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Stanislaus Puchalski

Stanislaus Puchalski was born in Galicia in 1867.  GM Puchalski started the war as a brigade commander, fighting in the Galician theatre that was his homeland. His interest in the Polish Legion drew the attention of both the Legionnaires and Army HQ.  On 1 February 1916, Puchalski was placed in command of the Polish Legion under GdK Leopold v. Hauer and replaced FML Karl Trzaska-Durski, who had led the legion for more than a year. Under his leadership, the Polish Legion consisted of three brigades.  Initially, Jozsef Pilsudski commanded the First Brigade, Küttner commanded the Second, and Grzesicki the Third. See the Polish Legion order of battle for 1 March 1916, below. When the infamous Oath of Allegiance to the Provisional Council of State was demanded in July 1917, Puchalski agreed to have his troops take the oath, but the majourity of them refused, and soon afterward, his Legion was disbanded for lack of qualified members.  Puchalski himself was not required to take the oath, for he was already an Austrian officer who had sworn an oath to the Kaiser.  The entire Polish Legion was reorganized into the Polish Auxiliary Corps under chief of staff Oberst Stanislaus Graf von Szeptycki. Meanwhile,  Puchalski was appointed commander of the 12. infantry division in late summer 1917 and sent to northern Italy, where he took part in the Caporetto Offensive of 24 October 1917.  He later took part in the Piave Offensive of 15 June 1918. Puchalski was then replaced by FML Waitzendorfer and transferred to Przemysl, where he was in charge of garrison troops. On 1 November 1918, the Polish Regency Council appointed FML Puchalski to be Senior Commander of the Polish National Army for Galicia and Austrian Silesia.  At this time, Puchalski was in the fortress of Przemysl and ordered the Polish flag raised over the citadel.  On the night of 4 November, Ukrainians armed by Galicia’s governor Graf von Huyn moved against Przemysl and seized the part of town east of the San river.  In so doing, they arrested the few Polish soldiers and also took hold of Puchalski; Colonel Wladyslaw Sikorski, then his chief of staff, avoided them and in the dead of night slipped over to the other side of town to rally support. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians were joyous, proclaiming the city part of the Western Ukraine, though unable to capture the western half after a day-long struggle.  Indeed, their merriment did not last long, as reinforced Polish units called “Group San” arrived on the scene a week later, ousted the Ukrainians, and freed Puchalski.  At the time, Sikorski was being flown to Przemysl to witness the fighting on 13 November, but his plane was shot at by the Ukrainians, and crashed in flames.  Sikorski managed to escape the wreckage.  Polish units moved toward Lemberg (Lwow) and captured it within two weeks, driving the Western Ukraine government of Simeon Petrushevich to Stanislau, where he proclaimed the union of the two Ukraines. Stanislaus Puchalski died in 1935. GWS, 10/03 [rev. 11/05] Attention: Visit FEEFHS map room for a Map of Galicia including some of the placenames mentioned here.  Also, see the Map of Volhynia including Lutsk and Kowel (on the far left), and a Map of the Southwestern Theatre, though its missing Caporetto.  Be sure to open in a separate window to toggle between this page and FEEFHS.

Orders of Battle:  Eastern Front, May 1915 Immediately preceding the Dunajec offensive Deutsche 11. Armee, preuß. Generaloberst August v. Mackensen     Chief of Staff, preuß. Oberst Seeckt     Öst. VI. Korps, Kmdt. Feldmlt. v. Arz         Chief of Staff, Oberst Josef Huber               12. inf. div., Feldmlt. Kestranek               23. inf. brig., Genmj. Ritt. v. Metz               24. inf. brig., Genmj. v. Puchalski               12. field art. brig., Oberst v. Dobner Orders of Battle: Polish Legion,  1 March 1916 Immediately following GM Puchalski's arrival 4. Armee, GO Erzherzog Josef Ferdinand       Hauer kav. Korps, GdK Leopold v. Hauer              Polnisch Legion, GM Stanislaus v. Puchalski                   1. Brigade, Jozsef Pilsudski                         1. Battle Group, Eduard Rydz-Smigly (1886-1941)                         5. Battle Group, Leon Berbecki (1875-1963)                         7. Battle Group, Albin Satyr-Fleszar (1888-1916)                   2. Brigade, Ferdynand Küttner (replaced by Zygmunt Zielinski (1858-1925))                         2. Battle Group, Marian Zegota-Januszajtis (1889-1973)                         3. Battle Group, Henryk Minkiewicz (1880-1940)                   3. Brigade, Wiktor Grzesicki                         4. Battle Group, Boleslaw Roja (1876-1940)                         6. Battle Group, Mieczyslaw Norwid-Neugebauer (1884-1954) Orders of Battle:  Eastern Front, June 1916 Immediately preceding the Russians’ Lutsk Offensive Linsingen Group, Gen. d. Inf. von Linsingen 4. Armee, Generaloberst Erzherzog Josef Ferdinand       Hauer kav. Korps, Gen. d. Kav. von Hauer               11. Honved kav. div., Genmj. Czito               9. kav. div., Feldmlt. von Leonhardi               Poln. Legion, Genmj. v. Puchalski Orders of Battle:  Eastern Front, July 1916 Immediately following the Lutsk breakthrough Army Group Linsingen, Gen. d. Inf. von Linsingen 4. Armee, Generaloberst von Tersztyánszky      Hauer kav. Korps, Gen. d. Kav. von Hauer               Polish Legion, Genmj. von Puchalski               11. Honved kav. div., Genmj. Czito               1. kav. div., Genmj. de Ruiz               9. kav. div., Feldmlt. von le Gay Orders of Battle:  Eastern Front, August 1916 Immediately following the Russians’ Kowel Offensive Army Group Linsingen, Gen. d. Inf. von Linsingen 4. Armee, Generaloberst von Tersztyánszky       Fath Korps, Gen. d. Inf. Fath       Kneußl Group, Genlt. von Kneußl           Polish Legion, Genmj. von Puchalski Orders of Battle:  Roumanian and Eastern Front, November 1916 Immediately following the occupation of Wallachia by the Alliance troops Linsingen Army Group, Gen. d. Inf. von Linsingen      Woyrsch's Army Group, XII. Korps, Gen. d. Inf. von Henriquez             35. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Podhorajsky             Polish Legion attached, Genmj. von Puchalski Orders of Battle:  Italian Front, November 1917 Immediately preceding the Caporetto Offensive Erzherzog Eugen Armee Front, Feldmarschal Erzherzog Eugen Boroevic Armee Group, Generaloberst von Boroevic 1. Isonzo Armee, Generaloberst von Wurm       XXIII. Korps, Feldmlt. von Csicserics             41. Honved inf. div., Feldmlt. Schamschula             10. Honved inf. div., Feldmlt. von Gologorski             12. inf. div., Genmj. von Puchalski             21. Schützen res. div., Feldmlt. Podhajsky Orders of Battle:  Italian Front, mid-June 1918 Immediately preceding the Piave Offensive Boroevic Army Group, Feldmarchal Boroevic von Bojna Isonzo Army, Generaloberst von Wurm       XXIII. Korps, Gen. d. Inf. von Csicserics             12. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Puchalski             10. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Gologorski             1. kav. div., Genmj. von Habermann             res., 57. inf. div., Feldmlt. von Hronzky