The Volunteer Women's Legion ( Polish: Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet ) is a Polish voluntary paramilitary organization created in Lviv in 1918 [1] by women who wanted to fight for the independence of Poland. Members of the organization took part in the battles of the Polish-Ukrainian and Soviet-Polish wars , including in the battles for Lviv and Vilna .
| Volunteer female legion polish Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet | |
|---|---|
 Legion of Honor | |
| Years of existence | 1918-1922 |
| A country |  Poland |
| Participation in | Polish-Ukrainian war Soviet-Polish war |
| Commanders | |
| Famous commanders | Alexandra Zagurskaya |
Content
History
The beginning of the organization dates back to October 28, 1918, when Lviv women formed a separate voluntary female police detachment, operating within the framework of the city Civil Police. Women initially performed administrative, guard and courier duties, as well as supporting functions. But after the Ukrainian population rebelled in the city, they began to participate in hostilities along with men.
In December 1918, the city leadership transferred the women's unit to the army, transferring it to the barracks position and providing food, weapons and uniforms. The formation received the official name "Volunteer Female Legion" ( Polish. Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet ).
The initiator and organizer of the unit is usually considered to be Dr. Alexandra Zagurskaya [2] , who was also the first commander of the female courier service. During the battles for Lviv, she lost her only son, fourteen-year-old Jerzy (Yurek) , who died during the Ukrainian shelling of the positions of the eagles at Lychakiv Cemetery .
Intense battles and lack of strength on the Polish side led to the fact that women often participated in battles on the front line. Sometimes it was a spontaneous independent decision, such as with Helena Buyviduvna, who refused to withdraw to the position of a sanitary company and arbitrarily joined the Polish soldiers on the line of fire [3] . During the battles for Lviv, about 400 women passed through the legion, 66 of whom died in the battles.
During the Polish-Soviet war, the unit numbered more than 2500 people and took part in the battles, including for Warsaw and Vilna (since May 1919). In Vilna, a detachment from the legion under the command of Lieutenant Wanda Hertz took part in the defense of the city from the Bolsheviks. Legion women served in all branches of the armed forces, except for armored forces and aircraft. They could be seen in the ranks of infantry and cavalry, in the ranks of the sanitary and commandant services, in intelligence.
On April 1, 1920, under the Mobilization Section of the First Division of the Headquarters of the Ministry of Military Affairs, a department of the Volunteer Female Legion was created. The head of the department was appointed Dr. Alexandra Zagurskaya , with the assignment of the rank of major to her. She was responsible for all units of the legion as part of the troops subordinate to the ministry [4] .
In addition to Zagurskaya and Hertz, they became famous among the fighters of the legion - Corporal Yanina Lada-Valitskaya from the 2nd volunteer death squad, nurse on the battlefield Yanina Prus-Nevyadomsk [5] , Maria Wittek , who later became the first female general of the Polish Army [6] , and others women.
After the hostilities ended, the legion was disbanded. Before the demobilization of the legion, he numbered 2530 fighters. After 6 years, several soldiers of the legion created the next women's paramilitary unit - the Women's military training unit ( Polish. Przysposobienie Wojskowe Kobiet ).
In Culture
Fighters of the Legion are shown in the 2011 military-historical film “ Warsaw Battle. 1920. "
Notes
- ↑ Anna Marcinkiewicz-Gołaś: “Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet 1918-1922”, PAT Warszawa 2006
- ↑ Agnieszka Cieślikowa: “Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet 1918-1922”, Bellona Warszawa 1998, ISBN 8311088780
- ↑ Stanisław M. Jankowski: “Dziewczęta w maciejówkach”, Trio Sierpień 2012, ISBN 9788374362894
- ↑ Dziennik Rozkazów Dowództwa Okręgu Generalnego “Kielce” Nr 34 z 14 kwietnia 1920 roku, pkt 15 Utworzenie i etat Wydziału OLK.
- ↑ Tomasz Stańczyk: “Dziewczęta w maciejówkach” portal Dzieje.pl
- ↑ Pierwszy harcerz i pierwsza pani generał
Literature
- Anna Marcinkiewicz-Gołaś. Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet: 1918-1922. - Warszawa: PAT, 2006.
- Anna Marcinkiewicz-Gołaś. Służba i działalność frontowa warszawskiego oddziału Ochotniczej Legii Kobiet w 1920 r. (Polish) // Niepodległość i Pamięć. - Muzeum Niepodległości, 2008 .-- T. 28 .
- Anna Marcinkiewicz-Gołaś. Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet w obronie Wilna (1919-1922) // Nad Wilią i Niemnem: Wileńszczyzna w dziejach militarnych Polski XX wieku (wybrane zagadnienia). - Piotrków Trybunalski: Naukowe Wydaw. Piotrkowskie, 2004.
- Anna Marcinkiewicz-Kaczmarczyk. Kobiety w obronie Warszawy. Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet (1918–1922) i Wojskowa Służba Kobiet ZWZ-AK (1939–1945). - Warszawa, 2016.
- Zofia Nowosielska. W huraganie wojny: Pamiętnik kobiety-żołnierza. - Nowy Jork: Nowa Biblioteka Polska, 1929.
- Artur Leinwand, Obrona Lwowa w listopadzie 1918 roku
- Impresje z wystawy Kobieta-żołnierz w służbie Ojczyzny 1939-1947 w Bibliotece Gdańskiej PAN (1-10 IX 2000)
- Wanda Kiedrzyńska . Zarys Historii Wojennej OLK (Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet) . - Warszawa: Wojskowe Biuro Historyczne, 1931.