Bronisław Rakowski Explained

Bronisław Stanisław Rakowski (20 June 1895 in Szczucin – 28 December 1950 in Buenos Aires^[1]) was a Polish general. He fought in the Polish legions during World War I. As a Colonel defending Lviv he refused entry to the Soviet Army during the Soviet invasion of Poland, instead suggesting the Soviets advance on German positions,^[2] and after the city capitulated, was later imprisoned by the Soviet NKVD. During World War II, he fought in the Anders Army and Polish Armed Forces in the West.^[3]

Career timeline

• 1931–1936: Commanding Officer 12th Ulan Regiment
• 1936–1939: Head of Army Historical Bureau
• 1939–1941: Prisoner of War, Soviet Union
• 1941–1942: General Officer Commanding 8th Division^[4]
• 1942: General Officer Commanding 5th Division
• 1942–1943: Chief of Staff Polish Forces in Soviet Union^[5]
• 1943–1944: General Officer Commanding 2nd Armoured Brigade
• 1944–1947: General Officer Commanding 2nd Armoured Division (2 Warszawska Dywizja Pancerna)

Honours and awards

• Gold Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari (previously awarded the Silver Cross)
• Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
• Cross of Independence
• Cross of Valour - four times
• Gold Cross of Merit with Swords
• Officer's Cross of the Legion of Honour
• Distinguished Service Order (United Kingdom)^[6]
• Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Italy)

Notes and References

1. News: 1951-01-01 . Deaths Elsewhere . 30 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . 2023-04-20.
2. Book: Moorhouse, Roger . First to fight : the Polish War 1939 . Random House . 2019 . 978-1-84792-460-5 . London . 248–9 . 1108710545.
3. Book: Kochanski, Halik . The eagle unbowed : Poland and the Poles in the Second World War . Harvard University Press . 2012 . 978-0-674-06816-2 . First . Cambridge, Mass. . 467, 602 . 823740108.
4. Book: Protassewicz, Irena . A Polish Woman's experience in World War II : conflict, deportation and exile . 2019 . 978-1-350-07994-6 . London . 229 . 1082137024.
5. Book: Bałuk, Stefan . Poland at arms 1939-1945 . Polonia Publishers . 2008 . 978-83-7021-117-2 . Warsaw . 64 . 25371705.
6. Web site: Rakowski, Bronislaw Stanislaw - TracesOfWar.com . 2022-11-24 . www.tracesofwar.com.