Konstanty Plisowski of Odrowąż (8 June 1890 – 1940) was a Polish general and military commander. He was the Commander in the battle of

Jazłowiec Yazlovets ( uk, Язловець, Yazlovets; pl, Jazłowiec; russian: Яблуновка, Yablunovka; yi, יאַזלאָוויץ, Yazlovits; he, יאזלובייץ, Yazlovits) is a village in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. It is a ...

and the battle of Brześć Litewski. He was murdered on Stalin's orders in the Katyn massacre.

Biography

Konstanty Plisowski was born on 8 June 1890 in his family village of Nowosiółki in

Podolia Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...

, to a family of

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in ...

ancestry of

Odrowąż coat of arms Odrowąż is a Polish coat of arms of probably Moravian origin. It was used by many noble families known as ''szlachta'' in Polish in medieval Poland and later under the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, branches of the original medieval Odro ...

. In 1908 he joined the army of Russia, where he served with distinction until 1917. During World War I, Plisowski was transferred to the 1st Polish Corps and since 1917 served as a commander of the cavalry regiment attached to the Polish 4th Rifle Division under general Lucjan Żeligowski. After Poland regained her independence in 1918, he joined the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history str ...

. The following year, during the Polish-Ukrainian War he was assigned to the 14th Uhlans Regiment as its commanding officer. He became famous as a cavalry commander after the Jazłowiec cavalry charge (11 July 1919) that became part of the popular culture as one of the synonyms of bravery. During the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1920 Plisowski was served as a commander of 6th cavalry brigade and later of 8th cavalry brigade. He was also briefly the commanding officer of Rómmel's 1st Cavalry Division. He took part in the famous

Battle of Komarów The Battle of Komarów, or the Zamość Ring, was one of the most important battles of the Polish-Soviet War. It took place between 30 August and 2 September 1920, near the village of Komarowo (now Komarów) near Zamość. It was the last larg ...

. After the war he remained in the army and served at various command posts. At the same time he was also a professor of tactics at the Higher War School in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

. On 4 January 1929 he was promoted to generał brygady, but in 1930 was demobilised and retired due to his poor health. During the

Polish Defensive War The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week after ...

of 1939 Plisowski found himself in Brześć, where he volunteered for the army. He was made the commander of the Brześć Fortress and managed to organise resistance against the advancing German XIX Panzer Corps of general

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in th ...

. After the unconcluded

Battle of Brześć A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, in which his four infantry battalions managed to halt the advance of four German divisions for four days, Plisowski retreated with his men and joined the forces of general Franciszek Kleeberg. He was assigned to the

Cavalry Operational Group Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating a ...

of general Władysław Anders as his deputy. On 24 September he was made the commanding officer of the Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade, with which he fought both against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Katyn

On 28 September 1939 he was taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is 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 ...

by the Soviets and sent to the

Starobielsk Starobilsk ( uk, Старобільськ, russian: Старобельск) is a city in Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Starobilsk Raion. The modern settlement was founded in 1686, and it was granted city stat ...

prison camp.J.K.Zawodny ''Death in the Forest'' Notre Dame, 1962 Page 145''The Crime of Katyn'' Polish Cultural Foundation, 1989 Page 19 Following the orders of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

, he was murdered in

Kharkov Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

in the spring of 1940, aged forty-nine, in what became known as the Katyn Massacres.J.K.Zawodny ''Death in the Forest'' Notre Dame, 1962 Page 146 Place of his burial remains unknown. Among the Katyn victims were 14 Polish generals including Leon Billewicz, Bronisław Bohatyrewicz, Xawery Czernicki (admiral),

Stanisław Haller Stanisław Haller de Hallenburg (26 April 1872 – April 1940) was a Polish politician and general who was murdered in the Katyn massacre. He was a cousin of General Józef Haller von Hallenburg. Life Between 1894 and 1918 Haller served in the Au ...

, Aleksander Kowalewski,

Henryk Minkiewicz Henryk Minkiewicz (19 January 1880 – 9 April 1940) was a Polish socialist politician and a general of the Polish Army. Former commander of the Border Defence Corps, he was among the Polish officers murdered in the Katyń massacre.; ; ; ; ; ; ...

, Kazimierz Orlik-Łukoski, Rudolf Prich (murdered in

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukra ...

), Franciszek Sikorski,

Leonard Skierski Leonard Wilhelm Skierski (26 April 1866 – 1940) was a Polish military officer. He was a general of the Imperial Russian Army and then served in the Polish Army. He fought in World War I and in the Polish–Soviet War. He was one of fourteen ...

Piotr Skuratowicz Piotr Skuratowicz (1 August 1891 – 1940) was a Polish military commander and a generał brygady, General of the Polish Army. A renowned Polish cavalry, cavalryman, he was arrested by the NKVD and murdered in the Katyn massacre. Piotr Marian Sk ...

Mieczysław Smorawiński Brigadier General Mieczysław Makary Smorawiński (1893–1940), was a Polish military commander and officer of the Polish Army. He was one of the Polish generals identified by forensic scientists of the Katyn Commission as the victim of the Sovie ...

and

Alojzy Wir-Konas Alojzy Wir-Konas ( Maków Podhalański, 1894 – 1940) was a Polish military commander and the Colonel in the Polish Army. Serving as Divisional Commander during the Invasion of Poland, he was murdered in the Katyn massacre. Alojzy Konas join ...

(promoted posthumously).; ; ; ; ; ; Since 20 March 1996, the Polish 6th Armoured Cavalry Brigade is named after him.

Promotions

* Major – * Colonel – 23 August 1919 * Brigadier General – 4 January 1929 * Major General – 9 November 2007 (posthumously)

Honours and awards

* Silver Cross of the

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

(1921) * Chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(France, 1921) * Order of Saint George, 4th class * Order of the White Eagle

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pliskowski, Konstanty 1890 births 1940 deaths Polish generals Katyn massacre victims Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish people of World War II Polish military personnel of World War II Polish Army officers Polish military personnel killed in World War II Polish prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by the Soviet Union Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Executed military leaders Imperial Russian Army personnel People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)