THE MILITARY PATHS
OF KAROL PIÓRECKI
Andrzej Piórecki
Karol Franciszek Piórecki was born on December 4, 1884, in Stanisławów, located 140 kilometers from Lviv; he was the son of Jan Piórecki and Karolina (née Tyrnka). He began his education at a school in Brzeżany. There he studied alongside remarkable peers: Alfred Bilik, future Voivode of Lviv, and Edward Rydz-Śmigły, who would become Marshal of the Republic of Poland and Commander-in-Chief. Piórecki’s friendship with Rydz-Śmigły significantly influenced his life. Their shared experiences shaped his sense of responsibility and inspired him to join the Polish Army. As many historical publications confirm, Karol Piórecki stayed at Rydz-Śmigły’s side as the latter’s military career steadily advanced through the officer ranks.
Karol, through his dedication and diligence, also built a distinguished military career. He was a highly regarded by both his fellow officers and rank-and-file soldiers. He also maintained close ties with his family in Kraków, visiting them frequently. In 1921, while serving as Chief of Staff of the 20th Infantry Division, Karol Piórecki completed the War Course of the General Staff School. Around this time, his eldest son, Andrzej, was born. Andrzej’s mother and Karol’s wife was Irena Odyniec, likely the daughter of Major General Wincenty Odyniec. Karol’s second son, Leon, was born later.
Soon, however, came a test of loyalty and friendship. It was 1926. Commander-in-Chief Józef Piłsudski, with General Rydz-Śmigły already at his side, decided to carry out reforms of the army. Due to political divisions among the command staff—including both generals and officers—an internal conflict emerged. It had the potential to turn into
a civil war, which would have inflicted unimaginable losses on the newly reborn Polish state. The internal military conflict escalated into an armed confrontation, whose tragic climax unfolded on the streets of Warsaw. Former colleagues—generals and officers—along with their soldiers, faced each other on opposing sides. Shots were fired. There were dead and wounded. Major Karol Piórecki, standing alongside Marshal Piłsudski and Rydz-Śmigły, took part in this fratricidal struggle. According to records of the May 1926 events from the Military Headquarters of the President of the Republic dated May 14, 1926: 13:30 – A Hughes telegraph conversation took place between Lt. Col. Szafranow and Lt. Lutomski and Major Piórecki of the General Staff regarding the situation in Warsaw and within the Corps District. Regarding Warsaw, Major Piórecki reported the seizure of Mokotów airfield and the continued defense of the Officer Cadet School and Belweder Palace. He also expressed disbelief in rumors suggesting that the Witos government had fled by airplane to the West.
It should be noted that at that time Karol Piórecki was already a General Staff Major, serving as an officer of the Third Department of the General Staff, and as Head of Section II of the General Staff.
On May 18, 1926, the sounds of gunfire fell silent and the dust on the streets of Warsaw settled. The day of reckoning had come. The losses were deeply painful, for among the dead and wounded included former friends and comrades. Karol Piórecki was assigned the somber mission of organizing the funeral for his fallen colleagues. As Ryszard Zieliński wrote in his book Gry Majowe (May Games), his father recalled that moment as follows:
“…Major Piórecki had to organize a massive funeral. He buried those who had fallen in Warsaw. He conducted a deeply solemn burial for well over two hundred soldiers, including nearly thirty officers—his own colleagues. He was such a loyal friend, and yet this was the fate he had to face.”
These were officers who had been his friends—men who lost their lives because of
a differing vision for Poland—and their soldiers, who, believing in their commanders’ ideals, had marched into this fratricidal battle. In 1928, Karol Franciszek Piórecki moved with his family to Grodno. He was appointed as
a staff officer at the Command of Corps District III, headquartered in that city. Piórecki was an officer whose authorization was mandatory for timber harvesting operations in the Vilnius region. At that time, regulations required that tree felling could only proceed with the consent of the relevant civil administration and the permission from military authorities. In this case, the final approval was signed by Karol Piórecki.
Internally shattered by the tragic aftermath of the May Coup in Warsaw, Karol began seeking solace in alcohol. His brilliant career slowly began to unravel. He could not forget those few days in Warsaw, when colleagues stood on opposite sides—no longer “playing soldiers” as they once had in the fields of Polesie, but holding rifles and firing at men who, until recently, had been their friends. The fate of Karol Piórecki and his deepening struggle with alcoholism was later described by Jerzy Kirchmayer in his memoirs:
“…There were no military grounds whatsoever for granting permits to cut down forests. In these troubled waters, Piórecki managed to catch a few rather fine fish for himself… The so-called ‘Vilnius Bisons,’ whose forests stood in their way, sought out Piórecki. He was
a capable officer, but a hopeless drunkard. These ‘Bisons’ exploited this human weakness, plying him with alcohol, and the rest came easily. Permits poured from his sleeve, and one morning the General Staff discovered that entire counties in beloved Vilnius region had been stripped bare. At the same time, Major Piórecki’s condition deteriorated as his dependence on alcohol grew.”
Under the influence of alcohol, Piórecki became notorious for his vivid and wild imagination, as recountedby Barbara Narębska-Dębska-Kozłowska in her book NKVD Camp No. 0321:
Centuries of shared Polish-Ukrainian history are reflected in the lives of those tied to the land of their ancestors: Podlasie. Poland’s former Eastern Borderlands produced many distinguished figures and numerous patriots. The story I wish to present is an example of such Polish patriotism, though it also reveals human weaknesses against the backdrop of historical events.
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