Adam Nieniewski
Encyclopedia
Colonel Adam Nieniewski was a Polish military commander, an officer of the Polish Army and a veteran of World War I
, Polish-Bolshevik War and World War II
.
to a family of Stanisław Nieniewski, a veteran of the January Uprising
of 1863 and Halina née Wybicka, granddaughter of Józef Wybicki
, the author of Polish national anthem. After finishing primary school in Košice
in 1897 he joined the cadet corps school in Hranice
. After graduating from that school in 1904 he joined the Officer Cavalry School in Wiener Neustadt
.
In 1907 he was promoted to cavalry ensign
and assigned to the 6th Uhlans Regiment, where he served as a platoon and then squadron commander. He also continued his military education, first at various courses in Tarnów
and Rzeszów
, and then (since 1911) at the Academy of the General Staff in Vienna
. On November 1, 1912 he was promoted to lieutenant.
In July 1914, during the mobilisation preceding the outbreak of the Great War
, he was assigned to the Imperial General Staff. During the war he served at various staff posts in the Austro-Hungarian headquarters, and then in the HQ of the 1st Army, in the Ministry of War and in 130th Mountain Brigade, where he served as the chief of staff. For his merits in 1915 he was promoted to captain.
On May 23, 1916, he was assigned to the headquarters of Piłsudski's Polish Legions
, where he served as the deputy chief of staff and was soon promoted to major (on December 1, 1916). Following the Oath Crisis
he was arrested on March 6 and interned in a prison camp in Hungary.
After Poland regained independence in 1918, Nieniewski was released and joined the Polish Army. As one of the most experienced officers in Polish service, he was the second deputy chief of General Staff. On June 17, 1919, he became the chief of staff of General Haller's
Blue Army
after it arrived to Poland from France
. In addition, since September 1, 1919, he served as the chief of staff of the Cieszyn Silesia
front and Pomerania
n Front. Between March and May 1920 he served as the chief of staff of the 1st Polish Army and, since July 5, of the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division.
On August 16, 1920, during the Battle of Warsaw
, he was assigned as the commanding officer of Polish 4th Cavalry Brigade, which later became the core of the so-called Nieniewski's Operational Group
during the Battle of the Niemen River
. After the end of hostilities of the Polish-Bolshevik War, Nieniewski graduated from a Generals' Course and on January 10, 1921, he was promoted to Colonel of Cavalry.
Between May 18 and September 25, 1921, he commanded the VII Infantry Brigade. After it was disbanded, he continued to command its troops within the 7th Infantry Division
. In 1925 he briefly held the post of the deputy rector of the Higher War School, later to be renamed to the Polish Academy of the General Staff. In 1926 he was also the head of the Staff Officers Courses in the Cavalry School in Grudziądz
. On January 31, 1928, he resigned all his posts and was demobilised.
Retired, he withdrew to his wife's village of Chorzenice, where he lived in a local manor. During World War II
he moved to a nearby village of Kłomnice, but in 1945 both these villages were confiscated by the new Soviet-backed communist authorities of Poland. In 1945 he was yet again mobilised by General Michał Rola-Żymierski and briefly served as the chief of staff of the Poznań
Military Area Command, but in August of that year he was again demobilised. Adam Nieniewski died April 27, 1947, in Olsztyn
. He was buried in Wróblewo near Łódź. His family manor in Chorzenice was turned into an orphanage.
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...
, Polish-Bolshevik War and 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...
.
Biography
Adam Nieniewski was born May 19, 1886 in Zawady, Sieradz CountyZawady, Sieradz County
Zawady is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Błaszki, within Sieradz County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It lies approximately east of Błaszki, west of Sieradz, and west of the regional capital Łódź.-References:...
to a family of Stanisław Nieniewski, a veteran of the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
of 1863 and Halina née Wybicka, granddaughter of Józef Wybicki
Józef Wybicki
Józef Rufin Wybicki was a Polish general, poet and political figure.-Life:He was a close friend of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, and in 1797 he wrote Mazurek Dąbrowskiego , which in 1927 was adopted as the Polish national anthem.During the Kościuszko Uprising, he was counselor of the Military...
, the author of Polish national anthem. After finishing primary school in Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
in 1897 he joined the cadet corps school in Hranice
Hranice
Hranice may refer to several towns in the Czech Republic:* Hranice , town in Moravia; see: Hranice * Hranice , town in northern Bohemia; see: Hranice u Aše...
. After graduating from that school in 1904 he joined the Officer Cavalry School in Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
.
In 1907 he was promoted to cavalry ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
and assigned to the 6th Uhlans Regiment, where he served as a platoon and then squadron commander. He also continued his military education, first at various courses in Tarnów
Tarnów
Tarnów is a city in southeastern Poland with 115,341 inhabitants as of June 2009. The city has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999, but from 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the Tarnów Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east-west connection...
and Rzeszów
Rzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
, and then (since 1911) at the Academy of the General Staff in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. On November 1, 1912 he was promoted to lieutenant.
In July 1914, during the mobilisation preceding the outbreak 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...
, he was assigned to the Imperial General Staff. During the war he served at various staff posts in the Austro-Hungarian headquarters, and then in the HQ of the 1st Army, in the Ministry of War and in 130th Mountain Brigade, where he served as the chief of staff. For his merits in 1915 he was promoted to captain.
On May 23, 1916, he was assigned to the headquarters of Piłsudski's 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 as the deputy chief of staff and was soon promoted to major (on December 1, 1916). Following 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...
he was arrested on March 6 and interned in a prison camp in Hungary.
After Poland regained independence in 1918, Nieniewski was released and joined the Polish Army. As one of the most experienced officers in Polish service, he was the second deputy chief of General Staff. On June 17, 1919, he became the chief of staff of General Haller's
Józef Haller de Hallenburg
Józef Haller de Hallenburg was a Lieutenant General of the Polish Army, legionary in Polish Legions, harcmistrz , the President of The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association , political and social activist, Stanisław Haller de Hallenburg's cousin.Haller was born in Jurczyce...
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...
after it arrived to Poland from 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...
. In addition, since September 1, 1919, he served as the chief of staff of the Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia or Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered around the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic...
front and Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
n Front. Between March and May 1920 he served as the chief of staff of the 1st Polish Army and, since July 5, of the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division.
On August 16, 1920, 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...
, he was assigned as the commanding officer of Polish 4th Cavalry Brigade, which later became the core of the so-called Nieniewski's 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....
during the Battle of the Niemen River
Battle of the Niemen River
The Battle of the Niemen River was the second-greatest battle of the Polish-Soviet War. It took place near the middle Neman River between the cities of Suwałki, Grodno and Białystok...
. After the end of hostilities of the Polish-Bolshevik War, Nieniewski graduated from a Generals' Course and on January 10, 1921, he was promoted to Colonel of Cavalry.
Between May 18 and September 25, 1921, he commanded the VII Infantry Brigade. After it was disbanded, he continued to command its troops within the 7th Infantry Division
Polish 7th Infantry Division
The 7th Infantry Division was the name of several units of the Polish Army.The original division was formed in 1918 and took part in shielding the Polish borders during the Polish-Ukrainian War. During the Polish-Bolshevik War it was commanded by Col. Szubert and reinforced to three brigades...
. In 1925 he briefly held the post of the deputy rector of the Higher War School, later to be renamed to the Polish Academy of the General Staff. In 1926 he was also the head of the Staff Officers Courses in the Cavalry School in Grudziądz
Grudziadz
Grudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:...
. On January 31, 1928, he resigned all his posts and was demobilised.
Retired, he withdrew to his wife's village of Chorzenice, where he lived in a local manor. 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...
he moved to a nearby village of Kłomnice, but in 1945 both these villages were confiscated by the new Soviet-backed communist authorities of Poland. In 1945 he was yet again mobilised by General Michał Rola-Żymierski and briefly served as the chief of staff of the Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
Military Area Command, but in August of that year he was again demobilised. Adam Nieniewski died April 27, 1947, in Olsztyn
Olsztyn
Olsztyn is a city in northeastern Poland, on the Łyna River. Olsztyn has been the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in the Olsztyn Voivodeship...
. He was buried in Wróblewo near Łódź. His family manor in Chorzenice was turned into an orphanage.
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...
- Officer'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...
- 4th Class - 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 :...
- Cross of Valour (Krzyż Walecznych) - 4 times
- Chevalier of the Légion d'HonneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
See also
- Polish-Bolshevik War