Major Wanda Gertz (13 April 1896 – 10 November 1958) was a
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
woman of noble birth, who began her military career in the
Polish Legion during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
,
dressed as a man, under the pseudonym of "Kazimierz 'Kazik' Żuchowicz". She subsequently served in the
Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet
Voluntary Legion of Women ( pl, Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet (OLK)) was a voluntary Polish paramilitary organization, created by women in Lviv in late 1918. At that time possession of the city was contested by the Poles and Ukrainians, and women decide ...
(Women's Voluntary Legion) of the
Polish Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated ''SZ RP''; popularly called ''Wojsko Polskie'' in Poland, abbreviated ''WP''—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national armed forces of ...
during the
Polish–Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921)
* russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...
. In the
interwar
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...
period she became a reserve officer but faced discrimination and was stripped of her officer rank. She worked closely with
Marshal Piłsudski and remained an activist in the cause of women in the military.
With the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
her experience and skills in
Special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
were ultimately recognised by military men and having joined the resistance in 1939 under codename, "Lena", she became an officer and commander of an all-female battalion in the
Home Army
The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, 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) esta ...
. She was awarded the highest Polish military honours, a singular rarity for any woman of her generation to achieve.
Early life and background
She was born Wanda Gertz von Schliess in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, to Florentyna and Jan Gertz von Schliess. Her family originally came from
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
, but had settled in the
Commonwealth of Two Nations during the eighteenth century, while the
House of Wettin
The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its ori ...
occupied the Polish throne. Gertz's father fought in the
January Uprising
The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...
of 1863–64, and Gertz grew up hearing the stories of her father and his comrades. Years later she wrote:
:''As a five-year-old girl I had never had any dolls, only innumerable toy soldiers, which my older brother, his friends and I played with. Even then, I knew that high military rank was not for girls. My fondest dream was to become an officer. However, as a girl, I could only be a private.''
In 1913, Gertz completed the
''Kuzienkowa'' Gymnasium in Warsaw. She then trained in
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, and is part of the process of accounting in business and other organizations. It involves preparing source documents for all transactions, operations, and other events of a business. Tr ...
with the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce.
While still at school she had joined the 4th,
Emilia Plater
Countess Emilia Broel-Plater ( lt, Emilija Pliaterytė; 13 November 1806 – 23 December 1831) was a Polish-Lithuanian (adjective), Polish–Lithuanian szlachta, noblewoman and revolutionary from the lands of the partitions of Poland, partitione ...
troop of the then illegal
Girl Guides
Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...
. After the outbreak of World War I in 1914, she joined the ''Konfederacja Polska'' (Polish confederation), a national independence lobby organization. Gertz distributed political leaflets and made clothes for prisoners of war. She then joined the 4th Warsaw Battalion, but in August 1915 after the Battalion had been absorbed into the 1st Brigade of the ''Polish Legion'', women were prohibited from serving on the front line.
World War I
Having cut off her hair and dressed in men's clothing, Gertz presented herself at a recruitment office of the Polish Legion as, "Kazimierz Zuchowicz". All went well until the medical inspection. However, a sympathetic doctor promised to help, and she was assigned to serve as a medical orderly. After a few weeks "Kazik" was reassigned to an artillery unit, serving there for six months, and seeing action during the
Brusilov Offensive. As she was a horse rider, she was able to serve in a signals platoon. After returning to Warsaw in 1917, following the
Oath crisis
The Oath crisis ( pl, Kryzys przysięgowy) was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions.
Initially supporting the Central Powers against Imperial Russia, Piłsudski ...
, Gertz joined the women's branch of the clandestine
Polish Military Organisation
The Polish Military Organisation, PMO ( pl, Polska Organizacja Wojskowa, POW) was a secret military organization which formed during World War I (1914-1918). Józef Piłsudski founded the group in August 1914; it adopted the name ''POW'' in Novem ...
- ''Polska Organizacja Wojskowa''.
On 8 December 1917 during a demonstration in
Saviour Square - (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw, Gertz was arrested and sentenced to six months in prison, but having paid bail, she was released after a few weeks. Upon release she worked as a courier, and was involved in disarming German troops in November 1918. In December 1918 Poland finally gained its independence, and Gertz joined the People's Militia, and was assigned to the Armaments Section in March 1919.
Polish–Soviet War
![Zolnierki 1920](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Zolnierki_1920.JPG)
In April 1919, soon after the outbreak of the Polish–Soviet War, Gertz enlisted in the Polish Army and was assigned to the
1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division. In September 1919, she was appointed commander of the
Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet
Voluntary Legion of Women ( pl, Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet (OLK)) was a voluntary Polish paramilitary organization, created by women in Lviv in late 1918. At that time possession of the city was contested by the Poles and Ukrainians, and women decide ...
- (2nd Women's Volunteer Legion) in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
. The Women's Legions played an auxiliary role, usually engaged only in guard duties, but during the fighting for Vilnius, the 2nd Legion did see action at the front, helping to fight off the attacks of
Hayk Bzhishkyan
Hayk Bzhishkian ( hy, Հայկ Բժշկյան, Persian هایک پزشکیان, Russian: Гайк Бжишкян, also known as Guy Dmitrievich Guy, Gai Dmitrievich Gai (Гай Дмитриевич Гай), Gaya Gai (Гая Гай), or Bzhishky ...
's Cavalry Corps. In the rank of lieutenant to which Gertz advanced in 1920, she was subsequently awarded the
Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...
medal.
At the end of the war in 1921, Gertz was demobilized and moved to the reserve forces. In 1922 her rank of lieutenant was "removed" from her on the grounds that there was no basis in law for a woman in the Polish armed forces to hold an officer rank. She worked for an engineering enterprise, ''Koncern Maszynowy S.A.'' from 1923, and after the
May Coup of 1926, she became
Chef de Cabinet
In several French-speaking countries and international organisations, a (French; literally 'head of office') is a senior civil servant or official who acts as an aide or private secretary to a high-ranking government figure, typically a minist ...
in the office of
Józef Piłsudski
), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania)
, death_date =
, death_place = Warsaw, Poland
, constituency =
, party = None (formerly PPS)
, spouse =
, children = Wan ...
who was then
General Inspector of the Armed Forces. In 1928 Gertz became one of the first 13 members of the ''
Przysposobienie Wojskowe Kobiet'' (Women's Military Training) where she served as an instructor. After Piłsudski's death in 1935, she co-founded the
Belweder
Belweder (; from the Italian language, Italian ''belvedere'', "beautiful view") is a Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical palace in Warsaw, Poland. Erected in 1660 and remodelled in the early 1800s, it is one of several official residences u ...
Museum, where she remained in a management role until September 1939. Her spare time was devoted to other military activities. In 1938 she became treasurer of the ''Federation of Polish Associations of the Defenders of the Homeland''.
World War II
Soon after the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Gertz was one of the first women to join the resistance movement,
Service for Poland's Victory
Służba Zwycięstwu Polski (''Service for Poland's Victory'', or ''Polish Victory Service'', abbreviated SZP) was the first Polish resistance movement in World War II. It was created by the order of general Juliusz Rómmel on 27 September 1939, w ...
(Służba Zwycięstwu Polski - SZP), operating under the
code name
A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...
"Lena". She organized clandestine communications, acted as courier, and was assistant to the divisional commander, Stanisław Kozarski. In April 1942 Gertz was ordered to create and command a new unit ''Dywersja i Sabotaż Kobiet'' - "oddział Dysk" (Women's Diversion and Sabotage unit), as part of the
Kedyw
''Kedyw'' (, partial acronym of ''Kierownictwo Dywersji'' ("Directorate of Diversion") was a Polish World War II Home Army unit that conducted active and passive sabotage, propaganda and armed operations against Nazi German forces and collaborato ...
. Its members carried out attacks on German military personnel, airfields, trains and bridges. Gertz seems to have been sceptical about the planned
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...
, and prohibited members of her group from taking part, though many did so anyway.
She was promoted to the rank of major in September 1944.
Captured after the Uprising, still known as ''Major Kazik'', Gertz was held as a prisoner-of-war and recognised by the Germans as commandant of 2,000 other female fighters who had survived. She passed through camps at
Ożarów
Ożarów () is a town in Poland, in the province of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in Opatów county (Powiat of Opatów), historic Lesser Poland, with 10,399 inhabitants as of December 31, 2021. Ożarów received its town charter in 1569, during t ...
,
Lamsdorf and
Mühlberg, and finally in late 1944 arrived at
Molsdorf, all the while retaining command and respect among her fellow POWs.
On 5 April 1945 the POWs of Molsdorf were marched to nearby
Blankenhain
Blankenhain is a town in the Weimarer Land district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is south of Weimar.
History
Until the Napoleonic Wars, Blankenhain had been a part of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar. After the Fourth Coalition's defeat at Jena and Aue ...
before finally being liberated on 13 May 1945 by troops of the
U.S. 89th Infantry Division.
Post-war life
As part of allied Polish forces in Germany under British command, Gertz arrived with them in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, returning to Europe after the
German surrender
The German Instrument of Surrender (german: Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht, lit=Unconditional Capitulation of the "Wehrmacht"; russian: Акт о капитуляции Германии, Akt o kapitulyatsii Germanii, lit=Act of capit ...
to serve as Inspector for Women Home Army Soldiers. She travelled throughout Germany and Italy in search of
displaced Polish women. From May 1946 until February 1949 she was part of the
Polish Resettlement Corps
The Polish Resettlement Corps (PRC; pl, Polski Korpus Przysposobienia i Rozmieszczenia) was an organisation formed by the British Government in 1946 as a holding unit for members of the Polish Armed Forces who had been serving with the British Arm ...
, serving as Inspector of Women Soldiers in the north of England. Her task was to prepare them for civilian life in Britain. After demobilisation Gertz worked in a canteen until her death from cancer on 10 November 1958. Her funeral was attended by many veterans, including
Aleksandra Piłsudska
Aleksandra Piłsudska ( Szczerbińska; 12 December 1882 – 31 March 1963) was a Polish socialist and independence activist, member of Polish Socialist Party and Polish Military Organisation, the second wife of Józef Piłsudski.
Life and caree ...
, and Generals
Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski Michał () is a Polish and Sorbian form of Michael and may refer to:
* Michał Bajor (born 1957), Polish actor and musician
* Michał Chylinski (born 1986), Polish basketball player
* Michał Drzymała (1857–1937), Polish rebel
* Michał Helle ...
and
Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski
Generał Tadeusz Komorowski (1 June 1895 – 24 August 1966), better known by the name Bór-Komorowski (after one of his wartime code-names: ''Bór'' – "The Forest") was a Polish military leader. He was appointed commander in chief a day bef ...
. In 1960 her ashes were taken to Poland and interred at the
Powązki Military Cemetery
Powązki Military Cemetery (; pl, Cmentarz Wojskowy na Powązkach) is an old military cemetery located in the Żoliborz district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. The cemetery is often confused with the older Powązki Cemetery, known colloquial ...
in Warsaw.
Publications
* ''W pierwszym pułku artylerii - Służba Ojczyźnie'' - "In the first regiment of artillery - service to the fatherland", Warsaw, 1929
Awards
*
![POL Virtuti Militari Srebrny BAR](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/POL_Virtuti_Militari_Srebrny_BAR.svg)
Silver Cross of the
Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...
*
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cr ...
of the
Order of Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) 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 al ...
(Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski), awarded posthumously
*
Cross of Valour -
Krzyż Walecznych
The Cross of Valour ( pl, Krzyż Walecznych) is a Polish military decoration. It was first 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 fi ...
, five times, the first time in 1921
[Rozkaz Ministra Spraw Wojskowych L. 2142 z 1921 r]
(Dziennik Personalny z 1922 r. Nr 1, s. 84)
by order of the Minister of War.
*
Cross of Independence
Cross of Independence ( pl, Krzyż Niepodległości) was second highest Polish military decorations 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 cl ...
-
Krzyż Niepodległości, with Swords
*
Gold Cross of Merit with Swords -
Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami
See also
*
History of Poland during World War I
While Poland did not exist as an independent state during World War I, its geographical position between the fighting powers meant that much fighting and terrific human and material losses occurred on the Polish lands between 1914 and 1918.
When ...
*
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II (''Polski ruch oporu w czasie II wojny światowej''), with the Polish Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance movement in all of occupied Europe, covering both German a ...
*
Women in World War II
Women took on many different roles during World War II, including as combatants and workers on the home front. The war involved global conflict on an unprecedented scale; the absolute urgency of mobilizing the entire population made the expansio ...
*
Women's roles in the World Wars
During both world wars, women were required to undertake new roles by their respective national war efforts. Adams, R.J.Q. (1978). ''Arms and the Wizard. Lloyd George and the Ministry of Munitions 1915 - 1916'', London: Cassell & Co Ltd. . Par ...
*
Kedyw
''Kedyw'' (, partial acronym of ''Kierownictwo Dywersji'' ("Directorate of Diversion") was a Polish World War II Home Army unit that conducted active and passive sabotage, propaganda and armed operations against Nazi German forces and collaborato ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gertz, Wanda
1896 births
1958 deaths
Military personnel from Warsaw
People from Warsaw Governorate
Polish people of German descent
Polish female military personnel
Polish women in World War I
Polish Army officers
Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari
Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Recipients of the Cross of Independence with Swords
Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland)
Recipients of the Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland)
Female wartime cross-dressers
Polish female soldiers
Polish Military Organisation members
Polish legionnaires (World War I)
Polish people of the Polish–Ukrainian War
Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War
People of the Polish May Coup (pro-Piłsudski side)
Women in World War II
Polish resistance members of World War II
Female resistance members of World War II
Polish military personnel of World War II
Warsaw Uprising insurgents
Polish prisoners of war
World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
Women in European warfare
Polish women in war
Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom
Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery
20th-century Polish women