Colonel Zbigniew Rylski, a Warsaw Uprising hero who defended Michle Palace, died on November 7, 2023, at age 102, the Territorial Defense Forces announced.
Warsaw Uprising Hero Dies
Colonel Zbigniew Rylski, nicknamed “Brzoza” (“Birch”), a soldier of the Parasol Battalion and the last defender of Michle Palace, one of the most famed Warsaw Uprising battle sites, passed away at 102.
The Territorial Defense Forces emphasized that “our great hero has gone to the eternal guard.”
Hero’s Battlefield Legacy
During the fighting in the Evangelical cemeteries, despite a severe wound, he rescued his commander, “Gryf,” the future General Janusz Brochwicz‑Lewiński, from under fire.
After the battles in Wola, he led his unit to the Old Town, where they attempted to break a corridor to the city center.
Territorial Defense Honors
His son and former deputy commander of the Praga district, Colonel Zygmunt Rylski, who today serves as patron of the 181st Light Infantry Battalion of the Capital Territorial Defense Soldiers, is noted as a link to the past.
The unit highlighted in a social‑media communiqué that Zbigniew Rylski was one of the last witnesses to those events, a symbol of courage and soldierly honor.
They offered sincere condolences to the family and close ones.
