Books by Dariusz Faszcza
![Research paper thumbnail of 12. Szczecińska Dywizja Zmechanizowana. 70 lat służby na Pomorzu Zachodnim (1945-2015) [12th Szczecin Mechanized Division. 70 years of service in Western Pomerania (1945-2015)]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/118520942/thumbnails/1.jpg)
The relationship of the 12th Szczecin Mechanized Division named Bolesław Krzywousty (Bolesław III... more The relationship of the 12th Szczecin Mechanized Division named Bolesław Krzywousty (Bolesław III Wrymouth) with Western Pomerania dates back to 1945 and is associated with the formation of the 12th Infantry Division. In spring 1945, within the Polish Army development programme, the 12th Infantry Division was formed. According to the Order No. 058/Org. dated 15 March 1945, the Division was formed in Poznań, Gniezno and Biedrusko.
The 12th Infantry Division left the formation area after the Second World War and was sent to Western Pomerania. In the beginning, the Division defended national border, took part in agricultural actions and mine clearance operations. Moreover, this unit secured military properties and settlements. Soldiers of the Division were engaged in political fight with the opposition and detached troops were tasked to fight against Ukrainian military underground.
Ease of tension in the international arena in the second half of the 1950s and,
as a result, no justifiable reason to maintain excessively developed armed forces resulted in deep reduction and restructuring of the 12th Infantry Division. New posts were created and some units were drawn down to skeletons. At that time there were approximately 2500 soldiers in the Division.
At the end of the 1950s, within the Polish Army development programme,
on the basis of the Order of the Ministry of National Defence No. 0010/Org dated
2 October 1958, the 12th Infantry Division was formed into the 12th Mechanized Division.
In July 1961, due to organizational processes, the number of soldiers and equipment was increased, which significantly raised combat capability of the Division. Practically, it meant that the Division maintained about 90 per cent of all personnel and equipment. At that time there were 8906 soldiers.
As a result of organizational activities in the 1960s and 1970s, organization and deployment of divisional units was finally established. It remained unchanged until 1989. The Division consisted of: headquarters, staff, three mechanized regiments (5th, 9th, 41st), tactical rocket battalion (22nd), rocket artillery battalion (21st), anti-tank artillery battalion (99th), signal battalion (33th), recce battalion (16th), engineer battalion (17th), maintenance battalion (16th), supply battalion (14th) and medical battalion (45th). All units were located in Szczecin, except for the 9th Mechanized Regiment and the 45th Medical Battalion, which were deployed in Stargard Szczeciński.
The primary aim of the Division at that time was training, which was conducted in military training fields. Divisional units participated also in many exercises and manoeuvres of the Warsaw Pact troops, such as “Baltic-Oder” or “Oder-Nysa”. When needed, soldiers of the Division also took part in activities in favour of national economy (eg. potato harvest), as well as in activities aimed at removing natural disaster effects.
In December 1970 the units of the 12th Mechanized Division were sent to suppress workers’ protest that broke out due to worsening living and working conditions. As a result of those dramatic events, from 17 until 22 December in Szczecin 15 civilian people and 1 soldier died, 287 civilian people and 25 soldiers were injured.
In the 1970s the 12th Mechanized Division participated in major defence system exercises nicknamed “Country-73”, as well as in the Warsaw Pact exercises nicknamed “Shield-76” and “Jubilee-78”.
In this period, for the first time, the soldiers of the Division were sent to carry out duties abroad, during the 5th shift of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF-II) in the Middle East.
The series of success in military duty in the 1970s was honoured on 9 May 1975 by decorating the 12th Mechanized Division with the Order of the Red Banner of Labour type 2 – one of the most important awards at that time.
Martial law was another difficult test for the soldiers of the Division. This time, despite chaos caused by nationwide strikes, the course of events in Szczecin was completely different, compared to the events from December 1970. Common sense, self-control and self-discipline of the divisional soldiers led to a peaceful solution without the use of force; not a single soldier used his weapon. Moreover, other forces of law and order did not use their weapons when the army was nearby.
In the decade from 1980 to 1989, in spite of the economic collapse, combat power of the 12th Mechanized Division grew significantly. New equipment was introduced and existing weapons were modernized. The effort was put on reducing the cost of military training.
Despite complicated political situation in Poland, the Division participated in the Warsaw Pact exercises, such as “Friendship-82”, “Friendship-83” and “South-84” in March 1984. Three years later, in March 1987, in the Military Training Area Drawsko Pomorskie the divisional units took part in the exercise nicknamed “Opal-87”. For the first time in Poland this event was observed by 22 member states of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE).
From 1945 until 1989 the 12th Mechanized Division was commanded by officers who later held high-rank state and military positions. From 1957 until 1960 the Commander of the 12th Mechanized Division was Brigadier General Wojciech Jaruzelski. Later, he was the Minister of National Defence, the Prime Minister, the leader of the Polish United Workers' Party and the President of Poland from 1989 until 1990. The Commander of the 12th Mechanized Division was also Brigadier General Jan Kuriata who was later the Main Quartermaster of the Polish Army and when he was retired he became the Deputy Minister of National Defence for armament and military infrastructure. Among many eminent commanders of the Division one should also mention Brigadier General Henryk Szumski who was the Commander from 1980 until 1984. When he left Szczecin he held many positions in central military institutions and when he was retired he was a member of the presidential Security Council from 2001 until 2005.
Restructuring of the state system, as well as geopolitical changes that took place in the early 1990s in Europe (collapse of a bi-polar security system and elimination of the Yalta-Potsdam agreement) were the rudiments of a new national security system of Poland and Polish Armed Forces.
System transformations in Poland and democratization of a social-political life made the Polish Army politically non-aligned, subordinate only to constitutional authorities. As a result, a war doctrine changed substantially and so did the functioning rules and task organization of the Polish Army. The 12th Mechanized Division also underwent organizational-structural changes. Many units were disbanded and those which remained were subject to organizational changes. Consequently, the structure of the Division changed from regiments to brigades. Another very important event was making the Polish Armed Forces fully professional.
A completely new form of a training process of staff members and troops was “the Partnership for Peace” programme. Therefore, in June 1995 the 12th Mechanized Division started cooperation with the 14th Panzergrenadier Division (Bundeswehr) and Jutland Mechanized Division from Denmark. The outcome of this cooperation was a joint command post exercise (CPX) nicknamed “Baltic Cooperation” and a live exercise (LIVEX) nicknamed “Baltic Triangle” and “Cornerstone Breach”.
Owing to the above-mentioned fact, command and staff of the 12th Mechanized Division were able to cooperate with their counterparts in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Consequently, the Division became the affiliated force to the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE), which was established by the three Framework Nations, i.e. Denmark, Germany and Poland in 1999, with its Headquarters located in Szczecin. MNC NE, officially certified by the North Atlantic Council as a NATO Deployable Headquarters and as a part of the NATO Deployable Structure, organized many exercises, such as “Crystal Eagle 2000”, “Strong Resolve 2002” and a computer assisted exercise (CAX) called “Crystal Eagle 2003”. Due to this fact, functional cells in the 12th Mechanized Division were able to operate in terms of NATO procedures.
Transformation of political life in Poland that began in 1989 also involved educational activities in the Polish Army, such as removal of party-political structures in military units, restoration of military traditions and development of new training-educational principles. In 1994, by the decision of the Minister of National Defence dated 19 April, the 12th Mechanized Division received the distinctive name “Szczecińska” and the patron – Bolesław Krzywousty (Bolesław III Wrymouth).
Balkan history papers by Dariusz Faszcza
![Research paper thumbnail of Reports on Prince Alexander von Battenberg’s stay in Lviv (Lemberg) in 1886 from ‘Dziennik Poznański’ [Relacje z pobytu księcia Aleksandra von Batenberga we Lwowie (Lemberg) w 1886 r. w „Dzienniku Poznańskim”]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/120659750/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Bulgarian Historical Review, 2024
The goal of the article is to present the content of press reports that appeared in ‘Dziennik Poz... more The goal of the article is to present the content of press reports that appeared in ‘Dziennik Poznański’ regarding Prince Alexander von Battenberg’s stay in Lviv in August 1886 to explain the great interest in this event among the Poles living on the territory of the Prussian annexation. The source basis of the presented text are press information printed in ‘Dziennik Poznański’, taken both from foreign press titles and from the newspaper’s special envoy, as well as reprints from Lviv-based Polish-language periodicals. The one-day stay of the dethroned Bulgarian ruler in Lviv caused an exceptionally lively reaction from the Polish population. It was caused, on the one hand, by sympathy for the young, tormented Prince, and on the other (as indicated by the details of the visit) by a manifestation of patriotic feelings. The second aspect of Alexander von Battenberg’s visit seems to be the key issue in understanding
the interest in this event in the Polish press in the Prussian partition.
![Research paper thumbnail of Activities of the Russian Provisional Administration During the Occupation of Northern Bulgaria in 1877-1879 [Działalność rosyjskiej administracji cywilnej podczas okupacji Bułgarii Północnej w latach 1877-1879]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/109301309/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Przegląd Nauk Historycznych, 2023
As a consequence of the end of the Russo-Turkish War and the decision of the Berlin Congress in 1... more As a consequence of the end of the Russo-Turkish War and the decision of the Berlin Congress in 1878, the “Third Bulgarian State” was established in the north of Bulgaria, and the nation inhabiting it entered the path of dynamic development. The initial period of its existence was related to the presence of Russian occupation troops on its territory and the functioning of the Russian temporary administration. In this way, the Russians secured a strong influence on the organisation of the reborn state. The aim of the article is to present the process of establishment of the Russian temporary civil administration and the role of Russians in the process of creating new state structures.
W konsekwencji zakończenia wojny rosyjsko-tureckiej i decyzji kongresu berlińskiego w 1878 r. na północy dzisiejszej Bułgarii ustanowiono „trzecie państwo bułgarskie”, a zamieszkujący je naród wkroczył na ścieżkę dynamicznego rozwoju. Początkowy okres jego istnienia był związany z obecnością na tym terytorium rosyjskich wojsk okupacyjnych i funkcjonowaniem rosyjskiej tymczasowej administracji. Tym sposobem Rosjanie zapewnili sobie silny wpływ na organizację odradzającego się państwa. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie procesu powoływania rosyjskiej tymczasowej administracji, kierunków jej działalności oraz roli Rosjan w nowo powołanych strukturach.
![Research paper thumbnail of Przyczyny klęski wojsk osmańskich podczas pierwszej wojny bałkańskiej (1912-1913) w opinii Józefa Lipkowskiego [Causes of the Ottoman Army Defeat during the First Balkan War (1912–1913) in Józef Lipkowski’s Opinion]](https://a.academia-assets.com/images/blank-paper.jpg)
Sub vexillo servire. Księga pamiątkowa z okazji Jubileuszu urodzin i pracy naukowej Prof. Jana Ptaka, red. A. Niewiński, Oświęcim, 2022
Józef Lipkowski (1863–1949) was an engineer, social activist and general of the Polish Army. In t... more Józef Lipkowski (1863–1949) was an engineer, social activist and general of the Polish Army. In the years 1893–1920 he lived in France, where he patented several inventions and became a wealthy man. In the years 1917–1920 he served in the Polish Army and dealt with supply matters.
In 1912, after the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Lipkowski came to Bulgaria, where he enlisted in the army. The result of his service was a book which was a record of his experiences during the war containing reflections on the causes of this military conflict and its course.
The aim of the article is to remind the author of the memoirs, present the course of his service in the Bulgarian army and the reasons for the defeat of the Ottoman troops during the First Balkan War, as indicated by Lipkowski.
Swojskość oraz cudzoziemczyzna. Z dziejów wojskowości polskiej i powszechnej, red. A. Niewiński, Homo Militans t. XI, Oświęcim, 2022
The penetration of foreign organizational and functional patterns is a matter for the permanent d... more The penetration of foreign organizational and functional patterns is a matter for the permanent development of the military. Applies to equally of the army of great powers, as well as the forces of the small and medium countries. The aim of the article is a presentation of the adaptation of foreign military thought in the Bulgarian Army in the years 1878–1918, as well as the forms of assistance they completed. It was short period of time, but it was not a homogeneous period where strong influences of Russians, Austrians, French, Italians and Germans took place.
Klio. Czasopismo poświęcone dziejom Polski i powszechnym, 2022
At the end of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, creators of culture often a... more At the end of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, creators of culture often acted as opinion-makers on current events. One of them was the prominent British intellectual George Bernard Shaw, who approached the subject of the Balkan Wars in his work. The aim of the article is to present the relationship between Shaw’s anti-war comedy Arms and the man and the image of Bulgarian soldiers created on the basis of the Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913 appearing in the press coverage from the era. It also touches the matter of depicting the realities of war as well as the heroism of officers and soldiers on the battlefield.
![Research paper thumbnail of Podpora tronu? Kwestia lojalności armii bułgarskiej podczas kryzysu państwa w latach 1885–1886 [The pillar of throne? The question of loyalty of the Bulgarian army during the state crisis in 1885–1886]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/76486300/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Studia Historica Gedanensia, 2021
In 1885, as a result of the unification of northern and southern Bulgaria without the consent of ... more In 1885, as a result of the unification of northern and southern Bulgaria without the consent of European powers, the political tensions in the Balkans successively increased. One of the consequences was the outbreak of Serbian‑Bulgarian war. The victory of Bulgarians paradoxically contributed to the deep crisis in the country and led to the
abdication of Prince Alexander von Battenberg. A group of officers played an active role in these events. In August 1886 they carried out a coup d’état and the abdication of ruler. Soon a counter‑attack was organized, and the political power fell into the hands of politicians sympathizing with Prince Alexander. The dethroned ruler returned to the country. However, the persisting state of tensions and pressure from Russia forced the prince to abdicate again.
The article presents the process of growing crisis of the Bulgarian state and the course of coup d’etat aimed at depriving the Bulgarian ruler of power, its consequences, as well as explaining the motives of conspirators.
Oblicza wojny, t. 3, Miasto i wojna, red. W. Jarno, J. Kita, Łódź, 2021
Every war is evil, bringing death, suffering, expulsion and havoc. During the two Balkan wars of ... more Every war is evil, bringing death, suffering, expulsion and havoc. During the two Balkan wars of 1912–1913, such events also took place, which on the one hand were characterized by a considerable intensity and variety of forms of military operations, and on the other hand, by unprecedented cruelty against civilians. The aim of the article is to present the conditions in which the defense of Adrianople was carried out during the First Balkan War. To achieve this goal, it was necessary to discuss the military significance of the Adrianople fortress and the course of siege, taking into account the situation of civilian population in besieged city.
Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. Prace Historyczne, 2021
The Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 ended in a catastrophe for the Ottoman Empire. As a result of milita... more The Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 ended in a catastrophe for the Ottoman Empire. As a result of military operations, 80% of European territory inhabited by the population of four millions were irretrievably lost. A large number of Muslim refugees appeared in the Asian part of the Empire during and after the military operations. This fact was used by the High Porte to change demographic relations in Thrace and Anatolia. These activities led to construction of a homogeneous state and significantly contributed to economic changes in the areas subjected to the settlement. In the national dimension, they contributed to the development of Turkish nationalism.
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Books by Dariusz Faszcza
The 12th Infantry Division left the formation area after the Second World War and was sent to Western Pomerania. In the beginning, the Division defended national border, took part in agricultural actions and mine clearance operations. Moreover, this unit secured military properties and settlements. Soldiers of the Division were engaged in political fight with the opposition and detached troops were tasked to fight against Ukrainian military underground.
Ease of tension in the international arena in the second half of the 1950s and,
as a result, no justifiable reason to maintain excessively developed armed forces resulted in deep reduction and restructuring of the 12th Infantry Division. New posts were created and some units were drawn down to skeletons. At that time there were approximately 2500 soldiers in the Division.
At the end of the 1950s, within the Polish Army development programme,
on the basis of the Order of the Ministry of National Defence No. 0010/Org dated
2 October 1958, the 12th Infantry Division was formed into the 12th Mechanized Division.
In July 1961, due to organizational processes, the number of soldiers and equipment was increased, which significantly raised combat capability of the Division. Practically, it meant that the Division maintained about 90 per cent of all personnel and equipment. At that time there were 8906 soldiers.
As a result of organizational activities in the 1960s and 1970s, organization and deployment of divisional units was finally established. It remained unchanged until 1989. The Division consisted of: headquarters, staff, three mechanized regiments (5th, 9th, 41st), tactical rocket battalion (22nd), rocket artillery battalion (21st), anti-tank artillery battalion (99th), signal battalion (33th), recce battalion (16th), engineer battalion (17th), maintenance battalion (16th), supply battalion (14th) and medical battalion (45th). All units were located in Szczecin, except for the 9th Mechanized Regiment and the 45th Medical Battalion, which were deployed in Stargard Szczeciński.
The primary aim of the Division at that time was training, which was conducted in military training fields. Divisional units participated also in many exercises and manoeuvres of the Warsaw Pact troops, such as “Baltic-Oder” or “Oder-Nysa”. When needed, soldiers of the Division also took part in activities in favour of national economy (eg. potato harvest), as well as in activities aimed at removing natural disaster effects.
In December 1970 the units of the 12th Mechanized Division were sent to suppress workers’ protest that broke out due to worsening living and working conditions. As a result of those dramatic events, from 17 until 22 December in Szczecin 15 civilian people and 1 soldier died, 287 civilian people and 25 soldiers were injured.
In the 1970s the 12th Mechanized Division participated in major defence system exercises nicknamed “Country-73”, as well as in the Warsaw Pact exercises nicknamed “Shield-76” and “Jubilee-78”.
In this period, for the first time, the soldiers of the Division were sent to carry out duties abroad, during the 5th shift of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF-II) in the Middle East.
The series of success in military duty in the 1970s was honoured on 9 May 1975 by decorating the 12th Mechanized Division with the Order of the Red Banner of Labour type 2 – one of the most important awards at that time.
Martial law was another difficult test for the soldiers of the Division. This time, despite chaos caused by nationwide strikes, the course of events in Szczecin was completely different, compared to the events from December 1970. Common sense, self-control and self-discipline of the divisional soldiers led to a peaceful solution without the use of force; not a single soldier used his weapon. Moreover, other forces of law and order did not use their weapons when the army was nearby.
In the decade from 1980 to 1989, in spite of the economic collapse, combat power of the 12th Mechanized Division grew significantly. New equipment was introduced and existing weapons were modernized. The effort was put on reducing the cost of military training.
Despite complicated political situation in Poland, the Division participated in the Warsaw Pact exercises, such as “Friendship-82”, “Friendship-83” and “South-84” in March 1984. Three years later, in March 1987, in the Military Training Area Drawsko Pomorskie the divisional units took part in the exercise nicknamed “Opal-87”. For the first time in Poland this event was observed by 22 member states of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE).
From 1945 until 1989 the 12th Mechanized Division was commanded by officers who later held high-rank state and military positions. From 1957 until 1960 the Commander of the 12th Mechanized Division was Brigadier General Wojciech Jaruzelski. Later, he was the Minister of National Defence, the Prime Minister, the leader of the Polish United Workers' Party and the President of Poland from 1989 until 1990. The Commander of the 12th Mechanized Division was also Brigadier General Jan Kuriata who was later the Main Quartermaster of the Polish Army and when he was retired he became the Deputy Minister of National Defence for armament and military infrastructure. Among many eminent commanders of the Division one should also mention Brigadier General Henryk Szumski who was the Commander from 1980 until 1984. When he left Szczecin he held many positions in central military institutions and when he was retired he was a member of the presidential Security Council from 2001 until 2005.
Restructuring of the state system, as well as geopolitical changes that took place in the early 1990s in Europe (collapse of a bi-polar security system and elimination of the Yalta-Potsdam agreement) were the rudiments of a new national security system of Poland and Polish Armed Forces.
System transformations in Poland and democratization of a social-political life made the Polish Army politically non-aligned, subordinate only to constitutional authorities. As a result, a war doctrine changed substantially and so did the functioning rules and task organization of the Polish Army. The 12th Mechanized Division also underwent organizational-structural changes. Many units were disbanded and those which remained were subject to organizational changes. Consequently, the structure of the Division changed from regiments to brigades. Another very important event was making the Polish Armed Forces fully professional.
A completely new form of a training process of staff members and troops was “the Partnership for Peace” programme. Therefore, in June 1995 the 12th Mechanized Division started cooperation with the 14th Panzergrenadier Division (Bundeswehr) and Jutland Mechanized Division from Denmark. The outcome of this cooperation was a joint command post exercise (CPX) nicknamed “Baltic Cooperation” and a live exercise (LIVEX) nicknamed “Baltic Triangle” and “Cornerstone Breach”.
Owing to the above-mentioned fact, command and staff of the 12th Mechanized Division were able to cooperate with their counterparts in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Consequently, the Division became the affiliated force to the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE), which was established by the three Framework Nations, i.e. Denmark, Germany and Poland in 1999, with its Headquarters located in Szczecin. MNC NE, officially certified by the North Atlantic Council as a NATO Deployable Headquarters and as a part of the NATO Deployable Structure, organized many exercises, such as “Crystal Eagle 2000”, “Strong Resolve 2002” and a computer assisted exercise (CAX) called “Crystal Eagle 2003”. Due to this fact, functional cells in the 12th Mechanized Division were able to operate in terms of NATO procedures.
Transformation of political life in Poland that began in 1989 also involved educational activities in the Polish Army, such as removal of party-political structures in military units, restoration of military traditions and development of new training-educational principles. In 1994, by the decision of the Minister of National Defence dated 19 April, the 12th Mechanized Division received the distinctive name “Szczecińska” and the patron – Bolesław Krzywousty (Bolesław III Wrymouth).
Balkan history papers by Dariusz Faszcza
the interest in this event in the Polish press in the Prussian partition.
W konsekwencji zakończenia wojny rosyjsko-tureckiej i decyzji kongresu berlińskiego w 1878 r. na północy dzisiejszej Bułgarii ustanowiono „trzecie państwo bułgarskie”, a zamieszkujący je naród wkroczył na ścieżkę dynamicznego rozwoju. Początkowy okres jego istnienia był związany z obecnością na tym terytorium rosyjskich wojsk okupacyjnych i funkcjonowaniem rosyjskiej tymczasowej administracji. Tym sposobem Rosjanie zapewnili sobie silny wpływ na organizację odradzającego się państwa. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie procesu powoływania rosyjskiej tymczasowej administracji, kierunków jej działalności oraz roli Rosjan w nowo powołanych strukturach.
In 1912, after the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Lipkowski came to Bulgaria, where he enlisted in the army. The result of his service was a book which was a record of his experiences during the war containing reflections on the causes of this military conflict and its course.
The aim of the article is to remind the author of the memoirs, present the course of his service in the Bulgarian army and the reasons for the defeat of the Ottoman troops during the First Balkan War, as indicated by Lipkowski.
abdication of Prince Alexander von Battenberg. A group of officers played an active role in these events. In August 1886 they carried out a coup d’état and the abdication of ruler. Soon a counter‑attack was organized, and the political power fell into the hands of politicians sympathizing with Prince Alexander. The dethroned ruler returned to the country. However, the persisting state of tensions and pressure from Russia forced the prince to abdicate again.
The article presents the process of growing crisis of the Bulgarian state and the course of coup d’etat aimed at depriving the Bulgarian ruler of power, its consequences, as well as explaining the motives of conspirators.
The 12th Infantry Division left the formation area after the Second World War and was sent to Western Pomerania. In the beginning, the Division defended national border, took part in agricultural actions and mine clearance operations. Moreover, this unit secured military properties and settlements. Soldiers of the Division were engaged in political fight with the opposition and detached troops were tasked to fight against Ukrainian military underground.
Ease of tension in the international arena in the second half of the 1950s and,
as a result, no justifiable reason to maintain excessively developed armed forces resulted in deep reduction and restructuring of the 12th Infantry Division. New posts were created and some units were drawn down to skeletons. At that time there were approximately 2500 soldiers in the Division.
At the end of the 1950s, within the Polish Army development programme,
on the basis of the Order of the Ministry of National Defence No. 0010/Org dated
2 October 1958, the 12th Infantry Division was formed into the 12th Mechanized Division.
In July 1961, due to organizational processes, the number of soldiers and equipment was increased, which significantly raised combat capability of the Division. Practically, it meant that the Division maintained about 90 per cent of all personnel and equipment. At that time there were 8906 soldiers.
As a result of organizational activities in the 1960s and 1970s, organization and deployment of divisional units was finally established. It remained unchanged until 1989. The Division consisted of: headquarters, staff, three mechanized regiments (5th, 9th, 41st), tactical rocket battalion (22nd), rocket artillery battalion (21st), anti-tank artillery battalion (99th), signal battalion (33th), recce battalion (16th), engineer battalion (17th), maintenance battalion (16th), supply battalion (14th) and medical battalion (45th). All units were located in Szczecin, except for the 9th Mechanized Regiment and the 45th Medical Battalion, which were deployed in Stargard Szczeciński.
The primary aim of the Division at that time was training, which was conducted in military training fields. Divisional units participated also in many exercises and manoeuvres of the Warsaw Pact troops, such as “Baltic-Oder” or “Oder-Nysa”. When needed, soldiers of the Division also took part in activities in favour of national economy (eg. potato harvest), as well as in activities aimed at removing natural disaster effects.
In December 1970 the units of the 12th Mechanized Division were sent to suppress workers’ protest that broke out due to worsening living and working conditions. As a result of those dramatic events, from 17 until 22 December in Szczecin 15 civilian people and 1 soldier died, 287 civilian people and 25 soldiers were injured.
In the 1970s the 12th Mechanized Division participated in major defence system exercises nicknamed “Country-73”, as well as in the Warsaw Pact exercises nicknamed “Shield-76” and “Jubilee-78”.
In this period, for the first time, the soldiers of the Division were sent to carry out duties abroad, during the 5th shift of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF-II) in the Middle East.
The series of success in military duty in the 1970s was honoured on 9 May 1975 by decorating the 12th Mechanized Division with the Order of the Red Banner of Labour type 2 – one of the most important awards at that time.
Martial law was another difficult test for the soldiers of the Division. This time, despite chaos caused by nationwide strikes, the course of events in Szczecin was completely different, compared to the events from December 1970. Common sense, self-control and self-discipline of the divisional soldiers led to a peaceful solution without the use of force; not a single soldier used his weapon. Moreover, other forces of law and order did not use their weapons when the army was nearby.
In the decade from 1980 to 1989, in spite of the economic collapse, combat power of the 12th Mechanized Division grew significantly. New equipment was introduced and existing weapons were modernized. The effort was put on reducing the cost of military training.
Despite complicated political situation in Poland, the Division participated in the Warsaw Pact exercises, such as “Friendship-82”, “Friendship-83” and “South-84” in March 1984. Three years later, in March 1987, in the Military Training Area Drawsko Pomorskie the divisional units took part in the exercise nicknamed “Opal-87”. For the first time in Poland this event was observed by 22 member states of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE).
From 1945 until 1989 the 12th Mechanized Division was commanded by officers who later held high-rank state and military positions. From 1957 until 1960 the Commander of the 12th Mechanized Division was Brigadier General Wojciech Jaruzelski. Later, he was the Minister of National Defence, the Prime Minister, the leader of the Polish United Workers' Party and the President of Poland from 1989 until 1990. The Commander of the 12th Mechanized Division was also Brigadier General Jan Kuriata who was later the Main Quartermaster of the Polish Army and when he was retired he became the Deputy Minister of National Defence for armament and military infrastructure. Among many eminent commanders of the Division one should also mention Brigadier General Henryk Szumski who was the Commander from 1980 until 1984. When he left Szczecin he held many positions in central military institutions and when he was retired he was a member of the presidential Security Council from 2001 until 2005.
Restructuring of the state system, as well as geopolitical changes that took place in the early 1990s in Europe (collapse of a bi-polar security system and elimination of the Yalta-Potsdam agreement) were the rudiments of a new national security system of Poland and Polish Armed Forces.
System transformations in Poland and democratization of a social-political life made the Polish Army politically non-aligned, subordinate only to constitutional authorities. As a result, a war doctrine changed substantially and so did the functioning rules and task organization of the Polish Army. The 12th Mechanized Division also underwent organizational-structural changes. Many units were disbanded and those which remained were subject to organizational changes. Consequently, the structure of the Division changed from regiments to brigades. Another very important event was making the Polish Armed Forces fully professional.
A completely new form of a training process of staff members and troops was “the Partnership for Peace” programme. Therefore, in June 1995 the 12th Mechanized Division started cooperation with the 14th Panzergrenadier Division (Bundeswehr) and Jutland Mechanized Division from Denmark. The outcome of this cooperation was a joint command post exercise (CPX) nicknamed “Baltic Cooperation” and a live exercise (LIVEX) nicknamed “Baltic Triangle” and “Cornerstone Breach”.
Owing to the above-mentioned fact, command and staff of the 12th Mechanized Division were able to cooperate with their counterparts in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Consequently, the Division became the affiliated force to the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE), which was established by the three Framework Nations, i.e. Denmark, Germany and Poland in 1999, with its Headquarters located in Szczecin. MNC NE, officially certified by the North Atlantic Council as a NATO Deployable Headquarters and as a part of the NATO Deployable Structure, organized many exercises, such as “Crystal Eagle 2000”, “Strong Resolve 2002” and a computer assisted exercise (CAX) called “Crystal Eagle 2003”. Due to this fact, functional cells in the 12th Mechanized Division were able to operate in terms of NATO procedures.
Transformation of political life in Poland that began in 1989 also involved educational activities in the Polish Army, such as removal of party-political structures in military units, restoration of military traditions and development of new training-educational principles. In 1994, by the decision of the Minister of National Defence dated 19 April, the 12th Mechanized Division received the distinctive name “Szczecińska” and the patron – Bolesław Krzywousty (Bolesław III Wrymouth).
the interest in this event in the Polish press in the Prussian partition.
W konsekwencji zakończenia wojny rosyjsko-tureckiej i decyzji kongresu berlińskiego w 1878 r. na północy dzisiejszej Bułgarii ustanowiono „trzecie państwo bułgarskie”, a zamieszkujący je naród wkroczył na ścieżkę dynamicznego rozwoju. Początkowy okres jego istnienia był związany z obecnością na tym terytorium rosyjskich wojsk okupacyjnych i funkcjonowaniem rosyjskiej tymczasowej administracji. Tym sposobem Rosjanie zapewnili sobie silny wpływ na organizację odradzającego się państwa. Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie procesu powoływania rosyjskiej tymczasowej administracji, kierunków jej działalności oraz roli Rosjan w nowo powołanych strukturach.
In 1912, after the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Lipkowski came to Bulgaria, where he enlisted in the army. The result of his service was a book which was a record of his experiences during the war containing reflections on the causes of this military conflict and its course.
The aim of the article is to remind the author of the memoirs, present the course of his service in the Bulgarian army and the reasons for the defeat of the Ottoman troops during the First Balkan War, as indicated by Lipkowski.
abdication of Prince Alexander von Battenberg. A group of officers played an active role in these events. In August 1886 they carried out a coup d’état and the abdication of ruler. Soon a counter‑attack was organized, and the political power fell into the hands of politicians sympathizing with Prince Alexander. The dethroned ruler returned to the country. However, the persisting state of tensions and pressure from Russia forced the prince to abdicate again.
The article presents the process of growing crisis of the Bulgarian state and the course of coup d’etat aimed at depriving the Bulgarian ruler of power, its consequences, as well as explaining the motives of conspirators.
a separatist truce. This was caused by the success of the Entente states’ offensive, which began in September 1918. Bulgaria’s military defeat resulted not only from the advantage of accumulated forces and resources by its enemies, but was also closely associated with the fall of fighting will of Bulgarian units. One evidence of this state of affairs was the breakdown of military discipline. It took the form of numerous desertions, refusals to carry out orders, even in the face of an enemy or even open mutinies. To explain the reasons for this phenomenon
we may list many factors, from army supply shortages to external factors. It seems that one of the most important was terrible supply of civilians and the accompanying social unrest taking the form of ‘female rebellions’. The article presents the connections between the moods and the state of social discipline with the moods and the state of discipline in the Bulgarian army during the First World War.
The article presents the characteristics of Bulgarian area and the impact of geographical conditions on the course of military operations during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878 and the Serbian-Bulgarian war of 1885. Although they were two different conflicts in terms of duration, number of forces and direction of conduct, their example shows the problems faced by fighting armies at the time. We are dealing with issues related to overcoming the swollen waters of Danube and battlefields abounding in hills and mountain passages difficult to access. Not without significance were weather issues, which influenced the course of the fight and the possibilities of supplying troops.
The solidarity movement with the Bulgarians was particularly developed in Great Britain. It also aimed against the government’s supporting policy for the Turkish authorities. The events in Bulgaria have generated a strong response in Russia as well as in other European countries.
The unprecedented campaign of solidarity with the Bulgarian population led in the autumn of 1876 to the creation of an international commission to investigate the situation. Its activity, however, did not bring tangible results, as the situation in the region was exacerbated by the outbreak of the Serbian-Turkish war and soon after the Russian-Turkish war.
The Bulgarian events and the way they were presented in the press caused a change in the European citizens’ attitudes to the Ottoman Empire and forced some politicians to try to regulate the ‘Bulgarian question’. The process of political regulation the national issues in the Ottoman Empire lasted less than two years and ended in failure. In this situation, the Russian-Turkish war broke out in 1877.
The article presents the increasing of political crisis which resulted that the socialist states had made a decision to begin the armed intervention. It also includes information about the participation of Bulgarian People’s Army units in operations in Czechoslovakia.
The Bulgarian contingent in Czechoslovakia was the smallest of all participating armies. It consisted of two motorized regiments. Some of them were located in Slovakia (Banská Bystrica), while some protected the airport near Prague. In total, in ’68 in CSR were 2168 Bulgarian soldiers.
The article contains a description of the conditions of the Bulgarian infantry tactics’ evolution at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the important element of which was the bayonet fighting. It presents examples of battles, where such activities ensured success for Bulgarian soldiers. The aim of the article is also to show the birth of some opinions about the exceptional bravery of Bulgarian soldiers and the perception of heroism identified with the bayonet attack in the Bulgarian culture.
Despite suffered defeat, the Bulgarian army quickly rebuilt its potential. At the time of peace Bulgarian armed forces numbered 5220 officers and 80 079 NCOs and privates to the announcement of a mobilization to achieve the status of 15 165 officers and 581 631 NCOs and privates. In 14 October 1915 Bulgaria joined the World War I on the side of the Central Powers and its armed forces grew to eleven divisions of infantry, cavalry divisions and auxiliary units. Most of them have been grouped in three field armies, two of which have been concentrated on the border with Serbia, and one deployed on the border with Romania. Their actions have been supported by small fleet and modest aviation.
The analysis of the collected materials leads to the conclusion that the Home Army, which had limited capabilities in this area, was not able to protect a large civil population dispersed over a large area. An additional factor that limited the effectiveness of actions was the lack of cooperation between civil and military authorities and the reluctance of the first ones to consolidate efforts.
(“Storm”) which had had both the political and military dimension. The author of this
article tried to present the military aspect of planning, mobilization and concentration
of the Polish forces by members of the Volhynian conspiracy. The result of their activity was the creation of the largest partisan unit of the Polish Home Army – 27. Wołyńska Dywizja Piechoty (27th Volhynian Infantry Division).
Action “Burza” in Volhynia was conducted in extremely difficult conditions. The
main problems were: the threat of the German troops, uncertainty as to the behavior
of the Red Army entering into Polish lands and the hostile attitude of the Ukrainian
nationalist underground movement which led a massive campaign, aimed at the extermination of Polish people living in Volhynia. The factor that also had an impact on the situation was a presence of many Soviet partisan units in the area.
Despite this, in January 1944 Polish from Volhynia successfully created 27. Wołyńska
Dywizja Piechoty. It was due to the Polish society and commander of the Volhynian
district colonel Kazimierz Babinski and his staff. They prepared plan and perform military mobilization and concentration of the Polish forces in Volhynia.
Conclusions obtained in Volhynia were used to make improvements and changes in
the assumptions of the action “Burza” in other regions of the country.
Nevertheless, since the beginning of the army's uprising,alcohol has played an important role in the soldiers’ life. While drinking, they sought escape from reality, stress and disappointments brought by camp life and life in the barracks. Moreover drinking has been an attractive way of spending free time. All armies in the world have struggled with this phenomenon.
The British army was not free from the problem in the 19th century. During the Napoleonic wars the drunkenness was common social phenomenon. This situation has not changed dramatically in the following years. Suffice it to say, in 1868 British military courts sentenced no less than 10,966 soldiers for various crimes committed under the influence of alcohol. This situation has caused a lively debate and taking action by military authorities aimed at limiting this thoroughly dangerous phenomenon.
Polish defeats at the time of Polish–Bolshevik war resulted in the Lithuanian forces occupying large territories. This, in turn, inclined the Polish government to complain to the League of Nations. Seeking a solution, on 28 October 1920 the Council of the League of Nations decided to hold a plebiscite.
In order to guarantee a proper course of the plebiscite, the controversial territory was to welcome international truce forces, a total of about 1500 men: contingents from the UK, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The decision concerning the Danish detachment was made on 4 December 1920. The commander of the hundred soldiers was Captain C. H. Jørgensen. At the beginning of December 1920 work was initiated on outfitting the detachment. Despite the absence of a clear–cut situation concerning the term of the plebiscite, the detachment was created and at the beginning of May 1921 the company started training.
The lack of interest in the plebiscite on the Polish and Lithuanian side resulted in the League of Nations resigning from this particular form of settlement of the dispute in favour of direct negotiations. The Danish company was dissolved. The affiliation of the region of Wilno to Poland was ultimately resolved by a “mutiny” of detachments under General L. Żeligowski, the creation of so–called Central Lithuania, and a decision
passed by the Wilno Sejm to incorporate the region into the Republic of Poland.
the period from the designation of Tadeusz Mazowiecki to the position of Prime Minister
in 1989 until the establishment of institutional and legal solutions in the form of
the adoption of the Constitution in April 1997. Its key moments against the backdrop
of events are indicated that were taking place in Poland at that time, with emphasis on
how the aid was provided to the Polish authorities by external factors. This process was
not without conflicts, and its completion was possible to a large extent thanks to the
help provided by the governments of Western countries and Euro-Atlantic institutions.
On the base of the lyrics analysis we can observe evolution of percepcion hooligans’ own position in football fans community. At the beginning they exposed violence as a specific form of spending free time. Today, football hooligans recognize themselves as stadium elite who is persecuted by political system and police. Financial success of movie productions like “The Football Factory” or “Green Street Hooligans” made this type of attitude more popular. In this way Polish fans intercepted specific style of getting dressed known as a casual style. Polish and English hooligans differ in many ways but in fact they have a lot of similarities as well.
Some bands engaged in promoting unity in face of confrontation with police force as well as other foreign fans. In 2004 representations of all football hooligans except Wisła and Cracovia Cracow signed “układ poznański” (“pact of Poznan”). Since that year fighting against any Polish rival during Polish national team’s match has been prohibited.
The influence of rock bands on creating stadium events is very limited because of the fact that none of them has ever played any concert and most of them has disintegrated after registering debut album. The members of musical groups were often recruted from hooligans but low popularity of rock music in Poland is a serious problem from them to be well-known even in the football fans community.
The review article discusses the structure and selected content of the book written by the British historian Jeremy Black entitled Krótka historia wojny published in 2022 by RM publishing house. The reviewed work is an original approach to issues related to waging wars in the world from the dawn of humanity to the present day. Despite the relatively small volume, the author logically and reliably presented the process of changes in the way they are carried out from a global perspective, formulating observations and conclusions as to their causes and characteristic
features.