Adam Józef Aleksander Epler (December 1891 in

Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, Austrian Galicia – 24 October 1965 in London) was a Colonel of Artillery of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

, posthumously promoted to

Generał brygady Brigadier general ( Polish: ''generał brygady'' , abbreviated ''gen. bryg.'') is the lowest grade for generals in the Polish Army (both in the land forces and in the Polish Air Force). Depending on the context, it is equivalent to both the moder ...

. Epler had a wife Zofia (née Murczyńska) and son Zbigniew (1919 – 2010).

Biography

Epler was raised in an affluent family: his father Edward was a railroad engineer and deputy mayor of the city of Lwów. In 1909, he graduated from Classical Gymnasium in

Chyrów Khyriv (, ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast (oblast, region) of Ukraine with a population of around It hosts the administration of Khyriv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It became known princip ...

, and began studies at

Lwów University The Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (named after Ivan Franko, ) is a state-sponsored university in Lviv, Ukraine. Since 1940 the university is named after Ukrainian poet Ivan Franko. The university is the oldest institution of highe ...

. In 1912, Epler was drafted into the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

, serving at XI Artillery Brigade, and graduating from School of Reserve Officers. On 1 May 1915 he was promoted to Subcolonel ( podporucznik). During World War I, he fought on the Italian Front, and in 1918, he completed artillery course for officers, which took place at

Trento Trento ( or ; Ladin language, Ladin and ; ; ; ; ; ), also known in English as Trent, is a city on the Adige, Adige River in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol in Italy. It is the capital of the Trentino, autonomous province of Trento. In the 16th ...

. After the collapse of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, Epler returned to former Austrian Galicia and joined the newly created Polish Army. In mid-November 1918, he was named commandant of an artillery battery of 1st Kraków Field Artillery Regiment. Together with the regiment, he fought in the

Polish–Ukrainian War The Polish–Ukrainian War, from November 1918 to July 1919, was a conflict between the Second Polish Republic and Ukrainian forces (both the West Ukrainian People's Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic). The conflict had its roots in ...

and

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

. In 1920, he was transferred to 3rd Legion Field Artillery Regiment. After the Polish–Soviet War, Epler completed a military training course in

Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...

, and was promoted to major. In 1922–1929, he served as artillery officer in the garrison of

Zamość Zamość (; ; ) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. Zamość was founded in 1580 by Jan Zamoyski ...

, where 3rd Legions Infantry Division was stationed. He was highly praised by General Stanisław Kwaśniewski, who at that time commanded the 3rd Division. On 4 December 1929 Epler was named commandant of 28th Field Artillery Regiment, which was stationed in Zajezierze near

Dęblin Dęblin is a town at the Confluence (geography), confluence of Vistula and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki and Puławy, which together have over 100,000 inhabitan ...

. He remained there until October 1935, and during his service at Zajezierze, he was popular among soldiers due to his organizational abilities. From October 1935 until the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, Epler served in 20th Infantry Division in

Baranowicze Baranavichy or Baranovichi is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Baranavichy District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has a population of 170,817. ...

. In early September 1939, Epler took command of Reserve Center of 20th Infantry at Słonim. In a matter of a few days, he managed to create the so-called

Kobryń Kobryn or Kobrin is a town in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Kobryn District. It is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus, where the Mukhavets river and Dnieper–Bug Canal meet. The town lies about east ...

Group, with the strength of a regular infantry division. His unit, renamed into 60th Infantry Division, joined Independent Operational Group Polesie (General Franciszek Kleeberg), and fought in the final battles of the September Campaign, including Battle of Kock (1939). On 6 October 1939 Epler was taken prisoner by the Germans, who allowed him to keep his officer's sabre. He was taken to a temporary camp at Dęblin, and then transferred to

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...

. With help of local boy scouts, Epler managed to escape, and fled to Kraków, where he joined conspiratorial Organization of White Eagle, using the pseudonym Kobylański. To escape arrest, he decided to flee to Hungary. In December 1940 he reached

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, and after the war settled in London, where he died on 24 October 1965. Epler wrote the book ''Last Polish soldier of the 1939 campaign''. It was published first in 1942 in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, and reprinted in Poland in 1989. On 28 October 1994 President

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 Polish presidential election, 1990 election, Wałę ...

posthumously promoted him to

Awards and decorations

Knight's Cross of

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...

(posthumously, 1970) * Gold Cross of

* Silver Cross of

(1921) *

Officer's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) 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 alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

(10 November 1928) * Cross of Valour (four times) * Gold Cross of Merit (10 November 1938) * LotewskiMedalPamiatkowy1918 1928

Medal of the 10th Anniversary of the War of Independence (Latvija)Personnel Journal of the Military Ministry of Defence. No. 12 from 6.08.1929

References

Sources

* Tadeusz Jurga: Obrona Polski 1939. Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy PAX, 1990, s. 765. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Epler, Adam 1891 births 1965 deaths Military personnel from Lviv Military personnel of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom Polish generals Epler Polish people of World War I Polish people of the Polish–Ukrainian War Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish military personnel of World War II Knights of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland)

Biography

Awards and decorations

See also

References

Sources