Head of Warsaw Oblast NOW: Brigadier General Radosław Dzierżyland-Stokalski

Radosław Dzierży Country-Stokalski (1880–1945) is an officer whose fates penetrate the full first half of the 20th century – from Czarski Petersburg, through the fire of the large War and the Polish-bolshevik War, to the conspiracy structures of occupied Warsaw. Although he formally retired as early as 1930, in the face of another threat to Poland he returned to service, for which he paid the highest price.

He was born on October 15, 1880, in Perma, the then politician of the Permian Russian Empire, as the boy of the landowner Eusebius Stokalski and the Evangelist of Bukojemski. He spent his childhood in a quiet Ural setting, and from 1889 he continued his education in an eight-class junior advanced school in Taganrog. His passion for natural sciences prompted him after graduating from school in 1897 to undertake agronomic studies at the Agronomic Institute in Saratov. Although originally preparing to work on household assets, the land experience and farming practice proved to be a specified introduction to a much more ambitious career. Even during his stay in Saratov, he became known as a disciplined person, with broad interests and organizational cuts, which decided on his later choice of military service.

On 14 September 1901, he began his service in the Army of the Russian Empire, joining the Officers' Infantry School in St. Petersburg. This academy, considered to be 1 of the most prestigious military colleges of the Empire, educated future infantry commanders. The young Lieutenant-Stokalski distinguished himself with urgency and precision, rapidly advancing to Lieutenant in 1904. He spent the next fewer years improving his tactical and operational skills, taking part in exercises and staff exercises. On the eve of the outbreak of planet War I, he served as an adjutant in 1 of the infantry battalions, gaining first experience in managing subdivisions and backrooms.

In 1914, with the outbreak of the large war, Stokalski was assigned to the German front. As captain, since 1916, he has commanded an infantry company, facing the trench reality and brutal realities of positional combat. During many clashes, he showed not only courage but besides the ability to improvise in the tactics of tiny troops. In 1916, he graduated from the prestigious Nicolayevsky General Staff Course in St. Petersburg, which strengthened his position as a staff officer and prepared for higher-level tasks. Over the next months, he worked on planning division operations, analyzing enemy movements and coordinating artillery operations with infantry.

The October Revolution of 1917 and the collapse of the military structures of the Russian Empire created unique circumstances for Polish officers. Stokalski, thanks to his diploma from the academy of staff, rapidly went to the 1st Polish Corps formed in Russia. After the surrender of the corps he joined the 4th Division of Gen. Lucjan Żeligowski, assuming the position of head of the operational department. His task was to plan transports, supplies and deploy subdivisions at the back of the front. Together with the division, he reached Poland in 1918, where he was immediately entrusted with the function of deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces office in the area of the erstwhile Prussian occupation. In June 1919, he was appointed major, and a week later – a lieutenant colonel with seniority since 1917. This accelerated promotion was evidence of appreciation for his organizational and analytical skills.

At the beginning of the Polish-Bolshevik War, in July 1920, he was nominated as Regional Artillery Inspector of the General Command of Kielce and Inspector of the Volunteer Army. He was thus instrumental in preparing and coordinating the rear defence and the organisations of volunteer units, which played an crucial function in the insurance of transport lines and supplies. His training and logistics plans contributed to maintaining the consistency of the evidence, which at the decisive minute of the Warsaw conflict helped to reverse the campaign. After the end of the war, in June 1921, he transferred to the 5th Division of the Ministry of Military Affairs, as 1 of the officers formulating defence policy and mobilization concepts for the reborn state.

From 1922 to 1930, his career developed rapidly. After graduating from the 1st School of War Training, he took command of the 17th Infantry Regiment in Rzeszów on 16 September 1922. As early as December of the same year, he was transferred to Grodna, where he led the 76th Infantry Regiment and initiated reforms in the training of infantry troops, combining in practice cognition from the General Staff with frontal realities. In March 1924, he was promoted to Colonel in April to presume the position of Chief of Staff of Corps Division III Command in Grodno. His mission was to improve the mobilisation procedures and increase the operational capacity of the territory units. In October 1926 he became commander of the 20th Infantry Division in Baranovich, and in October 1928 – commander of the 17th Infantry Division in Gniezno. In both garrisons he emphasized the advanced level of training, care for the social conditions of soldiers and the improvement of barracks infrastructure.

On October 31, 1930, he terminated active service and retired with the right to the title of Brigadier General. He settled in Kowl, where he became active in the activities of the local Polish community. His farm became a gathering place for veterans and discussions about the future of defence of the country. Although formally alienated from the army, he remained in contact with the officers' staff and paramilitary movements bringing together erstwhile soldiers. His salon served as a forum for discussion on military reforms and defence preparations of the future generation of officers.

After Germany's aggression in September 1939, despite 59 years of age, he joined the National Military Organization. In December 1943, after the arrest of erstwhile Lieutenant-Colonel Wacław Makatrewicz, “Wacław”, he assumed the duties of Head of the Warsaw Oblast NOW. Thanks to his long-standing contacts with intent and staff experience, he focused on the expansion of networks of communications between conspiracy cells, the creation of weapons metastasis points and hidden ammunition retention facilities and the training of intelligence personnel. He was subject to intelligence cells tracking the movements of the occupier, medical and sanitary posts, as well as “forest schools” – secret endurance and combat courses in the open. Encryptors with the signature ‘2512’ went through them to the Home Office of the Home Office or the government in exile, allowing information about German military plans and movements to be transmitted.

Landlord-Stokalski took care of the morale of subordinate soldiers. During the holidays, he organized conspiracy meetings with psalms and prayer, recited patriotic poems, supported families arrested. His 3 sons (Andrzej, Jacek and Rafał) fought in the Home Army; twins lost their lives during the Warsaw Uprising, Jacek died on September 13, 1944.

On June 8, 1944, Gestapo conducted a raid on Pawiak. The general was arrested along with 15-year-old stepson Jerzy Staniszewski. After a brutal interrogation, Jerzy was shot, and Dzierżyland-Stokalski himself did not uncover any information about underground structures despite torture. On July 30, 1944, he was sent to Gross-Rosen concentration camp. In February 1945, as the Allied front approached Harzu, the general was transferred to Mittelbau-Dora. Forced to work hard in producing V-2 rockets, without basic clothing and food, he died of exhaustion – he died on March 6, 1945, only a fewer weeks before the liberation of the camp. Number 113874 appears present on the lists murdered in Dora as a symbol of the integrity of the Polish officer.

Monika Świeżawska