Tadeusz Lutak, oldest Polish veteran, dies at 109

Captain Tadeusz Lutak, known by the pseudonym ‘Pancerz’, has passed away at the age of 109. He was the oldest veteran of the Polish Armed Forces and the oldest man living in Poland.

Born in 1917, Lutak served as a tank crewman during the September Campaign of 1939 under General Stanisław Maczek. Following the defeat, he joined the Home Army (Armia Krajowa), where he led a diversionary squad in Strzyżów. Throughout his life, he survived multiple death sentences from occupying forces and famously escaped a transport to Germany by jumping from a moving train.

The Territorial Defence Forces (WOT) honored his memory, describing him as a patriot for whom service to the Fatherland was a lifelong value. Lutak was a recipient of several honors, including the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Home Army Cross.