Roman Józef Abraham (28 February 1891,

Lwów 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 Ukrain ...

– 26 August 1976,

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 ...

) was a Polish cavalry general, commander of the

Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade (Polish: ''Wielkopolska Brygada Kawalerii'') was a cavalry unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period. It was created on April 1, 1937 out of the Cavalry Brigade "Poznań". Its headquarters were stationed in Po ...

during the German and Soviet Invasion of Poland in September 1939, and

Battle of Bzura The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was the largest Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.''The Second World War: An Illustrated History '', Putnam, 1975, Google Print snippe ...

commander of Polish cavalry (combined cavalry unit). During the Second Polish Republic, he was Brigadier-General and, for a short period, from 1930 to 1931, Abraham was also a member of the Polish Parliament.

Early life and education

Abraham was born in Lwów, in what was then

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(later in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, now

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 ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

). He was the son of

Władysław Abraham Władysław Henryk Franciszek Abraham, a Polish lawyer and scientist, was born on 10 October 1860 in Sambor. A graduate of law and philosophy departments of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, he was a specialist in Canon law. After habilitati ...

, professor of

Canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

and rector of the

University of Lviv The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...

. He studied at the Jesuit School in Chyrów in Bąkowice, graduating in 1910. He then studied at the Faculty of Philosophy and Law at Jan Kazimierz University in

, graduating in 1915.

Military service

World War I

During World War I he served from August 1914 to October 1918 in the Austro-Hungarian army in the 1st Regiment of Uhlans of National Defence, fighting on the French, Romanian, Russian, Serbian and Italian fronts, ending his service as a Lieutenant in the cavalry.''Generałowie II Rzeczypospolitej'' s. 12

Polish-Ukrainian War

At the end of World War I, he joined the Polish Military Cadres in Lwów. From 1 November 1918 in the reformed Polish Army in the rank of lieutenant, he was the commander of the Góra Strudenia sector in Lwów.
He created his own unit, later called "Straceńcami". The unit fought successfully in various defences of Lwów, in the defence of Persenkówka, and in Śródmieście. The unit raised the Polish banner at the Lwów City Hall at dawn on 22 November, and on 24 November 1918 he was appointed the rank of Captain. However, his troops were accused of numerous robberies. An account, for instance, cited that the Galician unit he commanded allegedly plundered from peasants living in captured Ukrainian villages, hauling all that could be transported to Lwów.
From January to August 1919 he commanded an independent battalion, regiment and Operational Group in the division of Colonel Władysław Sikorski. From August 1919, he was an officer in the operating department and an observer in the 59th Air Force Squadron. He also participated in Polish-Ukrainian battles around Przemyśl.''O kawalerii polskiej XX wieku '' s. 65"Jeszcze z czasu zimowych walk pod Lwowem opowiadano w wojsku o oddziale rotmistrza Abrahama i innych, które – zdobywając ruską wieś – zabierały chłopom wszystko co dało się unieść lub wywieść do tego stopnia , że nawet brudną bieliznę ze strychów ładowano na sanie i wywożono do Lwowa." Jerzy Konrad Maciejewski "Na hajdamaków" – "Karta" 77/2013 str. 77

Polish-Bolshevik War

In 1920, Abraham defended the city of Lwów during the Polish-Bolshevik War. He was wounded during the conflict but he continued performing his duties, commanding his unit whilst being carried on a stretcher.

World War II

He Abraham commanded the Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade of Army Group Poznan, under General

Tadeusz Kutrzeba Tadeusz Kutrzeba (15 April 1885 – 8 January 1947) was a general of the army during the Second Polish Republic. He served as a major general in the Polish Army in overall command of Army Poznań during the 1939 German Invasion of Poland. :pl:Ta ...

. From 1939-45 he was a

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 ...

Oflag VII-A Murnau Oflag VII-A Murnau was a German Army prisoner-of-war camp for Polish Army officers during World War II. It was located north of the Bavarian town of Murnau am Staffelsee. Camp history The camp was created in September 1939. It consisted of an ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. A handwritten card sent by Abraham to his friend in Chicago from his prison has been preserved, and is currently part of the Centralne Muzeum Jeńców Wojennych's collection.

Decorations

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 ...

, Silver Cross (1922) * Cross of Merit, Gold Cross (1930, 1938, 1940) *

Polonia Restituta , image=Polonia Restituta - Commander's Cross pre-1939 w rib.jpg , image_size=200px , caption=Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta , presenter = the President of Poland , country = , type=Five classes , eligibility=All , awa ...

, Officer's Cross (1933) * Cross of Independence with Swords (1933) *

, Golden Cross (1961) *

, Commander's Cross (1970) * Cross of Valour 5 times * Lwów Defence Cross *

Légion d'honneur 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 B ...

, Knight's Cross (France)

References

*http://www.generals.dk/general/Abraham/Roman/Poland.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham, Roman 1891 births 1976 deaths Military personnel from Lviv People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government politicians Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1930–1935) Association of the Polish Youth "Zet" members Polish generals of the Second Polish Republic Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Polish people of the Polish–Ukrainian War Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish military personnel of World War II Polish prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Independence with Swords Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland)