Józef Smoleński (1894–1978) was a soldier of

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

General brygady A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Onlin ...

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 ...

. He fought in World War I,

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 ...

and World War II, serving in the military forces from 1914 until 1945. Born on 18 September 1894 in the village of Gostkowo, Russian-controlled

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 ...

, Smoleński studied at 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 ...

, Belgium, and at

Warsaw University of Life Sciences The Warsaw University of Life Sciences (, SGGW) is the largest agricultural university in Poland, established in 1816 in Warsaw. It employs over 2,600 staff including over 1,200 academic educators. The University is since 2005 a member of the Eu ...

, where he joined the

Riflemen's Association The Polish Riflemen's Association, known as ''Związek Strzelecki'' (in the plural, ''Związki Strzeleckie''), was an organization formed in great numbers prior to World War I. One of the better known associations, ''Strzelec'' (Rifleman), was a ...

and moved from Congress Poland to Austrian Galicia. On 6 August 1914 Smoleński marched from Kraków towards Russian Poland, as a soldier of 2nd Platoon, First Cadre Company. He then served in the 1st

Uhlan Uhlan (; ; ; ; ) is a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. The uhlans started as Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, Lithuanian irregular cavalry, that were later also adopted by other countries during the 18th century, including Polis ...

Regiment of Władysław Belina-Prażmowski. 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 interned by the Germans in Szczypiorno, to be released in November 1918. Smoleński then joined the newly created

, serving until September 1922 in the 7th Lublin Uhlan Regiment. He then studied at Wyższa Szkoła Wojenna in Warsaw. After graduation, he became officer of the

Polish General Staff Polish General Staff, formally known as the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces ( Polish: ''Sztab Generalny Wojska Polskiego'') is the highest professional body within the Polish Armed Forces. Organizationally, it is an integral part of the M ...

, and in 1925–1928 served in the 4th Cavalry Division in

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 ...

. In May 1930, Smoleński was named commandant of the 2nd Grochow Uhlan Regiment, stationed in

Suwałki Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. A relatively young ci ...

. In August 1935 he was sent to the Cavalry Training Center 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 ...

, which he commanded until November 1938. In February 1939, Smoleński became head of the

Second Department of Polish General Staff The Polish General Staff's Section II (Polish language, Polish: Oddział II Sztabu Generalnego Wojska Polskiego, also called Dwójka Two" was a section of the Polish General Staff in the Second Polish Republic. Section II was responsible for m ...

. After the 1939

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 ...

, Smolenski managed to escape to France. In May 1940, General

Władysław Sikorski Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader. Before World War I, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish independenc ...

appointed him deputy of General

Kazimierz Sosnkowski General Kazimierz Sosnkowski (; 19 November 1885 – 11 October 1969) was a Polish independence fighter, general, diplomat, and architect. He was a major political figure and an accomplished commander, notable in particular for his contribu ...

, commandant of the

Union of Armed Struggle The Union of Armed StruggleThus rendered in Norman Davies, ''God's Playground: A History of Poland'', vol. II, p. 464. (; ZWZ), also translated as the Union for Armed Struggle, Association of Armed Struggle, and Association for Armed Struggle ...

. Using

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

Lukasz, Smoleński was responsible for sabotage and planning of an armed uprising in occupied Poland. In August 1940, after the collapse of France, he came to London, and was named commandant of Second Department of the General Staff. He was one of the main advisers of General Sosnkowski. In 1941–1945, he held different posts in the

Polish Armed Forces in the West The Polish Armed Forces in the West () refers to the Polish Armed Forces, Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Allies of World War II, Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its Axis powers, allies during World War II. Poli ...

, including command of the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division. After the war, he was an active member of Polish community and chair of Józef Piłsudski Institute in London. On 1 January 1964 he was promoted to the rank of

by the government in exile. Józef Smoleński died in London in a trafic accident on 19 January 1978 and was buried at Gunnersbury Cemetery. His grandson Stéphane Crouzat is a French diplomat (ambassador of France to Ireland, 2017-2020, and to the Czech Republic from 2024).

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, ...

(1921), * 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 ...

, *

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 ...

(1931), *

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 ...

* 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 ...

, * Commander's Cross of the

Order of the Cross of the Eagle The Order of the Cross of the Eagle (; ) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a state order in 1936. The Order of the Cross of the Eagle is bestowe ...

(Estonia, 1937).

Sources

* Grzegorz Nowik i Maciej Smolenski, Ósmy Ułan Beliny. Generał brygady Józef Marian Smoleński "Kolec" (1894–1978), Oficyna Wydawnicza RYTM, 2008, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Smolenski, Jozef 1894 births 1978 deaths Recipients of the Cross of Independence Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War University of Liège alumni

Awards

See also

Sources