Janusz Bokszczanin (1894,

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

– 1973) was a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

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 ...

and one of the first Polish commanders of the motorized troops in the reborn

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

. During World War II he joined the ZWZ resistance organization and later the

Home Army The Home Army (, ; 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) established in the ...

(Armia Krajowa). Until 1943 he served as chief of department of ''rapid response'' within its headquarters. In 1944, prior to the anti-Fascist

Operation Tempest file:Akcja_burza_1944.png, 210px, right Operation Tempest or Operation Burza (, sometimes referred to in English as "Operation Storm") was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II against occupying German forces by the Polish Home Arm ...

, he became the chief of operations, and deputy chief of staff of the entire Home Army (AK).

Military career

Before Poland's return to independence, Bokszczanin served in the Russian imperial army prior to the outbreak of

World War I 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 ...

in 1914. Due to

Bolshevik revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

in 1917 he was allowed to join the Polish 3rd Corps being formed in Russia. The Corps reached Poland in 1918. He joined

the following year. After receiving extensive military training, in 1935 Bokszczanin became the chief of staff of the Wołyńska Cavalry Brigade. After that he became the commanding officer of Polish 10th Mounted Rifle Regiment. He led the Regiment during its reorganization from standard horse-mounted

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

into

motorized infantry Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, which c ...

. During the Polish Defensive War of 1939 he led his unit in the ranks of Col. Stanisław Maczek's

10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade (Poland) The 10th Cavalry Brigade () was a Polish military unit in World War II. It was the only fully operational Polish motorized infantry unit during the Invasion of Poland, as Warsaw Armoured Motorized Brigade was not completed by September 1, 1939.Maj ...

, however he did not cross the border with Hungary and avoided being captured by the Germans and Soviets.

Resistance

As one of the most experienced Polish specialists in war of manoeuvre, in 1940 he joined the ZWZ resistance organization, later to be reformed into the

. Until 1943 he served as the leader of department of ''rapid response'' within the headquarters of that organization. In 1944, prior to

, he became the chief of operations and deputy chief of staff of the entire

(AK). After the failure of the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

, he became the last chief of staff of AK (October 1944 - January 1945). After the Soviet takeover of Poland the Polish underground army was disbanded and Bokszczanin joined the Polish Government Delegate's Office at Home and became the deputy delegate of the

Polish government in exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile A government-in-exile (GiE) is a political group that claims to be the legitimate government of a sovere ...

. He then joined the Wolność i Niezawisłość organization created to disarm the former Armia Krajowa units and help them find their place in communist-ruled post-war Poland. He served briefly as the deputy managing director of that organization, after which in October 1945 he left the country as an emissary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bokszczanin 1894 births 1973 deaths People from Grodno People from Grodnensky Uyezd Polish Army officers Home Army members Cursed soldiers