Wilhelm Orlik-Rueckemann
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann (1894–1986) was a Polish
general, military commander and one of the pioneers of armoured warfare in Poland.
. In 1914 Orlik-Rückemann volunteered for the Polish Legions
, where he served with distinction at various command posts in the 6th Infantry Regiment. After the oath crisis
of 1917 he was drafted to the Austro-Hungarian Army
, where he served with the 19th Rifle Regiment. In 1918 he also graduated from the Infantry Reserve Officer's School.
of 1919 he was taken prisoner by the Ukrainians, but was later released after Piłsudski signed an alliance with Semen Petlura. Orlik-Rückemann was then sent to armoured forces school and was given the command of a small tank unit equipped entirely with French FT-17 tanks. During the Polish-Bolshevik War he became one of the most successful tank commanders of the Polish forces and during the Battle of Warsaw
on August 16, 1920, he was promoted to colonel and given the command of the 1st Tank Regiment.
After the war Orlik-Rückemann remained in the Polish Army and until May 1, 1927, was the commanding officer of the 1st Tank Regiment. He also graduated from the faculty of tank combat commanders of the Ecole Superieure de Guerre in Paris
. After liquidation of his unit, Orlik-Rückemann was transferred to the Ministry of War Affairs and then in January 1928 became the deputy commanding officer of the 23rd Infantry Division.
On February 27, 1932, Orlik-Rückemannn became the commanding officer of the 9th Infantry Division and the following year was promoted to brigadier general
. In December 1938 he became the deputy commander of the elite Border Defence Corps and on August 8, 1939, became its commander.
Orlik-Rückemann's forces were deprived of most of the reserves that were transferred to western Poland to strengthen the Polish units stationed there. After the outbreak of the Polish Defensive War
of 1939 and the Soviet Union
's invasion of Poland on September 17, Orlik-Rückemann's forces could offer only a token resistance against the overwhelming odds. To prevent the complete destruction of his forces, Orlik-Rückemann decided to withdraw them from the 300 kilometre long border in the area of Polesie and break through to Warsaw
and the forces of Polesie Independent Operational Group under general Franciszek Kleeberg
.
Until September 22 he gathered approximately 8,000 men and started his march towards Warsaw. Constant skirmishes with the Red Army
and the Fifth column
brought down the morale of his men. To counter the threat of a breakdown, Orlik-Rückemann decided to start a major battle with the Red Army. During the Battle of Szack
, on September 28, his men managed to rout the Soviet 52nd Rifle Division. On September 30 the unit crossed the Bug
river and reached the village of Wytyczno, some 20 kilometres south-east of Włodawa. The following day his unit was attacked by the Soviet 45th Rifle Division, reinforced with tanks and artillery. After 15 hours of heavy fighting, the supplies of the Polish forces were almost depleted and Orlik-Rückemann decided to divide his unit into small groups and order them to break through to the area occupied by the Independent Operational Group Polesie
on their own. Most of the Polish forces reached their destination unopposed and with negligible losses.
After the end of hostilities in Poland, Orlik-Rückemann managed to evade being captured and crossed the Lithuania
n border. From there he managed to get to Sweden
and by the end of October he was in the United Kingdom
. There he served in the Polish Army in exile on various staff posts.
. He was deprived of Polish citizenship by the communist authorities of Poland and remained in exile. Initially he lived in London
and in 1972 he moved to his family to Ottawa
, Canada
. Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann died on October 18, 1986, in Ottawa.
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...
general, military commander and one of the pioneers of armoured warfare in Poland.
Early life
Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann was born August 1, 1894 in Lwów. In 1912 he started studies at the Road and Bridge Engineering faculty of the Lwów University of Technology. His studies, however, were halted by the outbreak of World War IWorld 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...
. In 1914 Orlik-Rückemann volunteered for the Polish Legions
Polish Legions in World War I
Polish Legions was the name of Polish armed forces created in August 1914 in Galicia. Thanks to the efforts of KSSN and the Polish members of the Austrian parliament, the unit became an independent formation of the Austro-Hungarian Army...
, where he served with distinction at various command posts in the 6th Infantry Regiment. After the oath crisis
Oath crisis
The Oath crisis was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions.Initially supporting the Central Powers against Imperial Russia, Piłsudski wanted to defeat one of the partitioning powers with the hands of the two remaining...
of 1917 he was drafted to the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
, where he served with the 19th Rifle Regiment. In 1918 he also graduated from the Infantry Reserve Officer's School.
Polish Army
On November 4, 1918, he joined the Polish Army. During the Polish-Ukrainian WarPolish-Ukrainian War
The Polish–Ukrainian War of 1918 and 1919 was a conflict between the forces of the Second Polish Republic and West Ukrainian People's Republic for the control over Eastern Galicia after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.-Background:...
of 1919 he was taken prisoner by the Ukrainians, but was later released after Piłsudski signed an alliance with Semen Petlura. Orlik-Rückemann was then sent to armoured forces school and was given the command of a small tank unit equipped entirely with French FT-17 tanks. During the Polish-Bolshevik War he became one of the most successful tank commanders of the Polish forces and during the Battle of Warsaw
Battle of Warsaw (1920)
The Battle of Warsaw sometimes referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula, was the decisive battle of the Polish–Soviet War. That war began soon after the end of World War I in 1918 and lasted until the Treaty of Riga resulted in the end of the hostilities between Poland and Russia in 1921.The...
on August 16, 1920, he was promoted to colonel and given the command of the 1st Tank Regiment.
After the war Orlik-Rückemann remained in the Polish Army and until May 1, 1927, was the commanding officer of the 1st Tank Regiment. He also graduated from the faculty of tank combat commanders of the Ecole Superieure de Guerre in 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...
. After liquidation of his unit, Orlik-Rückemann was transferred to the Ministry of War Affairs and then in January 1928 became the deputy commanding officer of the 23rd Infantry Division.
On February 27, 1932, Orlik-Rückemannn became the commanding officer of the 9th Infantry Division and the following year was promoted to 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...
. In December 1938 he became the deputy commander of the elite Border Defence Corps and on August 8, 1939, became its commander.
Polish defensive war in 1939
Shortly before the start of World War IIWorld 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...
Orlik-Rückemann's forces were deprived of most of the reserves that were transferred to western Poland to strengthen the Polish units stationed there. After the outbreak of 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 and 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....
's invasion of Poland on September 17, Orlik-Rückemann's forces could offer only a token resistance against the overwhelming odds. To prevent the complete destruction of his forces, Orlik-Rückemann decided to withdraw them from the 300 kilometre long border in the area of Polesie and break through to 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...
and the forces of Polesie Independent Operational Group under general Franciszek Kleeberg
Franciszek Kleeberg
Franciszek Kleeberg was a Polish general. He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army before joining the Polish Legions in World War I and later the Polish Army. During the German Invasion of Poland he commanded Independent Operational Group Polesie...
.
Until September 22 he gathered approximately 8,000 men and started his march towards Warsaw. Constant skirmishes with 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...
and the Fifth column
Fifth column
A fifth column is a group of people who clandestinely undermine a larger group such as a nation from within.-Origin:The term originated with a 1936 radio address by Emilio Mola, a Nationalist General during the 1936–39 Spanish Civil War...
brought down the morale of his men. To counter the threat of a breakdown, Orlik-Rückemann decided to start a major battle with the Red Army. During the Battle of Szack
Battle of Szack
Battle of Szack was one of the major battles between the Polish Army and the Red Army fought in 1939 in the beginning the Second World War.- Eve of the Battle :...
, on September 28, his men managed to rout the Soviet 52nd Rifle Division. On September 30 the unit crossed the Bug
Bug River
The Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
river and reached the village of Wytyczno, some 20 kilometres south-east of Włodawa. The following day his unit was attacked by the Soviet 45th Rifle Division, reinforced with tanks and artillery. After 15 hours of heavy fighting, the supplies of the Polish forces were almost depleted and Orlik-Rückemann decided to divide his unit into small groups and order them to break through to the area occupied by the Independent Operational Group Polesie
Independent Operational Group Polesie
Independent Operational Group Polesie was one of the Polish Army Corps that defended Poland during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. It was created on 11 September 1939 and was commanded by general Franciszek Kleeberg...
on their own. Most of the Polish forces reached their destination unopposed and with negligible losses.
After the end of hostilities in Poland, Orlik-Rückemann managed to evade being captured and crossed the Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n border. From there he managed to get to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and by the end of October he was in 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...
. There he served in the Polish Army in exile on various staff posts.
After WWII
Between 1945 and 1947 he was working for the Polish Resettlement CorpsPolish Resettlement Corps
The Polish Resettlement Corps was an organisation formed by the British Government in 1946 as a holding unit for members of the Polish Armed Forces who had been serving with the British Armed Forces and did not wish to return to a Communist Poland after the end of the Second World War...
. He was deprived of Polish citizenship by the communist authorities of Poland and remained in exile. Initially he lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in 1972 he moved to his family to Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann died on October 18, 1986, in Ottawa.
Decorations
- 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...
- Commander's Cross of the Polonia RestitutaPolonia RestitutaThe 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...
- Cross of Valour (Krzyż Walecznych) four times
- Gold Cross of Merit (Krzyż Zasługi)
- Cross of IndependenceCross 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 :...
(Krzyż Niepodległości)