Wacław Czyżewski (real name Wacław Raś, pseudonyms ''Kora'', ''Im''; 25 April 1917 – 30 January 2002) was a Polish military commander and communist activist. He was officer of the People's Guard and People's Army,

Divisional general Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

of the Polish People's Army, deputy commander of the

Silesian Military District Silesian Military District () was one of three military districts in Poland, the other two being the Pomeranian Military District and the Warsaw Military District. All three were disbanded by the end of 2011 due to the restructuring of the Poli ...

(1959–1963), deputy commandant of the Military University of Technology (1963–1968), head of the Polish mission in the International Commission of Control and Supervision in Korea (1968–1969), chief of the Internal Defense Forces (1970–1974), and deputy chief inspector of the Territorial Defense Forces (1974–1984).

Biography

Czyżewski was born on 25 April 1917 in

Zielonka Zielonka is a town in Wołomin County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 17,398 inhabitants (2013). It is located about to the north-east of the centre of Warsaw. Zielonka borders Warsaw and several other towns of the Warsaw metropolitan area ...

. In the 1930s, he worked in Warsaw as a bricklayer and was associated with the communist movement – he was active in the and the Trade Union of Construction Workers, which remained under the influence of the KPP; the information he himself gave in his biographies about his membership in the

Young Communist League of Poland The Young Communist League of Poland (, abbreviated ZMKwP), in February 1930 renamed as the Communist League of Youth in Poland , abbreviated KZMP), was the youth wing of the interbellum Communist Party of Poland between 1922 and 1938.Cimek, Henry ...

and

Communist Party of Poland The interwar Communist Party of Poland (, KPP) was a communist party active in Poland during the Second Polish Republic. It resulted from a December 1918 merger of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL) and the ...

is uncertain. On 12 August 1940, he was arrested by the Germans during a

roundup A roundup is a systematic gathering together of people or things. Roundup, Round Up or Round-up may also refer to: Agriculture * A muster (livestock) (AU/NZ) or a roundup (US/CA) is the process of gathering livestock. * Roundup (herbicide), a M ...

, and escaped from a rail transport. From 1941, he was an activist of the , then one of the organizers and activists of the

Polish Workers' Party The Polish Workers' Party (, PPR) was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland (KPP) and merged with the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) in 1948 to form the Polish United W ...

in the

Lublin Voivodeship Lublin Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland, located in the southeastern part of the country, with its capital being the city of Lublin. The region is named after its largest city and regional capital, Lu ...

. Officer of the People's Guard and the People's Army, postal commissioner, district secretary and head of the department in the AL Lublin District. Commander of the security of the Main Staff of the People's Army and commander of the personal security of

Michał Rola-Żymierski Michał Rola-Żymierski (; 4 September 189015 October 1989) was a Polish high-ranking Polish United Workers' Party, Communist Party leader, communist military commander and NKVD secret agent. He was appointed as Marshal of Poland, and served in t ...

. He served in the Polish People's Army since 1944, commander of the SG security, from 1946 commander of an infantry regiment. In the early 1950s he was dismissed from the army and subjected to repressions, after October 1956 he returned to service. In 1957 he was promoted to brigadier general, and in 1970 to

. From 1956 to 1959 he served as commander of the 1st Mechanized Division, deputy commander of the

for line affairs (1959–1963), deputy commander of the Military Technical Academy for line affairs (1963–1968), head of the Polish mission to the International Commission of Control and Supervision in Korea (1968–1969), chief of the Internal Defense Forces (1970–1974), and from 1974 deputy Chief Inspector of Territorial Defense Forces for paramilitary organizations. He retired since 1984 following a farewell by the Minister of National Defense

Florian Siwicki Florian Siwicki (; 10 January 1925 – 11 March 2013) was a Polish military officer, diplomat and communism, communist politician. He was a General (Poland), generał in the Polish Land Forces, Polish Army and Defence minister, Minister of De ...

in connection with the end of his professional military service. He was a member of the

and then

Polish United Workers' Party The Polish United Workers' Party (, ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other legally permitted subordinate minor parti ...

. From May 1972 to 1985 he was vice-president of the Main Board of the

Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy The Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy (, ZBoWiD) was an official Polish state-controlled veterans association in the People's Republic of Poland. Initially headed by Franciszek Jóźwiak, it was formed on September 2, 1949 out of 11 ...

. He published memoirs from the occupation years (So zarepetuj broni). In the 1980s, he headed the Committee for the Construction of the , which was unveiled in Warsaw on 22 July 1985. His son is , Minister of the State Treasury in the cabinet of

Leszek Miller Leszek Cezary Miller (Polish pronunciation: ; born 3 July 1946) is a Polish politician who served as prime minister of Poland from 2001 to 2004. He has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2019–2024. From 1989 to 1990, Mill ...

Awards

*Commander's Cross 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 ...

*Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta *Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta *

Order of the Banner of Labour The Order of the Banner of Labour () was a governmental award in Poland during the 20th-century era of the Polish People's Republic, a former Marxist-Leninist state. The order was established by the Sejm (a chamber of the Polish parliament) on 2 ...

, 1st Class *Order of the Banner of Labour, 2nd Class *

Order of the Cross of Grunwald The Order of the Cross of Grunwald (') was a military decoration created in Poland in November 1943 by the High Command of Gwardia Ludowa, a World War II Polish resistance movement organised by the Polish Workers Party. On 20 February 1944 it ...

, 3rd Class * Cross of Valour *

Partisan Cross The Partisan Cross () was a Polish military decoration awarded to World War II partisans (part of resistance movement fighting in the countryside). It was introduced by the Council of Ministers on October 26, 1945. It was awarded from 1945 unt ...

*Golden Cross of Merit (1946) *

Medal for Warsaw 1939–1945 The Medal for Warsaw 1939–1945 () was a Polish commemorative medal awarded by the Polish People's Republic to commemorate active participation in defending Warsaw in 1939, 1944 Warsaw Uprising, and in liberation of Warsaw from Nazi Germany in ...

* Medal for Oder, Neisse and Baltic *

Medal of Victory and Freedom 1945 Medal of Victory and Freedom 1945 ( Polish: ''Medal Zwycięstwa i Wolności 1945'') was a Polish military decoration awarded to persons who fought during World War II against Nazi Germany. Overview The medal was introduced by a decree of the Counc ...

* *

Medal of the 30th Anniversary of People's Poland The Medal of the 30th Anniversary of People's Poland (Polish: ''Medal 30-lecia Polski Ludowej'') is a former civil decoration of Poland established by the Council of State on 7 February 1974 to recognize contribution of working people in developmen ...

Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland The Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland ( Polish: ''Medal 40-lecia Polski Ludowej'') is a former civil decoration of Poland established by the Sejm on 26 April 1984 to recognize the contribution of working people in the development of ...

*Gold

Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland The Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland () is a Orders, decorations, and medals of Poland, Polish military decoration, awarded for long service and excellent work in Polish Armed Forces, the army. The medal was first establis ...

*Silver Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland *Bronze Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland *

Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin The Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin () was a Polish commemorative medal awarded by the Polish People's Republic to commemorate Polish military personnel who took part in the Battle of Berlin. History The Medal for Participation in ...

*Gold

Medal of Merit for National Defence The Medal of Merit for National Defence () is a military decoration, decoration of the Ministry of National Defence (Poland), Ministry of National Defence of Poland. Established 21 April 1966 and revised in 1991, the medal recognizes meritorious s ...

*Silver Medal of Merit for National Defence *Bronze Medal of Merit for National Defence * *Medal "100 Years of the Workers' Movement in Poland" (1982) * (1986) *Medal "For Long, Devoted Service" (awarded by the Minister of National Defense, 1983) *Silver Badge of Honor "For Merits for Warsaw" (1970) *Badge of Honor "For Merits for the Lublin Region" (1969)''Inauguracja na Lubelszczyźnie obchodów 25-lecia Polski Ludowe'' /w/ "Życie Warszawy", nr 42, 19 February 1969, p. 4. *Entry in the (9 May 1985) *

Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945 The Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 (''Československý válečný kříž 1939'' in Czech, ''Československý vojnový kríž 1939'' in Slovak) is a military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued for those who had provide ...

(Czechoslovakia) *

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

(Soviet Union) * Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" (Soviet Union) *

Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For the Victory Over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established on May 9, 1945, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote military partici ...

(Soviet Union) *

Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on May 7, 1965 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote the twenti ...

(Soviet Union) *

Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on April 25, 1975, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote the thi ...

(Soviet Union) *

Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a state commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on April 12, 1985, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to denote th ...

(Soviet Union)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Czyzewski, Waclaw 1917 births 2002 deaths People from Kraśnik County Polish People's Army generals Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Medal of the 40th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland Recipients of the Order of the Banner of Work Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945 Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Armia Ludowa members Gwardia Ludowa members