General Leopold Okulicki ( noms de guerre ''Kobra'', ''Niedźwiadek''; 1898 – 1946) was a

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 ...

brigadier general and the last commander of the anti-Nazi underground

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 ...

during

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 ...

and the German occupation of Poland (1939–1945). After the war he was arrested by the Soviet

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

and died at Moscow's Butyrka prison.

Life

Okulicki was born in November 1898 in Bratucice, Bochnia County in the Austrian section of partitioned Poland (" Galicia"). He was born on November 12, 1898 into the family of farmers Błażej and Anna née Korcyl. In 1910 he enrolled at a local '' gymnasium'' (secondary school), and after 1913 was a member of the Związek Strzelecki (Riflemen's Association). The following year, aged 16, after finishing basic military training, he passed his NCO exams. After the outbreak of World War I, in October 1915, he left school and volunteered for the Polish Legions, where he served with distinction in the 3rd Legions Infantry Regiment. He remained in the

and fought in various units during World War I and the subsequent Polish–Bolshevik War (1919–1921). Okulicki was decorated with the highest Polish military order, 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, ...

''. During the

interwar period 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 ( ...

he remained in the army and in 1925 graduated from the prestigious Warsaw Military Academy. Afterward Okulicki took a post in the

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 ...

local corps headquarters. Until the late 1930s, he taught at the Infantry Training Centre 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 ...

, and became commanding officer of Polish 13th Infantry Division.

Nazi occupation

In 1939, Okulicki was made commander of one of the departments of the Polish Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters. At the outbreak of

and the defense of Poland against Nazi Germany in 1939, Okulicki was in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. After

Edward Rydz-Śmigły Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz also called Edward Rydz-Śmigły, (11 March 1886 – 2 December 1941) was a Polish people, Polish politician, statesman, Marshal of Poland and Commander-in-Chief of Poland's armed forces, as well as a painter and ...

evacuated his staff from Warsaw, Okulicki remained in the Polish capital and served in various posts during the Siege of Warsaw. After the capitulation of the Polish troops defending the capital, Okulicki evaded capture by the

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

and joined '' Służba Zwycięstwu Polski'' (en.''Service for Poland's Victory''), one of the first underground resistance organizations formed in Nazi and Soviet-occupied Poland. This organization later changed its name to the Union of Armed Struggle and then to the

. In January 1940, he moved to

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

, where he assumed the post of commander of the local area of that organization. After a brief stint at Headquarters, he was transferred to Soviet-occupied Lwów and became head of that area. General Stefan Rowecki, the commander-in-chief of the ZWZ, appointed Okulicki as the commander of the Soviet occupation in Area No. 2 -

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

and Area No. 3 - Lwów, with the difficult and dangerous task of eliminating the organizational breakdown in the Lwów Area and putting the affairs of the ZWZ in order throughout the entire occupation.

Soviet period

Arrested by the

in January 1941, Okulicki was imprisoned and tortured in various Soviet prisons. Released after the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement of 1941, he joined the

recreated in the USSR, where he assumed the post of

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

. After a brief period commanding the Polish 7th Infantry Division, he was moved to London for training in the Cichociemni training camp and transported to occupied Poland. In July 1944, during

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 commander of the 2nd Echelon of the

. General Bór-Komorowski, anticipating his own arrest by the Soviets after 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 ...

, named him his deputy and successor. Okulicki fought in the Uprising, among other posts as chief of staff of the Home Army. After the capitulation of the Uprising, he managed to evade capture by the Germans and moved to Kraków, from where he started to reorganize the Home Army. On 3 October 1944, he became commander of the entire Home Army. On 3 January 1945 he met in the "Zacisze estate" near Odrowąż, Radomsko County near Radomsko with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

special SOE Mission Freston. Capt D.T. Bill Hudson wrote on 3 January 1945: "we met the Commander of the Home Army and our friend, Colonel Rudkowski .. There were also several other people whose names and functions we did not have time to learn. The commander of the Home Army seemed to us a decisive, sincere and clear-minded man. His demeanor was calm and friendly. He knew many personalities from the London SOE office and stated that he commanded the 7th Infantry Division in the army of General Anders. We didn't know his name." In order to protect Polish soldiers against the NKVD and more general Stalinist repression, Okulicki, in consultation with the government delegate and on the basis of the government instruction from London of November 14, 1944, providing for the dissolution of the Home Army in the areas occupied by the USSR, issued an order on 19 January 1945 dissolving the Home Army and releasing soldiers from their oath. He feared that the existence of Allied forces in Poland would only lead to the Soviets murdering or arresting more people. Okulicki NKVD 1945

In February 1945, Okulicki and his commanders were summoned by the NKVD to a meeting in Warsaw. They were arrested and then flown to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. Okulicki was charged with "preparing an armed uprising against the Soviet Union in league with the Germans." Okulicki was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in the staged Trial of the Sixteen. Under international law, this was a completely illegal verdict. He independently defended Poland in the courtroom against Soviet accusations. "He left the courtroom with his head held high," noted an Englishman present at the trial. Okulicki died 24 December 1946 at Butyrka prison. A cenotaph commemorating his death was built in the Powązki Military Cemetery, Warsaw.

Decorations

* Order of the White Eagle, posthumously on 11 November 1995 Monitor Polski: Order of the White Eagle.
* Order Virtuti Militari Golden Cross * Order Virtuti Militari Silver Cross *

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 ...

* Cross of Valour, 4 times * Cross of Merit with Swords Golden Cross *

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

, posthumously (USA)

References

External links

Gen. Leopold Okulicki Deposition for NKVD During the Trial of the Sixteen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okulicki, Leopold 1898 births 1946 deaths People from Bochnia County Military personnel of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish generals Home Army officers Warsaw Uprising insurgents Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Independence Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland) Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Polish legionnaires (World War I) Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish deportees to Soviet Union Polish people who died in Soviet detention Polish people detained by the NKVD Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) People from wartime administrations in Poland (1939–1947)