Bronisław Stanisław Rakowski (20 June 1895 in Szczucin – 28 December 1950 in Buenos Aires) was a Polish general. He fought in the Polish legions during World War I. As a Colonel defending Lviv he refused entry to the Soviet Army during the Soviet invasion of Poland, instead suggesting the Soviets advance on German positions, and after the city capitulated, was later imprisoned by the Soviet NKVD. During World War II, he fought in the Anders Army and Polish Armed Forces in the West.
Career timeline
- 1931–1936: Commanding Officer 12th Ulan Regiment
- 1936–1939: Head of Army Historical Bureau
- 1939–1941: Prisoner of War, Soviet Union
- 1941–1942: General Officer Commanding 8th Division
- 1942: General Officer Commanding 5th Division
- 1942–1943: Chief of Staff Polish Forces in Soviet Union
- 1943–1944: General Officer Commanding 2nd Armoured Brigade
- 1944–1947: General Officer Commanding 2nd Armoured Division (2 Warszawska Dywizja Pancerna)
Promotions
Podporucznik (Second lieutenant) - November 1918
Rotmistrz (Captain)- 1 June 1919
Major (Major) - 15 August 1924
Podpułkownik (Lieutenant colonel) - 1 January 1930
Pułkownik (Colonel) - 1 January 1934
Generał brygady (Brigadier general) - 11 December 1941
Honours and awards
- Gold Cross of Virtuti Militari
- Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari
- Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- Cross of Independence
- Cross of Valour (four times)
- Gold Cross of Merit with Swords
- Army Medal for War
- Gold Cross of Merit
- Commemorative Medal for the War of 1918–1921
- Medal of the 10th Anniversary of Regained Independence
- Monte Cassino Commemorative Cross
- Officer's Cross of the Legion of Honour
- Officer of the Order of the Crown of Romania
- Distinguished Service Order (United Kingdom)
- War Medal 1939–1945
- Defence Medal (United Kingdom)
- Italy Star
- Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Italy)
References
- "Deaths Elsewhere". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1951-01-01. p. 30. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
- Moorhouse, Roger (2019). First to fight : the Polish War 1939. London: Random House. pp. 248–9. ISBN 978-1-84792-460-5. OCLC 1108710545.
- ^ Kochanski, Halik (2012). The eagle unbowed : Poland and the Poles in the Second World War (First ed.). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. pp. 467, 602. ISBN 978-0-674-06816-2. OCLC 823740108.
- ^ Protassewicz, Irena (2019). A Polish Woman's experience in World War II : conflict, deportation and exile. London. p. 229. ISBN 978-1-350-07994-6. OCLC 1082137024.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Bałuk, Stefan (2008). Poland at arms 1939-1945. Warsaw: Polonia Publishers. p. 64. ISBN 978-83-7021-117-2. OCLC 25371705.
- "Rakowski, Bronislaw Stanislaw - TracesOfWar.com". www.tracesofwar.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
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- 1895 births
- 1950 deaths
- People from Dąbrowa County
- Polish generals
- Polish legionnaires (World War I)
- Polish military personnel of World War II
- Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- 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)
- Officers of the Legion of Honour
- Recipients of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
- Polish deportees to Soviet Union
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