Jan Edward Dojan-Surowka (27 December 1894 in Wielopole Skrzynskie – 6 November 1982) was a soldier of the

Polish Legions in World War I The Polish Legions () was a name of the Polish military force (the first active Polish army in generations) established in August 1914 in Galicia (Central Europe), Galicia soon after World War I erupted between the opposing alliances of the Trip ...

and Colonel of Infantry in 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 interwar period. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Dojan-Surowka served in the

1st Brigade, Polish Legions Brigade I of the Polish Legions (, , ) was a unit of Austro-Hungarian Army, manned by Poles under Austrian occupation, part of the Polish Legions in World War I, existing from 1914 to 1917. History The First Brigade was formed on December 19, 1 ...

. Nominated to the rank of officer, he served in the 5th Legions Regiment of Infantry. In 1917, after 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 ...

, he was forced to join the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

and fight on the Eastern Front. In 1919, he joined the Siberian Division. Captured by the Bolsheviks together with other Polish soldiers, Dojan-Surowka managed to escape. He fought in the Polish-Soviet War, as commandant of the 201st Volunteer Division (see

Volunteer Army (Poland) The Volunteer Army () was a military formation of the Polish Army, created at the height of the Polish–Soviet War. It was formed by the Council of National Defense (Poland), Council of National Defense on July 1, 1920. Composed entirely of volun ...

). In 1921, he was named commandant of the 15th Infantry Regiment. On 22 July 1922 Edward Dojan-Surowka was transferred to the 45th Kresy Rifles Regiment in Rowne, and on 21 August 1926 he was named commandant of the 21st Children of Warsaw Infantry Regiment, stationed 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 ...

. Promoted to colonel on 1 January 1929, he was in 1934 appointed commandant of infantry of the 2nd Legions Infantry Division (

Kielce Kielce (; ) is a city in south-central Poland and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the banks of the Silnic ...

). On 25 April 1938 Dojan-Surowka was named commandant of the 2nd Legions Infantry Division. During the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, in the night of 8–9 September 1939, Edward Dojan-Surowka suffered a nervous breakdown after a raid carried out by a German unit. Together with other officers (Colonel Mieczyslaw Peczkowski and Major Stefan Prokop), he abandoned his soldiers and drove to Warsaw, leaving the division under command of his deputy, Colonel Antoni Staich. Since Marshal Edward Smigly-Rydz had already left the capital, Dojan-Surowka followed him to

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. After the war, he remained in Great Britain, never returning to Poland. Some historians regard him as one of the worst officers of the Polish Army in the 1939 campaign. Dojan-Surowka died in 1982 in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Sources

* Mieczysław Bielski: Grupa Operacyjna „Piotrków” 1939. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Bellona, 1991

Promotions

Podporucznik ''Podporuchik'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, потпоручник, potporučnik, , , , , ) is the most junior officer in some Slavic armed forces, and is placed below the rank of lieutenant, typically corresponding to rank of second lieutenant in English ...

(Sub-Lieutenant) – 28 April 1916, *

porucznik Porucznik (Por.) is a rank of the Polish Army, roughly equivalent to the military rank of the First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of ...

(Lieutenant) – 1 November 1916, * Major – 3 May 1922, *

Podpolkovnik ''Podpolkovnik'' () is a military rank in Slavic and nearby countries which corresponds to the lieutenant colonel in the English-speaking states and military. In different languages the exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spelling ...

(Sub-Colonel) - 31 March 1924, *

Polkovnik (; ) is a military rank used mostly in Slavic-speaking countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states, ''coronel'' in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking states and ''oberst'' in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countr ...

(Colonel) - 1 January 1929.

Honors 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, ...

, *

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 ...

With Swords, * Officer’s Cross of the

Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, ...

, *

Cross of Valour (Poland) The Cross of Valour () is a Polish military decoration. It was introduced by the Council of National Defense on 11 August 1920. It is awarded to an individual who "has demonstrated deeds of valour and courage on the field of battle." It may be aw ...

, four times, * Gold

Cross of Merit (Poland) A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two intersecting lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a saltire in ...

, * Cross of Merit of the

Republic of Central Lithuania The Republic of Central Lithuania (, ), commonly known as the Central Lithuania, and the Middle Lithuania (, , ), was an unrecognized short-lived puppet state of Poland, that existed from 1920 to 1922. It was founded on 12 October 1920, after ...

, * Commemorative Medal for the War of 1918-1921, * Medal of Ten Years of Independent Poland {{DEFAULTSORT:Dojan-Surowka, Edward 1894 births 1982 deaths Polish people of World War I Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Polish military personnel of World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Recipients of the Silver Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Cross of Independence with Swords Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Commanders of the Virtuti Militari Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War