Józef Unrug
Encyclopedia
Józef Michał Hubert Unrug was a German
-born Polish
vice admiral
who helped reestablish Poland's navy after World War I
. During the opening stages of World War II
, he served as the Polish Navy
's commander.
family of Tadeusz Unrug, a major-general in the Prussian Army
. After graduating from gymnasium
in Dresden
, Unrug completed Navy School in 1907 and began service in the German Navy. During World War I
he commanded a U-Boot
, earning promotion to the command of a submarine flotilla
.
After Poland regained independence, Unrug left Germany and volunteered for the Polish Army. Soon afterward he was transferred to the nascent Polish Navy
, where he served as chief of the Hydrographic Division
and then as commanding officer of a submarine
flotilla. One of the most skilled officers in the Polish Navy, Unrug was quickly promoted to Rear Admiral
. Despite his problems with the Polish language
, in 1925 he became commander of the Polish Navy.
During the 1939 invasion of Poland
, Unrug executed his plan of strategic withdrawal of the Polish Navy's major vessels to the United Kingdom
("Operation Peking"). At the same time, he commanded all Polish submersibles to lay naval mine
fields in the Bay of Gdańsk ("Plan Worek"). After that, these vessels either escaped to the United Kingdom or were interned in neutral countries.
Despite having thus lost control of the Navy, Unrug remained commander of land forces in an attempt to prevent German recovery of the Polish Corridor. However, on 1 October 1939, after both Warsaw
and Modlin
had capitulated, Admiral Unrug decided that further defense of the isolated Hel Peninsula
was pointless, and the following day all units under his command capitulated.
Unrug spent the rest of World War II
in various German POW camps, including Oflag II-C
in Woldenberg
, Oflag XVIII-C in Spittal
, Stalag X-B
in Sandbostel
, Oflag IV-C
(Colditz
Castle) and finally Oflag VII-A Murnau
. In the latter camp he was the eldest-ranking officer and the commander of the Polish soldiers interned there. The Germans treated him with great respect as a former German officer by bringing former Imperial German Navy friends to visit him with the intention of making him switch sides. Unrug responded by refusing to speak German
, saying that he had forgotten that language in September 1939. To the irritation of the Germans, Unrug would always insist having a translator present or communicate in French, even though he spoke his native German fluently. Unrug's spirit and unbowing attitude proved to be an inspiration to his fellow prisoners.
After Poland was taken over by the Soviet Union
in 1945, Unrug went to the United Kingdom, where he served in the Polish Army in the West and took part in its liquidation. After the Allies withdrew support for the Polish government
, Unrug remained in exile in the United Kingdom, and then in France
. He died on 28 February 1973 in a Polish Veterans Hospital in Lailly-en-Val
near Beaugency
, at the age of 88. On 5 March the same year he was buried in a chapel of Branicki
family palace in Montresor
. In 1976 a stone tablet commemorating Admiral Unrug was erected in Oksywie
.
Gold Cross of Merits with Swords
Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari
Polonia Restituta
, Commanders' Cross
Iron Cross
, First and Second Classes (Germany)
Gold Cross of Merit
Order of Dannebrog (Denmark)
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France)
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Order of the White Elephant
(Siam)
Royal Order of the Sword
(Sweden)
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
vice admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
who helped reestablish Poland's navy after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. During the opening stages of 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...
, he served as the Polish Navy
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
's commander.
Biography
Unrug was born in Brandenburg an der Havel into the GermanizedGermanisation
Germanisation is both the spread of the German language, people and culture either by force or assimilation, and the adaptation of a foreign word to the German language in linguistics, much like the Romanisation of many languages which do not use the Latin alphabet...
family of Tadeusz Unrug, a major-general in the Prussian Army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
. After graduating from gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Unrug completed Navy School in 1907 and began service in the German Navy. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he commanded a U-Boot
U-boot
U-boot can refer to:* U-boats, military submarines operated by Germany during World War I and World War II* Das U-Boot, also known simply as U-Boot, a computer software which serves as a bootstrap loader in many embedded systems....
, earning promotion to the command of a submarine flotilla
Flotilla
A flotilla , or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class of warship, such as frigates, destroyers, torpedo boats, submarines, gunboats, or minesweepers...
.
After Poland regained independence, Unrug left Germany and volunteered for the Polish Army. Soon afterward he was transferred to the nascent Polish Navy
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
, where he served as chief of the Hydrographic Division
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
and then as commanding officer of a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
flotilla. One of the most skilled officers in the Polish Navy, Unrug was quickly promoted to Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
. Despite his problems with the Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, in 1925 he became commander of the Polish Navy.
During the 1939 invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
, Unrug executed his plan of strategic withdrawal of the Polish Navy's major vessels to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
("Operation Peking"). At the same time, he commanded all Polish submersibles to lay naval mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
fields in the Bay of Gdańsk ("Plan Worek"). After that, these vessels either escaped to the United Kingdom or were interned in neutral countries.
Despite having thus lost control of the Navy, Unrug remained commander of land forces in an attempt to prevent German recovery of the Polish Corridor. However, on 1 October 1939, after both Warsaw
Siege of Warsaw (1939)
The 1939 Battle of Warsaw was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army garrisoned and entrenched in the capital of Poland and the German Army...
and Modlin
Modlin Fortress
Modlin Fortress is one of the biggest 19th century fortresses in Poland. It is located the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in district Modlin on the Narew river, some 50 kilometres north of Warsaw...
had capitulated, Admiral Unrug decided that further defense of the isolated Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula |Nehrung]]) is a 35-km-long sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is located in Puck County of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.- Geography :...
was pointless, and the following day all units under his command capitulated.
Unrug spent the rest of 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...
in various German POW camps, including Oflag II-C
Oflag II-C
Oflag II-C Woldenburg was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp located about from the town of Woldenberg, Brandenburg...
in Woldenberg
Dobiegniew
Dobiegniew is a town in Poland, in Lubusz Voivodeship, in Strzelce-Drezdenko County. It has 3,189 inhabitants .It was part of Germany until 1945. In WWII, the Oflag II-C POW camp was located nearby.-External links:*...
, Oflag XVIII-C in Spittal
Spittal an der Drau
Spittal an der Drau is located in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia and the administrative centre of the federal state's second largest district, Spittal an der Drau. It lies between the Lurnfeld area and the Lower Drava Valley. The city consists of the seven...
, Stalag X-B
Stalag X-B
Stalag X-B was a World War II German Prisoner-of-war camp located near Sandbostel in north-western Germany. Sandbostel lies 9 km south of Bremervörde, 43 km northeast of Bremen. Placed on swampy ground,with a damp, cold climate, it is one of the most notorious prisoner-of-war camps. Between...
in Sandbostel
Sandbostel
Sandbostel is a municipality in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, 43 km north-east of Bremen, 60 km west of Hamburg. Coordinates: 53° 25′ N, 9° 8′ E. Population: 816...
, Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
(Colditz
Colditz
Colditz is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, near Leipzig, located on the banks of the river Mulde. The town has a population of 5,188 ....
Castle) and finally Oflag VII-A Murnau
Oflag VII-A Murnau
Oflag VII-A Murnau was a German Army POW camp for Polish Army officers and generals during World War II. It was located in the Bavarian town of Murnau am Staffelsee....
. In the latter camp he was the eldest-ranking officer and the commander of the Polish soldiers interned there. The Germans treated him with great respect as a former German officer by bringing former Imperial German Navy friends to visit him with the intention of making him switch sides. Unrug responded by refusing to speak German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, saying that he had forgotten that language in September 1939. To the irritation of the Germans, Unrug would always insist having a translator present or communicate in French, even though he spoke his native German fluently. Unrug's spirit and unbowing attitude proved to be an inspiration to his fellow prisoners.
After Poland was taken over by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1945, Unrug went to the United Kingdom, where he served in the Polish Army in the West and took part in its liquidation. After the Allies withdrew support for the Polish government
Polish government in Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...
, Unrug remained in exile in the United Kingdom, and then in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He died on 28 February 1973 in a Polish Veterans Hospital in Lailly-en-Val
Lailly-en-Val
Lailly-en-Val is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.-See also:*Communes of the Loiret department...
near Beaugency
Beaugency
Beaugency is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. It is located on the Loire river, upriver from Blois and downriver from Orléans.-History:...
, at the age of 88. On 5 March the same year he was buried in a chapel of Branicki
Branicki
Branicki can refer to:* two aristocratic families of Poland :** Branicki family, Gryf Coat of Arms** Branicki family, Korczak Coat of Arms* individuals bearing Branicki surname:**Franciszek Ksawery Branicki...
family palace in Montresor
Montresor
Montresor can refer to any of the following:Literature*Montresor, character in The Cask of AmontilladoPeople*Claude de Bourdeille, comte de Montrésor Montresor can refer to any of the following:Literature*Montresor, character in The Cask of AmontilladoPeople*Claude de Bourdeille, comte de Montrésor...
. In 1976 a stone tablet commemorating Admiral Unrug was erected in Oksywie
Oksywie
Oksywie is a neighbourhood of the city of Gdynia, Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. Formerly a separate settlement, it is actually several centuries older than the city it is a part of currently.-Etymology:...
.
Honours and awards
Gold Cross of Merits with Swords Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
Polonia RestitutaPolonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
, Commanders' Cross
Iron CrossIron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
, First and Second Classes (Germany)
Gold Cross of Merit
Order of Dannebrog (Denmark)
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Order of the White ElephantOrder of the White Elephant
The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant is the most awarded order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam.The Order consists of eight classes:...
(Siam)
Royal Order of the SwordOrder of the Sword
The Order of the Sword is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Order of the Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star.Awarded to officers, and originally intended as an award for bravery and particularly long or useful service, it...
(Sweden)
See also
- Polish NavyPolish NavyThe Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
- Polish Defensive WarInvasion of Poland (1939)The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...