Tadeusz Lutak

	Poland's Oldest Living Man Titleholders (V • E)
	Walenty Cabon • Jan Michalski • Frument Jaroszynski • Walenty Tasiemski • Jan Szarpala • Antoni Drewniak • Ferdynand Pacak • Kazimierz Anuszkiewicz • Boleslaw Butrym • Boleslaw Kliszewski • Jozef Jankiewicz • Feliks Kowalkowski • Franciszek Karwowski • Pawel Parniak • Jozef Kos • Boleslaw Adamek • Konstanty Jung • Jozef Szyszko • Stefan Modrzejewski • Antoni Dobrowolski • Roman Krus • Antoni Wojciechowski • Stanislaw Swidzinski • Jozef Plawski • Jozef Zurek • Stanislaw Kowalski • Kazimierz Klimczak • Stanislaw Pelka • Wladyslaw Fidos • Tadeusz Lutak

	Tadeusz Lutak
	; Tadeusz Lutak and Waclaw Jan Kroczek in August 2024
Birth:	29 August 1917; Żarnowa, Strzyżów County, Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland
Age:	107 years, 139 days
Country:	POL
	Centenarian

Tadeusz Lutak (born 29 August 1917) is a captain of the Polish Army, soldier of the independence conspiracy during World War II and centenarian who is currently the oldest known living man in Poland.

Biography[]

Tadeusz Lutak was born in Żarnowa, Strzyżów County, Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland on 29 August 1917. After completing primary school, he joined the military. On 25 November 1937, he was assigned to the non-commissioned officers' school as a cadet in the 2nd Armored Battalion in Żurawica. After completing the non-commissioned officers' school in September 1938, he was assigned to the Vickers tank company as a motorcycle courier. That same year, he participated in the occupation of Cieszyn Silesia, Orava, and Spiš.

During Poland's defensive war in September 1939, he took part in battles with the 121st Light Tank Company within the 10th Cavalry Brigade and was captured by the Germans but managed to escape. From 1940, he was involved in underground activities within the Union of Armed Struggle, later the Home Army. He was a member of Stanisław Mikulski's sabotage group, codenamed "Żmija" (Viper). Within the AK's intelligence and sabotage organization codenamed "Ruch" (Movement), he gathered intelligence. He participated in sabotage and diversionary actions, including the liquidation of the German collaborator Edward Koch in Niebylec. He served in the special platoon of the Rzeszów Inspectorate of the Home Army, and in 1944 he became the commander of a diversionary squad from Żarnowa in the sabotage platoon of the AK's Strzyżów outpost, led by Second Lieutenant Mikulski. After the Red Army's arrival, he moved to the Recovered Territories. He returned to his hometown in 1946 and worked as a farmer and butcher in Żarnowa in the following years.

After the political transformation in Poland, he became involved in veteran activities as a member of the World Association of Home Army Soldiers and the Union of Veterans of the Republic of Poland and Former Political Prisoners. In 2001, he was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant of the Polish Army in retirement. In 2019, he received the IPN Honorary Award - "Witness of History."

In August 2022, he celebrated his 105th birthday, at that time also being the oldest former tank crewman of the Polish Army. He was then honored with the title of Honorary Citizen of Strzyżów County. On March 3, 2023, he was promoted to the rank of Captain of the Polish Army in retirement. In February 2024, he received the honorary badge "Distinguished for the Podkarpackie Voivodeship.

On 26 July 2024, following the death of 108-year-old Wladyslaw Fidos, he became the oldest known living man in Poland.

References[]

Dzisiaj 107. urodziny por. Tadeusza Lutaka. Panie Kapitanie, 200 lat w zdrowiu i wszelakiej pomyślności „dla Ojczyzny i dla chwały...” Nowiny 24, 29 August 2024
Gerontology Research Group honors the oldest living man in Poland Gerontology Research Group, 30 August 2024