Władysław Filar (18 July 1926 – 13 August 2019) was a Polish historian, academic and a soldier of the 27th Home Army Infantry Division. Filar was born in Iwanicze Nowe in

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

(now

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). During the Second World War, he fought against the Germans in Volhynia in

Operation Tempest file:Akcja_burza_1944.png, 210px, right Operation Tempest or Operation Burza (, sometimes referred to in English as "Operation Storm") was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II against occupying German forces by the Polish Home Arm ...

, and defended Polish villages against the

Ukrainian Insurgent Army The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist partisan formation founded by the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) on 14 October 1942. The UPA launched guerrilla warfare against Nazi Germany, the S ...

. In 1956, he completed the

Świerczewski General Staff Academy Świerczewski General Staff Academy () was a military academy of the Polish People's Army. It was named after Karol Świerczewski. History On April 17, 1947, the Minister of National Defense, Marshal of Poland, Michał Rola-Żymierski, issued an or ...

and in 1963 received a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

Military History Military history is the study of War, armed conflict in the Human history, history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to Politics, local and international relationship ...

. He

habilitated Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellen ...

in 1970 and became associate professor in 1973. He authored up to 120 historical and military publications. Filar also organized a series of historical seminars: "Poland – Ukraine: difficult questions" (1996–2001). Filar latterly served as the vice-chairman of Volhynia County, World Union of

Home Army 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 ...

. He died 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 ...

on 13 August 2019, at the age of 93.

Awards and decorations

* Cross of Valour *

Partisan Cross The Partisan Cross () was a Polish military decoration awarded to World War II partisans (part of resistance movement fighting in the countryside). It was introduced by the Council of Ministers on October 26, 1945. It was awarded from 1945 unt ...

Polish Army Medal The Polish Army Medal () was established by Poland on 3 September 1999 to recognize service to the Polish Army by foreign civilians and military personnel. The medal is presented in three grades Gold, Silver, and Bronze by the Polish Minister of N ...

, three times * Home Army Cross

Books

* ''Przed Akcją Wisła był Wołyń'', książka pod redakcją Władysława Filara, Wydawnictwo: Światowy Związek Żołnierzy Armii Krajowej, 1997. * ''Wołyń 1939-1944. Eksterminacja, czy walki polsko-ukraińskie'', Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, 2003. * ''Przebraże bastion polskiej samoobrony na Wołyniu'', Rytm Oficyna Wydawnicza, 2007. * ''Wydarzenia wołyńskie 1939-1944. W poszukiwaniu odpowiedzi na trudne pytania'', Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, 2008. * ''"Burza" na Wołyniu". Z dziejów 27 Wołyńskiej Dywizji Piechoty Armii Krajowej. Studium historyczno-wojskowe'', Oficyna Wydawnicza RYTM i ROPWiM, Warszawa 1997.

References

Sources

Publishing house Adam Marszałek
(In Polish) 1926 births 2019 deaths People from Volyn Oblast 20th-century Polish historians Polish male non-fiction writers Home Army members Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Polish Army Medal Recipients of the Armia Krajowa Cross Recipients of the Medal of the 40th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland {{Poland-historian-stub