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Henryk Dobrzański | |
|---|---|
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| Nickname | Hubal |
| Born | (1897-06-22)22 June 1897 |
| Died | 30 April 1940(1940-04-30) (aged 42) |
| Allegiance |  Second Polish Republic(1918–1939) |
| Branch |  Polish Army |
| Service years | 1912–1940 |
| Rank | Major |
| Conflicts | World War I Polish–Ukrainian Polish–Bolshevik War World War II |
| Awards | Virtuti Militari (2) Krzyż Walecznych (4) |
| Part ofa series on the |
| Polish Underground State |
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MajorHenryk Dobrzański (22 June 1897 – 30 April 1940), also known by hisnom-de-guerre "Hubal," was a Polish soldier, sportsman andpartisan. He fought in thePolish Legions in World War I,Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918, thePolish–Bolshevik War of 1919–1921 and thePolish September Campaign of 1939. He is however best known as the leader of the partisan unit known as theDetached Unit of the Polish Army which operated in 1939 and early 1940 nearKielce.
Exploits of Dobrzański and his unit, considered the firstpartisans in Poland and arguably, ofWorld War II, became a legend in Poland already during the war.[1][2][3] Known as Hubal, he has been described as Poland's last "Romantic Hero" and compared to figures such asRobin Hood,William Tell,Till Eulenspiegel andDavy Crockett.[4]
Henryk Dobrzański was born on 22 June 1897 inJasło,Austria-Hungary to aPolish noble family (Coat of arms of Leliwa), of Henryk Dobrzański de Hubal and Maria Dobrzańska née Lubieniecka. In 1912, he joined the pro-independencePolish Rifle Squads. When World War I broke out, he volunteered to joinJózef Piłsudski'sPolish Legions. He served with distinction in the 2nd Regiment ofUhlans and participated in many battles such asStawczany andBattle of Rarańcza. In 1918 afterPoland regained its independence, he joined thePolish Army.
Dobrzański took part in thePolish–Ukrainian War of 1918 and fought with his cavalryplatoon during theSiege of Lwów. He participated inPolish–Bolshevik War of 1919-1921. For his bravery, he was awarded theVirtuti Militari, the highest Polish military award, and four times theKrzyż Walecznych, in addition to many other military awards.
After thePeace of Riga, he remained in the Polish Army. He became a member of the Polishequestrian team, winning many international competitions. He also took part in the1928 Summer Olympics inAmsterdam and came fourth at the prestigiousAldershot competition. In his sports career, he gained 22 gold, three silver and four bronze medals altogether.
Shortly before the 1939Invasion of Poland he was assigned to the110th Reserve Cavalry Regiment [pl] as a deputy commander.[5] His unit was to enter combat as a second-line formation, but fast advances of theWehrmacht made the completion of training impossible. On 11 September it was moved toWołkowysk, from where it marched towardsGrodno andAugustów Forest. It fought several skirmishes against the German army and after theSoviet invasion of Poland took part in thedefense of the city against theRed Army.[citation needed]
After two days of heavy fighting against the numerically superior Soviets, on 20 September Grodno was lost and three days latergen. bryg.Wacław Przeździecki, the commander of the defense of the Grodno area, ordered all his troops to escape to neutralLithuania.[citation needed] According to another account that order was given shortly after the Soviet invasion begun, around 17 or 18 September. In either, case, the 110th Regiment did not obey this order. The unit joined with the remnants of several routed regiments and fought its way towards the capitalWarsaw.[5] It got surrounded by the Red Army in theBiebrza river area and suffered serious casualties, but managed to break through the enemy defenses.[citation needed] After that, Lieutenant ColonelJerzy Dąbrowski, the commander of the regiment, decided his unit should disband. A group of approximately 180 men wanted to continue, and Dobrzański took command of them and led them towardsWarsaw, which was under siege.[5] He named his force the "Detached Unit of the Polish Army" (Oddział Wydzielony Wojska Polskiego), a term first recorded on 24 September, when the unit was near theWoźnawieś village in thePodlasie region.[5][6]
Warsaw capitulated on 27 September, before Dobrzański and his men were able to reach it. That left him faced with three choices: disband, evacuate (viaHungary orRomania) to France, or continue the fight. Approximately 50 men volunteered to continue the fight. He led his unit southwards to try to break out and reach France.[5] On 1 October 1939 they crossed theVistula nearDęblin and started their march towards theHoly Cross Mountains. The next day his unit, previously avoiding engaging the German units, launched its first attack, when it successfully ambushed a bogged German convoy. After that he decided to stay in theKielce area with his unit and wait until theAllied relief came, which he expected in the spring of 1940.[5] He also swore that he would not take off his uniform until after the war.[citation needed] On 6 October theBattle of Kock ended the resistance of the last major unit of the Polish Army. With the support of the local civilian population, Hubal and his men managed to evade the Germans for several months.[7]
In March 1940 his unit inflicted heavy casualties on a number of German units in ambushes. The German authorities responded with reprisals against the civil population, burning several villages and killing an estimated 1200 civilians in what is known in the Polish historiography as theHubal pacifications.[8][9] Due to these reprisals local sentiment turned against Hubal's unit, and the newly formedZWZ became concerned that this would inhibit their ability to recruit. The ZWZ and theGovernment Delegate's Office at Home ordered Hubal to disband his unit. He refused to do so.[7]
On 30 April 1940 his staff quarters, in a ravine near the village ofAnielin (nearOpoczno), were ambushed. During the battle Dobrzański and one of his men were killed. The Germans desecrated his body and put it on public view in the local villages.[10] They then transported it toTomaszów Mazowiecki and either burnt it or buried it in an unknown location.[11] The remnants of the "Detached Unit of the Polish Army" continued the struggle until 25 June 1940, when it was disbanded.[10][12] The exact place of Hubal's burial remains uncertain to this day, despite efforts to locate it.[11]
Hubal and his unit have been a subject of a number of literary works, includingMelchior Wańkowicz'sHubalczycy as early as 1946. Hubal has been described as Poland's last "Romantic Hero" and compared to figures such asRobin Hood,William Tell,Till Eulenspiegel andDavy Crockett..[4]
In 1949 Dobrzański's son, Ludwik, emigrated to England and became a property developer. He died on 15 December 1990 inBedford.
In 1966 Henryk Dobrzański was posthumously awarded the Golden Cross of theVirtuti Militari and promoted tocolonel. Currently almost 200 organisations and institutions bear his name, including 82Scouting groups, 31 schools and several military units. There are streets named after him in almost every Polish city.[13]
In 1973 the filmHubal, based on his resistance campaign, was released.[14]
The pseudonym "Hubal" comes from his family coat of arms.
Military decorations awarded to Henyrk Dobrzański include:
Order of Polonia Restituta Grand Cross (posthumously in 2010)
Order Virtuti Militari Golden Cross (posthumously in 1966)
Order Virtuti Militari Silver Cross
Cross of Independence_4r_BAR.svg)
Cross of Valour 4 times
Commemorative Medal for War of 1918–1921
Medal of the 10th Anniversary of IndependenceThat unit was to become the first Polish guerilla troop, and its commander later known as Hubal has become a legend in his own time
The appearance of the armed group around Major Henryk Dobrzański in the forests of Radom district in the spring of 1940 marks the moment when the German occupying power was confronted for the first time with an organized partisan group.
