Major Henryk Dobrzański “Hubal” commemorated on an NBP silver coin

Narodowy Bank Polski has announced that a new collector silver coin “Major Henryk Dobrzański ‘Hubal’ ” is available on sale as of 13 February 2024.

The silver coin with a face value of 10 złoty has been minted in up to 10,000 pieces and is sold at all the Regional Branches of NBP and in the NBP online shop Kolekcjoner at the price of PLN 320. The coin is made of 999 purity silver, has a diameter of 32 millimetres and it weighs 31.10 grams. 

Henryk Dobrzański was born in Jasło on 22 June 1897 to a landowning family, whose members had fought in national uprisings. In 1914, he joined the Polish Legions and served in the 2nd Uhlan Regiment. In 1918, when the II Brigade broke through to the Russian side near Rarańcza, he was interned and imprisoned in a camp, which he fled. In November 1918, Dobrzański joined the 2nd Uhlan Regiment, which was being reformed in Krakow. He was awarded the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Order and four times the Cross of Valour (Krzyż Walecznych). After World War I, Dobrzański served in the Cavalry Training Centre in Grudziądz and in several cavalry regiments.

In 1924, he was a member of the Polish equestrian team which won the Nations Cup in Nice. He also won several other prestigious equestrian competitions. On 31 July 1939, Dobrzański was retired only to be reinstated in September. He was appointed as the deputy commander of the 110th Reserve Uhlan Regiment. After the Soviet aggression, on 28 September, the remnants of the regiment divided. Some soldiers remained with Dobrzański, who wanted to get to Warsaw, which was still fighting.

On hearing the news that the capital had fallen, Major Dobrzański decided to continue fighting in Poland, in uniforms, until the allied offensive in the spring of 1940. He organized an underground network and chose his ancestral nickname “Hubal” as his alias. He named his unit the “Detached Unit of the Polish Army”. The unit won several skirmishes and effectively avoided the enemy’s ambushes. Fearing the Germans’ retribution on the civilian population, the command of the Union of Armed Struggle ordered that the 250-strong unit be disbanded. “Hubal” left the choice to his subordinates and 72 of them stayed with him. The Germans gathered a force of several thousand soldiers and policemen to fight “Hubal”. Venting their rage after several defeats, the occupiers torched 620 homesteads and murdered 712 civilians.

On 30 April 1940, the enemy surprised “Hubal’s” unit when it was bivouacking. The major was killed in action. His burial place is unknown. In 1966, he was posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel and awarded the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Order, and in 2010 the Grand Cross of the Order of Restored Poland (Polonia Restituta). His actions became the epitome of soldier’s valour and fight to the end in defence of the country.

The obverse of the coin shows the Eagle established as the national emblem of the Republic of Poland and the silhouette of Major Dobrzański on horseback with a drawn sabre. At the bottom, there is a model 34 sabre used by the Polish cavalry in 1939 and a model 37 field cap worn in September 1939. Below, there are the words uttered by the major on hearing of the downfall of Warsaw: “I will not lay down my arms. I will not take off my uniform. So help me God”.

The reverse presents the portrait of “Hubal” as he looked during the guerrilla time: with facial hair, wearing an unbuttoned uniform and a sheepskin coat over his shoulders. On the uniform, he is wearing the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Order awarded to him in recognition of his struggle for the independence and the borders of Poland in the years 1918–1921.      

More information can be found in the brochure.

NBP collector coins and banknotes are sold in commercial packaging with an attached certificate.

The next issue is scheduled for 22 February 2024. On that date Narodowy Bank Polski will be putting into circulation a silver collector coin “In Memory of the Ulma Family”.

Contact:

Contact for collectors: e-mail kolekcjoner@nbp.pl, tel. +48 22 185 17 05

Contact for the media: e-mail press@nbp.pl, tel. +48 22 185 2012

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About NBP

Narodowy Bank Polski holds the exclusive right to issue banknotes and coins in Poland. All currency issued by NBP, including collector banknotes and coins, is legal tender in Poland. Issuing collector items is an occasion to commemorate historic figures and anniversaries as well as to develop the interest of the public in Polish culture, science and tradition.

High-resolution images of the coins: https://nbp.pl/en/coins-and-banknotes/collector-coins/catalogue/