Virtuti Militari

Last updated
Virtuti Militari
War Order of Virtuti Militari
Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari Grand Cross.jpg
Unknown - Grand Cross Star of the Virtuti Militari Order of the Duchy of Warsaw - MNK V-2034 (494800).jpg
TypeOrder
Awarded forVirtue at War
CountryFlag of Poland.svg  Poland
Presented bythe President of Poland
EligibilityMilitary personnel/ Military units
MottoHONOR I OJCZYZNA
(Honor and Fatherland)
StatusIn the award system but a wartime decoration only
Established22 June 1792
First awarded1792
Last awarded1989
Precedence
Next (higher) Order of the White Eagle
EquivalentUnited States Medal of Honor
British Commonwealth Victoria Cross
Next (lower)Order of Polonia Restituta

The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: "For Military Virtue", Polish : 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 [1] [2] by Polish King Stanislaus II Augustus and is the oldest military decoration in the world still in use. [3]

Contents

It is awarded in five classes either for personal heroism or, to commanders, for leadership. [4] Some of the heroic actions recognized by an award of the Virtuti Militari are equivalent to those meriting the British Victoria Cross, [5] the German Iron Cross, and the American Medal of Honor. [6]

Soon after its introduction, however, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was destroyed in the partitions of Poland (1795), and the partitioning powers abolished the decoration and prohibited its wearing. Since then, the award has been reintroduced, renamed and banned several times, with its fate closely reflecting the vicissitudes of the Polish people. Throughout the decoration's existence, thousands of soldiers and officers, Polish and foreign, several cities and one ship have been awarded the Virtuti Militari for valor or outstanding leadership in war. There have been no new awards since 1989. [7]

Beginnings

Medal chapter (1792–1794)

• Lt.Gen. Józef Poniatowski, Tadeusz Kościuszko
• Maj.Gen. Michał Wielhorski, Stanisław Mokronowski, Józef Zajączek
• Brig. Eustachy Sanguszko
• Col. Józef Poniatowski, Michał Chomętowski
• Lt.Col. Ludwik Kamieniecki
• Maj. Mikołaj Bronikowski, Józef Szczutowski
Lt. Michał Cichocki, Ludwik Metzel

• Sq.L. Bartłomiej Giżycki
Medals Virtuti Militari 1792 Virtuti Militari 1792 1.JPG
Medals Virtuti Militari 1792

Throughout its history, the War Order of Virtuti Militari has shared its country's fate, and has been abolished and reintroduced several times.

The order was originally created on 22 June 1792 by King Stanisław II August to commemorate the victorious Battle of Zieleńce. [2] Initially, it comprised two classes: a golden medal for generals and officers, and a silver one for non-commissioned officers and ordinary soldiers. By August 1792, a statute for the decoration had been drafted, which was based on one that was created for the Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa. The regulation changed the shape of the decoration from a medal to a cross, which has not changed substantially since then. It also introduced five classes to the order.

Jozef Poniatowski Ksiaze Jozef.jpg
Józef Poniatowski

The first members of the decoration's chapter were also its first recipients. For the Polish-Russian War in Defence of the Constitution of 1792, a total of 63 officers and 290 NCOs and privates were awarded the Virtuti Militari. The statute was never fully implemented, however, since soon after its introduction the King acceded to the Targowica Confederation, which on 29 August 1792 abolished the decoration and prohibited its wearing. [2] Anyone who wore the medal could be demoted and expelled from the army by Poland's new authorities.

Although on 23 November 1793 the Grodno Sejm reintroduced the decoration, it was banned again on 7 January 1794, at the insistence of Russia's Catherine the Great. Only a year later, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth itself shared the fate of its decoration when what remained of the Commonwealth was annexed by its neighbors in the partitions of Poland. King Stanisław II August abdicated the same year. During his reign, 526 medals had been granted: 440 Silver Medals and Crosses, 85 Golden Medals and Crosses, and 1 Commander's Cross.

Among the most famous recipients of the Virtuti Militari in this period were Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski (1763–1813) and Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746–1817), [2] both able military commanders during the War in Defense of the Constitution and the Kościuszko Uprising.

Virtuti Militari Ribbon Bars
POL Virtuti Militari Srebrny BAR.svg
Silver Cross
POL Virtuti Militari Zloty BAR.svg
Golden Cross
POL Virtuti Militari Kawalerski BAR.svg
Knight's Cross
POL Virtuti Militari Komandorski BAR.svg
Commander's Cross
POL Virtuti Militari Wielki BAR.svg
Grand Cross with Star

Duchy of Warsaw

Recipients (1806–1815)

I Class (2 awarded):
• Prince Józef Poniatowski (25 February 1809)
Louis Nicolas Davout (22 March 1809)
II Class (10 awarded):
Józef Zajączek (1 February 1808)
Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (6 March 1808)
Karol Kniaziewicz (17 November 1812)
Stanisław Fiszer (22 August 1809)
Michał Sokolnicki (22 August 1809)
Aleksander Rożniecki (22 August 1809)
Józef Chłopicki (26 November 1810)
Amilkar Kosiński (17 November 1812)
Ludwik Pac (1 October 1813)
Mikołaj Bronikowski
III Class (504 awarded)
IV Class (23 awarded)

V Class (1130 awarded)
Prince Jozef Poniatowski with Virtuti Militari star Prince Jozef Poniatowski, by Josef Grassi.jpg
Prince Józef Poniatowski with Virtuti Militari star

In 1806, Lt. Gen. Prince Józef Poniatowski was promoted to commander-in-chief of all forces of the Duchy of Warsaw, the short-lived Polish state allied with Napoleon I of France. As one of the first recipients of the Virtuti Militari, Poniatowski insisted on the reintroduction of the decoration. [2] Finally on 26 December 1806, the King of Saxony and Duke of Warsaw Fryderyk August Wettin accepted the proposal and reintroduced the Virtuti Militari as the highest military award for all Polish soldiers fighting alongside France in the Napoleonic Wars. The official name of the decoration was changed to the Military Medal of the Duchy of Warsaw; however, soldiers remained faithful to the former name. The royal decree also introduced a new class system that has been in use ever since, with the class of the cross depending on the rank of the soldier to whom it is awarded:

  1. I Class – Grand Cross (with Star) (Krzyż Wielki z Gwiazdą, for commanders in chief)
  2. II Class – Commander's Cross (Krzyż Komandorski, for division commanders)
  3. III Class – Knight's Cross (Krzyż Kawalerski, for brigadiers, colonels and majors)
  4. IV Class – Golden Cross (Krzyż Złoty)
  5. V Class – Silver Cross (Krzyż Srebrny)
Jozef Chlopicki Jozef Chlopicki 1.PNG
Józef Chłopicki

Initially each of the high commanders of the Army had a quota of Virtuti Militari to be awarded to his soldiers. However, the system was soon changed and, since then, the order has been usually awarded centrally for individual acts of bravery after being nominated by the chain of command. According to the decree of 10 October 1812, each of the recipients of a Golden or Silver Cross had the right to a yearly salary until promoted to officer or (if demobilised) for life. In addition, during the Napoleonic Wars, the present tradition of awarding the soldiers with the Virtuti Militari in front of the unit was established. Between 1806 and 1815, there were 2569 crosses awarded to Polish soldiers fighting on all fronts, from Santo Domingo to Russia and from Italy to Spain.

Among the famous recipients of the medal in this period were General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (1755–1818), the organiser of Polish Legions in Italy during the Napoleonic Wars, after whom the Polish national anthem Mazurek Dąbrowskiego is named, and General Józef Chłopicki (1771–1854). [2] Also, on 20 May 1809, Sergeant Joanna Żubr became the first woman to receive the decoration (V class) for her part in the assault on Zamość. [2]

Congress Poland

Chivalry Cross of Virtuti Militari from November Uprising 1831 Virtuti Militari Cross from November Uprising 1831.png
Chivalry Cross of Virtuti Militari from November Uprising 1831
Recipients (1830–1831)

I Class (none awarded)
II Class (1 awarded):
• General Jan Skrzynecki (for the battles of Wawer and Dębe Wielkie)
III Class (105 awarded)
IV Class (1794 awarded) e.g. Antoni Patek

V Class (1963 awarded)

In 1815 at the Congress of Vienna, when European powers reorganised Europe following the Napoleonic wars, the Kingdom of Poland—known unofficially as the "Congress Poland"—was created. This state, with a tenth the area of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and a fifth of its population, was now tied to Russia in a personal union. In Congress Poland, the Virtuti Militari medal was renamed the "Polish Military Medal" (Medal Wojskowy Polski). [2] Both the statutes of Virtuti Militari and privileges granted to recipients were preserved. A special commission was created to award the Virtuti Militari to veterans of the Napoleonic campaigns of 1812, 1813, and 1814. By 1820, an additional 1,213 crosses of all classes had been awarded. [8] Also, on 5 June 1817, a royal decree ennobled all officers who received the Golden Cross.

At the time, the Kingdom of Poland was one of the few constitutional monarchies in Europe, with the Emperor of the Russian Empire as Polish king. The country was given one of the most liberal constitutions in nineteenth-century Europe, although it was very different from the Polish Constitution of 3rd May of the late Commonwealth. The Polish desire for freedom and respect for traditional privileges was a source of constant friction between the Poles and the Russians. The main problem was that the tsars, who had absolute power in Russia, similarly wanted no restrictions on their rule in Poland. Nicholas I of Russia decided in 1825 not to be crowned king of Poland, and he continued to limit Polish liberties. In response to repeated curtailment of Polish constitutional rights, the Polish parliament in 1830 deposed the Tsar as King of Poland. When the resultant November Uprising broke out, the Tsar reacted by sending in Russian troops. [9] [10]

Provisional chapter (1920)

• Gen. Józef Piłsudski, Józef Haller de Hallenburg
• Lt.Gen. Wacław Iwaszkiewicz
• Brig. Franciszek Latinik, Jan Romer, Edward Rydz
• Col. Mieczysław Kuliński, Stanisław Skrzyński
• Maj. Mieczysław Mackiewicz

• Capt. Andrzej Kopa, Adam Koc

After the outbreak of this uprising against Russia the Polish Sejm decreed, on 19 February 1831, that the decoration be restored to its original name, the "Order Virtuti Militari." Between 3 March and October that year 3,863 crosses were awarded. Recipients of the Silver Cross included three women: [11]

After the defeat of the uprising, Tsar Nicholas I abolished the decoration and banned its use. [12] On 31 December 1831 it was replaced with the "Polish Sign of Honor" (Polski Znak Honorowy), an exact copy of the original cross but awarded only to Russians for services to the Tsarist authorities. [13]

Republic of Poland

Recipients (1920–1939)

I Class (6 awarded):
Marshal of Poland Józef Piłsudski
Ferdinand Foch (France)
King of Romania Ferdinand I
King of the Belgians Albert I
King of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Alexander I
King of Italy Vittorio Emmanuele III
II Class (19 awarded):
• Field Marshals: Yasukata Oku (Japan)
Kageaki Kawamura (Japan)
Armando Diaz (Italy)
Gen. Zygmunt Zieliński
Stanisław Szeptycki
Maxime Weygand (France)
Lucjan Żeligowski
John Pershing (United States)
• Duke of Aosta Emmanuele Filiberto (Italy)
Gen.dyw. Edward Rydz
Stanisław Haller de Hallenburg
Jan Romer
Kazimierz Sosnkowski
Leonard Skierski
Władysław Sikorski
Wacław Iwaszkiewicz
• Duke of Torino Emmanuele Filiberto (Italy)
Gen.bryg. Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski
III Class (14 awarded)
płk Stefan Dąb-Biernacki, ppłk Gustaw Paszkiewicz, Maj. Zygmunt Piasecki
• and 11 foreigners
IV Class (50 awarded)
ppłk Gustaw Paszkiewicz, Kazimierz Rybicki, Stefan Dąb-Biernacki
• Maj. Zygmunt Piasecki
rotm Stanisław Radziwiłł (posthumously)
• Sgt. Kazimierz Sipika, Stanisław Jakubowicz
• and 43 foreigners
Class V (8,300 awarded)
Mieczyslaw Garsztka
Stanislaw Jackowski
Walery Sławek

• Including: 1,800 posthumously and 187 to foreigners
General John Pershing other officers receiving the Virtuti Militari by Prime Minister Ignacy Paderewski at the Polish embassy in Washington, D.C. on 14 March 1921 General John Pershing, Captain Harmon Rorison and Lt. Kenneth Shrewsbury receiving the Virtuti Militari by Prime Minister Ignacy Paderewski of Poland, Washington, D.C. on 14 March 1921 LOC npcc.03711 (cropped).jpg
General John Pershing other officers receiving the Virtuti Militari by Prime Minister Ignacy Paderewski at the Polish embassy in Washington, D.C. on 14 March 1921
Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw Gnz02.jpg
Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw

Poland regained its independence in 1918 as the Second Republic of Poland and the Polish Sejm reintroduced the Virtuti Militari on 1 August the following year under a new official name, the "Military Award Virtuti Militari" (Order Wojskowy Virtuti Militari). [2] A new statute of the decoration was also passed, and the class system introduced under the Duchy of Warsaw was re-introduced. [14] According to the new statute, crosses of each class could be awarded to a different class of soldiers and for various deeds:

Each recipient of the Virtuti Militari, regardless of rank or post, received a yearly salary of 300 złoty. [15]

Other privileges included the right of pre-emption when buying a state-owned land property or applying for a state post. Children of recipients received additional points during examinations in state schools and universities. Additionally, recipients of the Virtuti Militari had a right to be saluted by other soldiers of equal rank and NCOs, and ordinary soldiers could be promoted to the next higher rank upon receiving the award.

Coat-of-arms of city of Lwow, with Virtuti Militari pendent POL Lwow COA.svg
Coat-of-arms of city of Lwów, with Virtuti Militari pendent

The new Chapter of the decoration (Kapituła Orderu Virtuti Militari) was comprised twelve recipients of the crosses, four from each class from I to IV. The head of the chapter was Marshal of Poland Józef Piłsudski, the only living Pole awarded the Grand Cross with Star. As commander-in-chief of the Polish Army, he could award medals of Classes I to III with the consent of the Chapter, and Classes IV and V upon receiving an application from the commander of a division or brigade. The Polish national feast day of 3 May was chosen as the feast day of the Virtuti Militari. [16]

On 1 January 1920 Józef Piłsudski awarded the first crosses to eleven members of a Provisional Chapter. On 22 January 1920, to commemorate the anniversary of the outbreak of the January Uprising, the first soldiers and officers were officially decorated with the Virtuti Militari for their deeds during World War I and the Polish-Ukrainian War. By 1923, when the award of new medals was halted, the Chapter had awarded crosses to 6,589 recipients. Most of the recipients were veterans of the Polish-Bolshevik War, but among them were also the veterans of all wars in which Polish soldiers fought in the twentieth century, as well as some veterans of the January Uprising. Among the recipients of the Silver Cross were two cities, Lwów and Verdun, as well as the banners of fourteen infantry regiments, six cavalry regiments, an engineer battalion, a Women's Auxiliary Service unit, and twelve artillery units. [17] [18]

A new Chapter was chosen for times of peace on 24 November 1922. The following year, the last decoration of the Virtuti Militari was granted for World War I and the Polish-Bolshevik War, and further awards were halted. On 25 March 1933 the Sejm passed a new "Order of Virtuti Militari Act" (Ustawa o Orderze Virtuti Militari); this modified the shape of all the crosses and extended the privileges granted to recipients by the act of 1919. All recipients of the decoration had the right to buy railway tickets at 20% of their normal prices. The state paid for the medical care of recipients and was obliged to provide each with a job that would enable him to "live a decent life". The government was ordered to provide money, food, and clothing to war invalids for the rest of their lives. Finally, the annual salary of 300 złotys was freed from taxes and could not be impounded by the courts. [19]

Wartime nurse Teresa Grodzinska, the first woman in the Second Polish Republic to receive Virtuti Militari. Teresa Jadwiga Grodzinska.jpg
Wartime nurse Teresa Grodzińska, the first woman in the Second Polish Republic to receive Virtuti Militari.

Also, the criteria for granting the crosses became more strict:

The Silver Cross could also be awarded to military units, cities and civilians. All classes of the Virtuti Militari medal were awarded by the commander-in-chief during the war or former commander-in-chief after the end of hostilities. Classes I to III were awarded after nomination by the Chapter; Classes IV and V were nominated through the chain of command (usually by the commander of a division or brigade). Apart from the twelve members of the Chapter, all recipients of Class I had a right to take part in the voting.

World War II

Recipients (1939–1945) (Exile)

II Class (3 awarded):
• Lt General Władysław Anders
• Lt General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski
• Brigadier General Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski
III Class (6 awarded)
• Lt General Władysław Anders
• Lt General Stanisław Maczek
• Brigadier General Bronisław Duch
• Lt General Tadeusz Kutrzeba
• Brigadier General Franciszek Kleeberg
• Brigadier General Antoni Chruściel
IV Class (201 awarded)
V Class (5363 awarded)
• Brigadier General Wilhelm Orlik-Rueckemann
• Commander Bolesław Trzaskowski

• City of Warsaw for Heroic defence in 1939

During the Polish Defensive War of 1939, the fast German and Soviet advance (Polish territory was overrun by its enemies in five weeks from the beginning of the invasion) prevented the Chapter from awarding the medals. Instead, commanders of divisions and brigades usually rewarded the bravery of their soldiers with their own crosses received before the war. This was the case of the 18th Pomeranian Uhlan Regiment, awarded the Virtuti Militari of General Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki after the battle of Krojanty, where elements of the regiment successfully delayed the advance of the German infantry on 1 September, the first day of the Second World War.

Following the fall of Poland in 1939, much of the Polish Army was evacuated to France, where it was reconstructed under the command of General Władysław Sikorski. In January 1941, the Polish Government in Exile introduced the Virtuti Militari as the highest military decoration of the Polish Army in exile. The legal basis for the election of a new Chapter was the Act of 1933. During the Second World War, the Virtuti Militari was also often bestowed to senior military officers of allied armies, including British General Bernard Montgomery; the American Supreme Commander of the Allied forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower; French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny; Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov; and Serbian guerrilla leader Draža Mihailović.

Among the most famous recipients of the medal during this period were Tadeusz Kutrzeba, creator of the Bzura counterattack plan and participant in the defence of Warsaw during the Invasion of Poland; Władysław Anders, commander of the 2nd Polish Corps; Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, commander of the large Armia Krajowa resistance movement and leader of the Warsaw Uprising; and Stanisław Maczek, [2] one of the best armor commanders of the war, who devised the first anti-blitzkrieg strategy as early as 1940 and was the commander of the 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade, considered to be the only Polish unit not to have lost a single battle in 1939, and from 1942 the commander of the First Polish Armoured Division.

People's Republic of Poland

Recipients (1943–1990) PRL

I Class (13 awarded):
Marshal of the USSR and Marshal of Poland Konstanty Rokossowski
• Marshal Michał Rola-Żymierski
• General Aleksei Antonov
• Marshal Leonid Brezhnev (revoked 1990)
Marshal of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito
• Major General Nikolai Bulganin
• Marshal Andriey Grechko
• Marshal Ivan Koniev
• Marshal Alexander Vasilievski
• Marshal Georgy Zhukov
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery
• General Ludvík Svoboda
• General Karol Świerczewski (posthumous)
II Class (18 awarded):
• Lt General Stanisław Popławski
• Lt General Juliusz Rómmel
• Lt General Karol Świerczewski
• Major Henryk Sucharski
III Class (57 awarded)
• Lt General Bolesław Kieniewicz
• Lt General Władysław Korczyc
• Lt General Marian Spychalski
IV Class (227 awarded)
• Captain Władysław Raginis (posthumous)

V Class (4852 awarded)
Bridge of ORP Blyskawica decorated with Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari IV Class. Mostek Blyskawicy.jpg
Bridge of ORP Błyskawica decorated with Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari IV Class.

The Soviet-backed Polish Armies fighting on the Eastern Front were also awarding the Virtuti Militari. On 11 November 1943 General Zygmunt Berling awarded Silver Crosses to sixteen veterans of the Battle of Lenino. On 22 December 1944 the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation passed a "Virtuti Militari Award Act", which accepted the medal as the highest military decoration of both the 1st Polish Army of the Red Army and the Armia Ludowa resistance organization. [2]

Although the decree of the Polish Committee of National Liberation was loosely based on the act of the Polish Sejm of 1933, the exclusive right to award the decoration to soldiers was granted to the Home National Council. In 1947 the right passed to the President of Poland, then to the Polish Council of State after that body replaced the presidency. Between 1943 and 1989, the Communist authorities of the People's Republic of Poland awarded the medal to 5,167 people and organisations. Some of the crosses were given to the officers and leaders of the Red Army and of other armies allied with the Soviet Union during and after World War II. [20]

Among the recipients of the Golden Cross (Class IV) was destroyer ORP Błyskawica, probably the only warship in the world to be awarded the highest-ranking national medal. [21] Błyskawica Recipients of Class V of the Virtuti Militari included military units, including two infantry divisions, six infantry regiments, three artillery regiments, four tank regiments, three air force regiments, as well as smaller units. [22]

Republic of Poland (after 1989)

1 - Silver Cross, 2 - Gold Cross, 3 - Knight's Cross, 4 - Commander's Cross, 5 - Grand Cross Virtuti.JPG
1 – Silver Cross, 2 – Gold Cross, 3 – Knight's Cross, 4 – Commander's Cross, 5 – Grand Cross

After Poland overthrew the Communist rule in 1989, a number of Virtuti Militari awards made by the communist authorities were brought into question. On 10 July 1990, President Wojciech Jaruzelski revoked the Grand Cross given to Leonid Brezhnev on 21 July 1974. On 16 October 1992, the Polish Sejm passed a new Virtuti Militari Act, which is based on the act of 1933. It restored the Chapter of Virtuti Militari abolished by the communist authorities, while also confirming all decorations bestowed by both the Polish government in exile and the Soviet-backed authorities in Poland. [23]

In 1995, President Lech Wałęsa revoked the Order given to Ivan Serov, who was accused of being responsible for the deaths of thousands of Poles. [24] In 2006, President Lech Kaczyński revoked the Cross of the Order given to Wincenty Romanowski, who tortured anti-Communist fighters. [25]

Since 1989 there have been no new awards of the Virtuti Militari, and a new act of parliament introduced a rule setting the final deadline for awards at "no later than five years after the cessation of hostilities." [26]

In wartime, the President of the Republic of Poland could award the OWVM for heroism in battle. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henryk Dobrzański</span> Polish army commander (1897–1940)

Major Henryk Dobrzański was a Polish soldier, sportsman and partisan. He fought in the Polish Legions in World War I, Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918, the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1919-1921 and the Polish September Campaign of 1939. He is however best known as the leader of the partisan unit known as the Detached Unit of the Polish Army which operated in 1939 and early 1940 near Kielce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of Polonia Restituta</span> Polish state order for extraordinary and distinguished service

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, art, economics, national defense, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries. It is Poland's second-highest civilian state award in the order of precedence, behind the Order of the White Eagle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konstanty Plisowski</span> Polish general (1890–1940)

Konstanty Plisowski of Odrowąż was a Polish general and military commander. He was the Commander in the battle of Jazłowiec and the battle of Brześć Litewski. He was murdered on Stalin's orders in the Katyn massacre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna Żubr</span> Polish soldier (1772 or 1782–1852)

Joanna Żubr was a Polish soldier of the Napoleonic Wars, a veteran of the Polish–Austrian War, and the first woman to receive the Virtuti Militari, the highest Polish military decoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolesław Kontrym</span>

Lieutenant Bolesław Kontrym, also known by codenames Żmudzin, Biały, Bielski and Cichocki, was a Polish Army officer, a Home Army soldier, participant in the Warsaw Uprising and organizer of underground secret-police force Cichociemni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanda Gertz</span>

Major Wanda Gertz was a Polish woman of noble birth, who began her military career in the Polish Legion during World War I, dressed as a man, under the pseudonym of "Kazimierz 'Kazik' Żuchowicz". She subsequently served in the Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet of the Polish Armed Forces during the Polish–Soviet War. In the interwar 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wacław Przeździecki</span>

Wacław Jan Przeździecki was a Polish military commander and Brigadier General of the Polish Army. During the Invasion of Poland in 1939, he was the commanding officer of the reserve Wołkowysk Cavalry Brigade that fought in the battle of Grodno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henryk Sucharski</span> Polish military officer

Henryk Sucharski (1898–1946) was a Polish military officer and a major in the Polish Army. At the outbreak of World War II, he was one of the commanders of the Westerplatte position in Gdańsk, which troops under his command defended for seven days against overwhelming odds. Sucharski survived the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tadeusz Rozwadowski</span> Polish general

Count Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski was a Polish military commander, diplomat, and politician, a general of the Austro-Hungarian Army and then the Polish Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan Szlaszewski</span>

Stefan Szlaszewski was a Polish military officer and a notable commander of mountain troops of the Polish Army in the period preceding World War II. Serving at the rank of Colonel, he was the commanding officer of the Polish 2nd Podhale Rifles Regiment in Sanok, a prestigious unit of the Podhale Rifles attached to the 22nd Division. For his part in the battles of Kraków and Kielce during the Invasion of Poland he was awarded the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari, the highest Polish military award. For his part in the Polish-Bolshevik War and the remainder of World War II he also received a number of other decorations, both Polish and foreign. Among them was the Cross of Independence and the French Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franciszek Latinik</span> Polish military officer

Franciszek Ksawery Latinik was a Polish military officer, Colonel of Austro-Hungarian Army and Major General of the Polish Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Porwit</span> Polish military officer

Marian Paweł Porwit was a Polish military officer, a colonel of the Polish Army and a military historian. A commander of one of the sections of the Polish front during the Siege of Warsaw of 1939, after the war he became a historian known for documenting the Invasion of Poland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Berbecki</span> Polish army officer

Leon Berbecki was a Polish army officer, who fought in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I with the Imperial Russian Army. Following the foundation of the Second Polish Republic, Berbecki served in the Polish Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanisław Komornicki</span>

Stanisław Komornicki was a brigadier general in the Polish Army and the chancellor of the Order Virtuti Militari. He was born in Warsaw. He was a Polish underground activist, a member of underground Scouting, a soldier of Armia Krajowa, a participant in the Warsaw Uprising, an officer of the Polish First Army, a participant in the Battle of Kolberg, a writer, and a military historian.

The Decoration of Honour for Officers and Other Ranks for Wounds and Injuries – a Polish military award, established by the Council of National Defense on July 14, 1920, at the peak of the Polish–Soviet War and awarded to any military, irrespective of rank or branch of service for a wound or injury sustained in action against an enemy in defence of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karol Anders</span>

Karol Anders was a Colonel in the cavalry of the Polish Army, brother of Lt. General Władysław Anders and Colonel Tadeusz Anders, and double recipient of Poland's Virtuti Militari – IV and V Class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustaw Paszkiewicz</span>

Gustaw Paszkiewicz was a soldier of the Imperial Russian Army, and officer of the Polish Army. He entered the military service in 1914, at the age of 22, fighting as Russian soldier in World War I. Paszkiewicz was a soldier until 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zygmunt Aleksander Wnęk</span> Polish soldier and military officer

Zygmunt Aleksander Wnęk (1918–1944) was a Polish soldier and military officer. During World War II he served in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant (podporucznik) on the Western Front with the 1st Armoured Regiment of the 1st Armoured Division. Killed in action during the Battle of Falaise, he was posthumously awarded the Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazimierz Raszewski</span>

Kazimierz Raszewski was a lieutenant general of the Polish Army.

Jan Zabłocki was a Polish major of the 12 Crown Pedestrian Regiment, participant in the Polish–Russian War of 1792, decorated with the war order of Virtuti Militari.

References

  1. The Order of Saint George is conferred by the Russian government; as the modern Virtuti Militari itself, the present-day Order of Saint George is a revival: in its case, of a military order first established in 1769. The Purple Heart, still awarded by the United States of America, stems from a military award established in 1782.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "22 czerwca 1792 roku ustanowienie Orderu Wojennego Virtuti Militari". www.wspolnota-polska.org.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  3. Berkovits, Annette Libeskind. "What is the Oldest Military Decoration in the World Still in Use? | Annette Libeskind Berkovits". annetteberkovits.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  4. "Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari". www.prezydent.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2006-09-15. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  5. "My Polish father-in-law did more for Britain than any graffiti-spraying racist" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  6. Lerski, Jerzy Jan; Lerski, George J.; Lerski, Halina T. (1996). "Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945". Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   9780313260070 . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  7. ""Niegodni" Virtuti Militari. W Kancelarii Prezydenta przegląd orderów nadanych w PRL" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  8. "Virtuti Militari. Njwyższe odznaczenie wojskowe" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  9. "W nocy z 29 na 30 listopada 1830 r. wybuchło Powstanie Listopadowe" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  10. "Wybuch Powstania Listopadowego" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  11. "Kulczycka Józefa" (PDF). Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  12. "225. rocznica ustanowienia Orderu Virtuti Militari" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  13. "Polski Znak Honorowy 1831 – wzorowana na Virtuti Militari odznaka rosyjska za stłumienie Powstania Listopadowego" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  14. "II Rzeczpospolita przywróciła Order Orła Białego i Krzyż Virtuti Militari, przy tym jednak ustanowiła kilka zupełnie nowych odznaczeń" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  15. "Virtuti Militari. Njwyższe odznaczenie wojskowe" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  16. "Virtuti Militari – z cyklu "Droga do niepodległości"" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  17. "Odznaczenie Lwowa Orderem Virtuti Militari" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  18. ""Semper Fidelis", czyli za co Lwów odznaczono Orderem Virtuti Militari" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  19. "OKRES 1918–1939" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  20. "Order Virtuti Militari przyznawano również wrogom Polski" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  21. "80 lat ORP" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  22. "80 lat ORP" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  23. "Order Virtuti Militari przyznawano również wrogom Polski" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  24. ""Niegodni" Virtuti Militari. W Kancelarii Prezydenta przegląd orderów nadanych w PRL" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  25. ""Niegodni" Virtuti Militari. W Kancelarii Prezydenta przegląd orderów nadanych w PRL" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  26. "Ustanowienie Orderu Virtuti Militari" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  27. "225. rocznica ustanowienia Orderu Virtuti Militari" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.