Zygmunt Podhorski

Zygmunt Podhorski (nom de guerre Zaza) was General brygady of the Polish Army. Born May 25, 1891, Podhorski fought in World War I (in the Russian Imperial Army), Polish–Soviet War and the Invasion of Poland. Altogether, he served in the military from 1914 until 1946.

Podhorski was born in 1891 in the real estate of Popudnia, located in Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (now: Ukraine), in a family of Polonized Russian knyazs, which had settled in Polish Kresy in the 16th century. In 1909, he graduated from a high school in Warsaw, and then spent his compulsory military service at 9th Uhlan Regiment at Bila Tserkva, where in 1911 was promoted to the rank of chorazy. In 1911–1914, Podhorski studied at Agricultural Department of the Jagiellonian University. Since he was a junior officer of the Russian Army, to avoid arrest Podhorski left Kraków in August 1914, shortly before the outbreak of the war.

During World War I, Podhorski fought in Russian cavalry. In March 1915 he was promoted to podporucznik, and in October of that year was wounded during a skirmish with Austrian troops. He returned to active service in May 1916, and in February 1917 was transferred to 1st Uhlan Regiment, which consisted mostly of ethnic Poles. Podhorski distinguished himself in the Battle of Krechowce (July 24, 1917), for which he was awarded the Order of St. George, and promoted to poruchik (August 1917).

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