Karol Taube (1888–1940) and his input into the development of the military historiography

Abstract

After retiring, Karol Taube (1888–1940), an officer of the Polish Navy and a participant of the Polish–Soviet War in the ranks of the Riverine Flotilla, began his work as a researcher at the Military History Bureau and a social activist and journalist within the Maritime and Colonial League. While working at the Bureau, he published important studies in the historiography of the Polish–Soviet war, entitled “Zarys historji wojennej flotyll rzecznych” [Outline of the Military History of River Flotillas] (1931) and “Zarys historji wojennej pułku morskiego” [Outline of the Military History of the Naval Regiment] (1933). He was also taking an active part in the scientific life of the Military History Bureau and wrote entries for “Encyklopedja wojskowa” [Military Encyclopaedia], edited by Otton Laskowski. His memoirs of the war against the Bolsheviks, entitled “Figle diablika błot pińskich. Ze wspomnień marynarza” [Mischiefs of the Devil of the Pinsk Swamps: From the Memoirs of a Sailor] (1937), became an important source for many later researchers of the history of the Polish Navy. Taube’s scientific and literary work was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War. When he fell victim to the Katyn massacre, the homeland lost not only a distinguished officer of the Navy but also a promising historian and commentator.