Boleslaw Kontrym
Encyclopedia
Bolesław Kontrym also known by codenames Żmudzin, Biały, Bielski and Cichocki, was a Polish Army officer, a Home Army soldier, participant in the Warsaw Uprising
and organizer of underground secret-police force Cichociemni
. After the war, he was executed for anti-Communist activities by the Polish security apparatus probably on 2 or 20 January 1953.
in March 1915. Initially he served in the 106th Infantry Regiment, completing NCO
training in Saratov
. Between August and December 1915 he commanded a platoon
of the 250th Infantry Regiment, and from June 1916 he served as adjutant
of the 3rd Battalion of the 127th Infantry Regiment. In August 1917 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
and was made commanding officer of a cavalry
reconnaissance unit of the 660th Infantry Regiment.
Kontrym joined Polish Army units that were forming in Russia and from 1918 served in the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the II Polish Army Corps. In May 1918 the Corps was disarmed and interned by the Germans at Kaniow
. Kontrym escaped from the German POW camp and attempted to join Polish Army units in Murmansk
, Russia.
In October 1918 he was arrested by the Bolshevik
Cheka
and conscripted into the Red Army
. He fought against the Polish Army as commander of 82 Infantry Regiment and 28th Brigade of the 10th Infantry Division
. For his abilities and gallantry, he was thrice awarded the Order of the Red Banner
. In February 1921 he was transferred from his unit to study at the Frunze Military Academy. During that time, he contacted Polish Military attaché
Colonel Romuald Wolikowski, to whom he passed Soviet military secrets. His espionage activities were discovered, and he had to flee to Poland.
During World War II
, Kontrym served in the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
and was one of the Cichociemni
. He also fought with distinction in the Warsaw Uprising
. After the war, he was arrested by the Polish Security Service and executed for anti-Communist resistance probably on 2 or 20 January 1953.
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
and organizer of underground secret-police force Cichociemni
Cichociemni
Cichociemni were elite special-operations paratroops of the Polish Home Army of the Polish Army in exile, created in Great Britain during World War II to operate in occupied Poland.-The name:...
. After the war, he was executed for anti-Communist activities by the Polish security apparatus probably on 2 or 20 January 1953.
Life
Kontrym was born 27 August 1898 in Zaturka, near Łuck in Wołyń. His began his military career by volunteering for the Imperial Russian ArmyImperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
in March 1915. Initially he served in the 106th Infantry Regiment, completing NCO
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
training in Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
. Between August and December 1915 he commanded a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
of the 250th Infantry Regiment, and from June 1916 he served as adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of the 3rd Battalion of the 127th Infantry Regiment. In August 1917 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and was made commanding officer of a cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
reconnaissance unit of the 660th Infantry Regiment.
Kontrym joined Polish Army units that were forming in Russia and from 1918 served in the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the II Polish Army Corps. In May 1918 the Corps was disarmed and interned by the Germans at Kaniow
Kaniv
Kaniv is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine. The city rests on the Dnieper River, and is also one of the main inland river ports on the Dnieper...
. Kontrym escaped from the German POW camp and attempted to join Polish Army units in Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
, Russia.
In October 1918 he was arrested by the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
Cheka
Cheka
Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...
and conscripted into the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. He fought against the Polish Army as commander of 82 Infantry Regiment and 28th Brigade of the 10th Infantry Division
10th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 10th Rifle Division was a military formation of the Red Army.It existed by 1920, but was formally created on 20 June 1922, based on the 29th Infantry Brigade. It was then recreated at Vladimir in September 1939....
. For his abilities and gallantry, he was thrice awarded the Order of the Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
. In February 1921 he was transferred from his unit to study at the Frunze Military Academy. During that time, he contacted Polish Military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
Colonel Romuald Wolikowski, to whom he passed Soviet military secrets. His espionage activities were discovered, and he had to flee to Poland.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Kontrym served in the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
The 1st Independent Parachute Brigade was a parachute brigade under command of Maj.Gen. Stanisław Sosabowski, created in Scotland in September 1941, with the exclusive mission to drop into occupied Poland in order to help liberate the country. The British government, however, pressured the Polish...
and was one of the Cichociemni
Cichociemni
Cichociemni were elite special-operations paratroops of the Polish Home Army of the Polish Army in exile, created in Great Britain during World War II to operate in occupied Poland.-The name:...
. He also fought with distinction in the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
. After the war, he was arrested by the Polish Security Service and executed for anti-Communist resistance probably on 2 or 20 January 1953.
Poland
- Silver Cross of the Virtuti MilitariVirtuti MilitariThe Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
(19 October 1944) - Cross of Valour (Krzyż Walecznych), three times
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2 August 2009, posthumously)
Foreign
- Croix de guerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
(1945, France) - 1939–45 Star (United Kingdom)
- France and Germany StarFrance and Germany StarThe France and Germany Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.The medal was awarded for operational service in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany from 6 June 1944 to 8 May 1945...
(24 July 1946, United Kingdom) - War Medal 1939–1945War Medal 1939–1945The War Medal 1939–1945 was a British decoration awarded to those who had served in the Armed Forces or Merchant Navy full-time for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. In the Merchant Navy, the 28 days must have been served at sea...
(9 October 1946, United Kingdom) - Order of Red Banner - three times (Soviet Union)