Colonel Urszula Tauer – A Symbol of Courage and Patriotism

We bid farewell to Colonel Urszula Tauer, nom de guerre “Ala” – a resident of Bydgoszcz, Home Army soldier, participant in the Warsaw Uprising, and one of the oldest residents of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region. Her funeral was held with full military honours. In recognition of her outstanding service to Poland’s independence and sovereignty, the President of the Republic of Poland posthumously awarded her the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

Born in Lviv and connected with Bydgoszcz from childhood, Urszula Tauer served in the Polish resistance during the Second World War as a liaison officer and courier for the Union of Armed Struggle (ZWZ) and later the Home Army (Armia Krajowa). Using the nom de guerre “Ala,” she carried out dangerous courier missions, including assignments reaching as far as Berlin. She was wounded during the Warsaw Uprising and, following its collapse, was sent to the transit camp in Pruszków.

“Throughout her life, Colonel Urszula Tauer remained a symbol of courage, patriotism and unwavering determination. As a liaison officer and courier of the Home Army, she served Poland during the darkest years of its history, bearing witness to the values that shaped the generation fighting for the country’s freedom. As we bid farewell to Colonel Tauer, we pay tribute to an extraordinary heroine whose life and legacy will remain an important part of the history of our region and of Poland,” said Marshal Piotr Całbecki.

In 2021, at the Civil Registry Office in Bydgoszcz, Urszula Tauer received the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region’s Medal Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis from Vice-Marshal Zbigniew Ostrowski.

In April this year, she celebrated her 105th birthday. The anniversary was marked by a special distinction: by decision of the Minister of National Defence, she was promoted to the rank of Colonel, in recognition of her wartime service and steadfast dedication to Poland.

We extend our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.

Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office

15 July 2026