, urban-type settlement in Ukraine {{set index, populated places in Ukraine ...
, where from 1902 he attended primary school and from 1906 to the gymnasium. He was active in
Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
, a member of the "Falcon" Polish Gymnastic Society. In 1911 he moved with his family to Lviv, where he continued his education. He was a member of the Organisation of Independent Youth Zarzewie, and later belonged to the
Riflemen's Association The Polish Riflemen's Association known as ''Związek Strzelecki'' (or more commonly, in the plural form as ''Związki Strzeleckie'') formed in great numbers prior to World War I. One of the better known associations called "Strzelec" (Riflemen's ...
. After a short training, he joined the 1st Brigade of Polish Legions, in which he was a soldier of the 1st battalion company. Then he was assigned to the marching battalion of captain
Leon Berbecki Leon Berbecki (28 July 1875, Lublin – 23 March 1963, Gliwice) was a Polish army officer, who fought in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I with the Imperial Russian Army. Following the foundation of the Second Polish Republic, Berbecki se ...
and in his ranks took part in December 1914 at the
Battle of Łowczówek Battle of Łowczówek was a battle during World War I, fought on 22–25 December 1914 at Łowczówek, between the Brigade I of the Polish Legions, First Brigade of the Polish Legions, fighting for Austria-Hungary, and troops of Imperial Russia. ...
. He was wounded and captured by the Russians. He escaped from it in June 1915, after which he managed to get back to his unit. In October wounded again, then he underwent treatment in the
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
. As a
sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
, in July 1916 he was transferred to the 1st Brigade of Legions, in which he served until the
oath crisis The Oath crisis ( pl, Kryzys przysięgowy) was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions. Initially supporting the Central Powers against Imperial Russia, Piłsudski ...
. He was arrested on 4 September 1917 and imprisoned in
Przemyśl Przemyśl (; yi, פשעמישל, Pshemishl; uk, Перемишль, Peremyshl; german: Premissel) is a city in southeastern Poland with 58,721 inhabitants, as of December 2021. In 1999, it became part of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it was pr ...
. He was threatened with the death penalty for active participation in the crisis. Shortly thereafter he was released and forced to join the Austro-Hungarian Army, from which he deserted in March 1918. He broke into the
Polish II Corps in Russia The Polish II Corps in Russia ( pl, II Korpus Polski w Rosji; russian: 2-й Польский корпус (Российская империя)) was a Polish military formation formed in revolutionary Russia in 1917. History The Corps was formed ...
commanded by general Józef Haller, in whose ranks he took part in the Battle of Kaniów. After escaping from
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
captivity, he got to the Polish Military Organisation in
Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
. He took part in numerous subversive actions and battles with German, and Ukrainian troops. He also infiltrated Austrian troops.


Interwar period

From November 1918 he was a soldier of the Polish Army. Later, he was assigned to the
Second Department of Polish General Staff The Second Department of Polish General Staff (Polish: Oddział II Sztabu Generalnego Wojska Polskiego, also called Dwojka) was a department of the Polish General Staff in the Second Polish Republic. It was responsible for military intelligence, co ...
. During the Polish–Soviet War, he served as a military courier (he imported, among others, Józef Piłsudski's letters to Symon Petliura) and a counterintelligence officer. In 1922, he was transferred to the
military reserve A military reserve, active reserve, reserve formation, or simply reserve, is a group of military personnel or units that is initially not committed to a battle by its commander, so that it remains available to address unforeseen situations or ex ...
for a short period and assigned to the
8th Legions' Infantry Regiment 8th Legions Infantry Regiment (Polish: 8 Pulk Piechoty Legionow, 8 pp Leg.) was an infantry regiment of the Polish Army. It existed from 1918 until 1939. Garrisoned in Lublin, and belonged to the 3rd Legions Infantry Division (Poland), 3rd Legions ...
. From 1924 he served in the 13th Infantry Division. He took part in preparations for the May Coup. From 1930 to 1934, under the cover of an inspector of the Riflemen's Association, he conducted counterintelligence activities against the Soviet Union in Vilnius and Brest. In 1934 he completed the course of the battalion commanders at the Infantry Training Center in
Rembertów Rembertów () is a district of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Between 1939 and 1957 Rembertów was a separate town, after which it was incorporated as part of the borough of Praga-Południe. Between 1994 and 2002 it formed a separate ...
. From 1938 to 1939 he was a lecturer in tactics at courses for company commanders.


World War II and Warsaw Uprising

During the Invasion of Poland, he was the head of a diversion on the southwestern front section. After the Soviet invasion of Poland, he founded the
Secret Military Organization Secret Military Organization, or Tajna Organizacja Wojskowa, TOW in Polish, was a clandestine military formation organized prior to World War II in the Second Polish Republic in the event Polish territory was occupied by foreign powers. The countr ...
(TOW) in Stanisławów. On 19 September 1939, he crossed the Polish-Hungarian border, transferring the organization's headquarters to Budapest. Then he went to France, where he met with general Władysław Sikorski. In June 1940 he returned to the country and assumed the function of the Commander-in-Chief of TOW, an independent combat and subversive organization operating according to the guidelines of the
Union of Armed Struggle Związek Walki Zbrojnej ( abbreviation: ''ZWZ''; Union of Armed Struggle;Thus rendered in Norman Davies, ''God's Playground: A History of Poland'', vol. II, p. 464. also translated as ''Union for Armed Struggle'', ''Association of Armed Strug ...
. In March 1943, after merging TOW with
Kedyw ''Kedyw'' (, partial acronym of ''Kierownictwo Dywersji'' ("Directorate of Diversion") was a Polish World War II Home Army unit that conducted active and passive sabotage, propaganda and armed operations against Nazi German forces and collaborato ...
he became the deputy head of the organization, colonel Emil August Fieldorf. On 1 February 1944, he took the post of commander of Kedyw. Shortly before the outbreak of 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 ...
, Mazurkiewicz was made commander of the
Radosław Group Radosław Group ( pl, Zgrupowanie Radosław) was the codename of a group of Kedyw, a Polish World War II Armia Krajowa organization, units during World War II created shortly before the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. Organization The ''Radosła ...
. This force was one of the largest, best trained and equipped Polish units in the uprising. After the initiation of the uprising, the unit seized major portions of the Wola suburbs, and subsequently defended it against German attacks carried out by troops under the command of SS
Gruppenführer __NOTOC__ ''Gruppenführer'' (, ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA. Since then, the term ''Gruppenführer'' is also used for leaders of groups/teams of the police, fire de ...
Heinz Reinefarth and
Standartenführer __NOTOC__ ''Standartenführer'' (short: ''Staf'', , ) was a Nazi Party (NSDAP) paramilitary rank that was used in several NSDAP organizations, such as the SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK. First founded as a title in 1925, in 1928 it became one of ...
Oskar Dirlewanger. One of the battalions of the group,
Battalion Zośka Battalion Zośka (pronounced /'zɔɕ.ka/; 'Sophie' in Polish) was a Scouting battalion of the Polish resistance movement organisation - Home Army ( Armia Krajowa or "AK") during World War II. It mainly consisted of members of the Szare Szeregi p ...
, liberated the Gęsiówka concentration camp located within Warsaw and freed 384 prisoners (mainly Jews), most of whom then joined the unit. The Radosław Group fought its way to Warsaw Old Town borough when further defense in Wola became impossible. In the areas of Wola that Reinefarth's and Dirlewanger's troops recaptured from the insurgents, at least 40,000 civilians and
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...
were murdered in the Wola massacre. On 11 August he was seriously wounded during the fighting On 15 September 1944, he sent his liaison officer to the east bank of the Vistula in order to establish contact with the troops of the First Polish Army. In the absence of sufficient assistance on their part, on 20 September he ordered his decimated units to leave Czerniaków and pass through the sewers to Mokotów. He left his soldiers a free hand - they could decide whether they would go to German captivity or leave the city with the civilian population. Shortly before the order was signed, Mazurkiewicz was officially promoted to the rank of
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 ...
, by general Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, the commander of the uprising. He did not go into captivity, he left the ruins of the destroyed capital with his wife. He continued his underground activity in
Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ; german: Tschenstochau, Czenstochau; la, Czanstochova) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (admin ...
, where the headquarters of the Home Army was located.


In post-war Poland

After the dissolution of the Home Army on 19 January 1945 and the liberation of Częstochowa by the Red Army, he took the leadership of the Central Area of the NIE. Later he became a delegate to the Central Area of the Armed Forces Delegation for Poland, under which he conducted further underground activities against
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
authorities. In the end, he gave up further conspiracy, considering the resistance pointless. On 1 August 1945, he and his wife were arrested by officers of the Ministry of Public Security. He was released after a month, he headed the so-called Central Liquidation Commission of the Home Army. On 8 September he turned to former Home Army soldiers and people remaining in the underground to call for disclosure and amnesty. For some officers, this was disapproved and even accused of treason. As a result of his appeal, about 50,000 former members of the armed underground were revealed. On 12 September captain
Stanisław Sojczyński Stanisław Sojczyński (nom de guerre "Warszyc") (March 30, 1910 in Rzejowice – February 19, 1947 in Łódź) was a captain in the Polish Army and in the Home Army and later the creator and leader of Underground Polish Army (KWP). On Sep ...
, the leader of the Underground Polish Army, sent an open letter to colonel Mazurkiewicz, in which he criticized him and called him a "traitor". Mazurkiewicz established the Committee for the Care of the Graves of Fallen Soldiers of the Radosław Group. He was in constant contact with his former soldiers, whom he helped find in the difficult post-war years. Through his extensive contacts, he sought employment for his former soldiers - often war invalids. Later, the Stalinist authorities accused him that they were "secret underground meetings aimed at overthrowing the power of the Polish People's Republic". On 4 February 1949, he was arrested again. Throughout the investigation, he was forced to testify incriminatingly against the first head of Kedyw, general August Emil Fieldorf, but his relentless attitude resulted in the resignation from attempting to use him as a prosecution witness in the political trial against General. On 16 November 1953, his main trial took place before the Military District Court in Warsaw. On the same day, based on crafted evidence, without admitting defense witnesses, he was convicted for
life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
. He served his sentence in
Wronki Prison Wronki Prison ( pl, Zakład Karny Wronki) is the largest Anna Frankowska 2008-08-05, Money.pl Jacek DeptułaCiasno i duszno, Wysoki Sądzie Gazeta Pomorska, 27 września 2008 prison in Poland, holding over 1400 prisoners. Established by the Germ ...
, from where he was released as a result of amnesty for political prisoners in May 1956. In 1957 he was rehabilitated. After being released, he took up craft. In 1958, he opened (formally registered to his wife) the "Wiklina" cafe, which he ran until the 1970s. Later he handed it over to the Trade Cooperative of Invalids. By resolution Polish Council of State in October 1980, he was promoted to the rank of
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
. He solemnly received his general nomination in Belweder from the professor Henryk Jabłoński. After 1956, he was active in the veterans' right activism. From 1964 he was vice-president of
Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy The Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy ( pl, Związek Bojowników o Wolność i Demokrację, ZBoWiD) was an official Polish state-controlled veterans association in the People's Republic of Poland. Initially headed by Franciszek Jóźwi ...
. In August 1981, on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, Telewizja Polska broadcast a documentary in which Mazurkiewicz talked about the real " Soviet assistance to insurgent units of the Home Army". From 1981 to 1983 he was a member of the presidium of the Front of National Unity. In 1983 he was elected a member of the
Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth Patriotyczny Ruch Odrodzenia Narodowego (PRON, en, Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth or National Renaissance Patriotic Movement) was a Polish popular front that ruled the Polish People's Republic. It was created in the aftermath of the ma ...
. From 1981 he was the chairman of the commission for the
Warsaw Uprising Cross The Warsaw Uprising Cross ( pl, Warszawski Krzyż Powstańczy) was a Polish military decoration. It was established by law on July 3, 1981 in order to honor the participants of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. It was discontinued in 1999. It is distinc ...
. In the second half of the 1980s, general Jan Mazurkiewicz, then the highest-performing and functioning former Home Army officer in Poland, became part of the Social Committee for the Construction of the
Warsaw Uprising Monument Warsaw Uprising Monument ( pl, pomnik Powstania Warszawskiego) is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Unveiled in 1989, it was sculpted by Wincenty Kućma and the architect was Jacek Budyn. It is located on t ...
, which was unveiled on 1 August 1989, after his death. He died in May 1988 and was buried at Powązki Military Cemetery. His funeral was attended by representatives of the highest state authorities, including generals Wojciech Jaruzelski and Florian Siwicki, professor Henryk Jabłoński and Jan Dobraczyński.Andrzej Chmielarz: ''Gen. bryg. Jan Mazurkiewicz – "Zagłoba", "Socha", "Sęp", "Radosław" 1896-1988'', Wojskowy Przegląd Historyczny Nr 3 (125), Warszawa 1988


Honors and awards

* Gold Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari, previously awarded the Silver Cross * Cross of Independence with Swords * Cross of Valour – eleven times *
Warsaw Uprising Cross The Warsaw Uprising Cross ( pl, Warszawski Krzyż Powstańczy) was a Polish military decoration. It was established by law on July 3, 1981 in order to honor the participants of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. It was discontinued in 1999. It is distinc ...
(1981) * Order of Polonia Restituta *
Order of the Cross of Grunwald The Order of the Cross of Grunwald (') was a military decoration created in Poland in November 1943 by the High Command of Gwardia Ludowa, a Polish resistance movement in World War II, World War II Polish resistance movement organised by the Polis ...
*
Home Army Cross The Cross of the Home Army ( pl, Krzyż Armii Krajowej) is a Polish military decoration that was introduced by General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski on 1 August 1966 to commemorate the efforts of the soldiers of the Polish Secret State between 1939 and ...
*
Medal of Merit for National Defence The Medal of Merit for National Defence ( pl, Medal Za Zasługi dla Obronności Kraju) is a decoration of the Ministry of National Defence of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divi ...


Military ranks

*
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
– 1922 *
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
– before 1939 *
lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
– 1943 *
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 ...
– 1944 *
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
– 1980


Personal life

Mazurkiewicz's first wife was Jadwiga, with whom he had three children, Stanislaw and Zofia, and an older son who died in infancy. His wife and daughter were imprisoned by the Russians in the east of the country during the war, but his son escaped to England where he fought with the Polish Army based in Scotland before returning to Poland some years later. His second wife was Maria Zienkiewicz, alias "Irma" (1903–1985),
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
of the Home Army. He had a brother, Franciszek Mazurkiewicz (1901–1944), an officer in the Polish Army who died 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 ...
.


Footnotes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazurkiewicz, Jan 1896 births 1988 deaths Military personnel from Lviv Polish generals Home Army members Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Independence with Swords Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Warsaw Uprising insurgents Polish people of World War I Polish Army officers Polish prisoners and detainees People detained by the Polish Ministry of Public Security Cursed soldiers Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish legionnaires (World War I) Polish activists