Photograph of Colonel Albert Traeger

Dimensions. 16.7 x 12 cm

Albert Traeger (1892 Lodz-1953 Poznan) - Colonel of the Polish Army, Knight of the Order of Virtuti Militari. He was born into the family of Lodz industrialist Gustav Adolf and Anna (née Czapiewska). He graduated from gymnasium in Moscow, receiving his high school diploma in 1912. In the same year he entered the Officers' Riding School in Elizavetgrad, from which he graduated in 1914. During World War I, he served in the 4th Kharkov Lancer Regiment, rising to the rank of staffmaster. In the period from December 26, 1917 to February 1, 1918, he worked in General Jozef Dowbor-Musnich's 1st Polish Corps in Russia, as organizer of the 3rd Lancer Regiment. After being arrested by the Bolsheviks and briefly imprisoned in Butyrki, he worked in the Moscow representative office of the Regency Council, facilitating Poles pursued by the Bolsheviks to get from Russia to Poland. Threatened with arrest himself, he reached Warsaw in dramatic circumstances and joined the ranks of the Polish Army on January 15, 1919. At the urging of General Dowbor-Mussnicki, he went to Poznan, where he participated in the formation of the Wielkopolska Lancers Regiment, later renamed the 15th Poznan Lancers Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of rittmeister and took command of a squadron and later a dyon (1st and 2nd squadrons). He took part in the Polish-Bolshevik war. During the Bolshevik offensive on Minsk, on orders from Colonel W. Anders, he took command of a detachment of the 15th Uhlan Regiment. With only 200 lancers, Traeger smashed a brigade of Donsk Cossacks and forced them to lay down their arms. He took 500 prisoners, the same number of horses, 8 ckms and tabors into captivity. For this deed he was awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari on April 28, 1921. Albert Traeger was promoted to the rank of major and remained in the position of deputy commander of the 15th Lancers Regiment until January 28, 1928. On that day, already with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was appointed to the 18th Lancers Regiment in Grudziądz as regimental commander. In the period from 27 I 1932 until the outbreak of World War II, he served as a district horse inspector in Lublin. On September 1, 1939 he reported to the 2nd Lancer Regiment. Soon he was taken prisoner by the Germans, from which he was released due to poor health. He spent the occupation period in Lublin, being in constant contact with the AK command and taking part in actions organized by the underground. After the war, in 1945, he received a call up to the Polish Army and was promoted to the rank of colonel. In 1946 he retired from the army. He died on November 1, 1953 in Poznan.
Polish and foreign orders, decorations and badges of Colonel Traeger: Badge of the 4th Regiment of Kharkov Lancers, Badge of the 1st Polish Corps 12.06.1918, Interalliee Medal, Gold Medal for Freedom of the Unified. King. SHS, Commemorative Badge of the Greater Poland Army 1.02.1919, Medal for War 1918-1921, Order Virtuti Militari V class 22.04.1921, Cross of Valor for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd time 14.12.1921, Medal for Courage - Russia 30.04.1923, Badge of the 15th Poznań Lancers Regiment 8.12.1923, Commemorative Badge CWK 1924, Commemorative Badge of the Lithuanian-Belarusian Front 20.05.1924, Badge of the 14th Infantry Division 10.01.1927, Medal of the 10th Anniversary of Poland Reborn, Badge of the 18th Pomeranian Lancers Regiment 8.05.1928, Gold Cross of Merit 19.03.1937, Bronze Medal for Long Service 12.08.1938, Cross of Polonia Restituta V Class 10.12.1945, Medal for Warsaw 1.03.1946, Medal for Odra, Nysa and Baltic 17.03.1946, Medal of Victory and Freedom 9.05.1946, Grunwald Badge 28.06.1946
Text based on the notes of the Colonel's son and collected documents, authorized by his granddaughter Margaret Traeger.
Objects at auction related to Colonel Traeger: 70, 132, 160, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 182, 186, 188, 189, 191, 192, 193, 195, 196, 197, 229, 232, 236, 237, 238, 241, 248, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337.