Ignacy Oziewicz, pseudonyms: "Czesław", "Czesławski", "Netta", "Jenczewski" (7 May 1887 – 10 January 1966) was a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

and a commandant of the

National Armed Forces National Armed Forces (NSZ; '' Polish:'' Narodowe Siły Zbrojne) was a Polish right-wing underground military organization of the National Democracy operating from 1942. During World War II, NSZ troops fought against Nazi Germany and communist p ...

from 1942 to 1943.

Biography

Early life and military career

Oziewicz was born on 7 May 1887 in the village of

Linkmenys Linkmenys ( pl, Łyngmiany) is a village located in Ignalina District Municipality in Utena County, Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, the village had a population of 134 inhabitants. History In Hermann von Wartberge's ''Chronicon Livoni ...

, near Święciany,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(current Lithuania). After graduation from a

Wilno Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

high school (1907), he voluntarily joined the Imperial Russian Army. In 1911, he graduated from a Military School in Vilna, and during World War I was an officer of the 103rd Infantry Regiment, part of 26th Infantry Division. Between April and October 1917, he served in 193 I.D., leaving the Russian army after the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

. Between October 1917 and late 1918, Oziewicz managed real estate in

Podolia Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...

. In February 1919, Oziewicz joined the

. In October of that year, he was named commandant of 41st Infantry Regiment, and on 20 August 1920, he became commandant of 17th Infantry Regiment. In October 1925, he was named commandant of 76th

Lida Lida ( be, Лі́да ; russian: Ли́да ; lt, Lyda; lv, Ļida; pl, Lida ; yi, לידע, Lyde) is a city 168 km (104 mi) west of Minsk in western Belarus in Grodno Region. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuan ...

Infantry Regiment, stationed at Grodno. On 16 March 1927, President Ignacy Mościcki, upon a request of Minister of Military Affairs

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Naczelnik państwa, Chief of State (1918–1922) and Marshal of Poland, First Marshal of Second Polish Republic, Poland (from 1920). He was ...

, promoted him to Colonel. In 1935, Oziewicz was transferred to 16th Pomeranian Infantry Division, stationed in

Grudziądz Grudziądz ( la, Graudentum, Graudentium, german: Graudenz) is a city in northern Poland, with 92,552 inhabitants (2021). Located on the Vistula River, it lies within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the fourth-largest city in its prov ...

, where he commanded infantry. On 25 October 1938 he was appointed commandant of 29th Grodno Infantry Division.

World War II

During the 1939 German

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

, he commanded the 29th Grodno Infantry Division. After breaking it, he managed to get to Lithuania, where he was

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

. He escaped and returned to

occupied Poland ' ( Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 Octobe ...

. From 1941 to 1942, he was deputy of the Commander-in-Chief and head of the operational department of the National Military Organization (NOW). Oziewicz did not accept the decision to merge this organization with 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) est ...

(AK) because he considered it politically controlled by the

Sanation Sanation ( pl, Sanacja, ) was a Polish political movement that was created in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and came to power in the wake of that coup. In 1928 its political activists would go on ...

. In the summer of 1942, he headed the split in NOW. He began to form the

(NSZ). On 20 September 1942, he became the first commandant of the NSZ. He attempted to communicate with general Stefan Rowecki to include NSZ in the Home Army. On 9 June 1943, he was arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

and imprisoned in

Pawiak prison Pawiak () was a prison built in 1835 in Warsaw, Congress Poland. During the January 1863 Uprising, it served as a transfer camp for Poles sentenced by Imperial Russia to deportation to Siberia. During the World War II German occupation ...

. In October of the same year, he was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. In January 1945 he was evacuated to

Flossenbürg concentration camp Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office. Unlike other concentration camps, it was located in a remote area, in the Fichtel Mountains of Bavaria, adjacent to the town of Flo ...

Post-war life

After being released by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

in April 1945, Oziewicz was in

Allied-occupied Germany Germany was already de facto occupied by the Allies from the real fall of Nazi Germany in World War II on 8 May 1945 to the establishment of the East Germany on 7 October 1949. The Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Franc ...

. Then he moved to France, where he became active in Polish émigré social organizations. He was the representative of the NSZ community before the Home Army Verification Commission in London. In July 1949 he became the president of the ''"Ogniwo"'' organization founded in France. In 1958 Oziewicz returned to the Poland. He settled with his family in

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...

. He died in 1966, due to

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

Honours and awards

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 St ...

, Silver Cross * Cross of Valour, 4 times * Officer's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

* Gold Cross of Merit

References

Sources

*Tadeusz Jurga: ''Obrona Polski 1939''. Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy PAX, 1990. *

Andrzej Krzysztof Kunert Andrzej Krzysztof Kunert (born 12 October 1952 in Warsaw) is a Polish historian and lecturer, specializing in the history of Polish resistance movement in World War II. Since April 2010 he is the secretary general of the Council for the Protectio ...

: ''Słownik biograficzny konspiracji warszawskiej 1939–1945 T.2''. Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy PAX, 1987. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oziewicz, Ignacy 1887 births 1966 deaths National Armed Forces members Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Auschwitz concentration camp survivors Flossenbürg concentration camp survivors