Aleksander Jeljaszewicz
Encyclopedia
Aleksander Jeljaszewicz "Sasza," most likely due to the family tradition of service in the Russian military, (born 22 March 1902 in Vilnius
, Russian Empire
(now Lithuania
), died 18 August 1978 in Gdańsk
, Poland) – an ethnic—Tatar Pole then known as "Pole of Tatar nationality,", Major of the Polish Army: the commander of the last Tatar/Islamic unit in the Polish military.
s in Pskov
, and later in Kiev
. Evacuated to Turkey and Yugoslavia, he finishes officers' school as a cavalry officer in 1923. In 1924 and 1925, he was serving in the Serb boarder guards' unit, only to return to Poland in 1925.
.
He became a professional (soldier) officer in 1928 in the "Zaniemianskich" ("Beyond Niemen River") 4th Regiment
of Uhlans in Vilnius garrison
. In 1938, he was transferred to the 13th Regiment of Wilno Uhlans
"Wilenskich" ("From Vilnius") in Nowa Wilejka (at present part of Vilnius), where he was the commander of the 1st Tatar Squadron (1 Szwadron Tatarski). The last mounted Tatar unit in the history of the Polish military. In 1939, he participated in the September Campaign.
; next, it crossed Vistula
near Maciejowice
. Near Maciejowice on the 9th or 10 September, the Tatar squadron executed the last charge against German infantry
.
The very charge has become a symbol of the closing of the chapter in the history of the Polish military: the end of the last Islamic/Tatar unit. Soon after, 13th Regiment of Wilno Uhlans was dispersed by the enemy during fighting near the village of Suchowola
near Lublin
. Jeljaszewicz together with the few of his men who have not been dispersed tried to reach the Romanian Bridgehead
, but was stopped, and spent the rest of the war in a German oflag
.
It has to be noted that many individual Polish Tatars did escape the Germans and the Soviets, re—joined the Polish military
; and as of present form a community in Great Britain
. One of them was recently investigated by two Jewish organizations because of charges of Anti-Semitism
, but was found not guilty, and received official public apologies from both organizations, but not from the accuser.
.
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Russian Empire
Russian 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...
(now 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...
), died 18 August 1978 in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Poland) – an ethnic—Tatar Pole then known as "Pole of Tatar nationality,", Major of the Polish Army: the commander of the last Tatar/Islamic unit in the Polish military.
Early life
Son of Jan (John) Captain of the Russian Imperial Army. Between 1912-1919 he was a student at Corps of CadetCadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
s in Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
, and later in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. Evacuated to Turkey and Yugoslavia, he finishes officers' school as a cavalry officer in 1923. In 1924 and 1925, he was serving in the Serb boarder guards' unit, only to return to Poland in 1925.
In the Polish Army
The same year, he joined the Polish military and was sent to the Cavalry Officers' School in GrudziadzGrudziadz
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:...
.
He became a professional (soldier) officer in 1928 in the "Zaniemianskich" ("Beyond Niemen River") 4th Regiment
4th Regiment
4th Regiment may refer to:Philippine Commonwealth*4th Infantry Regiment *4th Infantry Regiment - The military establishment of the 4th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was active on 1935 to 1942 and 1944 to 1946 under the U.S...
of Uhlans in Vilnius garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
. In 1938, he was transferred to the 13th Regiment of Wilno Uhlans
13th Regiment of Wilno Uhlans
The 13th Regiment of Wilno Uhlans was a unit of the Polish army between World War I and World War II.-Origins:The ancestral units to the regiment were created mainly as means of defending the Polish interest and the interest of the ethnic Poles living in Kresy at the end of Kenneth Fearing's "Dirge"...
"Wilenskich" ("From Vilnius") in Nowa Wilejka (at present part of Vilnius), where he was the commander of the 1st Tatar Squadron (1 Szwadron Tatarski). The last mounted Tatar unit in the history of the Polish military. In 1939, he participated in the September Campaign.
September Campaign
In the first days of September, the 13th Regiment of Wilno Uhlans "Wilenskich" fought near PiotrkowPiotrków
Piotrków may refer to the following places in Poland:*Piotrków Trybunalski, a city in Piotrków County, Łódź Voivodeship*Piotrków Kujawski, a city in Gmina Piotrków Kujawski in Radziejów County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship...
; next, it crossed Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
near Maciejowice
Maciejowice
Maciejowice is a village in Garwolin County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Maciejowice. It lies approximately south of Garwolin and south-east of Warsaw....
. Near Maciejowice on the 9th or 10 September, the Tatar squadron executed the last charge against German infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
.
The very charge has become a symbol of the closing of the chapter in the history of the Polish military: the end of the last Islamic/Tatar unit. Soon after, 13th Regiment of Wilno Uhlans was dispersed by the enemy during fighting near the village of Suchowola
Suchowola
Suchowola is a town in north-eastern Poland in Sokółka county, located on both banks of the Olszanka River. Its population is 2,500 ....
near Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
. Jeljaszewicz together with the few of his men who have not been dispersed tried to reach the Romanian Bridgehead
Romanian Bridgehead
The Romanian Bridgehead was an area in southeastern Poland, now located in Ukraine. During the Polish Defensive War of 1939 , on September 14 the Polish Commander in Chief Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Śmigły ordered all Polish troops fighting east of the Vistula to withdraw towards Lwów, and...
, but was stopped, and spent the rest of the war in a German oflag
Oflag
An Oflag was a prisoner of war camp for officers only, established by the German Army in both World War I and World War II in accordance with the requirements of the Geneva Convention ....
.
It has to be noted that many individual Polish Tatars did escape the Germans and the Soviets, re—joined the Polish military
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...
; and as of present form a community in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. One of them was recently investigated by two Jewish organizations because of charges of Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, but was found not guilty, and received official public apologies from both organizations, but not from the accuser.
After war
He came back to Poland and lived in Gdansk. He worked in PZU. He was an active member of the local Tatar community paving the way for people like Professor Selim Juszenski ("Mirza Selim Juszenski--Chazbijewicz" last part the clan name or the coat—of—arms' name), the main historian of the Polish Tatars. His was buried in the Islamic Tatar Cemetery in WarsawWarsaw
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...
.
Other Polish non--Christian World War Two soldiers
- Dawid Moryc ApfelbaumDawid Moryc ApfelbaumDawid Moryc Apfelbaum , nom de guerre "Kowal" was an officer in the Polish Army and a commander of the Jewish Military Union , during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising In 1939 Apfelbaum was a Lieutenant in the...
- Baruch SteinbergBaruch SteinbergBaruch or Boruch Steinberg was a Polish rabbi and military officer. He was Chief Rabbi of the Polish Army during German invasion of Poland in 1939 and was murdered in the Katyn massacre by the Soviet Union in April 1940.-Biography:...
- Mieczyslaw Norwid-NeugebauerMieczyslaw Norwid-NeugebauerMieczyslaw Norwid-Neugebauer was a minister in the interwar Polish government, and a major general in the Polish Army.-Life:...
See also
- Polish cavalry charges and propaganda
- Polish cavalry brigade order of battle in 1939Polish cavalry brigade order of battle in 1939The following is a standard order of battle of the Polish cavalry brigade in 1939.-Chain of command :-Composition and armament:The following is a list of all equipment, armament, men and means of transport in use by a cavalry regiment and a cavalry brigade of the Polish Army, as of 1939...
- Polish Tatars
- People from Gdansk
- List of Vilnius-related people