Halszka Wasilewska | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Halszka_Wasilewska_1899-1961.jpg) Wasilewska c. 1918 | |
| Born | 21 March 1899 at sea, registered in London, England |
| Died | 8 February 1961 (aged 61) Stafford, England |
| Interred | |
| Allegiance | Poland |
| Service/ | Polish Legions Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet Polish Land Forces |
| Years of service | 1918 – 1949 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Przysposobienie Wojskowe Kobiet |
| Commands | Ochotnicza Legia Kobiet Commandant Brigade II of the Polish Legions Commandant of Przysposobienie Wojskowe Kobiet |
| Battles/wars | World War I Polish–Ukrainian War Battle of Lwów Polish–Soviet War World War II |
| Awards | &sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:POL_Krzy%C5%BC_Niepodleg%C5%82o%C5%9Bci_z_Mieczami_BAR.svg){kind=small} &sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:POL_Krzy%C5%BC_Walecznych_2r_BAR.svg){kind=small} Commemorative Medal for War 1939–1945 |
| Relations | Leon Wasilewski, Wanda Wasilewska |
| Other work | Commander Polish Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, Germany |
Halszka Wasilewska, sometimes called Halina, (21 March 1899 – 8 February 1961), WW2 nom-de-guerre Krystyna, was one of the first women to attain the rank of Major in the Polish Armed Forces.
She was a Legionnaire in the First World War and the subsequent Polish-Soviet War in 1920. She participated in the battle for Lwów and in the Polish-Ukrainian War.
As an officer, she had special responsibility for training in the women's Polish Armed Forces during the interbellum.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, she directed training for the women in the Polish Underground Army. She was captured and tortured by the Nazis and held in Ravensbrück concentration camp for two years.
After liberation she rose to the rank of Major of the Women's forces in General Maczek's 1st Armoured Division in postwar Germany.[1]
She was the elder sister of the communist activist Wanda Wasilewska, who has overshadowed her in history.[2]
- ^ Markert, Anna Eliza, ed. Kobiety w Kampanii Polskiej: Halina Wasilewska http://1wrzesnia39.pl/39p/galeria-1/kobiety-w-kampanii-pol/8817,Halina-Wasilewska.html Archived 2018-06-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mrozik, Agnieszka. (2016) Trans. Anna Warso, "Communist Women and the Spirit of Transgression: The case of Wanda Wasilewska" https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Agnieszka_Mrozik2/publication/322632763_Communist_Women_and_the_Spirit_of_Transgression_The_Case_of_Wanda_Wasilewska/links/5a6501614585158bca51d665/Communist-Women-and-the-Spirit-of-Transgression-The-Case-of-Wanda-Wasilewska.pdf p.138.