Czesław Młot-Fijałkowski (1892–1944) was a Polish military officer and a brigadier general 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 ...

. Czesław Fijałkowski was born on 14 April 1892 in Okalewo (now in

Rypin County __NOTOC__ Rypin County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms pass ...

), in the

Płock Governorate Płock Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of Congress Poland of the Russian Empire. It was created in 1837 from the Płock Voivodship, and had the same borders and capital (Płock) as the voivodship. In 1867 terri ...

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. In 1912 he graduated from a trade school in

Skierniewice Skierniewice () is a city in central Poland with 45,184 inhabitants (2023), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. It is the capital of Skierniewice County. Through the town runs the small river Łupia, also called Skierniewka. Located in the hist ...

and left

for

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, where he joined the

University of Liège The University of Liège (), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium founded in 1817 and based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French (language), French. History The university was foun ...

. There he joined the Polish Rifle Squads organization and became the head of its local branch in Belgium. Following the outbreak of World War I he returned to Poland and joined the Polish Legions already in August 1914. He served on the front, commanding a platoon, a company and eventually a battalion of the 5th Legions' Infantry Regiment. Around that time he earned the nickname of ''Młot'' (Polish for ''Hammer''), which afterwards became part of his surname. Following the

Oath crisis The Oath crisis (; German language, German: ''Eidkrise'') was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions in World War I, Polish Legions. Initially supporting the Central P ...

of 1917 he was interned in Beniaminów, but was released in May 1918 and was allowed to join the Polnische Wehrmacht, at the same time secretly cooperating with the

Polish Military Organization The Polish Military Organisation, PMO (, POW) was a secret military organization that was formed during World War I (1914–1918). Józef Piłsudski founded the group in August 1914. It adopted the name ''POW'' in November 1914 and aimed to gathe ...

. Already in November 1918 he joined the reborn

in the rank of Kapitan and took part in the defence of

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...

against the Czechoslovak invasion and later in the Polish–Ukrainian War. Verified in the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, in 1920 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After almost a year of staff duties during the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

, in late 1920 he became the commanding officer of the

Pułtusk Pułtusk () is a town in Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it has a population of 19,224 as of 2023. Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in length), it is a po ...

-based 13th Infantry Regiment and then in 1923 promoted to the rank of

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 ...

. A skilled peacetime commander, he held command posts in the Polish 26th Infantry Division (deputy CO; 1926–1928) and then Polish 7th Infantry Division (1928–1929). In 1930 he was again promoted, this time to the rank of brigadier general, and assigned to the

Łomża Łomża () is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Łomża County and has been the se ...

-based Polish 18th Infantry Division, which he commanded until the end of the

interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

. In 1939, during the mobilization for the War with Germany, he was named the CO of the newly formed Narew Operational Group, a Corps-sized unit that was to defend the Polish border between the

Narew The Narew (; ; or ) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided h ...

river and the border with

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, along the

Biebrza The Biebrza (, ', ') is a river in northeastern Poland, a tributary of the Narew River (near Wizna), with a length of and a basin area of 7,092 km2 (7,067 in Poland).cavalry brigades and two infantry divisions (11th and 33rd) under his command, Młot-Fijałkowski ordered his units to probe the enemy and reconnaissance the enemy territory. Thus his unit became the only Polish detachment to cross into Germany during the Polish Defensive War. However, the Modlin Army stationed to the west of his troops was forced to steadily withdraw southwards, and on 7 September 1939 Młot-Fijałkowski's unit was ordered the same. However, by that time the Guderian Corps managed to defeat the Polish 18th Infantry Division and outflank the Polish unit, which had to break through with significant losses on both sides. In the effect only the cavalry brigades survived and were commanded from then on by Gen. Zygmunt Podhorski, while Młot-Fijałkowski became a member of his staff. Together with Podhorski's improvised unit Młot-Fijałkowski reached

Białowieża Białowieża is a village in Poland's Podlaskie Voivodeship, in the middle of the Białowieża Forest, to which it gave its name. The village is some east of Hajnówka and southeast of the province capital, Białystok. Location Białowieża i ...

on 20 September, where a new cavalry division Zaza was being formed. Immediately it started a fast march southwards in order to link up with other Polish units fighting in the area of

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

and

Tomaszów Lubelski Tomaszów Lubelski is a town in south-eastern Poland with 19,365 inhabitants (2017). Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, near Roztocze National Park, it is the capital of Tomaszów Lubelski County. History The town was founded at the end of the ...

. On 29 September it finally reached the

Wieprz The Wieprz (, ; ) is a river in central-eastern Poland, and a tributary of the Vistula. It is the country's ninth longest river, with a total length of 349 km and a catchment area of 10,497 km2, all within Poland. Its course near the to ...

River area, where it became a part of Gen. Franciszek Kleeberg's Independent Operational Group Polesie. With that unit Czesław Młot-Fijałkowski took part in the battle of Kock, the last major engagement of the Polish campaign. Taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held 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 prisoners of war for a ...

by the Germans, Młot-Fijałkowski spent the rest of the war in various German POW camps. Among them were the Oflag IV-B Koenigstein and Oflag VII-A Murnau, where he died on 17 April 1944.

Honours and awards

* Silver Cross of the

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...

* Commander's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

, previously awarded the Officer's Cross *

Cross of Independence Cross of Independence () was the second highest Polish military decoration 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 classes. History The Cr ...

* Cross of Valour - four times * Gold Cross of Merit

Notes and references

::General: # # {{DEFAULTSORT:Mlot Fijalkowski, Czeslaw 1892 births 1944 deaths People from Rypin County University of Liège alumni Polish generals of the Second Polish Republic Polish Rifle Squads members Polish legionnaires (World War I) Polnische Wehrmacht personnel Polish people of the Polish–Ukrainian War Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War People of the Polish May Coup (pro-Piłsudski side) Polish people who died in prison custody Polish prisoners of war in World War II Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Independence Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Prisoners who died in German detention World War II prisoners of war held by Germany