Kazimierz Fabrycy (3 March 1888 in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

– 18 July 1958) was a Polish general.

Early life

Kazimierz Fabrycy was born on March 3, 1888, in

, in the

Kherson Governorate Kherson Governorate, known until 1803 as Nikolayev Governorate, was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kherson. It encompassed in area and had a population of 2,733,612 inhabitants. At t ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. Upon graduating from school in Niemirów he enrolled for a year-long military service in the Russian army. He followed this with enrollment at Polytechnic School of Lviv and then later at the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...

. From this latter institution he was conferred a degree in engineering. Even as a student Kazimierz flung himself into activities of the Polish independence movement. Between 1908 and 1910 he co-founded first the

Union of Active Struggle The Union of Active Struggle (; ZWC), also translated as Union for Active Struggle and Union for Active Resistance,Thus rendered in Richard M. Watt, ''Bitter Glory: Poland and Its Fate, 1918 to 1939'', p. 37. Watt writes: "Soon after Piłsudski' ...

and then the Rifle Association.

Later career

Fabrycy was a member of the

Polish Legions in World War I The Polish Legions () was a name of the Polish military force (the first active Polish army in generations) established in August 1914 in Galicia (Central Europe), Galicia soon after World War I erupted between the opposing alliances of the Trip ...

, and fought in the Polish Soviet War. He was the Viceminister of military affairs from 1926 to 1934, and commander of several

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

divisions during the

interwar In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

period in the

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 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 ...

of 1939, Fabrycy was the commander of

Armia Karpaty Karpaty Army () was formed on 11 July 1939 under Major General Kazimierz Fabrycy after Nazi Germany created a puppet state of Slovakia and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was proclaimed after the events that lead to the breakup of Czechoslo ...

and later the

Romanian Bridgehead __NOTOC__ The Romanian Bridgehead (; ) was an area in southeastern Poland that is now located in Ukraine. During the invasion of Poland in 1939 at the start of the Second World War, the Polish commander-in-chief, Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz- ...

area. After being evacuated to

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, he was given assignments of small importance in the recreated Polish Army in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

area. Fabrycy remained in exile, and died in 1958 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 ...

Honours and awards

References

1888 births 1958 deaths Military personnel from Odesa People from Odessky Uyezd Polish nobility Government ministers of Poland Polish generals Polish legionnaires (World War I) Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War People of the Polish May Coup (pro-Piłsudski side) Polish military personnel of World War II Polish exiles Technical University of Munich alumni Recipients of the Cross of Independence Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class I Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Romania) Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Romania) {{Poland-mil-bio-stub