Zygmunt Piotr Bohusz-Szyszko (1893 in

Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...

– 1982 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

) was a Polish general. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he served in the Imperial Russian army. In 1940, he was Commanding Officer

Polish Independent Highland Brigade The Polish Independent Highland Brigade () was a Polish military unit created in France in 1939, after the fall of Poland, as part of the Polish Army in France. It had approximately 5,000 soldiers trained in mountain warfare and was commanded ...

(''Samodzielna Brygada Strzelcow Podhalanskich'') during the

Battle of Narvik The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War. Th ...

in the Norwegian campaign. The forces under his command succeeded in capturing the

Ankenes Ankenes is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1884 until 1974. It encompassed most of the present-day Narvik Municipality, surrounding of the town of Narvik which was once its own municipality. The ...

peninsula during May 1940.

Biography

Bohusz-Szyszko was born on 19 January 1893 in Chełm. His father Jakub was an officer in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

, and served in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

. His family moved to Russia after his father was transferred to the

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

garrison.

Career

During his career, he held the following offices: * -1931 Commanding Officer 58th Regiment * 1931–1934 Commanding Border Defence Regiment Głębokie * 1934–1938 Deputy General Officer Commanding Border Defence Corps * 1938–1939 Commanding Officer Infantry 1st Division * 1939 Commanding Officer Infantry 16th Division * 1939–1940 Commanding Officer 1st Mountain Brigade, Norway * 1941–1942 Head Polish Military Mission Moscow * 1941–1943 Chief of Staff Polish Forces in Soviet Union * 1942 General Officer Commanding 5th Division, Soviet Union * 1943–1945 Deputy General Officer Commanding II Polish Corps, Italy * 1945–1946 General Officer Commanding Army of the East * 1945–1946 General Officer Commanding II Polish Corps, Italy * 1976–1980

General Inspector of the Armed Forces General Inspector of the Armed Forces () was an office created in the Second Polish Republic in 1926, after the May Coup. The General Inspector reported directly to the President, and was not responsible to the ''Sejm'' (parliament) or the gov ...

Promotions

Podporucznik ( Second lieutenant) - 1914 * PL Epolet por

Porucznik (

First lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

) - 1916 * PL Epolet mjr

Major (

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

) - 3 May 1922 * PL Epolet pplk

Podpułkownik ( Lieutenant colonel) - 23 January 1928 * PL Epolet plk

Pułkownik (

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

) - 1 January 1934 * PL Epolet gen bryg

Generał brygady ( Brigadier general) - 19 April 1940 * PL Epolet gen dyw

Generał dywizji ( Major general) - 1 June 1945

Awards and decorations

* Golden Cross of

Order of 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 Augustus ...

Silver Cross of

(1922) *

Grand Cordon of

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 ...

(30 March 1979) * POL Polonia Restituta Oficerski BAR

Officer's Cross of

(11 November 1936) * Cross of Valour (four times) * Golden

Cross of Merit with Swords The Cross of Merit with Swords () is a Polish military award established October 19, 1942, by the Polish Government in Exile. Criteria The Cross of Merit with Swords is awarded for deeds of bravery and valor during time of war not connected with ...

(two times) * Golden Cross of Merit (7 August 1938 and 11 November 1938) * Bronze

Medal for Long Service The Medal for Long Service (Polish: ''Medal za Długoletnią Służbę'') is a Polish decoration awarded in three classes (gold, silver and bronze) to members of the Polish Armed Forces and other uniformed services, and to Civil Servants, civil se ...

* Wound Decoration (six times) * Krigskorset med sverd stripe

War Cross (Norway) * Croce di guerra al valor militare BAR

War Cross of Military Valor The War Cross for Military Valor () is an Italian Order (decoration), order for military valor. Established in 1922, the cross may be awarded only in time of war. Appearance The medal is a Greek cross made of copper. Inscribed on the horizon ...

(Italy)

In culture

Bohusz-Szyszko was portrayed by

Zbigniew Stryj Zbigniew Stryj (born 2 January 1968 in Zabrze, Poland) is a Polish actor. Filmography * Goracy czwartek (1994) * Święta polskie *Barbórka (2005) as Hubert Szewczyk *Na Wspólnej (2005 – current) as Adam Roztocki *Kryminalni (2006) as Erwin ...

in , a war film following the

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies of World War II, Allies against Nazi Germany, German forces in Kingdom of Italy, Italy during the Italian Campaign (World War ...

References

External links

The Poles at Narvik
1893 births 1982 deaths People from Chełm People from Lublin Governorate Polish generals Polish legionnaires (World War I) Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Polish military personnel of World War II Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the War Cross with Sword (Norway) Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland) {{Poland-mil-bio-stub