Belina-Prazhmovsky, Vladislav

Childhood and adolescence

Vladislav Belina-Prazhmovsky was born in the village of Ruchkovets , Of the Radom province in the family of the Polish landowner, gentry coat of arms Belin , Ippolit Belina-Prazhmovsky and Bronislava, nee Dudelsky. At baptism received the name Vladislav Zygmunt. His father was a participant in the uprising of 1863 , he served under the leadership of General Dionysius Chakhovsky ^[1] .

Vladislav studied at the gymnasium in Radom . During his studies, he took part in the underground movement for independence of Poland. For participation in a school strike, he was expelled from the gymnasium. In 1905 he graduated from the Polish gymnasium of Marian Rychlovsky in Warsaw , known for preaching Polish nationalism in it. In 1909-1913 he studied mining at the Lviv Polytechnic and in Austrian Leoben . He became one of the first members of the Underground Wrestling Union founded by Kazimierz Sosnkowski , and later the Strelets Union . He completed an underground course of instructors, having received in 1909 the first officer rank of a cornet ^[2] , and then the Higher Officers School of the Strelets Union in Lviv and Krakow . In 1911 he received the rank of lieutenant ^[2] . Personally, from Jozef Pilsudski received the officer badge "Parasol" . He was sent by the Union to organize branches of this organization in Belgium , France and Switzerland . In 1913 he was appointed deputy commander of the Krakow district of the Union. In the summer of 1914, he became the commander of the second training vacation company ^[2] , which trained volunteers from the Kingdom of Poland in the Krakow Oleanders ^[1] .

World War I

On July 30, 1914, the commandant of the Union, Jozef Pilsudski, announced his preparations for mobilization. Lieutenant Belina-Prazhmovsky arrived at the meeting point for volunteers in Krakow and brought with him two more Lancers: Anthony Jablonski (pseudonym Zdzislaw) and Stanislav Skotnitsky (pseudonym Gzhmot) from the Sandomierz area. On August 2, Belina received an order to conduct reconnaissance in the direction of Enjeyuv and organize a propaganda campaign against the draft of the Poles in the army of the Russian Empire . Also, the detachment was instructed to get horses for themselves, because of which they took saddles into their raid, which began on foot, as well. In the evening of the same day he embarked on the execution of the order and at the head of the seven Lancers the first of the Polish units crossed the Russian border. The Belin raid is considered the birth of the Polish cavalry; in later historiography, this detachment became known as the " seven of Belina ". The detachment crossed the border near Baranov, near Kotsmyzhov, then passed through Goszyce , Skzeszowice and Dzyaloszyce. (Later on the wall of the house of Zofia Zavishanka in Goshitsy, where the ulans stayed ^[3] , a memorial plaque was opened in honor of the tenth anniversary of the campaign). On August 4, the Seven reported in Oleander on the completion of the mission ^[4] . All the fighters were included in the First Personnel Company ^[1] , the first Polish national military unit, since the uprising of 1863 and the Jewish Polish legion of Mickiewicz. Belina was one of the two people of the First Personnel (along with K. Sosnkovsky ) who addressed Pilsudski "Commandant", and not, as was decided by order of August 6, 1914, "citizen Commandant" ^[5] . The company’s first combat mission was the order to march to the city of Kielce and occupy it. In this campaign, the Poles were successful. Kielce was occupied on August 12, 1914. Belina's detachment became part of the 1st Brigade of Legions of Polish . Since October 1914, with the introduction of ranks in the Polish units, his patent was confirmed to lieutenant ^[1] .

By permission of Jozef Pilsudski, Belina began to create the ulan part. The 1st cavalry squadron created in Kielce totaled 140 people. The baptism of fire of the Polish cavalry took place in the September battles over Nida (near New Korchin , Wislice , Shchitniki and Charnkov ). Then Belina's squadron was attached to the 40th Cavalry Division, which was under German command, and which participated in the battles of Lovic , Modlin , Ozorkov , Alexandruv and Lodz . On November 1, the squadron was deployed into a division and transferred to the Limanova region, where he participated in battles near Chizhuvek , Stopnitsy , Kamenitsa, Vysoky , Dambrova. After rest in New Soncha , the division participated in battles near Lovchuvk . December 23, 1914 Prazhmovsky was injured. In May 1915 he was promoted to rank of captain ^[2] . He commanded the ulans over Nida, in the battles of Stashov , Konara , Vlostov, Lisov, Bidzin, Ozharov , Tarlov , over Vizhnianka and near Uzhendov . In July, Belina's cavalry first entered the head of the brigade in Lublin . After the Lublin success, the Lancers of Belina performed the functions of reconnaissance brigade. Participated in hostilities in Volhynia , including near Manevich , Stokhov, over Styr . In December 1915, Belina became the commander of the 1st Lancers , whose lancers received the nickname "Belinyaki", in honor of Belina-Prazhmovsky. With this part, he covered the brigade’s withdrawal after the battle of Kostyukhnovka (July 1916), during the Brusilovsky breakthrough . Then he headed the cavalry brigade, composed of the 1st and 2nd Lancers. In the fall of 1916, the brigade was assigned to rest in Baranavichy , then was reorganized in Ostroleka . At the beginning of 1917, Belina-Prazhmovsky was promoted to the next military rank of major ^[1] .

During the crisis, the oath , in accordance with the order of Pilsudski, together with other legionists originating from Polish lands within the Russian Empire, refused to swear allegiance to Austria-Hungary and resigned. In Ostroleka, in the camp of lancers, surrounded by German units and awaiting movement to the internment camp in Binyaminovo and Schiperne , a parade of the Lancers of the Polish units and farewell to the commander took place. During the parade, Belina urged the soldiers to remain faithful to their homeland and Pilsudski. Belina received an estate from the princes of Zamoysky in the village of Godzishov near Yanov Lyubelsky , where he settled with his family. He took part in the activities of the Polish military organization ^[1] .

Polish-Ukrainian and Polish-Soviet Wars

In the second half of October 1918 he offered his services to the Regent Council , the supreme governing body of the Kingdom of Poland , but received no assignments from him. He participated in the disarmament of the Austrian garrisons by members of the POV in the Lubelshchyna. I received an order from Rydz-Smigly to begin the formation of a cavalry brigade (two regiments of a lancer and a regiment of shavolezher ). He took part in the battles of the Polish-Ukrainian war , as part of the units of General Jan Romer . He participated in the battles of Dolgobychev , Rava-Russian , Belzhets , Zholkva and Krastinopol . In February 1919 he received the rank of colonel ^[1] .

In the spring of 1919, at the head of a brigade of 800 sabers, he was sent to conduct a raid in the direction of Vilna . The general operation to capture the beloved city of Jozef Pilsudski was carried out by units under the leadership of E. Rydz-Smigly. Belina's units, numbering at that time 53 officers, 789 sabers, 9 machine guns and two guns, were the first to enter the captured city April 19, 1919 ^[6] . A day later, parts of Rydz Smigly entered the city. The commandant issued a special order with thanks to the units of Belina-Prazhmovsky ^[1] .

Subsequently, Belina’s units operated on the Lithuanian-Belarusian front, reaching the Dvina . In June 1920, Colonel Belina-Prazhmovsky led the cavalry group of the Sosnkovsky army ^[2] . During the decisive battles against the Bolsheviks in August 1920, the commander of the 4th Cavalry Division as part of the 6th Cavalry Brigade ^[1] . Units under the command of Belina-Prazhmovsky showed themselves during defensive battles against the troops of Tukhachevsky and the First Mounted Army Budyonny ^[7]

Political career

In the fall of 1920, due to health problems, he was transferred to the reserve. Until 1927, he lived in his estate in Godziszów . In 1927 he moved to Janow Lubelski . He worked there as chairman of the District Association of Agricultural Artels. Two years later he moved to Krakow , where he was engaged in entrepreneurship in the company for the production of saddles and ammunition for the Tabor army. He also participated in the Union of Legionists of the Krakow District. At the beginning of 1931 he joined the Subsidiary Council under President Krakow ^[1] .

July 16, 1931 was elected President of Krakow . He held this post for two years before, at the initiative of Marshal Pilsudski , he became governor of the Lviv Voivodeship . At the same time, he held the post of honorary chairman of the 1st Lancers. In June 1933, he last met with Pilsudski. Four years later, due to health problems ( heart disease ), he left politics and returned to Krakow. For some time he was the general director of the Yavornytsky coal mines. He took part in the work of the supervisory board of Silesian joint-stock electric companies, as well as the Public School Society ^[1] . In 1938 he became a member of the main committee of the Congress of Highlands organized in 1936 in Sanok ^[8] .

Death and Funeral

He died on October 13, 1938 from a heart attack, during a wellness stay, in a room at the Eden Hotel in Venice . Farewell to the father of the Polish cavalry began in Italy, where the local authorities of Venice organized a ceremony in the presence of local authorities and veterans. The remains were transported by special carriage to Chorzów , where the deceased was met by a company of the 1st regiment of Chevolier fans, a family, delegations from organizations of the Beliniaks, the Union of Legionists, veterans of the Silesian Uprising and crowds of local residents. The car was transformed into a chapel, and the guard of honor of the chevoliers was exhibited in it. Farewell ceremony for locals was given at all stations before Krakow. On October 20, a mournful mass was held in the Cathedral of St. Mary . From there, at noon, a mourning procession went towards Rakovitsky cemetery . At the Market Global President of Krakow Mechislav Kaplitsky addressed the citizens with a speech . At the Rakovitsky cemetery, on behalf of the Polish Army, one of Belina’s seven, vice minister of military affairs, General Glukhovsky said goodbye to the former commander . On behalf of the President of Poland, Ignatius Moscitzky and Marshal E. Rydz-Smigly , the Army Inspector General, Armor General Kazimierz Sosnkowski spoke. On behalf of the Government of Poland, he laid on the coffin the Great Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta ^{[1] [9]} . Buried in the quarter 69 cemeteries ^[10]

Colonel Vladislav Belina-Prazhmovsky was named after the alley in the Cracow dzel Grzegužka (in the years 1955-1990 it was named after Julian Markhlowski ) ^[11] . He became the hero of many songs, books, legends and stories ^{[3] [12] [13]} . In November 1998, a monument to the legendary colonel was unveiled in his native village of Ruchkovets ^[14] .

In the Polish historical film "Polonia Restituta" ( 1980 , director Bogdan Poreba ) the role of captain Prazhmovsky was played by the actor Andrzej Zhulkevsky ^[15]

He was married to Anastasia Rudzkaya (1891-1975). Had five children with her ^[1] :

• Alina (born 1923) - married to Angelus, her godfather was Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, lives in Krakow ^[3]
• Janusz - died in 1943, fighting in the ranks of the 300th Bomber Division Polish units of the British Army .
• Lech - since 1947 he lived in Canada .

Survived by two sons:

• Zbigniew (1914-1937) - second lieutenant of the 1st regiment of Chevolier. He died in 1937 ^{[16] [17]} .
• Leh - died in infancy.

• Golden Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari
• Silver Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari (1922) ^[18]
• Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
• Commander with the star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1935) ^{[19] [20]}
• Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1928) ^[21]
• Cross of the Brave - five times
• Badge officer "Parasol"
• Independence Cross with swords
• Independence Medal
• Sign "For Faithful Service"
• Order of the Eagle Cross, II degree (Estonia, 1935) ^[22]
• Cavalier of the Order of the White Lion (Czechoslovakia, 1933) ^[23]
• Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy

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