Born 3.8.1899 in Płock
Died 21.12.1940 in Gusen
He was born on 3 August 1899 in Płock, into a large family of Stanisław and Maria née Lubińska.
He first studied at the Płock Gymnasium, and later at the Russian Gymnasium, also in Płock. After the outbreak of the war, when the Mazovia region became the main theatre of fighting, he continued his education under the supervision of his brother, the well-known local architect and engineer Antoni Władysław Kowalski. During the war years, he undertook agricultural training at the estates of JWP T. Sułowski and the Rozwadowski family. In 1917, as the Polish Armed Forces were being formed, he volunteered for the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Polish Armed Forces (assigned to the Artillery School Group in Ostrów Łomżyński), which in 1918 was renamed the 8th Infantry Regiment of the Legions. With this unit he fought on the first fronts of the Polish–Ukrainian War, including the Battle of Lwów, until he was wounded during bayonet combat near Rawa Ruska in December 1918.
After recovering, during the Polish–Soviet War, on 14 March 1919 he was drafted into the 3rd Heavy Artillery Regiment, which was later incorporated into the 6th Field Artillery Regiment. On 16–17 August 1920, during the Battle of the Bug, he distinguished himself with heroism when the advancing Soviet cavalry nearly overran the unprepared positions of the 1st and 3rd Battalions together with the 7th Battery, which the Cossacks had surprised from the rear. In haste, Kowalski gathered all soldiers not engaged at the guns, formed a skirmish line, and supported the defence against the Soviet assault. Thanks to this, the river was crossed at several points. During the retreat, the Cossacks once again attacked the 7th Battery as Polish formations struggled across the Pełtew River. Once more, Kowalski assembled gunners with rifles and machine guns, fortifying the village of Żuratyn. The defenders fought so fiercely that the enemy assumed a strong force was stationed there. In reality, a dozen soldiers repelled about one hundred Cossacks, forcing them to withdraw. Thanks to this extraordinary action, the Polish batteries crossed the river together with their ammunition. For this deed, Jan Kowalski was awarded the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari, 5th Class. By the end of the war he had also received the Cross of Valour with Clasp, the Commemorative Badge of the Lithuanian-Belarusian Front, the Commemorative Badge of the 1920 Artillery Volunteers, the Commemorative Badge of the 6th Field Artillery Regiment, and the Honorary Badge “Orlęta”.
After the war he was offered a career in the Polish Army, but declined. He continued his education at the Lwów Polytechnic as an extraordinary student at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. From 1923 to 1938 he worked as a farm accountant and agronomist, managing estates belonging to such notable families as the Czartoryski (in Gołuchów) and the Zamoyski (in Jedlec), earning high praise from Stefan Adam Zamoyski himself for his efforts and dedication.
Jan Kowalski married Maria (b. 1910 in Ludziska), with whom he had two sons: Stanisław (b. 1931 in Gołuchów) and Jerzy (b. 1935 in Gołuchów). At the end of 1938, the family moved from Gołuchów to Zduńska Wola, where he worked as a salesman.
In the spring of 1940, during the Intelligenzaktion campaign, he was arrested by the Gestapo in Zduńska Wola and on 26 April 1940 was deported to the Dachau concentration camp, where he received the prisoner number 6138. On 5 June 1940 he was transferred to the Gusen concentration camp, where he was assigned the prisoner number 3939. After months of forced hard labour, he died on 21 December 1940 of uraemia. His death was confirmed by a death certificate issued by Hans Robert Diehl, at the time still holding the position of Rottenführer, who actively participated in crimes committed against camp prisoners.
Maciej Wojciech Kowalski (2025)