Lviv, from the time of Kazimierz Wielki (with a break of respective years, erstwhile it was ruled by Louis of Hungary) belonged to Poland, As Kornel Makuszinski wrote in his book “Lviv’s Smile”, “The pure conscience, the integrity of the heart and the sublimeness of the spirit filled this city with clarity.
That's why, even though it's so gray, it's so beautiful! There is no more radiant city in the Republic, although there are many heroic cities in the Republic with Warsaw at the head, which in the most wonderful tempest could extend all outlet of the alley in the Old Town into the neck of the cannon. There's no city more prepared for a fatal sacrifice to constipate to the last breath. Are you amazed that their pride is spreading? That he has joy in his eyes and that he sings? It is simply a deranged Polish city. He does not hide his soul, so everyone can see it as the red rose blooms. She charms and enslaves her. He can love everyone with his smile, bright, sincere and true."
In October 1918, at the request of the Regency Council, Colonel Władysław Sikorski only began to organize first the defence of Przemyśl (after the arrest of Gen. Puchalski), then in Lviv the Polish Army, and the Polish Elimination Commission, established on 28 October in Krakow, did not arrive in Lviv and take over the full Małopolska East in the then capital of the authorities of the Crown State of Galicia in the Austrian partition. respective 1000 soldiers of Ukrainian nationality were stationed at the time in Lviv in Austrian regiments, subject to the Ukrainian Military Committee, which was established small earlier, in the absence of soldiers of Polish nationality, sent by Austrians to another sections of the front...
Ukrainians armed and instigated by the Austrian command, already on 1 November 1918 in the morning took over most of the public buildings there. At the time erstwhile Lviv was the first to fight for the Republic, Polish power was established only in the western part of Małopolska. "The city began to defend itself, it itself seized arms to paper the blood of its youngest sons again before Poland and the world, to whose land it belongs, how strong and inseparable with its large homeland united for centuries" (Wacław Lipiński: "Among the Lviv Eagles", du. Henryk Sienkiewicz with a very tiny initially and poorly armed crew and in the Academic home with a tiny group of POW soldiers, in which there was a HR battalion under the command of Captain Zdzisław Trześniowski, were created spontaneously 2 Polish opposition points. The Chief Defence Command of Lviv was headed by Captain Czesław Mączyński (National Democracy). As there was no regular army in the city, the defenders' troops consisted mainly of young people, frequently underage, gaining weapons on the enemy and in the Austrian barracks on 10 November 1918 the full western part of the city (one third) was in Polish hands, but despite fierce fighting, Poles were incapable to control the full city.
This only happened on 20 November erstwhile the expected rescue under the command of the Colonel arrived from Przemyśl. Michał Karaszewicz – Tokarewski, who took command of the combined troops. On the following day, Polish troops entered the round-the-clock attack, which resulted in 22 November 1918. The Ukrainians, fearing the lap, left the city last night. The youngest of the defenders, among them nine-year-old Jas Kukawski, who gave their lives for the freedom of 1 of the most crucial Polish cities, are called the Lviv Eagles. Only 12 years old were tiny defenders Antoni Petrykiewicz (he became the youngest in past bachelor of the Order of Virtuti Militari and Jasiek Dufrat, after 13 years Tadzio Loewenstamm, Ksawery Wąsowicz. The age of 14 was ;Antek Skawiński, Adam Michalewski, Michał Pierożka, Jasiek Kłosowski, Tadek Wiesner, Tadeusz Jabłoński, Jurek Bitschan. By a year more they had Wilhelm Haluza, Franek Manoward de Jana (who was murdered on December 29 as a prisoner of war by Ukrainians, which was not rare), Józek Szczepański, Janusz Baczyński, Franek Welser, Lodek Doleczal, Stefan Bądzyński. Along with the boys, girls fought, e.g. Helena Grabska died together with her brother Janek, Janka Prus-Unknowable died saving an injured soldier.
A full of 6022 people participated in the fighting in defence of Lviv in the Polish-Ukrainian War until 22 November 1918, including 1374 students of general and secondary schools and students. The 2640 defenders did not exceed 25! The defenders of Lviv fell from 1 to 21 November 1918 were decorated by the president of the Republic of Ignacy Mościcki on 9 November 1933 with the Cross of independency with the Sword. Kornel Makuszinski described Orlęt as the proudest children in the world... At the time erstwhile Lviv was the first to fight for the Republic, Polish power was established only in the western part of Małopolska. Lions were liberated. However, an external attack shortly began a fresh phase of war, ending with a late spring triumph of 1919, but occupied with casualties and respective months of siege of the city, frequently without water supply, electricity and commission.
Most of the fallen in both Lwów's defence campaigns (the second 1 lasted about six months) were solemnly buried on a specially separated part of the Łychakovsky Cemetery (on the slopes of the hills from Pohulanka side), called the Lwów Defenders Cemetery, or the celebrated Lwowski Orląt Cemetery, designed by Rudolf Indruch in the Art déco style, became a holy place for us Poles (Campo Santo). Its symbol is monument lions guarding necropolis, which were renewed after years of destruction, and then covered... any of the nearly 3,000 soldiers buried there are besides participants of the Polish–bolshevik War of 1920. The monument of Glory, is the central symbol of this Polish necropolis, guarded by these celebrated lions, and its pinnacle was adorned by Szczerbiek symbolizing Polish sovereignty and memory of the heroic defenders of Lviv from 1918 to 1920. It is worth noting that the Orląt Cathedral is besides located in Janowski Cemetery in Lviv.
In designation of the heroic attitude and merits of the inhabitants of Lviv for Poland, the city was decorated by the Warden of State with the Virtuti Militari Cross. The ceremony of the City of Semper Fidelis was held on 11 November 1920 before the (existing to this day) monument of Adam Mickiewicz . On 22 November 1925 a monument of the Lviv University of Technology was unveiled in front of the Main Building.
And here's the memory. It's June 1980. I'm on my first journey to Lviv. Or is it Krakow? – I think at first, highly moved. On the second day, a gentleman (as I was told later – Colonel WP of the method Air Force School in Zamość) takes me on my spare time to a forbidden place... It was the Orląt Cemetery of Lviv, barbaric, terribly desecrated and devastated, buried in the ground a fewer years earlier. The columns were demolished, tombstones were destroyed, and the chapel and catacombs were utilized for the quarrying workshop room. And there was a cattle somewhere. Deep down, you could see the surviving fragments of the Gate of Glory walls with the inscription MORT SUNT UT LIBERI VIVAMUS, which I wrote with a crayon on the card. Behind the passages of the Gate, from the side of Pohulanka was made their way through the further part of the land of eternal remainder of the heroes on this military in addition to the cemetery... It was fortunate that in 1989 Energopol, erstwhile performing contracts, began in his spare time, not without difficulty from Ukrainian authorities, work on the laborious arrangement of the Cemetery, and its employees were joined by residents of the always Faithful Poland City. The Energopol company played a key function in saving the Cemetery, starting cleaning work in 1989 at the initiative of engineer Józef Bobrowski, which was the beginning of the long process of restoration of this Polish necropolis. Thanks to the actions of the Polish company and many years of negotiations, the cemetery was yet mostly rebuilt and opened in 2005, restoring the burial site of the defenders of Lviv. Although the cemetery was opened in 2005, work on destroyed grave fragments is inactive ongoing.
On 22.11.b.r. in Warsaw passed the first white-red March of the Orląts of Lviv and Przemysl, in honor of the youngest defenders of these Polish cities before Ukrainians from 1918 to 1920. The participants went from the Square of the 3 Crosses, Rondo de Gaulle a, Aleje Jerozolimskie, Ronde Roman Dmowski, Marszałkowska and Królewska to Piłsudski Square, where before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the young defender of Lviv lay, prayed for the fallen heroes and listened to the appeal of memory. The march was organized by representatives of Volyn associations We remember: Katarzyna Sokołowska and Aneta Sala: Always Faithful – You Polish. Participants raised patriotic slogans, slogans to honor heroic children and youth fighting in defence of the city's enemies, listened to and sang songs to honor the Orląts, including songs by Orlątko to the words of Arthur Oppman (Or-Ot) and a letter by Jurek Bitschan to his father (father) erstwhile he had finished his lessons he fled to the defenders of the city and became a symbol of all the Orląts of Lviv, those known by name, and those nameless ones, and who fell in defence of Lviv on November 21, 1918, in his first and last battle. He was expected to celebrate his 14th birthday in 8 days. However, the contemporary tune to the Orlątka is simply any inadequate, terribly gnashed in the ears, due to the fact that I remember erstwhile in 1980 an older teacher sang in the coach this and another songs about the Orlętkas on the tune beautifully attributed in her time to this song.
Also mentioned were Orlęta Przemyski, i.e. school youth, scouts, members of the Gymnastic Society "Sokol", organized by a scout teacher from Lwów, Lt. Leon Kozubski, who participated in defensive fighting against Ukrainians until 11 November 1918, defending the left part of the town (Zasania) and in the next, yet repelled attack of Ukrainians on 19 November and which lasted until 14 December 1918. After the end of the March, a very crucial and interesting historical conference was held, in which the president of Aneta Sala presented her papers, presenting the shocking facts of the Hajdamat, cruel treatment of prisoners, including the Orlat by Ukrainians in the Polish-Ukrainian War from the period of defence of Przemyśl, Lviv and Złoczów.
On the basis of his research, Arkadiusz Miksa besides gave a heartwarming lecture, recalling the cruelty and sadism of Ukrainians towards the courts and their owners and their possessions, as well as against thousands of villagers in the Kresach Mountains, which he emphasized was an ominous prologue of genocide in Poles during planet War II, until the Vistula Operation. Significant, as he emphasized, that Polish historians, unfortunately, in their majority, do not research sources, accepting the Ukrainian propaganda version of these events. A movie about the laborious cleaning of fragments of inactive unrenovated graves and tombs was then released on the Orląt Cemetery.
We must bow low to the woman of Aneta Sali and Catherine Sokolovska and the ed. Arkadiusz Miksie from “Polish Thought” and unfortunately... Regret that not a single association in Warsaw has thought to organize specified an crucial patriotic event...
Halina Ostovich
photo profile of FORT Foundation
