Józef Werobej was a Polish infantry officer who served in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

and a colonel 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 ...

appointed by the Polish authorities in exile as a brigadier general. Knight of 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, ...

Biography

After graduating from the classical gymnasium in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, in 1912 to 1917 he served in the Imperial Russian army, where he graduated from the school of non-commissioned officers (1913) and the school for ensigns (1915). He was a professional infantry officer. He participated in the battles in the

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 ...

during the

First World 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 ...

. In December 1917 he joined the Officer's League of the

Polish I Corps in Russia 1st Polish Corps in Russia (; ) was a military formation formed on 24 July 1917 in Minsk from Polish and Lithuanian personnel serving in the Western and Northern Fronts of the Russian Army. In the chaotic period at the end of World War I on ...

. In the period from August 1918 to July 1920, he commanded a company and battalion of the 1st Polish Rifle Regiment (later the 43rd Bajończyk Regiment ) of the Blue Army, commanded by General

Józef Haller Józef Haller (''de Hallenburg''; 13 August 1873 – 4 June 1960) was a Polish lieutenant general and legionary in the Polish Legions during the First World War. He was a harcmistrz (the highest Scouting instructor rank in Poland), the p ...

. He took part in the Polish-Soviet War. From August 1920 to December 1931, acting, then commander of the 83rd infantry regiment in

Kobryn 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 ...

. From December 1931 to December 1934, he was commander of the 44th Infantry Regiment of Borderlands Rifles in Równe. As the oldest regiment commander, from January to August 1933 he was the division commander in the absence of Brigadier General

Edmund Knoll-Kownacki Gen.bryg. Edmund Stanisław Knoll-Kownacki (1891–1953) was a Polish military officer and a high-ranking commander of the Polish Army. He died on September 2, 1953, and was buried at the Beaumaris cemetery in Llangefni, Wales. He was married t ...

and Col. dipl. Bronisław Regulski, and was division infantry commander. From this second officer, in December 1934, he took over the duties of the division commander of the 13th Infantry Division and served them until March 1939, when he was given command of the 9th Infantry Division in

Siedlce Siedlce () ( ) is a city in the Masovian Voivodeship in eastern Poland with 77,354 inhabitants (). The city is situated between two small rivers, the Muchawka and the Helenka, and lies along the European route E30, around east of Warsaw. It is ...

. He was the chairman of the board of the Volyn Regional Ice Hockey Association. He commanded the 9th Infantry Division during the

September Campaign 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 Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Sovie ...

. As part of the "Pomeranian" Army, he performed the task of defending the passages through the "Pomeranian Corridor" in front of the 19th Guderian Corps . After breaking up the division in Bory Tucholskie, he managed to get out of the encirclement and join the staff of the Pomeranian Army. On September 13, he formally took command of the 4th Infantry Division . On September 19 he was taken prisoner by the Germans. During the war, he was in the Oflag II-C, where he was in charge of the underground activity for some time. After his release from captivity from the

Polish Armed Forces in the West The Polish Armed Forces in the West () refers to the Polish Armed Forces, Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Allies of World War II, Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its Axis powers, allies during World War II. Poli ...

, Werobej as the first deputy commander of the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. After demobilization, he took an active part in veteran circles. He was hit by a car in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He is buried in

Gunnersbury Cemetery Gunnersbury Cemetery, also known as Kensington or New Kensington Cemetery, is a cemetery opened in 1929. Although it is owned and managed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,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, ...

, Gold Cross *Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross (1921) *

Cross of Independence Cross of Independence () was the second highest Polish military decoration between World Wars I and II. It was awarded to individuals who had fought actively for the independence of Poland, and was released in three classes. History The Cr ...

(August 2, 1931) *

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 ...

(November 11, 1937) * Cross of Valour (Awarded 4 Times) * Cross of Merit, Gold Cross (March 17, 1930) * Army Medal for War 1939-1945

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Werobej, Paraschiv 1890 births 1976 deaths People from Kobryn Recipients of the Cross of Independence Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish military personnel of World War II Russian military personnel of World War I