Born: October 25, 1909, Cracow, Poland
Died: January 2, 1965, Chicago, USA
Buried : Maryhill cemetery, Niles near Chicago, USA
Family: Father – Józef (born in 1875) died in 1934. Mother Aniela (born in 1888) died in 1960. They were both buried in the Podgórze Cemetery in Krakow.
Military Medals: Polish – Gold Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari IV class, Virtuti Militari V class; French – Croix de Guerre
Prewar fates: In 1928, Władysław Smrokowski passed his high school diploma. After studying at the Jagiellonian University for one year, he dropped out of his studies. In 1929, he entered the Infantry Cadet School in Ostrów-Komorów, which he graduated in 1932. As a second lieutenant, he was assigned to the 3rd Podhale Rifle Regiment in Bielsko-Biała. As an outstanding officer, in 1939 he was transferred to the position of an instructor at the Reserve Officer Cadet School at the 4th Podhale Rifle Regiment in Cieszyn, which was part of the 21st Mountain Infantry Division. He trained future officers of the 21st Mountain Infantry Division. Until the outbreak of the war in September 1939, Lieutenant Władysław Smrokowski was the deputy commander of the school.
Fates before joining Anders Army : In the September campaign of 1939, Lieutenant Smrokowski commanded the 8th rifle company of the 3rd battalion of the 4th Podhale Rifle Regiment. Commanding his sub-unit, he participated in all fights led by the regiment. He distinguished himself, among others, while conquering bridges and fords on the Dunajec River near the village of Biskupice Radłowskie. Commanding two companies, he took part on September 25 in the Battle of Koziejówka near Janów Lubelski, in which the commander of the 21st DPG, General Józef Kustroń, was killed.
After the battle, Lieutenant Smrokowski, at the head of three companies of the 4th Regiment, tried to leave the encirclement and break through to the south without success. Only dividing into smaller groups gave the desired effect. Smrokowski crossed the Polish-Hungarian border on September 26, 1939. The commander of the 4th Podhale Rifle Regiment, disbanded on September 16, awarded him with the order of Virtuti Militari for bravery and excellent behavior. In the turmoil of war, this conclusion never reached the superiors.
From the internment camp in Hungary, Lieutenant W. Smrokowski managed to get through Yugoslavia and Italy to France. He was assigned to the 1st Grenadier Division of General Bronisław Duch, where on the 3rd of May 1940 he was promoted to the rank of captain.
During the French campaign, he served in the staff of the 3rd Silesian Rifle Regiment in the 1st Grenadier Division. He went all its combat trail. Initially, he fought on the defense line of the Marna-Rhine canal, then in the fortified areas of Dieuze and Baccarat, and just before the surrender of France, he heroically fought in the Neureville area.
After the surrender of the French army, he broke through with a group of soldiers from the 1st Grenadier Division into the southern, unoccupied zone of France. He was injured while crossing the border between zones. He reached Great Britain via Spain and Portugal. For his participation in the French campaign, at the request of General Bronisław Duch, he was awarded the Virtuti Militari 5th class order. He also received the French Croix de Guerre.
In 1941, together with the Polish Recruitment Mission of General B. Duch, he went to the United States, where he was the commander of the Collecting Station. He returned to Scotland in June 1942 and took command of the 4th company in the 2nd Rifle Battalion.
In the summer of 1942, the Allies decided to form commando battalions. In August of the same year, Capt. W. Smrokowski became the commander of the Polish First Independent Commando Company. From the fall of 1942, the “green devil” unit – named for the color of its berets – underwent a murderous exercise in Scotland. In October and November 1943, the first Polish commando unit undergoes final training in Algeria, in British training centers.
Military history in Polish 2 Corps: After the course, in December 1943, the company was transferred to Taranto in southern Italy, starting the Italian campaign. The company was assigned to British commando units operating in this country. The Polish sub-unit was included in the 10th “Inter Allies Commando Group” as the 6th company.
On December 13, 1943, Capt. W. Smrokowski personally commanded the first ever Polish commando patrol in Abruzzo. On December 14 and 15, the Poles fought the Germans on the Sangro River, several times taking up positions behind the enemy.
On March 1, 1944 Władysław Smrokowski was promoted to the rank of major. After being assigned to the Polish 2nd Corps, for the time of the Battle of Monte Cassino he became the commander of the “Commando Group” consisting of a commando company and an assault squadron of the 15th Poznań Lancers Regiment. He took part in the attack on the direction of San Angelo. Several times he organized numerous trips to clean German bunkers.
He then took part in the Battle of Ancona at the head of his commando company. He was then given a number of tasks, incl. crossing the Musone River and conquering the town of Nuove.
On July 31, 1944 he was decorated in Ancona by the Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski with the Gold Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari, 4th class. Then he became the commander of the 2nd Motorized Commando Battalion, which was part of the 2nd Armored Brigade. In April 1945, he participated in the Battle of Bologna, during which the commandos distinguished themselves especially in the action of crossing the Gaiana River.
After the end of hostilities in 1946, Major Smrokowski and his soldiers were transported to Great Britain, where he joined the Polish Resettlement Corps.
Post-War: After demobilization, Major Smrokowski worked in a textile factory in Bradford, Great Britain. In 1949, he started a family. He decided not to return to Poland. In 1951 he left for the United States and settled in Chicago. There, he worked in the steel industry for several years. On January 2, 1965, Major Smrokowski died of a heart attack. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Wojciech in Chicago. In 1975, the grave was transferred to the Polish Combatants’ Section at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles, a suburb of Chicago. Moreover, a symbolic plaque devoted to the major is on the grave of his parents in the Podgórze cemetery in Krakow – IB quarter, west row, grave 27. Posthumously, Major Władysław Smrokowski was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
author : Aneta Hoffmann, Warsaw, Poland
