Wiktor Thommée
Encyclopedia
Wiktor Thommée was a Polish
military commander and a Brigadier General
of the Polish Army. A veteran of the Great War
and the Russian Civil War
, he is best known for his command over Piotrków Operational Group and the battle of the Bzura
during the Polish Defensive War
of 1939.
(modern Švenčionys, Lithuania), to a family of distant French provenience. After graduating from trade schools in Lida
and Dyneburg (modern Daugavpils, Latvia), in 1901 he joined an officers' school in St. Petersburg. In 1904 he graduated and received the grade of 2nd Lieutenant, after which he was attached to the Voronezh
-based 124th Infantry Regiment. With that unit he took part in the Russo-Japanese War
of 1904-1905. Twice wounded, he spent several months in various hospitals, after which he was dismissed from active service for recovery and joined the Trade Institute in Kharkov (modern Kharkiv, Ukraine). In 1912 he was again admitted to the Russian Army
and until 1914 he studied at the Academy of the General Staff in St. Petersburg.
, Thommée joined the 276th Infantry Regiment and served with distinction as a commanding officer of a company and then battalion. In 1916 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
and became an adjutant
at the staff of the 48th Corps in the area of the Romanian front
. After the Russian Revolution of 1917
, he quit the army and on September 25, 1918 he joined the Polish Army in the area of Kuban
. There, on November 9 he became the de facto chief of staff of Lucjan Żeligowski
's Polish 4th Rifle Division, formally a part of the Polish Blue Army
allied to France
, United Kingdom
, U.S.
and Imperial Russia. After the division returned to Poland and was reformed into the 10th Infantry Division, Thommée served as the chief of its staff during the opening stages of the Polish-Bolshevik War until August 1919. On August 22 of that year he became the head of the Third department of the staff (Offensive intelligence "B"), controlling the intelligence net in the European part of Russia, at the North-Western Front, Masovian Front and then the Polish 1st Army
under Gen. Franciszek Latinik
.
A skilled officer of intelligence service, Thommée asked his superiors to move him to front-line service and on June 17, 1920, he was made the commanding officer of the famous 28th Kaniów Rifles Infantry Regiment. For the rest of the Polish-Bolshevik War, he commanded the 19th Infantry and then 20th Infantry Brigades. For his service during the conflict, in 1922 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel
(with precedence of June 1, 1919).
After the Peace of Riga
had been signed, Thommée remained in the army and on August 10, 1921 he was made the commanding officer of the General Army Area Brześć. On October 20, 1922 he became the first officer of the Grodno-based 3rd Military Area Command (DOK III) and at the same time he started his studies at the Higher War School in Warsaw
. On July 1, 1923 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General
and on August 15, 1924 he became the commanding officer of the 15th Infantry Division
stationed in Bydgoszcz. One of the most promising staff officers of his times, in 1926 he was sent to Paris
, where he graduated from the prestigious Ecole Superieure de Guerre. Upon his return to Poland he continued his service at various posts, including the command over the Toruń
-based 8th Military Area Command (DOK VIII; 1934–1938) and then the Łódź-based 4th Military Area Command (DOK IV).
, on September 1, 1939, Thommée assumed the command over the Piotrków Operational Group
, one of Polish Army Corps within the Łódź Army. Renamed to Thommée Operational Group on September 6, the unit was the only part of the Łódź Army not to suffer tremendous losses during the retreat from the borders. After Gen. Juliusz Rómmel
abandoned his army and defected for Warsaw, Wiktor Thommée managed to reorganise the withdrawing forces of the Łódź Army and fight the battle of Cyrusowa Wola on September 8, in which he defeated the German 10th Infantry Division
. After the battle, on September 13 his forces moved to the Modlin Fortress
where Thommée assumed the command of the Modlin Army
. Besieged, the forces under his command defended the area until September 29. Due to lack of supplies, food and water, Gen. Thommée negotiated the capitulation of his forces under the condition that all the soldiers were to be treated as prisoners of war and were to be set free.
Although initially the Germans honoured the treaty, on November 7, 1939, Thommée was arrested along with a large part of his staff and was sent to Germany. He spent the remaining part of the World War II
in various Nazi POW camps. Initially in Oflag IV-B Koenigstein
and Stalag I-B Hohenstein, he was then transferred to Oflag VIII-E Johannisbrunn
. In 1942 he was sent to Oflag VII-A Murnau
, from where he undertook numerous escape attempts and was finally sent to Oflag VI-B Dössel. Liberated in 1945, he moved to the United Kingdom
, where in April he joined the Polish Armed Forces in the West
. Unlike most of his war-time colleagues, in January 1947 he returned to Communist-held Poland. Formally accepted into the army, he was retired and deprived of his pension. He lived in poverty in Gdynia
, at times working as a janitor
. It was not until the death of Bolesław Bierut and the political thaw of 1956 that Wiktor Thommée was granted with a pension and a flat in Warsaw
. He died September 12, 1962 and was buried in the Alley of the Meritous in Warsaw's Powązki Military Cemetery
. On January 1, 1964 he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Division General
(Lt.Gen.).
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...
military commander and a Brigadier General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
of the Polish Army. A veteran of the Great War
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...
and the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, he is best known for his command over Piotrków Operational Group and the battle of the Bzura
Battle of the Bzura
The Battle of the Bzura was a battle in the opening campaign of World War II during the 1939 German invasion of Poland, fought between 9 and 19 September, 1939, between Polish and German forces...
during the Polish Defensive War
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...
of 1939.
Early life
Wiktor Thommée was born December 30, 1881 in Święciany, Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(modern Švenčionys, Lithuania), to a family of distant French provenience. After graduating from trade schools in Lida
Lida
Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...
and Dyneburg (modern Daugavpils, Latvia), in 1901 he joined an officers' school in St. Petersburg. In 1904 he graduated and received the grade of 2nd Lieutenant, after which he was attached to the Voronezh
Voronezh
Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway...
-based 124th Infantry Regiment. With that unit he took part in the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
of 1904-1905. Twice wounded, he spent several months in various hospitals, after which he was dismissed from active service for recovery and joined the Trade Institute in Kharkov (modern Kharkiv, Ukraine). In 1912 he was again admitted to the Russian Army
Imperial 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...
and until 1914 he studied at the Academy of the General Staff in St. Petersburg.
First World War
After the outbreak of the Great WarWorld 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...
, Thommée joined the 276th Infantry Regiment and served with distinction as a commanding officer of a company and then battalion. In 1916 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
and became an 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...
at the staff of the 48th Corps in the area of the Romanian front
Romanian Front
The Romanian Front was a Fascist party created in 1935 - being led by Alexandru Vaida-Voevod as a splinter group from the National Peasants' Party.-History:...
. After the Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
, he quit the army and on September 25, 1918 he joined the Polish Army in the area of Kuban
Kuban
Kuban is a geographic region of Southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Don Steppe, Volga Delta and the Caucasus...
. There, on November 9 he became the de facto chief of staff of Lucjan Żeligowski
Lucjan Zeligowski
Lucjan Żeligowski , was a Polish general, and veteran of World War I, the Polish-Soviet War and World War II. He is mostly remembered for his role in Żeligowski's Mutiny and as head of a short-lived Republic of Central Lithuania.-Biography:...
's Polish 4th Rifle Division, formally a part of the Polish Blue Army
Blue Army
The Blue Army, or Haller's Army, are informal names given to the Polish Army units formed in France during the later stages of World War I. The army was created in June 1917 as part of the Polish units allied to the Entente. After the Great War ended, the units were transferred to Poland, where...
allied to 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...
, 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...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Imperial Russia. After the division returned to Poland and was reformed into the 10th Infantry Division, Thommée served as the chief of its staff during the opening stages of the Polish-Bolshevik War until August 1919. On August 22 of that year he became the head of the Third department of the staff (Offensive intelligence "B"), controlling the intelligence net in the European part of Russia, at the North-Western Front, Masovian Front and then the Polish 1st Army
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
under Gen. Franciszek Latinik
Franciszek Latinik
Franciszek Ksawery Latinik was a Polish general.He graduated from the cadets school in Kraków and since 1882 served in the Austro-Hungarian Army...
.
A skilled officer of intelligence service, Thommée asked his superiors to move him to front-line service and on June 17, 1920, he was made the commanding officer of the famous 28th Kaniów Rifles Infantry Regiment. For the rest of the Polish-Bolshevik War, he commanded the 19th Infantry and then 20th Infantry Brigades. For his service during the conflict, in 1922 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
(with precedence of June 1, 1919).
After the Peace of Riga
Peace of Riga
The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga; was signed in Riga on 18 March 1921, between Poland, Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended the Polish-Soviet War....
had been signed, Thommée remained in the army and on August 10, 1921 he was made the commanding officer of the General Army Area Brześć. On October 20, 1922 he became the first officer of the Grodno-based 3rd Military Area Command (DOK III) and at the same time he started his studies at the Higher War School in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. On July 1, 1923 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
and on August 15, 1924 he became the commanding officer of the 15th Infantry Division
Polish 15th Infantry Division
Polish 15th Infantry Division can refer to:*Polish 15th "Greater Poland" Infantry Division , Wielkopolska*Polish 15th Infantry Division, formed in 1945, in 1955 transformed into Polish 15th Mechanized Division...
stationed in Bydgoszcz. One of the most promising staff officers of his times, in 1926 he was sent to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he graduated from the prestigious Ecole Superieure de Guerre. Upon his return to Poland he continued his service at various posts, including the command over the Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
-based 8th Military Area Command (DOK VIII; 1934–1938) and then the Łódź-based 4th Military Area Command (DOK IV).
Second World War
At the outbreak of the 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...
, on September 1, 1939, Thommée assumed the command over the Piotrków Operational Group
Operational Group
Operational Group was the highest level of tactical division of the Polish Army before and during World War II and the Invasion of Poland. It was corps-sized, although various Operational Groups varied in size....
, one of Polish Army Corps within the Łódź Army. Renamed to Thommée Operational Group on September 6, the unit was the only part of the Łódź Army not to suffer tremendous losses during the retreat from the borders. After Gen. Juliusz Rómmel
Juliusz Rómmel
Juliusz Karol Wilhelm Józef Rómmel was a Polish military commander and a general of the Polish Army. During the Polish-Bolshevik War, he gained great fame for achieving a decisive victory in the Battle of Komarów, the largest cavalry engagement of the 20th century...
abandoned his army and defected for Warsaw, Wiktor Thommée managed to reorganise the withdrawing forces of the Łódź Army and fight the battle of Cyrusowa Wola on September 8, in which he defeated the German 10th Infantry Division
German 10th Infantry Division
The German 10th Infantry Division was created in October 1934 under the cover name Wehrgauleitung Regensburg to hide its violation of the Treaty of Versailles...
. After the battle, on September 13 his forces moved to the Modlin Fortress
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...
where Thommée assumed the command of the Modlin Army
Modlin Army
Modlin Army was one of the Polish armies that took part in the Polish Defensive War of 1939. After heavy casualties in the battle of Mława , the Army was forced to abandon its positions near Warsaw around September 10; eventually it took part in the battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki and surrendered...
. Besieged, the forces under his command defended the area until September 29. Due to lack of supplies, food and water, Gen. Thommée negotiated the capitulation of his forces under the condition that all the soldiers were to be treated as prisoners of war and were to be set free.
Although initially the Germans honoured the treaty, on November 7, 1939, Thommée was arrested along with a large part of his staff and was sent to Germany. He spent the remaining part of the 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 Nazi POW camps. Initially in Oflag IV-B Koenigstein
Oflag IV-B Koenigstein
Oflag IV-B Koenigstein was a Nazi POW camp for Allied officers during World War II. It was located in Königstein Fortress near the town of Königstein in Saxony....
and Stalag I-B Hohenstein, he was then transferred to Oflag VIII-E Johannisbrunn
Oflag VIII-E Johannisbrunn
Oflag VIII-E Johannisbrunn was a World War II German ] POW camp for Allied generals during World War II. It was located in the spa town of Jánské Koupele in the Czechoslovakian part of Silesia. The camp was built in October 1940 to house approximately 70 Allied generals and their aides...
. In 1942 he was sent to 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....
, from where he undertook numerous escape attempts and was finally sent to Oflag VI-B Dössel. Liberated in 1945, he moved 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...
, where in April he joined the Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...
. Unlike most of his war-time colleagues, in January 1947 he returned to Communist-held Poland. Formally accepted into the army, he was retired and deprived of his pension. He lived in poverty in Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
, at times working as a janitor
Janitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
. It was not until the death of Bolesław Bierut and the political thaw of 1956 that Wiktor Thommée was granted with a pension and a flat in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. He died September 12, 1962 and was buried in the Alley of the Meritous in Warsaw's Powązki Military Cemetery
Powązki Military Cemetery
Powązki Military Cemetery is an old military cemetery located in the Wola district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. The cemetery is often confused with the older Powązki Cemetery, known colloquially as "Old Powązki"...
. On January 1, 1964 he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Division General
Division General
Division General was a military rank in the Bosnian army from 1992 to 1998.See also: Divisional General...
(Lt.Gen.).
Awards
Throughout his life, Thommée was awarded with some of the highest Polish military decorations. Among them were:- 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...
(5th and 4th classes) - Commanders' Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- Cross of Valour (Krzyż Walecznych), 4 times
- Gold Cross of Merit (Krzyż Zasługi)
- Independence MedalCross of IndependenceCross of Independence was one of the highest Polish military decorations between World Wars I and II. It was awarded to individuals who had "fought heroically for the independence of Poland," and was released in three versions.- History :...