Lieutenant Colonel Jan Włodarkiewicz (28 May 190019 March 1942; ;
noms de guerre ''Damian'', ''Darwicz'' and ''Odważny'') was a Polish soldier, an officer 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 ...
and a freedom fighter during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He is notable as the first commander of the
Wachlarz, the first secret service formed by an underground resistance organization in occupied Europe.
Jan Włodarkiewicz was born on 28 May 1900 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 ...
. A graduate of the prestigious ''
Stanisław Staszic
Stanisław Wawrzyniec Staszic (baptised 6 November 1755 – 20 January 1826) was a leading figure in the Polish Enlightenment: a Catholic priest, philosopher, geologist, writer, poet, translator and statesman. A physiocrat, monist, pan-Sla ...
''
gymnasium in Warsaw, in his youth Włodarkiewicz took part in several anti-tsarist youth organizations. After the outbreak of
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 ...
he joined the clandestine
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 ...
, where he received basic military training.
After the war he remained 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 ...
and since 1918 served in all conflicts Poland fought in. Initially in the
Nieśwież-based
Polish 27th Uhlan Regiment, in 1929 he was assigned to the staff of the 9th Independent Cavalry brigade in
Baranowicze
Baranavichy or Baranovichi is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Baranavichy District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has a population of 170,817.
...
. After his successful service there, in 1930 he was assigned to the
Centre for Cavalry Training in
Grudziądz
Grudziądz (, ) is a city in northern Poland, with 92,552 inhabitants (2021). Located on the Vistula River, it lies within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the fourth-largest city in its province.
Grudziądz is one of the oldest citie ...
. In 1935 he was promoted to
rotmistrz
Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries.
A is typically in charge of a s ...
(captain of cavalry). Since then until the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he served in the Polish General Staff as an officer officially responsible for the training of reserve
Polish cavalry
The Polish cavalry () can trace its origins back to the days of medieval cavalry knights. Poland is mostly a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment. The knights and heavy cavalry gradually evolved in ...
units. In reality, he served in the ''Special Command'' entitled with organization of partisan warfare, diversion and railroad sabotage of the
2nd Department of the Polish General Staff.
After the outbreak of the
Polish Defensive War of 1939 he was ordered to supervise the creation of various reserve cavalry units in the Cavalry Reserve Centre in
Garwolin
Garwolin is a town on the Wilga (Garwolin), Wilga river in eastern Poland, capital of Garwolin County, situated in the southeast part of the Garwolin plateau in Masovian Voivodeship, southeast of Warsaw, northwest of Lublin. As of December 2021, ...
. On September 15 he formed a cavalry squadron out of marauders and left-overs from various units. Together with the unit, he joined the
Polish 41st Infantry Division and fought in the ranks of the
Lublin Army. For his merits he was promoted to major and managed to survive the defeat together with his unit. After the Polish defeat in the
battle of Kock, which ended the Polish campaign, he initially wanted to break through
besieged Warsaw and then, after its fall, to Hungary or Romania. However, the Soviet-German cooperation prevented him from getting close to the border and on October 15, 10 days after the last major Polish unit capitulated to the Germans, he disbanded the unit under his command in the village of Mrozy.
Włodarkiewicz and most of his men hid their weapons and broke through to
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 ...
. There in November 1939 Włodarkiewicz met his wartime companion and deputy,
Witold Pilecki
Witold Pilecki (; 13 May 190125 May 1948), known by the codenames ''Roman Jezierski'', ''Tomasz Serafiński'', ''Druh'' and ''Witold'', was a Polish World War II cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader.
As a youth, Pilecki ...
. Together they formed the
Secret Polish Army, one of the first
resistance movement
A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...
s in Poland and the occupied Europe. In 1940 the organization melted into a larger merger of resistance groups, the
Confederation of the Nation and Włodarkiewicz assumed the military command over the latter organization's forces. In summer of that year he met with
Stefan Rowecki, the commander of
Związek Walki Zbrojnej (ZWZ), the predecessor of
Armia Krajowa
The Home Army (, ; 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) established in the ...
. Together they formed the
Wachlarz, a separate organization entitled with sabotage and intelligence between the pre-war Polish eastern border and the German
Eastern Front. Włodarkiewicz was named the commander of the organization and in September 1941 he joined the ZWZ. Awarded to Lieutenant Colonel, in March 1942 he left for
Lwów
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
, where he planned to visit the local network of the 1st Sector of the Wachlarz. However, shortly after his arrival, on 19 March 1942 he died in unknown circumstances.
References
* Cezary Chlebowski, Wachlarz, Warszawa 1990
* Cezary Chlebowski, Zagłada IV Odcinka, Warszawa 1987
* Kazimierz Malinowski, Tajna Armia Polska, Znak, Konfederacja Zbrojna, Warszawa 1986.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wlodarkiewicz, Jan
1900 births
1942 deaths
Military personnel from Warsaw
Polish military personnel of World War II
Polish Army officers
Polish resistance members of World War II