Tadeusz Klimecki (November 23, 1895July 4, 1943) – Brigadier General of the Polish Army, Chief of

Polish General Staff Polish General Staff, formally known as the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces ( Polish: ''Sztab Generalny Wojska Polskiego'') is the highest professional body within the Polish Armed Forces. Organizationally, it is an integral part of the M ...

Early life and service in the Imperial and Royal Army

Tadeusz Klimecki was born in

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...

, Galicia,

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. His father was a local lawyer, Joseph Klimecki, and his mother was Ludwika Regiec. In 1913 he graduated from the gymnasium in

Jasło Jasło is a county town in south-eastern Poland with 36,641 inhabitants, as of 31 December 2012. It is situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), and it was previously part of Krosno Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is located in Lesser ...

and enrolled at the Faculty of Law of the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

. In 1914 he joined the Eastern Legion, and at its dissolution he was drafted into the Austrian army. After graduating from the school of infantry officers he was sent to the Italian front as a platoon leader. In 1915 he was appointed a standard-bearer, in 1916 – a second lieutenant. By the end of World War I he had been wounded three times and served as a company commander.

Service in the Polish Army

From November 1918 served in the Polish Army. Between November 1918 and October 1925 he was a company and battalion commander in the 16th Infantry Regiment,

and during the war with the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

, he commanded the regiment (31.VII-4.VIII.1920). From October 1925 to October 1927 he was student of the Highest Military School in Warsaw, after which he was Chief of Staff of the 12th Infantry Division in

Tarnopol Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret (river), Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia (Central Europe ...

until 1930. During the years 1930–1934 he was professor of tactics at the Higher Military School 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 ...

. Between January 1934 – 1936 – Deputy Commander of the 18 Infantry Regiment in

Skierniewice Skierniewice () is a city in central Poland with 45,184 inhabitants (2023), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. It is the capital of Skierniewice County. Through the town runs the small river Łupia, also called Skierniewka. Located in the hist ...

. 1936–1938 – Commander of the 5th

Podhale Rifles Podhale Rifles or Podhale Riflemen (, nicknamed "Podhalańczycy") is the traditional name of the mountain infantry units of the Polish Army. Formed in 1918 out of volunteers of the region of Podhale, in 1919 the smaller detachments of Podhale R ...

Regiment in

Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...

. From 1938 to September 1939 he was Head of the course at the Higher Military School in Warsaw, after which he was appointed to the Division III of the General Staff as a Chief of the Department of Operations. After 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 ...

he moved to France. December 1939 – June 1940 Head of Division III,

in France. July 1940 – July 1943 Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Commander in London. Winston Churchill reviewing Polish troops in England

Winston Churchill reviewing Polish troops in England

He died in the plane crash on July 4, 1943, in

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

, together with the Polish Prime-Minister and Commander-in-Chief General

Władysław Sikorski Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader. Before World War I, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish independenc ...

and his staff. Tadeusz Klimecki was buried in the cemetery of Polish airmen in

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent () or Newark is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

, England. On December 3, 2010, bodies of Tadeusz Klimecki, Andrzej Marecki and were exhumed, flown to Warsaw and then taken to the Department of Forensic Medicine in Cracow for examination. On December 9, 2010, Tadeusz Klimecki and Andrzej Marecki were buried in the

Powązki Military Cemetery Powązki Military Cemetery (; ) is an old military cemetery located in the Żoliborz district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. The cemetery is often confused with the older Powązki Cemetery, known colloquially as "Old Powązki". The Old Pową ...

in Warsaw. Sikorski in Gibraltar

Promotions

* Captain – since June 1, 1919 * Major – since July 1, 1925 * Lieutenant Colonel – since January 1, 1931 * Colonel – since March 19, 1938 * Brigadier – since February 6, 1941

Orders and decorations

* Silver Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari * Commander's Cross with Star of the

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 ...

* Cross of Valour * Grand Officer of the

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion () is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia having no civilian decoration for its citizens in the 192 ...

, 1941

References

* T. Kryska Karski S. Żurakowski, ''Generałowie Polski Niepodległej'', Editions Spotkania, Warszawa 1991. * H. P Kosk, ''Generalicja polska'', t. 1, Oficyna Wydawnicza "Ajaks", Pruszków 1998.

External links

"Tadeusz Klimecki" by Przemysław Jaskółowski

Family photos of general Klimecki, by Przemysław Jaskółowski
* Tadeusz Klimecki (Polish Wikipedia)
General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces

Chiefs of Polish General Staff
* David Irving "Accident — The Death of General Sikorski"
Newark-on-Trent Cemetery

General Sikorski Mystery – Polish Officers to be Exhumed at NewarkPolish Radio: Funeral of two Sikorski's officers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klimecki, Tadeusz 1895 births 1943 deaths People from Tarnów Polish Austro-Hungarians Polish generals Chiefs of staff Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Polish military personnel killed in World War II Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Gibraltar Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1943