WW2 Polish Cichociemny SOE Bolesław Odrowąż-Szukiewicz “Bystrzec” – Cross of Valour with Document

This is a Polish Cross of Valour manufactured for the Polish Armed Forces in the West. Bronze version, produced in the United Kingdom by the Technical Group in London between 1944 and 1945. Comes with the original ribbon mounted on a pin-back clasp. Identified as version 24b in Grzegorz Krogulec’s book Krzyż Walecznych, popularly known as the “Brzuchacz” variant.

Condition: as shown in the photographs.

Bolesław Aleksander Odrowąż-Szukiewicz, codenames “Bystrzec” and “Turban” (b. 2 October 1916 in Moscow – d. 17 February 1943 in Bratków on the Czarna River), was a Second Lieutenant in the Polish Armed Forces and a Cichociemny.

In 1937, he graduated from Cadet Corps No. 2 in Lwów, earning his high school diploma. In September 1939, he fought with the 4th Rifle Battalion of the 10th Infantry Division and later with the 19th Wołyń  Lancers Regiment. After crossing the Polish-Hungarian border on 8 October 1939, he reached France, where he served in the 2nd Light Artillery Regiment of the 2nd Rifle Division, and later in the 3rd Light Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. In June 1940, he was evacuated to the United Kingdom and assigned to the 1st Light Artillery Squadron of the 1st Rifle Brigade. He completed the Reserve Infantry Officer School in Dundee, where he was promoted to corporal-cadet on 11 June 1941.

After completing sabotage training, he was sworn in as a Cichociemny on 26 October 1942. Promoted to Second Lieutenant with seniority from 1 December 1942, he was parachuted into Poland during the night of 16–17 February 1943 as part of Operation “Saw.” Tragically, he died during the jump due to a partially failed parachute deployment, falling near the estate of Bratków on the Czarna River in the commune of Aleksandrów. Initially buried at the site, his remains were exhumed in 1967 and reinterred at the cholera cemetery in Opoczno.

During World War II, only 316 soldiers completed the exceptionally demanding training and were sworn in as Cichociemni—elite  SOE paratroopers of the Home Army, parachuted into occupied Poland on clandestine missions of sabotage, intelligence, and coordination of resistance efforts. Their bravery, elite training, and crucial role within the Polish Underground State made them one of the most legendary formations in the history of the Polish military.

Artifacts connected to the Cichociemni are true rarities and almost never appear on the collectors’ market. Any item with verified provenance linked to these heroes is an invaluable historical relic—often a centerpiece of the most respected museum and private collections.

The item offered here is a truly exceptional and unrepeatable opportunity to acquire a piece of profound historical, national, and collector significance.