Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski
General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1 June 1895 – 24 August 1966) was a Polish military leader and the officer nicknamed Bór. He led Polish forces during World War II and later served as prime minister in exile.
Early life and career
- Born in Khorobriv, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Ukraine).
- Fought as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army in World War I, then joined the Polish Army after Poland regained independence.
- Commanded the Grudziądz Cavalry School and was part of the Polish equestrian team at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
World War II
- After Poland was invaded in 1939, he helped organize the Polish underground in the Kraków area.
- In July 1941 he became deputy commander of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK); in March 1943 he was appointed commander, with the rank of brigadier-general.
- Some historians criticize him for anti-Jewish attitudes and actions during the war, including opposition to aiding Jewish uprisings and excluding Jews from the Home Army.
- In 1944, as Soviet forces moved into Poland, the Polish government-in-exile ordered him to prepare an uprising in Warsaw. The Warsaw Uprising began on 1 August 1944.
- On 29 September 1944 he was promoted to General Inspector of the Armed Forces (the Polish commander-in-chief). On 4 October, after fierce fighting, he surrendered to German forces and was taken as a prisoner of war. He refused to order the remaining Home Army units in occupied Poland to surrender.
- He was held in a German POW camp at Oflag IV-C, and after the war he returned to London.
Postwar life and legacy
- In exile in London, he led the Polish government-in-exile from 2 July 1947 to 10 February 1949, a government still recognized by some countries but not by most Western governments after the war.
- He wrote The Secret Army (1950), recounting his wartime experiences. He later worked as an upholsterer.
- He died in London in 1966 at age 71. His body was buried in Gunnersbury Cemetery. In 1994, his ashes were moved to Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:35 (CET).