Adam Solski

Adam Solski (born January 4, 1895 in Milatycze near Lwów, Austrian Galicia) was a soldier of Polish Legions in World War I, participant in the Polish–Soviet War, and major of the Polish Army in the interwar period. Solski fought in the 1939 Invasion of Poland. Captured by the Red Army (see Soviet invasion of Poland) he was murdered in Katyn massacre, on April 9, 1940.

Solski attended high school in Lwow. In February 1913 he joined local Sokol Organization, and soon afterwards attended military courses at Bolechow. In August 1914 he volunteered for the Eastern Legion, and since 1916 he fought in 3rd Brigade, Polish Legions. In November 1918 Solski joined newly created Polish Army, fighting in Polish-Soviet war of 1920, in which he was an officer in the headquarters of 9th Infantry Division.

On July 1, 1923 Solski was promoted to Captain. At that time, he served in 35th Infantry Regiment, stationed in Brzesc nad Bugiem. On January 1, 1932 he became a Major of the 57th Infantry Regiment, stationed in Poznań. In summer 1939, Solski was mobilized to Reserve Center of 14th Infantry Division, with which he fought in German invasion of Poland. In late September 1939, Solski was captured by the Red Army while attempting to escape occupied Kresy and flee to Hungary. He was first sent to a POW camp at Putyvl, later the NKVD transferred him to Kozelsk.

In spring 1940, Solski was taken to Katyn, where he was murdered in Katyn massacre, on April 9, 1940. He was buried in a mass grave, and in 1943 his body, marked with number 490 was exhumed by Germans. Next to Solski’s body were two notebooks, a vaccination card, two Miraculous Medals, a bill and a referral to a doctor.

While in Soviet POW camps, Solski wrote a secret diary. It was found by Germans in 1943, and published by Józef Mackiewicz. After the war, its contents were read to Polish listeners by Radio Free Europe. His diary, which was kept until very last moment before the execution, is regarded as one of the most accurate, as he described every day events at camps. Adam Solski stayed at Kozelsk together with his brother, Captain Kazimierz Solski (murdered on April 17, 1940).

Last entry in the diary is dated April 9, 1940: “Five a.m. From the very morning the day began in an unusual way. We are taken somewhere in a prison ambulance (terrible!) We were brought to a forest, to a location that resembles a summer resort. Here, we are carefully checked. My watch was taken away from me at 6:30 in the morning. They asked me about my ring, which (....) They took away my roubles, belt and pocket knife (...)

Solski had a wife, Anna Leontyna née Trojanowska (1906 - 1970), whom he married in 1926, and a daughter Ewa, who died in 2010.

Awards

 * Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari V Class (1921)
 * Cross of Valour (1920)
 * Silver Cross of Merit (1928)

On October 5, 2007, Polish Minister of National Defence posthumously promoted Solski to Sub-Colonel. In 2009, a commemorative plaque, dedicated to Solski, was unveiled in Katyn near Otwock.