Henryk Sucharski
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Henryk Sucharski (1898–1946) was a Polish military officer and a major in 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 ...
. At the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he was one of the commanders of the
Westerplatte Westerplatte (, , ) is a peninsula in Gdańsk, Poland, located on the Baltic Sea coast mouth of the Dead Vistula (one of the Vistula delta estuaries), in the Gdańsk harbour channel. From 1926 to 1939, it was the location of a Polish Military ...
position in
Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
, which troops under his command defended for seven days against overwhelming odds. Sucharski survived the war.


Early life and career

Sucharski was born on November 12, 1898, in Gręboszów, a village near
Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...
, to a peasant family. He finished a local bi-yearly trade school and then a similar school in
Otfinów Otfinów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Żabno, within Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Żabno, north-west of Tarnów, and east of the regional capital Krak ...
. In early 1917 he graduated from the 2nd KuK Gymnasium in Tarnów and on February 13 he volunteered for service with 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), ...
. During his service in the March Battalion of the
Bochnia Bochnia is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland, administrative seat of Bochnia County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted ...
-based 32nd
Landwehr ''Landwehr'' (), or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national army, armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fo ...
Regiment, he passed his
matura or its translated terms (''mature'', ''matur'', , , , , ', ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech ...
exams and in February 1918 graduated from an officers school in
Opatów Opatów (; ) is a town in southeastern Poland, within Opatów County in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Province). Historically, it was part of a greater region called Lesser Poland. In 2012 the population was 6,658. Opatów is located ...
. Dispatched with his regiment to the Italian front of the
Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Sucharski was infected with
malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
and spent the remainder of the war in various hospitals in
San Stino di Livenza San Stino di Livenza (Venetian language, Venetian: ''San Stin'') is a town in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, northern Italy. It is connected by the SP61 provincial road and by the motorway Autostrada A4 (Italy), A4. The main square (piazz ...
and then
Celje Celje (, , ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, third-largest city in Slovenia. It is a regional center of the traditional Slovenian region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria and the administrative seat of the City Municipality of Celje. Th ...
. Upon his return to Poland, on February 7, 1919 he joined the Polish Army and the Tarnów-based 16th Infantry Regiment, in part composed of his former Austro-Hungarian unit. In March he took part in the defence of
Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...
against the
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
n invasion and in June he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. By the end of October he was transferred to the North-Eastern sector of the front of the brief Polish-Bolshevik War where he took part in fighting along the Lithuanian border during the brief Polish-Lithuanian War for the region around
Suwałki Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. A relatively young ci ...
. On January 14, 1920 he was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and voluntarily joined the storming battalion of the 6th Infantry Division. For his bravery (and wounds) in the battle for Potnica and Bogdanówka on August 30, 1920, Sucharski was awarded the Order 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, ...
, the highest Polish military decoration. He also received the Cross of the Valorous and was promoted to
1st Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a sen ...
after the war. In the interbellum Henryk Sucharski remained in active service. He graduated from a variety of courses for various branches of the military and on March 19, 1928 he was promoted to the rank of
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
. An instructor in the Infantry NCO School in
Ostrów Mazowiecka Ostrów Mazowiecka (; ) is a town in eastern Poland with 23,486 inhabitants (2004). It is the capital of Ostrów Mazowiecka County in Masovian Voivodeship. History Ostrów was granted town rights in 1434 by Duke Bolesław IV of Warsaw. Its name ...
, in October 1930 he joined the
Brześć nad Bugiem Brest, formerly Brest-Litovsk and Brest-on-the-Bug, is a city in south-western Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the Polish town of Terespol, where the Bug (river), Bug and Mukhavets rivers meet, making it a border town. It serves as ...
-based 35th Infantry Regiment. After graduating from additional courses at the Centre for Infantry Training in
Rembertów Rembertów () is a dzielnica, district of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Between 1939 and 1957 Rembertów was a separate town, after which it was incorporated as part of the borough of Praga-Południe. Between 1994 and 2002 it formed ...
near Warsaw, on March 19, 1938 Sucharski was again promoted, this time to the rank of Major.


Westerplatte

On December 3, 1938 Sucharski became the commanding officer of the ''Military Transit Depot'' in Westerplatte, a Polish military outpost in the
Free City of Danzig The Free City of Danzig (; ) was a city-state under the protection and oversight of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) and nearly 200 other small localities in the surrou ...
. A skilled organizer, Sucharski focused on improving the defences of the area under his command, a tiny ex–territorial area within the German-dominated city. He strengthened the fortifications of the Westerplatte peninsula and increased the number of soldiers serving there.


After Westerplatte

After short stays in various German transit camps where the sabre was removed from his possession, on October 26, 1939 Sucharski was imprisoned in
Oflag IV-A Oflag IV-A was a World War II Germany, German POW camp for Officer (armed forces), officers located in the 15th-century ''Hohnstein Castle (Saxon Switzerland), Burg Hohnstein'', in Hohnstein, Saxony. Camp history The castle was first used as a ca ...
in the
Hohnstein Hohnstein () is a town located in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district of Saxony, in eastern Germany. As of 2020, its population numbered a total of 3,262. Geography It is situated in Saxon Switzerland, 12 km east of Pirna, and 28 ...
castle. He spent the remainder of the war in various German
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
camps, including
Oflag II-B An Oflag (from ) was a type of prisoner of war camp for officers which the German Army established in World War I in accordance with the requirements of the 1899 Hague Convention, and in World War II in accordance with the requirements of the G ...
in
Arnswalde Choszczno () is a town in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 14,831. The town is in a marshy district between the river Stobnica and Klukom lake, southeast of Stargard and ...
from June 25, 1940 and
Oflag II-D Oflag II-D Gross Born (Grossborn-Westfalenhof) was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp located at Gross Born, Pomerania (now Borne Sulinowo, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland), near Westfalenhof ( Kłomino). It housed Polish and Frenc ...
in Gross-Born from May 12, 1942. During the evacuation of Gross-Born in March 1945 he suffered a serious accident from which he never fully recovered. After being liberated from the
Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch Low German: ''Swerin''; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Zwierzyn''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germ ...
sub-camp of the
Oflag X-C Oflag X-C was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp for officers ('' Offizierlager'') in Lübeck in northern Germany. The camp was located on the corner of ''Friedhofsallee'' and ''Vorwerkstrasse'', close to Lübeck's border with the town of ...
Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...
by the Americans, on May 28, 1945 Sucharski joined the
Polish II Corps The 2nd Polish Corps (), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought with distinction in the Italian Ca ...
and was transferred to Italy, where he briefly served as a commander of the 6th Karpaty Rifles Battalion following January 25, 1946. On August 19, 1946, he was sent to a British military hospital in
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
where he was interviewed by
Melchior Wańkowicz Melchior Wańkowicz (10 January 1892 – 10 September 1974) was a Polish army officer, popular writer, political journalist and publisher. He is most famous for his reporting for the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II and writin ...
, who made Sucharski the main protagonist in his 1948 short story ''Westerplatte''. Henryk Sucharski died from
peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...
several days after the interview, on August 30, 1946. The following day he was buried in the Polish war cemetery in Casamassima near
Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...
. On September 1, 1971 his ashes were returned to Poland and buried with military honours at Westerplatte, where he was posthumously decorated with the Commanders' Cross of the Virtuti Militari. He was exhumed again in 2022, when his remains were transferred to the new cemetery at Westerplatte. During the post-war years, Wańkowicz's mythologised account of Sucharski as a brave commander enduring under hopeless odds became the main source of information on Westerplatte action. The myth was propagated in numerous books and films. It is often thought that the Communist authorities preferred to maintain the myth of Sucharski, a heroic son of a peasant and shoemaker, rather than support his deputy,
Franciszek Dąbrowski Franciszek Dąbrowski (17 April 1904 in Budapest - 24 April 1962 in Kraków) was an officer of the Polish Navy during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Life In September 1939, he served at Westerplatte military transit depot, which took part in t ...
who was born into a ''
szlachta The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...
'' family. It was not until the 1990s that the truth about Sucharski and Westerplatte started to become more widely known.


Places named for him

A street in
Gdynia Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...
is named for him (located at 54°33'30.99"N and 18°30'24.21"E) and also another in Ostroleka, called Sucharskiego, with seven apartment blocks along it.


Honours and awards

* Commander's Cross of the
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, ...
, previously awarded the Silver Cross * Cross of Valour - twice * Gold Cross of Merit


See also

*
Franciszek Dąbrowski Franciszek Dąbrowski (17 April 1904 in Budapest - 24 April 1962 in Kraków) was an officer of the Polish Navy during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Life In September 1939, he served at Westerplatte military transit depot, which took part in t ...
* Karol Szwedowski * Polish Military Cemetery at Casamassima * ''
Westerplatte Westerplatte (, , ) is a peninsula in Gdańsk, Poland, located on the Baltic Sea coast mouth of the Dead Vistula (one of the Vistula delta estuaries), in the Gdańsk harbour channel. From 1926 to 1939, it was the location of a Polish Military ...
'' (movie 1967)


Notes

# Though Sucharski was posthumously promoted to the rank of
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 ...
, he remains a Major in the popular culture of Poland. In fact he is referred to as ''Major Sucharski'' much more often than as ''Henryk Sucharski''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sucharski, Henrykhe 1898 births 1946 deaths Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Polish generals Polish military personnel of World War II Commanders of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Polish prisoners of war Deaths from peritonitis