Stanisław Brykalski

Stanisław Brykalski, pseudonym Kogutek[1] was a Polish Lieutenant and a deputy defense commander of Wizna along with Władysław Raginis and after his death during the Battle of Wizna, he was posthumously promoted to captain.[2]

Stanisław Brykalski
Born(1912-04-06)April 6, 1912
Słomniki, Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary
DiedSeptember 9, 1939(1939-09-09) (aged 27)
Góra Strękowa, Warsaw Voivodeship, Poland
Allegiance Poland
Branch Polish Armed Forces
Years of service1938–1939
Rank Lieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II

Biography

World War II

Stanisław Brykalski was born in Słomniki as the son of Jan and Marianna Brykalski.[3] After graduating from schools in Miechów and Kraków, he entered the Kraków school of cadets. In 1938, he underwent military training and was appointed to the rank of lieutenant . In the same year, he was drafted into the Polish Armed Forces and incorporated into the 71st Infantry Regiment. He served as the commander of an artillery platoon.[4]

The outbreak of World War II found him in the fortified section of the Wizna area, near Łomża, where, as the commander of the artillery, consisting of 4 light 76.2 mm cannons, he was also the deputy commander of the section along with Capt. Władysław Raginis. During the initial fights with the soldiers of the XIX Army Corps of Heinz Guderian, together with his superior, he swore that he would not give up their defensive positions.

He died on September 9, 1939, during the observation of the battlefield in the observation dome of the command bunker on Góra Strękowa as he was wounded in the head by a shell fragment. Only on September 13,[3] with the consent of a German officer, the body of Lieutenant Brykalski and Capt. Raginis was buried in the immediate vicinity of the command bunker.

Burial and funeral

At the end of September, after the territory was taken over by the Soviets under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the occupation forces ordered the bodies to be excavated and buried 500 meters further, in the road lane at the foot of the hill. In the 1950s, the remains of the officers were once again dug up and moved to another place, unknown for years.[5]

After the war, a plaque was placed in Wizna with the following inscription: "Passer-by, tell your Homeland that we fought to the end, fulfilling our duty."

In August 2011, members of the Wizna 1939 Association found an anonymous grave by the Wizna-Jeżewo road and carried out exhumation work.[6][7][8] The heroes' funeral was held on September 10, 2011. First, a solemn funeral mass for Captain Władysław Raginis and Lieutenant Stanisław Brykalski was celebrated in the parish church in Wizna, concelebrated by Bishop Ordinarius of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Łomża, a solemn funeral of the defenders of the "Wizna" section took place in the war grave located inside the broken command bunker.[6]

On August 21, 2012, the Minister of National Defense, Tomasz Siemoniak, signed a decision on the posthumous promotion of Stanisław Brykalski to the rank of captain.[9]

His grave is located in the parish cemetery in Słomniki.[10]

Awards

By the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kaczyński on August 28, 2009, for outstanding services for the independence of the Republic of Poland, Brykalski was posthumously awarded the Commander's Cross with the Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta.[11]

Legacy

A street in Słomniki is named after Lieutenant Stanisław Brykalski.

The Riflemen's Association, Wołomin Branch (1939 Rifle Unit), adorned the name of Capt. Stanisław Brykalski and celebrated the 76th anniversary of the Battle of Wizna - Góra Strękowa, on September 12, 2015.

Under the patronage of the "Wizna 1939" Association, a mural was created devoted to the commander of the artillery of the "Wizna" section.[12]

References
  1. Ceremonia pogrzebowa bohaterów spod Wizny, MON, 2013-05-25, Archived 2017-08-07 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Uroczystość pogrzebowa kpt. Władysława Raginisa i por. Stanisława Brykalskiego – bohaterów spod Wizny Archived 2011-10-26 at the Wayback Machine, IPN, September 10, 2011
  3. 10.09.2011 r. – Wizna-Góra Strękowa, pogrzeb po 72. latach, Stowarzyszenie Weteranów Polskich Formacji Granicznych,
  4. Dariusz Szymanowski (April 1939). "DZISIAJ OBCHODZĘ 27 ROCZNICĘ SWOICH URODZIN ..." (in Polish). Stowarzyszenie "Wizna 1939": www.wizna1939.eu. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  5. Wolał rozerwać się granatem niż poddać, Fronda.pl, 2011-08-30, Archived 2011-11-06 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "POWRÓCILI DO SWOJEJ REDUTY ..." artykuł ze stron Stowarzyszenia Wizna 1939, 2011-10-10,
  7. "DNA kapitana Raginisa, Piotr Zychowicz, Rzeczpospolita,10-10-2011". Archived from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  8. "Awans dla Raginisa". Archived from the original on 2021-01-16. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  9. "Awanse dla kpt. W. Raginisa i por. S. Brykalskiego". wp.mil.pl. August 21, 2012. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  10. "Znani zmarli". mogily.pl. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  11. M.P. z 2010 r. Nr 27, poz. 253 – pkt 2.
  12. Paweł Lisiecki (October 19, 2016). "Łomża/Wizna: Powstał kolejny mural pamięci por. Brykalskiego (foto + video)". Retrieved September 10, 2016.
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